Final Draft of Example Essay

Sarah Hice


Professor Aiken

English 1101: Example Essay

23 September 2009

Unattainable Perfection

Twenty-three counts of embezzlement and one count of fraud. Praise the Lord (PTL) televangelist Jim Bakker was charged with these crimes in the late 1980s and given a sentence of 45 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Since the program began in 1974, Bakker, along with PTL's former No. 2 administrator, Richard Dortch, and Bakker aides David and James Taggart, embezzled approximately $158 million dollars from PTL ministries (Ostling). Bakker admitted to having spent church funds on luxury cars and mansions for himself. Bakker and his wife, Tammy Faye, “came up with some truly inventive ways to squander ministry money. (Strandberg)” Bakker was also found to have been involved in an affair with church secretary, Jessica Hahn, in 1980. In an attempt to keep her quite about their interactions, Bakker paid Hahn approximately $265,000. This is not a situation that has occurred once in a single church ministry; there are many others that are just as familiar and wide-known.

In 1988, Jimmy Swaggart of “The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast” was reported to have been involved with a prostitute. Many say that this is hypocritical of him because of his public scorn against fellow preacher Marvin Gorman who had been caught having an extramarital affair. When Gorman heard that Swaggart was seen frequently in areas that were well-known for prostitution, he hired a private detective who took incriminating photographs of Swaggart taking a prostitute into a hotel with him. When Swaggart refused to pay blackmail money, the photos were shown to the Assemblies of God leadership. The publicity of the photos caused many of Swaggarts supporters to withdraw their sponsorship. Although church leadership is not always perfect, they are not the only ones; regular churchgoers are not perfect either.

The United States divorce rate is twenty-five percent; this number represents all of the adults who are currently divorced or who have been divorced at some point. Among various denominations, the divorce rate ranges from twenty-one to thirty-four percent. Some denominations, such as Mormons, with a divorce rate of 24 percent. and Catholics, with a divorce rate of 21 percent, have a divorce rate that is lower than the national rate. While others, such as Non-denominational Christians, with a divorce rate of 34 percent, and Baptists, with a divorce rate of 29 percent, have divorce rates that are higher than the national rate (“Divorce and Remarriage”). Of the divorces among born-again, or reformed, Christian couples, ninety percent occur after they have been saved.

Not everyone is imperfect in the same way. In today’s society, another way that we see flawed people in the church is the number of girls who become pregnant before they are married. It is becoming a more common occurrence throughout society, and being a churchgoer has not made anyone an exception. Even people who have been brought up in the church all their lives and are very involved in church activities can mess up and have a child before they are married. My family is a prime example of one that seems put together on the outside but when you take a closer look is not so perfect on the inside.

Many people assume that because a person goes to church, his or her life is perfect, without flaw or imperfection. Yet “perfect churchgoers” have their faults too. There are those who have alcohol problems and drug problems, those who have abusiveness issues, and those who have fidelity troubles. Sometimes even the leaders of church ministries are flawed. Being a churchgoer does not mean that one is perfect, because no one is “perfect”.