Swaggart

"This is the first biography of Jimmy Swaggart to date. But it's not just Jimmy's story; it's the tale of the rise of two intimately linked colossi of the American century: Pentecostalism, the fastest growing religious movement in the world, and its "evil twin," Rock and Roll."--BOOK JACKET.

"A major theme of the book is how the religious ecstasy of Pentecostalism - the rousing music, the speaking in tongues, the reception of the Spirit - combined with its severe sexual repression leads to the kind of furtive acting out that brought down not only Jimmy Swaggart but also numerous other evangelists. It's the story, too, of the rapid rise of the Religious Right, with its competing personalities and ideologies.

In the end, the author sees Jimmy as a victim - like many others - of a primitive faith colliding with the forces of late twentieth-century fame."--BOOK JACKET.