Televangelist admits he cheated on wife in the past
A televangelist and his wife appeared on television together recently to admit that the husband had an affair several years ago, and that people were trying to blackmail them because of it.
Rev. Marcus Lamb, who created DayStar Television Network with his wife Joni, said on his show, “Celebration,” that he and his wife survived an inappropriate affair that he had in the past, and they had already healed their marriage, the AP said.
However, they were now talking about it publicly because three blackmailers were asking for $7.5 million. The Lambs also displayed a message that they posted on the Daystar Television Network website about the affair, according to CNN.
The announcement was made at the start of the program. Marcus said, “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re not going to take God’s money and pay to keep from being humiliated,” according to The Dallas Morning News.
Marcus Lamb took full responsibility saying, “Joni has no blame, the other person doesn’t have any blame…I don’t even blame the devil. It’s all on me,” The Dallas Morning News reported.
The Dallas Morning News said Joni Lamb discovered the affair “several years ago.” Fred Kendall, one of their marriage counselors said, “He had one inappropriate period of misbehavior, with one person, and it wasn’t a man. It wasn’t a transvestite. It was with a woman.”
Lamb said, “We’re not here to excuse sin, but we are here to celebrate the goodness and the grace of God,” Gather News reported. The couple went through counseling at Life Languages Institute.
Lamb also confessed of the indiscretion to Joni’s parents and asked some members of DayStar ministry to help hold him accountable to stay faithful, Gather News reported.
Joni Lamb said the Lord told her that her husband was “worth fighting for,” and added, “This is not a secret story that we’ve been hiding—rather, a private matter, from which we have been healing,” The Dallas Morning News reported.
The Lambs were approached by the blackmailers in recent weeks, CNN said. A. Larry Ross of Daystar told The Dallas Morning News that authorities have already been notified.
Daystar, the country’s second largest Christian network, is based in Texas and broadcast in more than 200 countries. Leading evangelists are with the station including T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, John Hagee, Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer and James Robinson, The Dallas Morning News said.
Supporters of the Lambs said the devil was trying to discredit the ministry. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas said, “As Christians, we need to be careful that we don’t shoot our wounded but instead pray for those who are in need of God’s help, and we certainly are praying for Joni and Marcus,” The Dallas Morning News reported.
Gather News noted that while Marcus Lamb sinned, “humans are sinful creatures.” It also noted that Lamb and his wife were able to work past the problem and didn’t try to deny or hide allegations.