John Crowder on O. L. Jaggers

O. L. Jaggers was perhaps the most extreme example of problems in the revival. Jaggers emerged as one of the main Voice of Healing evangelists and was clearly one of the most gifted orators. Jaggers was the polished, handsome son of a prominent Assembly of God minister, who quickly made a name for himself in the revival. He was selling out auditoriums, and preaching to crowds of 10,000 at his height. In 1952, he established the Universal World Church in Los Angeles. But Jaggers was the most erratic of the revivalists. His pride and wild imagination led him completely off the deep end. He most illustrated the lust for personal glory and lack of sound teaching that eventually crept into the ranks. For instance, Jaggers once made a claim that he had supernaturally appeared on television all over the country, which was just one of the things that caused Gordon Lindsay to start doubting his revival reports. Jaggers claimed that his 3,000-seat church had 10,000 members, and that God was going to give him 100,000 members. Jaggers eventually abandoned the healing revival. In the mid-'50s, everyone was shocked when he released a book entitled UFOs and the Creatures That Fly Them. Jaggers had gotten more and more unorthodox in his beliefs. Ironically, it was William Branham, not himself known for superb doctrine, who actually tried to get Jaggers to "Come back and stay with the Gospel." Jaggers only went further into delusion. He invented some kind of three-fold way to be born again. Up to the present day, Jaggers has believed his World Church is building the golden altar of the Book of Revelation. Those who have seen it, say it looks like "spray painted macaroni, the color of fresh Velveeta." His wife, Velma, supposedly has a secret anointing oil that brings perpetual youth. She has used this "fountain of youth" on the aging congregation since the '50s, but it hasn't seemed to stop them from dying over the years.