| Kevin Whittum , on your right, was the adopted son of Jim
Bakker's cousin and was also one of Jim's most successful fund raising
tools. Kevin had the head of a nine year old on the torso of a toddler,
but he was actually an articulate young adult. Kevin would go on PTL periodically
to tug the heart (and purse) strings of the PTL Partners to send in money
for "Kevin's House," a facility for severely handicapped children which
was built but never licensed for its intended use. Kevin provided the most
poignant moment in the 1986 must-see documentary Thy Kingdom Come Thy Will
Be Done. Kevin has since died. |
 |
| Ft Worth-based evangelist Dave Roever has built his testimony
on a disfiguring injury he suffered in the Nam where a phosphorous grenade
blew up in his hand, essentially melting his face. Dave, who can be seen
in very tight close-up shots on TBN every Wednesday night, also takes his
message on the road to churches and high schools all over the county. His
bio Welcome Home Davey was published by Word Books in Waco and sports a
photo of Davey with President Reagan on the back cover. For a catalog of
Roever merchandise, dial 1-800-87DAVEY. |
 |
| One of the more unsettling experiences in the pursuit of
collecting Bad White Gospel albums is encountering a Merrill Womach disc.
In a musical genre defined by outlandish and weird album covers, it's hard
to top a simple head shot of Merrill. A veteran of 17 albums since 1958,
Merrill was horribly disfigured in a plane crash on Thanksgiving day, 1961.
Today Merrill runs a multi-million dollar business in Spokane, WA providing
taped music for funeral homes across the U.S. & Canada. In his office
is a crucifix made from the plane's wreckage. |
 |
| The Village Idiot of the Kingdom of Glory, David Ring demands
that you stare and laugh at him. Eyes rolling back in his head, foaming
at the mouth, David, who has cerebral palsy, twitches and contorts his
way through impassioned, yet insufferably drawn out Bible lessons like
the dividing of the loaves. When he finally manages to spit out "el sa'um
t' o-oo ha-ull" (tell Satan to go to Hell) you're ready to give him a standing
ovation. David was discovered by Jerry Falwell who has a video tape of
David's sermons for sale as you exit the tent. |
 |