Minor Axis

There are some good well meaning souls out there preaching the word of God as they see it and none of them are on TV. But it seems like when a high percentage of preachers hit the big time it becomes very difficult to remain on the path. I consider most televangelists as total frauds and more of a danger than a help especially when they start advocating assassination and military strikes, although sex scandals seem to be a prominent theme along with some of our conservative elected officials.

However based on what I know, I consider Billy Graham to be an exception.

It's not unusual at all to see Sunday morning fund raisers on the tube. Tune in and enjoy!

Pat Robertson (July 2008):
But nevertheless, I think we can look in the next few months for Israel to make a strike — possibly before the next election — because I think George Bush — to use the term an “amber light” — he’s given the amber, the yellow light, saying, “Caution, but go ahead.”

(2005)"You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war ... We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with." –Pat Robertson, calling for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

Ted Haggard Cured of Homosexuality: (2007) Founder and former pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado; a founder of the Association of Life-Giving Churches; and was leader of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) from 2003[1] until November 2006 when his 3 year affair with a male prostitute was revealed.

Ralph [one of the ministers at Haggard's former church] said three weeks of counseling at an undisclosed Arizona treatment center helped Haggard immensely and left Haggard sure of one thing.
"He is completely heterosexual," Ralph said. "That is something he discovered. It was the acting - out situations where things took place. It wasn't a constant thing."

Why Haggard chose to act out in that manner is something Haggard and his advisers are trying to discern, Ralph said.

Good friend Dr. James Dodson wanted to do the homo cure but he did not have time. Dobson: I want to cure Ted Haggard of being gay but don’t have time, it ‘could take four or five years.'

Pastor John Hagee (2006): CEO of Global Evangelism Television.
The United States must join Israel in a pre-emptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God’s plan for both Israel and the West… a biblically prophesied end-time confrontation with Iran, which will lead to the Rapture, Tribulation, and Second Coming of Christ.

Jerry Falwell assigning blame for 9/11:
And, I know that I'll hear from them for this. But, throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way - all of them who have tried to secularize America - I point the finger in their face and say "you helped this happen."

James Baker head of PTL: Wiki Link.
On March 19, 1987, following the revelation of a payoff to a young woman named Jessica Hahn, whom Bakker's staff members had paid $279,000 from PTL funds to keep secret her allegation that he had raped her, Bakker resigned from PTL.[4] Bakker acknowledges he met Hahn at a hotel room in Clearwater Beach, Florida, but denies raping her. Following Bakker's resignation as PTL head, he was succeeded in late March, 1987, by Jerry Falwell.[5] Later that summer, as donations sharply declined in the wake of Bakker's resignation and the end of the Bakkers' popular PTL Club TV show, Falwell raised $20 million to help keep the Heritage USA Theme Park solvent, including a well-publicized waterslide plunge there.[6]. Falwell called Bakker a liar, an embezzler, a sexual deviant, and "the greatest scab and cancer on the face of Christianity in 2,000 years of church history."[7] In 1988, Falwell said that the Bakker scandal had "strengthened broadcast evangelism and made Christianity stronger, more mature and more committed".[8] Bakker's son, Jay, wrote in 2001 that the Bakkers felt betrayed by Falwell, whom they thought at the time Bakker's resignation was intending to help in Bakker's eventual restoration as head of the PTL ministry organization.[2]

Jimmy Swaggert Quits over Sex Scandal: (1988)
BBC Link
Jimmy Swaggart, America's leading television evangelist, has resigned from his ministry after it was revealed he had been consorting with a prostitute. In front of a congregation of 7,000 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he sobbed and confessed to "moral failure" without actually going into any detail.

"I have sinned against you and I beg your forgiveness"
Jimmy Swaggart

Oral Roberts:
1977
Oral Roberts claimed that he received a vision, or revelation, from God. In the vision he claimed that God told him to build the City of Faith Medical Center. He also claimed that he saw a 900 foot tall Jesus, who said that the City of Faith would be successful. Four years later, in 1981 he opened the City of Faith.

1983- Oral Roberts: said that Jesus Christ appeared to him in person (not a vision) and told him to find a cure for cancer. So far, he has not found that cure.
1986- Oral Roberts said that God told him the following:
"I want you to use the ORU medical school to put My medical presence in the earth. I want you to get this going in one year or I will call you home. It will cost $8 million and I want you to believe you can raise it."
1987- In January Oral Roberts said that God spoke to him and told him that he had not sent out any medical missionaries from the university or City of Faith. God instructed him to raise $8 million by March of the same year or God would take him home (presumably God would kill Oral Roberts or translate him to heaven like Enoch).
The money raised was to provide full scholastic scholarships for medical missionaries who would be sent to other countries.
He claimed that $3.5 million had already been raised, but he needed $4.5 million more by March 1, in order to get the full $8 million and prevent God from taking him home.

1987- On April 1 Oral Roberts said that he had received $9.1 million which was $1.1 million more that was required by God.
1987- In November, Oral Roberts announced that the City of Faith would be closing down.
1988- In January, Oral Roberts discontinued the medical scholarships. Apparently he was no longer afraid that God was going to take him home.
1988- In March, the medical scholarship fund went bankrupt. If any students wished to transfer to any other institution, they were required to repay their scholarships at 18% interest.
1989- In September, Oral Roberts closed the City of Faith.

__________________
"I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!"

valley

I agree with you for the most part. But most of the preachers you listed who have been embroiled in scandal have been from TV stations such as TBN..which is so "out there" that I cannot tolerate to watch without rolling my eyes and groaning in pain at what they are trying to pass off as faith. There is one couple...the woman remind me of Tammy Faye...huge false eyelashes, a big blonde wig and bright red cheeks and lips..her sidekick has white hair, a tan and perfect teeth. It creeps me out to watch the beg-a-thons and see their promises of blessing to anyone who will send in a "love gift" of $20.00 or more. *rolleyes*

That being said...there are decent godly men out there who do preach the word of God without asking for anything in return.

On DirectTV, there is a channel called NRB (378) that airs excellent teaching by pastors who are not willing to be affiliated with TBN because of the amount of junk they air. (Here is a link to it: Pages - default )Some notable preachers are:

John MacArthur Jr. (Grace To You Ministries)
David Jeremiah (Turning Point Ministries)
D James Kennedy

Some notable shows are:

The John Ankerberg Show (fantastic debates on this show..a MUST see!!!)
Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort's "The Way of the Master"
"I Dont Have Enough Faith To Be an Atheist"
Answers in Genesis
12 Points That Show Christianity is True (a 12 part mini-series)
Back to the Bible
From His Heart Ministries
CBN NewsWatch

None of these shows ask for donations and the people on them are normal every day people. They even have fishing, hunting and music video shows.

So while its true that mainstream media does not air this kind of programming, there are stations that have good teaching that you can trust to be Biblical and without scandal.

Minor Axis

Valley,
Thanks for the input. I like the sound of debate. Maybe I'll stumble across the Ankerburg show.

__________________
"I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!"

valley

My pleasure. And yes, if you like debate, you will enjoy that show. If you want, you can find clips of it at You Tube. You can also google up John Ankerberg's website if you are curious.