Thomas Dexter, better known as T.D. Jakes, is an American non-denominational Christian preacher. He is known as the senior pastor of The Potter’s House, a non-denominational American megachurch. He is also the author of many published books, while having dabbled in a bit of film production as well.

T.D. JAKES BIOGRAPHY: AGE, EARLY LIFE, FAMILY, EDUCATION

T.D. Jakes was born on June 9, 1957 (T.D. Jakes age: 66) in South Charleston, West Virginia. His father, Ernest Sr.,  was a businessman and entrepreneur, while his mother, Odith, was employed as an educator.

Jakes was raised in Vandalia, West Virginia. He was born the youngest of three children.

As a result of his slight lisp, Jakes was told that he would never be able to preach his ideas. 

When Jakes was just 10 years old, his father developed kidney failure. Jakes and his mother cared for him until his tragic death in 1973. 

In 1976, Jakes proved those who told him he could never preach wrong, preaching his very first sermon. He was officially ordained in 1979.

T.D. JAKES BIOGRAPHY: CAREER

In 1982, at 25 years old, Jakes was given the title of pastor of the Greater Emanuel Temple of Faith, a small storefront church located in Smithers, West Virginia, with a total of ten members. Then, in 1988, Jakes joined the denomination Higher Ground Always Abounding Assemblies, which was founded by bishop Sherman Watkins. Two years later, Jakes relocated back to his hometown in South Charleston, where his congregation grew to approximately 300 members.

In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Jakes spoke a little about his childhood and his journey toward becoming a pastor.

“Well, I grew up around the church,” Jakes mentioned. “I actually grew up in a small community in the hills of West Virginia and played the piano. I actually grew up playing the piano in church, playing for the choir and that sort of thing. So, I’ve been around faith all of my life. I was baptized when I was 12 years old on an Easter Sunday morning and have continued to follow through. Drifted away in my teenage year and then came back to Christ and started in the ministry at 19. This coming year, I will have been preaching 40 years.”

Moving on to film production, Jakes went on to reveal why he wanted to produce Miracles from Heaven.

“Well, we had done Heaven Is for Real, and we had the privilege of working with DeVon Franklin and Joe Roth on that project,” Jakes said. “It was somewhat of a sleeper hit that really did very, very well. Sony wanted to do a sequel and I was able to find this story. It’s a true story. My literary agent was handling this story for the Beam family. I thought it would make a great film, pitched it to Sony and they decided to do it.”

As Jakes continued to discuss the movie, he explained what the miracle was at the center of the story.

“The miracle at the center of the story is after battling with a very, very chronic disease for Annabel, the little girl, the Beam’s daughter, was unable to digest food and it had led to a miserable life for a child. One of her better days, she’s outside playing with her sisters, and they climbed a tree. Annabel fell not out of the tree, she fell into the tree. Took five hours to get her out, and after being in the tree for five hours and them thinking she was dead in the tree, they revived her and she was, in fact, not only whole – no broken bones or bruises – but she was also healed of the disease that she had had that doctors could not heal. The doctor verified it. We met with the doctor. This is a legitimate phenomenon.”

When asked why he believes in miracles, this is what Jakes had to say:

“Well, I believe in miracles because I believe in God, and I believe in miracles because I’ve been at the birth of my children,” Jakes exclaimed. “I don’t see how you could see a baby born and not believe in miracles. I don’t think that you can survive the death of a loved one and not believe in miracles. There are so many things that happen to us in life that we don’t get through by ourselves. Miracles are not hard for me to believe.”

T.D. JAKES BIOGRAPHY: PERSONAL LIFE

Jakes currently resides in Fort Worth, Texas, with his wife Serita Jakes.

In an interview with American author Mark Driscoll back in 2012, Jakes revealed that he affirms the Trinity. He supports sexual abstinence and has even made guest appearances on Good Morning America and Dr. Phil advocating for his beliefs.

In 2015, Jakes mentioned that his views on homosexuality and LGBTQ rights are evolving. However, he has publicly declared that although he does not support same-sex marriage, he “respects the rights that this country affords those that disagree.”

 

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