Thank you, Tammy Faye

I'm old enough to remember seeing Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker during the PTL heyday and subsequent downfall, and I remember watching them on occasion and thinking what an overdramatic phony that crazy lady with the clown makeup must be. The husband seemed like a used car salesman (like many televangelists of the day), but the wife was just too over-the-top to be real.

Turns out I couldn't have been further from the truth. As Tammy Faye went on to prove in her after-PTL life, she was the real deal. As goofy and dramatic and prudish as she was, she was every bit true to herself, and she was consistently so.

I learned to appreciate Tammy Faye during her appearance on the 2004 season of The Surreal Life on VH1, and I'm probably not the only one. She demonstrated time and again her compassion, love, and unwavering principles. While I may not share them, I respect them.

And while it wasn't the case while she was on the air with her ministry, she's probably one of the only televangelists that I can ever say that ended up being someone that I admired.

So, Thank you, Tammy Faye...I hope you find the afterlife you dedicated your life to promoting.