The Nation - News from Sept. 21, 1989

A lawyer for Jim Bakker asked a federal judge in Charlotte, N.C., to order an acquittal in the criminal case against the evangelist, arguing that the charges violate constitutional guarantees of separation of church and state. The state had just rested its case after presenting more than 100 hours of testimony from 97 witnesses on charges that Bakker had diverted PTL funds for his personal use, and the jury had briefly retired from the courtroom when defense lawyer Harold Bender moved for acquittal. But U.S. District Judge Robert Potter said: “This has nothing to do with religion. Now call the jury.”