Thomas Dexter Jakes (born June 9, 1957), known as T. D. Jakes, is an American bishop, author and filmmaker. He is the bishop of

The Potter's House The Potter's House Christian Fellowship is a Pentecostalism, Pentecostal church based in the United States of America. It was established in Prescott, Arizona in 1970 by Wayman Mitchell. Originally a part of the International Church of the Four ...

, a

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. Overview The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...

American megachurch. Jakes's church services and Evangelistic sermons are broadcast on ''The Potter's Touch''.

Biography

Thomas Dexter Jakes was born on June 9, 1957, in

South Charleston, West Virginia South Charleston is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. It is located to the west of Charleston. The population was 13,639 at the 2020 census. South Charleston was established in 1906, but not incorporated until 1917. The ...

, and grew up in Vandalia, West Virginia.

Beliefs

Although Jakes was converted and ordained within

Oneness Pentecostalism Oneness Pentecostalism (also known as Apostolic, Jesus' Name Pentecostalism, or the Jesus Only movement) is a nontrinitarian religious movement within the Protestant Christian family of churches known as Pentecostalism. It derives its distincti ...

, he revealed in an interview with

Mark Driscoll Mark A. Driscoll (born 1970) is an American evangelical pastor and author who founded the now defunct Mars Hill Church. He is the senior and founding pastor of the Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, which was founded in 2016. In 1996, ...

in 2012 that he affirms the

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

, although Jakes did not affirm the eternality of the individual persons of the Trinity, which is denied by Oneness churches. Jakes is an advocate of sexual abstinence and has made appearances advocating it on ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. ...

'' and ''

Dr. Phil Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), better known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased rene ...

''. In 2015, Jakes stated that his views on homosexuality and LGBT rights are evolving. However, Jakes stated that his words were misinterpreted and that while he does not support same-sex marriage, he "respect the rights that this country affords those that disagree".

Ministry

In 1982, at age 25, Jakes became the pastor of Greater Emanuel Temple of Faith, a storefront church in Smithers, West Virginia, with ten members. In 1988, he joined the denomination ''Higher Ground Always Abounding Assemblies'' founded by Bishop Sherman Watkins. In 1990, Jakes moved to South Charleston, West Virginia, and his congregation grew again, to 300 members. In 1993 he moved to Cross Lanes, West Virginia.Hughes Oliphant Old, ''The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church: The biblical period'', Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, USA, 1998, p. 386 In 1995, he founded "TDJ Enterprises" which publishes his books and produces his films. From 1995 to 1996, Jakes hosted "Get Ready," a weekly radio and television show with national distribution through syndication. In 1996, Jakes, founded

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

, Texas, a non-denominational church. Located on a 34-acre hilltop campus, the Potter's House features a 5,000-seat auditorium, as well as offices for employees and staff. In 2005, Jakes accompanied President George W. Bush on his visit to the areas devastated by

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

. On January 20, 2009, Jakes led the early morning prayer service for President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

at St. John's Church in Washington, D.C., according to

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's v ...

. In 2009, Jakes partnered with

Dr. Phil McGraw Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), better known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased rene ...

, Jay McGraw, and

CBS Television Distribution CBS Media Ventures, Inc. (formerly CBS Television Distribution, Inc. and CBS Paramount Domestic Television, Inc.) is an American television distribution company owned by CBS Studios, part of CBS Entertainment Group, a division of Paramount G ...

to launch a syndicated, secular talk show; however, due to economic issues within the syndicated television market, the program never premiered. In July 2015, Tegna, Inc. and

Debmar-Mercury Debmar-Mercury is a television syndication company. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Lionsgate, it was formed from a merger of Debmar Studios and Mercury Entertainment in 2006. History Debmar Studios Debmar-Mercury's history begins on October 31, ...

announced that a new secular talk show hosted by Jakes called ''T. D. Jakes'' would air a test run on Tegna stations in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

, and

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origin ...

from August 17 to September 11, 2015. On May 10, 2016, Tegna announced that it would begin airing Jakes's show September 12 in over 50 markets across the country. On March 15, 2017, Tegna announced that ''T. D. Jakes'' was cancelled due to poor ratings and low clearances.

Media

Discography

* Woman Thou Art Loosed (1997) * Live From the Potter’s House (1998) * The Storm Is Over (2001) T. D. Jakes is also featured on Swedish DJ Steve Angello's dance/electronic track ''Rejoice''.

Writings

* ''Intimacy With God'' * ''Loved by'' * ''Before you throw in the towel'' * ''Naked And Not Ashamed?'' * ''Loose That Man And Let Him Go'' * ''Loose That Man And Let Him Go Workbook'' * ''Positioning Yourself To Prosper'' * ''Reposition Yourself: Living a Life Without Limits'' * ''He-Motions: Even Strong Men Struggle'' * ''Help! I'm Raising My Children Alone: A Guide for Single Ladies and Those Who Sometimes Feel They Are'' * ''Ten Commandments of Working in a Hostile Environment'' * ''Promises From God For Single Women'' * ''Woman, Thou Art Loosed: Healing the Wounds of the Past'' * ''Woman, Thou Art Loosed Devotional'' * ''The Lady, Her Lover, and Her Lord'' * ''Maximize the Moment : God's Action Plan for Your Life'' * ''So You Call Yourself a Man?: Finally... a Devotional for Ordinary Men with Extraordinary Potential'' * ''God's Leading Lady'' * ''His Lady'' * ''Jesus Walks (with me)'' * ''Lay Aside the Weight'' * ''Daddy Loves His Girls'' * ''The Greatest Investment'' * ''Mama Made the Difference'' * ''Don't Drop the Mic'' * ''TD Jakes Speaks to Men'' * ''Overcoming the Enemy'' * ''From the Cross to Pentecost'' * ''Life Overflowing: Six Pillars for Abundant Living * ''Not Easily Broken'', 2006 * ''Before You Do: Making Great Decisions That You Won't Regret'', 2008, Atria Books. * ''The Memory Quilt: A Christmas Story for Our Times'', 2009 * ''Let it Go: Forgive So You Can Be Forgiven'', 2012 * ''Instinct: The Power To Unleash Your Inborn Drive'', 2014, Hachette Book Group. * ''Destiny: Step Into Your Purpose'', August 2015, Hachette Book Group. * ''Soar!: Build Your Vision from the Ground Up'', 2017, FaithWords. * ''Crushing: God Turns Pressure Into Power'', April 2019, Hachette Book Group.

Filmography

* 2004: '' Woman Thou Art Loosed'' — As himself (based on Jakes's novel of the same name) * 2009: ''

Not Easily Broken ''Not Easily Broken'' is a 2009 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Bill Duke. The film is written by Brian Bird based on T. D. Jakes' 2006 novel of the same name. Stars Taraji P. Henson and Morris Chestnut. Plot Dave and Clarice Jo ...

'' — Allen (based on another Jakes novel) * 2011: '' Jumping the Broom'' — Reverend James * 2010: ''Munya'' — Reverend Brian * 2012: '' Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day'' – As himself * 2012: '' Sparkle –'' Producer * 2014: ''

Heaven Is for Real ''Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back'' is a 2010 '' New York Times'' best-selling Christian book written by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent and published by Thomas Nelson Publishers. The book documen ...

'' – Producer * 2014: ''

Winnie Mandela Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She ser ...

'' – Producer * 2016: ''

Miracles from Heaven ''Miracles from Heaven: A Little Girl, Her Journey to Heaven, and Her Amazing Story of Healing'' is a memoir written by an American author Christy Beam, released on April 14, 2015. The author wrote the book about her daughter Annabel Beam. Plot ...

'' – Producer * 2018: ''Faith Under Fire'' – Executive Producer * 2019: '' A Dog's Way Home –'' Executive Producer

Legacy and honors

PBS Religion and ''Ethics Newsweekly'' have named Jakes among America's "Top 10 Religious Leaders." ''Time'' magazine featured Jakes on the cover of its September 17, 2001, issue with the provocative question, "Is This Man the Next Billy Graham?" In 2003, Jakes' album ''A Wing and a Prayer'' won the "Best Gospel or Chorus Album" at the

46th Grammy Awards The 46th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2004 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2003. They recognized ...

. He has also received Grammy and Dove Award nominations for the gospel album ''Live at The Potter's House''. In 2004, he received the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&n ...

's President's Award. Jakes was selected in Oprah's ''SuperSoul100'' list of visionaries and influential leaders in 2016.

Personal life

On the PBS program '' African American Lives'', Jakes had his DNA analyzed; his

Y chromosome The Y chromosome is one of two sex chromosomes (allosomes) in therian mammals, including humans, and many other animals. The other is the X chromosome. Y is normally the sex-determining chromosome in many species, since it is the presence or abs ...

showed that he is descended from the

Igbo people The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and formerly also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'', * * * ''Eboans'', ''Heebo''; natively ) are an ethnic group in Nigeria. They are primarily found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. A s ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. According to his family history, it was suggested that he is also descended from them through his grandmother.

References

External links

T. D. Jakes Ministries official website
*
Watch T.D. Jakes Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jakes, T.D. 1957 births Living people American television evangelists People from South Charleston, West Virginia American bishops American people of Igbo descent American Pentecostal pastors African-American Christian clergy American Christian clergy Grammy Award winners American Charismatics Protestant bishops Pentecostal writers Television evangelists Pentecostals from Texas 20th-century Protestants 21st-century Protestants Film producers from Texas Writers from Dallas People from Cross Lanes, West Virginia