Dr. Gene Scott is Dead
Jimmy Akin links to a Netscape/CNN story.
Gene Scott, the shaggy-haired, cigar-smoking televangelist whose eccentric religious broadcasts were beamed around the world, has died, a family spokesman said. He was 75....
The longtime pastor of Los Angeles University Cathedral began hosting a nightly television broadcast of Bible teaching in the mid-1970s. His University Network eventually aired a nightly talk show and Sunday morning church services on radio and television stations in about 180 countries.
Scott's church, a Protestant congregation of more than 15,000 members, raised millions of dollars through round-the-clock Internet and satellite TV broadcasts, where he would demand of viewers: ``Get on the telephone!'' to donate.
In some of his speeches, Scott would deliver complex lectures on Biblical languages to make points about the meaning of faith. But he also spoke on current events, sometimes lacing his sermons with profanity....
Scott, the son of a traveling preacher, had a lavish lifestyle that included a chauffeured limousine, contact with political bigwigs and, he claimed, 300 horses.
But he also spent lavishly on charity....
His own web page includes a biography:
Dr. Gene Scott earned his Ph.D. in Philosophies of Education at California's prestigious Stanford University in 1957; in 1992, he was the featured cover story for the Stanford Alumni Magazine. For over 40 years he has served as an ordained minister, including 15 years in the mission field and in executive capacities with major Protestant denominations and educational institutions, 15 years of which he was a Director, Vice President and President of the denomination before refusing re-election to concentrate on the Los Angeles pastorate.
In 1975, Dr. Scott was elected pastor of Faith Center, a 45-year old church of congregational polity in Glendale, California. In that same year, Dr. Scott began to host a nightly live television broadcast, over "The University Network," of straight talk, Bible teaching and eclectic programming, including in recent years the outstanding performances of the University Network Equestrian Team, with world-champion American Saddlebred horses, and world-champion Hunters and Jumpers competing in charity horse shows world-wide (including 20 percent of the U. S. Equestrian Team in 1991). Lately, his programming has featured his beautiful and talented wife, Melissa, as lead singer at the Cathedral, along with other friends in athletic activities on locations around Los Angeles and throughout America.
In 1983, the University Network began broadcasting 24 hours a day via satellite to North America and much of Mexico and the Caribbean. The congregation grew to over 50,000 families in succeeding years (including the 15,000 locally), with affiliate television and radio stations broadcasting Dr. Scott's Sunday church services and nightly talk show. In 1990, Dr. Scott became the international voice of "The University Network" which broadcasts by radio to 180 countries of the world (and over four television stations locally). By 1992, the Network had wired the world for sound, broadcasting on medium and short-wave stations around the world, 24 hours a day. Today, the programs are broadcast live over Radio Moscow from Russia via two Russian satellites and transmitters in Krasnodar, Samara and Novosibirsk in Russia, from Mt. Hermon in Israel, from Anguilla in the Caribbean, from Swaziland in Africa, from 5 transmitters in Costa Rica 24 hours each day, from Dallas, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee, making it the most expansive short-wave radio network in the world, with programming in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French (bigger than the BBC or Voice of America). Every spot on the globe receives 24-hour programming.
Dr. Scott has written and published some 20 books, has logged over 50,000 hours of television and radio teaching played world-wide daily, and is immersed in a multitude of activities. He is a philosopher, artist, philanthropist, philatelist, equestrian and bibliophile. His art is treasured by its owners, and he has painted well over 1000 watercolors, acrylics or oils that have won international acclaim.
Dr. Scott's main church, known as "The Los Angeles University Cathedral," has more than 15,000 members in the Greater Los Angeles area, and thus is the largest Protestant church in Downtown Los Angeles. Both the Cathedral and the world-famous "Jesus Saves" signs are designated "Historic Monuments." Hundreds gather for Sunday services in this Spanish Baroque-style architectural masterpiece to make a statement about an "upward look" amidst the hustle and bustle of downtown commerce....
Religious leaders among the Los Angeles community who have spoken out in support of Dr. Scott include Jess Moody, Pastor of the largest Baptist church west of the Rockies, Shepherd of the Hills Church in Chatsworth (formerly First Baptist Church in Van Nuys); Rabbi William Kramer, Beverly Hills; and Reverend E. V. Hill, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Los Angeles. Reverend Jesse Jackson preached as Dr. Scott's guest from the platform of the Los Angeles University Cathedral in June 1995, and other prominent religious, cultural and civic leaders are frequent guests at the Sunday services....
I didn't even realize Scott was sick:
Preacher Agrees to Cancer Surgery
September 21, 2004
Gene Scott, a flamboyant televangelist who previously relied on faith healing to cure his prostate cancer, announced he would undergo surgery Monday at UCLA Medical Center, saying his disease had run "out of control."
A statement by three of his organizations said the 75-year-old preacher had discovered this month that a "golf ball-sized cancer" had spread to his bladder from his prostate, where cancer was first diagnosed four years ago. The statement said Scott would also undergo radiation treatment and chemotherapy, which could prolong his life for two years.
The spread of cancer "comes as a sobering shock to this religious leader who advocates faith healing" instead of regular medical care, said the statement by his Los Angeles University Cathedral, University Broadcast Systems and Wescott Center. Scott made the announcement of his impending surgery on his global telecast Sunday.
A spokeswoman for UCLA Medical Center could not confirm Scott's surgery, saying no patient had checked in under his name. Calls to Scott's toll-free message line were not returned.
Scott - a blunt-talking, cigar-chomping preacher who claims 15,000 Los Angeles congregants and a worldwide satellite television audience - planned to return to his regular broadcast this Sunday. Scott has never dissuaded followers from receiving medical treatment, saying only that he wanted to "give God the first shot" before resorting to traditional medical care.
A 1994 article about Scott can be found here.
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