Posted on 02/21/2005 11:31:30 PM PST by Borges
LOS ANGELES -- Gene Scott, the shaggy-haired, cigar-smoking televangelist whose eccentric religious broadcasts were beamed around the world, has died. He was 75.
Scott died Monday after suffering a stroke, family spokesman Robert Emmers said.
For three decades, Scott was pastor of Los Angeles University Cathedral, a Protestant congregation of more than 15,000 members housed in a landmark downtown building.
In the mid-1970s, Scott began hosting a nightly live television broadcast of Bible teaching. His nightly talk show and Sunday morning church services were aired on radio and television stations to about 180 countries around the world by his University Network.
In some of his speeches, he would use chalkboards covered with Greek and Hebrew and deliver complex lectures on the Biblical languages to make points about the meaning of faith.
"It's a college-level classroom in the Bible," he once said.
Scott did take stands on other controversial subjects, including the war in Iraq, which he supported.
"Iraq is a threat to the world," he said in a 2003 Web address. "So kick the hell out of 'em, George."
Scott was most recognizable by his mane of white hair and scruffy beard. He also never stuck to a conventional format for his show - he once wore glasses with eyes pasted on them and sometimes smoked on the show. On his Web site, he simply said about himself, "What you see is what you get."
Scott also was a philanthropist. He was involved with Rebuild LA, the Richard Pryor Burn Foundation and the Southwest Museum. In 2002, Scott gave $20,000 that helped save Museum in Black, which has some 5,000 items from the slave and civil rights eras, from eviction.
Born in Idaho in 1929, Scott later moved to Northern California and earned a doctorate in philosophies of education from Stanford University in 1957, according to his Web site. He was the author of more than 20 books and also was a painter.
Scott is survived by his wife, Melissa.
Services were pending.
Long, long,long dead-air pause as he lit his big fat cigar. He waved his finger in the air, the music started, and then viewer was taken on a sightseeing tour, compliments of the roving camera.
Whew! I never heard of this guy!
Yep. His network was and still is on 2 or 3 shortwave stations 24/7. He was just as entertaining to listen to on the radio, as opposed to that other pulpit pounder Brother Stair, who was about as entertaining to listen to as listening to point-to-point facsimilie broadcasts.
Boy ain't that the truth? He had a frightening amount of persuasive power over the underlings that showed up for Sunday services or donated to his round-the-clock Faith Festivals, where most times, he would only get about 2 hours of sleep a night.
I believe lack of sleep is what made him bitter. It's only logical. Anyone would be bitter as he was if they subjected themselves to 22 hour days.
"I wish I had had the privilege of hearing this guy"
You can, maybe the best url click you ever make.
http://www.drgenescott.com/home.htm
According to his wife Melissa in her on-air announcement yesterday, she said the network will continue to air the teachings of Doc Scott round the clock.
I should add, his wife Melissa will be doing the Sunday televised services as she has been doing for the last few weeks or months. and I think in between time, they'll show endless footage of Gene Scott.
I think so, too.
In the midst of his "wild rants", he'd insert something about salvation and grace and Christ.
People may have been baffled by his uh..."unorthodox" methods but who knows how many people who would have simply flipped the channel on some other preacher, actually
-stayed- and watched out of curiosity and later got saved?
When I found him on late-night cable, I had no interest in "Godly things".
He made me watch with his bizarre antics and he made me think with his encyclopedic knowledge.
God uses some seemingly "wild" things to get our attention, sometimes, and just maybe Dr Scott fulfilled a purpose greater than we know....:)
[and he was *always* entertaining]....:))
God uses doctors as well as miracles.
I've never undertood why someone would refuse treatment.
It's just a shame.
See what you missed?! :-)
His website telecast today showed a clip of his "Table to the Lord" segment and Isiah 53 where he was discussing the cancer and how and why he refused surgery. Drs couldn't guarantee anything, more damage and suffering likely, side effects and treatment horrific....
I'll miss the guy.
Now get on the phone!@
As an aside, he had a young singer for several early years on his program. He treated the guy like the son he wished he could have had. They had a falling out and the man went back to Indiana?. Scott got rid of all the clips of the guy singing and everything, or so alledged.
His furor towards those who were associates/confidents and then turned away was enormous.
And the work of his former band leader, can't remember his name...this used to be Doc's theme:
"Preachers they must ne'er be seen
Bein' upset, or actin' mean
Musicians must not play too loud
Or jazzy like that worldly crowd...
I don't like it -- the pictures some folks paint
I don't like it -- of how to be a saint
They say, don't do this, and do-doo that, and then God will love you!
I don't like it - And God don't like it, too."
If treated early, he would have had a great shot at recovery. While many were fascinated by his twisted logic in his lectures, it would appear that he ultimately became the victim of his bizzare interpretations of scripture. What a waste, he was my favorite preacher ever.
If I smoked I'd light one up in his honor...back when there was such a thing as an "independent" station that would put more or less anything on the air, he made many a late night enjoyable. Those were the days...
Here's the full LA Times Obituary pulished today.
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-scott23feb23,1,6165151.story?coll=la-news-obituaries
20 years ago Gene Scott pushed me further away from God.
In the past 6 months he has brought me closer than I've ever been. I never knew that "faith" was a verb in the Bible before his teaching. I was taught that it was just about what one "believed".
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