Jimmy Swaggart, a renowned televangelist, has died at the age of 90 after years of declining health. He became widely known for his Pentecostal preaching and amassed a large following, which drastically dwindled after being caught with a prostitute in 1988. Despite his scandals, Swaggart continued to preach, although to a smaller audience. He famously apologized during a tearful sermon, acknowledging his sins without mentioning the specifics. Following his defrocking by the Assemblies of God, Swaggart separated from the church in an effort to maintain his ministry.
Swaggart encapsulated his downfall in a tearful 1988 sermon, in which he wept and apologized but made no reference to his connection to a prostitute. "I have sinned against you," Swaggart told parishioners nationwide. "I beg you to forgive me."
He announced his resignation from the Assemblies of God later that year, shortly after the church said it was defrocking him for rejecting punishment it had ordered for "moral failure." The church had wanted him to undergo a two-year rehabilitation program, including not preaching for a full year.
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