Jimmy Swaggart, umwe mu bamamaye cyane mu mvugo n’ivugabutumwa rya televiziyo muri Leta Zunze Ubumwe za Amerika, yapfuye kuri uyu wa kabiri tariki ya 1 Nyakanga 2025, afite imyaka 90.
Uyu mugabo wamenyekanye cyane mu myaka ya 1980 nk’umwe mu banyamadini bafite ingufu mu itangazamakuru, yaguye mu bitaro bya Baton Rouge General Medical Center, muri Leta ya Louisiana. Urupfu rwe rwemejwe na Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, itorero we n’umuryango we bashinze.
Swaggart yavukiye i Ferriday muri Louisiana ku wa 15 Werurwe 1935. Yakuze mu muryango w’abanyamadini bo mu bwoko bwa Pentekote, aho ababyeyi be, ubukwe n’abavandimwe, bari bazwi mu ivugabutumwa n’umuziki. Uretse ivugabutumwa, Swaggart yari n’umucuranzi wa piano w’umuhanga, aho yifashishaga umuziki mu kuvuga ubutumwa. Afitanye ibihangano n’abandi bahanzi bakomeye nka Jerry Lee Lewis na Mickey Gilley.
Mu ntangiriro z’imyaka ya 1970, Jimmy Swaggart yatangiye kuzamuka mu bikorwa byo kwigisha ijambo ry’Imana binyuze mu bitangazamakuru. Televiziyo ye yari igezweho cyane ku isi, igera mu bihugu birenga 100, aho yigishaga Ijambo ry’Imana mu buryo bwimbitse, akifashisha indirimbo, amasengesho n’inyigisho zifite ingufu, yakundwaga n’abatari bake. Muri icyo gihe, ibikorwa bye byinjizaga amafaranga abarirwa muri miliyoni 140 z’amadolari buri mwaka.
Nubwo yari afitiwe icyizere n’abakristo benshi, ubuzima bwe bw’ivugabutumwa bwazahajwe n’ibibazo by’ubusambanyi byashyizwe ahagaragara. Mu 1988, Swaggart yafashwe ari kumwe n’umugore ukora uburaya mu modoka hafi ya motel imwe i New Orleans. Ibyo byatumye agaragara kuri televiziyo arira, yemera icyaha, maze asaba imbabazi imbaga y’abantu bamukurikiraga. Ibyo byamugizeho ingaruka zikomeye, aho ihuriro ry’itorero ryamushyigikiraga, Assemblies of God, ryamuhagaritse burundu ku nshingano z’ubushumba.
Nubwo yari yarasabwe guhagarika ivugabutumwa, yakomeje ibikorwa bye byigenga, ashinga SonLife Broadcasting Network muri 2010. Nubwo izina rye ritongeye kumvikana nk’uko byari mbere, yakomeje kwamamaza ubutumwa bwiza binyuze mu murongo wa televiziyo n’amaradiyo akorera mu bihugu byinshi. Abana be n’abuzukuru be bakomeje kumuba hafi muri ubwo buryo bw’ivugabutumwa bwo mu rugo.
Swaggart yahuye n’ikindi kibazo mu 1991 ubwo yongeraga gufatirwa i California ari kumwe n’undi mugore wacuruzaga umubiri. Polisi yamukurikiranye ku bw’imyitwarire idakwiye, bituma agenda yongera kwikururira urwango n’igihombo gikomeye mu izina rye no mu muryango we wa gikirisitu. Ibi byaha byombi byasize isura ye ishegeshwe mu maso y’abantu benshi, nubwo yari agifite igice cy’abamushyigikiye.
Mu mezi ya nyuma y’ubuzima bwe, ubuzima bwe bwari bwarazahaye. Yajyanywe mu bitaro bya Baton Rouge nyuma yo kugira ikibazo gikomeye cy’umutima. Umuryango we watangaje ko yari amaze igihe arwaye, ariko banasobanuye ko batigeze bashaka gutangaza ibyihariye by’indwara yamufashe.
Nubwo Jimmy Swaggart yahuye n’ibizazane bikomeye, ntibyamubujije kurangiza ubuzima bwe akiri mu murongo w’ivugabutumwa. Yagize uruhare rukomeye mu iyamamazabutumwa ryifashishaga ikoranabuhanga, aba umwe mu babimburiye abandi mu guhuza imyemerere y’abantu n’itangazamakuru. Amateka ye azahora yibukwa n’abamukurikiraga, yaba ku bw’ubutumwa yatanze cyangwa ku byagiye bimugusha.