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NEW YORK (AP) — T.D. Jakes doesn’t wave around the Bible or preach from Proverbs in his new OWN talk show; he’s discussed plastic surgery obsessions, questioned Bobby Brown about his troubled marriage to Whitney Houston, and talked politics with the network’s queen, Oprah Winfrey.
But the popular pastor still considers his host role an extension of his ministry.
“I think it is a chance to minister to the nation. I think it is a chance to … infiltrate the culture and to be a part of the conversation on mainstream television,” says the 59-year-old pastor.
“I think it is a very important that we don’t remain nuanced and stay in our communities or our sanctuary and not really engaged in the culture. We need to be out there listening and learning and talking and adding our thoughts to the whole mix of who we are as Americans.”
It’s just another example of how Jakes has used his powerful voice to extend his influence far beyond the Dallas megachurch Potter’s House. Jakes is a best-selling author whose books include inspirational tomes, including this year’s “Destiny” and the novel “Woman Thou Art Loosed” which led to the Hollywood film of the same name.
His Hollywood imprint also continues to grow. Besides “The T.D. Jakes Show,” he is a producer of other films, including “Miracles from Heaven” starring Jennifer Garner.
And he still finds time to make it back to his church to preach on Sunday.
Read the entire interview here.
