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« Heller Hath No Fury
One Left of One Punk
Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's prodigal son Jay has gone truly radical now: He's starting a church in the epicenter of hipster culture, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This bepierced and betatted son of a preacher man — who listens to Social Distortion and writes his sermons in coffeehouses — is ending his six-episode series One Punk Under God, airing Wednesdays at 9 pm/ET on the Sundance Channel, with a move to the absolute opposite of Jim Bakkerland — New York City — where his wife Amanda will go to med school while he tries to start a new chapter of his church, Revolution.
Don't laugh: The guy just might succeed. Jay is surprisingly sweet and achingly insecure; not a terribly good speaker like his father, he wins his audience by being utterly honest and self-revealing, and totally casual and noncommanding. He reads his sermons from a coffee-stained, overstickered journal, often while puffing on a cigarette, and finishes them by reminding his congregation to tip the bartenders; the whole thing has the earnest supportiveness of an introductory creative-writing seminar. And his marketing materials? Stickers that read, "As Christians, we're sorry for being self-righteous judgmental bastards." Cursing in church might well go a long way in the big bad city.
The most moving aspect of Jay's story, however, is his troubled yet emotional relationship with his parents; throughout the season he speaks a lot about his sick mother (who is currently in treatment for cancer) and her "legacy of love," and he describes how he used to look up to his father before they had a falling-out a few years back. In the last couple of episodes he's visited his dying mother, reconciled with his famous father, taken a controversial stance on gay rights in his church (which cost him a major financial funder), and shown off his PTL tat on national television. He's also made some pretty soulful remarks about his father's character ("I think my dad's a pretty sincere guy — when he's on TV"). Their relationship fast develops into a kind of pulpit-based Top Gun: the son is tormented by the father's successes, and his own failures. It's also true that occasionally one can see past the veil — like how is it that this seemingly unemployed kid can afford to drive a Land Rover? And his move to New York seems a bit contrived.... When he says, "God is calling us to move to Brooklyn," it's awful hard not to laugh. (When exactly did the NYU med school's admissions board become God?) But Jay's hidden weapon is his fearless sincerity; he's so self-revealing, ya just want to give the guy a hug. How ironic, then, that the Atlanta bar where he holds his sermons is called The Masquerade.
The series finale, in which Jay prepares for his first sermon in Brooklyn, premieres on Wednesday, Jan. 17., but check your listings because the episode will be airing throughout the rest of the month.
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Jan 16, 2007 7:31 PM
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Jay Bakker is a really interesting guy. I just finished reading the autobiography he wrote a few years ago, and it's a ripping yarn. It's hard not to be skeptical given his family's history, but I do believe he's sincere. More importantly, his message is much closer to the true heart of the Christian faith than most people of our generation's current understanding. Although I don't agree with everything he says, his message of God's unconditional love and amazing grace is certainly a refreshing and much needed one.
Jay seems like the kind of guy I'd like to have a drink with. Perhaps you and your NYC hipster ilk can invite him to Pacific Standard once it opens, hmmm?
I've been dying to see this show. I hope it comes out on DVD since I don't get this channel.
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Jan 17, 2007 12:52 PM
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