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Jesse Duplantis (born July 9, 1949) is a Evangelical Charismatic Christian minister based in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. This televangelist is the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries.

Early Life and Conversion Experience
Duplantis, a Cajun, was born on July 9, 1949 and raised in Houma, in southeastern Louisiana. Before becoming a Christian, he played in a back-up band for rock groups. Jesse Duplantis abused hard drugs in the 1970's and was in financial debt before starting his church. In his book, Close Encounters of the God Kind, he claims that he was a rock singer named Jerry Jackson. He also sang lead vocals at some point up to Labor Day weekend of 1974, at which point he claims to have been converted to Christianity.

International Ministry and Local Church
Duplantis is an itinerant evangelist who has traveled throughout the world since 1978 preaching and evangelizing. Much of his preaching generally tends to feature long comedic sketches. He is the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries (JDM), which has its international headquarters in America and additional offices in the United Kingdom and Australia. As a result of his efforts, Dr. Duplantis is moderately well known in the evangelical Christian world, especially since he has been seen on a variety of Christian television stations such as Trinity Broadcasting Network, Daystar, and LeSEA, in addition to other secular networks such as ABC, NBC, CBS. His program is also broadcasted throughout Australia, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the Middle East, because of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

In 1997, he and his wife, the Reverend Cathy Duplantis, founded Covenant Church, a local outreach of JDM on the International Headquarters property in Destrehan, Louisiana.

Jesse Duplantis says that he is often told that he is "the only preacher my husband and kids will listen to!" While he is known for his joy and his exuberant, evangelistic spirit, he has stated that his primary goal is evangelizing the world.

In recognition of his "many years of effectively sharing God's message of salvation through Jesus Christ to the world," Jesse Duplantis was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Divinity degree from Oral Roberts University in 1999.

Duplantis' books have been translated into thirteen languages, including Braille, and are distributed and sold worldwide.

Criticism
His critics have called him an anti-intellectual bully (despite his honorary doctorate) and he has been criticized for his literal views on the Holy Bible. His most serious criticisms revolve around his views on prosperity, preaching a type of "health and wealth" gospel.

Lawrence Vanyi, in his book Subtle Deception: How False Teachers Betray Christianity, While Enriching Themselves, claims that some of Duplantis' teaching is heretical. Duplantis states that he went to heaven and met Jesus, and that Jesus asked Jesse to "make me laugh." Vanyi writes, "Apparently Jesse Duplantis believes that he is so original in comedic thought that he can think of jokes that God would not already know."

Trivia

 * The Make-a-Wish Foundation asked a girl named Krystal, who at the time was fourteen years old and diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, to "make a wish" and her wish was to visit Jesse Duplantis.

Critical of Duplantis

 * Jesse Duplantis: American Television and Audience Evangelist
 * Jesse Duplantis A man with a short theology and tall tales
 * More Rampant Anti-intellectualism from the Anointed Gnostic - Mr. Jesse Duplantis
 * The ‘Pilgrim Path’ of Jesse Duplantis (quotes from March 1988 and August 2000)
 * Jessie Duplantis False Preacher (from Forgottenword.org)
 * Jesse Duplantis Whopper