Published: Tuesday, Mar. 19, 2013 / Updated: Tuesday, Mar. 19, 2013 07:28 PM
Bakker did apologize
Bakker did apologize for role in downfall
Jim Bakker offered multiple apologies for his role in the downfall of Heritage USA during his return to Fort Mill. I can't believe your paper would allow Scott Cost's column to run unchallenged on that fact. The entire basis for Cost’s March 13 column is based on a false premise that Jim Bakker never apologized while here. He did.
I watched several hours of his live broadcast from here. I even jotted down a few quotes, including this humble comment to those people who turned out: “Thanks for coming and having enough guts to say, ‘I’ll stand with the fallen.’”
It is so very easy to beat up Jim Bakker for his past, but the former PTL president and minister wrote an entire book called “ I Was Wrong.”
Honestly, I think The Fort Mill Times owes its readers an apology for inadequate coverage of Bakker's historic return to Heritage USA. That man has done a lot to shape the look and story of Fort Mill, for good reasons and bad, yet your publication didn't run one photograph showing his visit.
And if I sound like an apologist for Jim Bakker, I am not. But he has struggled his entire life to get complete, fair and honest coverage from The Charlotte Observer and other newspapers.
It's a shame that his struggle continues even 25 years later.
Greg Rickabaugh
Fort Mill