Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart in Critical Condition Following Cardiac Arrest, Family Calls for Prayers

The Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, a towering figure in American televangelism for more than half a century, remains in critical condition after suffering a cardiac arrest, his family announced during a Sunday service coinciding with Father’s Day.

Swaggart, 90, was hospitalized on Saturday, June 15. His son, the Rev. Donnie Swaggart, told the congregation at the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that only divine intervention could save his father.

“On this Father’s Day, we urgently ask you to pray for Brother Swaggart. He needs a miracle from heaven right now, this morning,” Donnie Swaggart said. “We must have the Lord intervene in this situation, and we need your prayers.”

Posting to his father’s official Facebook page, Donnie added, “He’s my rock and my hero and he needs the Lord’s healing power today.”

Swaggart, who was born on March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana, began his full-time ministry in 1955. He would go on to found Jimmy Swaggart Ministries and serve as the senior pastor of the Family Worship Center. According to his ministry’s website, Swaggart has preached the gospel of Jesus Christ on television longer than any other American evangelist.

At the height of his influence in the 1980s, Swaggart’s televised services reached over 2 million households, making him the most-watched religious broadcaster in the country at the time.

His career was not without controversy. In 1987, Swaggart was linked to a high-profile scandal involving a sex worker in a New Orleans motel, an incident that tarnished his public image and led to a temporary fall from grace. Despite the setback, he eventually returned to the pulpit and retained a devoted following through his ministry’s broadcasting efforts.

The Swaggart family has not released further medical updates as of Monday but continues to call for prayers from supporters around the world.

“Please lift him up in your hearts. We believe in miracles,” Donnie Swaggart told parishioners.

With input from Fox News