Gene Scott

William Eugene Scott or Dr. Gene Scott (August 14, 1929 – February 21, 2005) was a United States-based Pastor-Teacher and author of 13 booklets on various topics ranging from Christianity to stamps of the Colombian States. Dr. Scott served as pastor of Faith Center and Wescott Christian Center, and held weekly Sunday services at the Los Angeles University Cathedral in Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Scott's ministry also reached listeners in more than 180 countries and was one of the first Christian broadcasters to cover the globe via satellite, syndicated TV, shortwave radio and Internet media.

Early life

William Eugene Scott was born in Buhl, Idaho, to William Theodore Scott, a traveling Pentecostal preacher, and Inez Leona Graves Scott. In 1934, when Scott was six, his mother gave birth prematurely to twins, of whom one died shortly after birth. His mother told an interviewer in 1980 that she was visited by angels at this time, stating that she "saw a stairway begin to roll down from heaven and come right down to the side of my bed," and that "two angels walked down and they stopped in front of Gene." At this point, his mother claims to have said "Oh no, Lord, you can't take Gene!" and that the angels "just went around him and picked the baby up".

Education

Scott excelled in primary and secondary school both academically and athletically — according to Gene Scott, an unnamed seventh grade teacher once attached a note to his report card informing his parents that their son was intelligent, but not a genius, and was needed on the school basketball team. However, his father's conservative congregation disapproved of his athletic pursuits, for playing basketball meant that he needed to wear shorts.

He earned his Ph.D. in Philosophies of Education from Stanford University in 1957. The subject of his thesis was Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. In 1992 he was the featured cover story for the Stanford Alumni Magazine. After receiving his Ph.D., he briefly taught at Evangel College (now Evangel University) following which he assisted Oral Roberts to establish Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Marriages

Gene Scott's first marriage was to Betty Ann Frazer, his high school sweetheart at Oroville Union High School. This marriage lasted 23 years. Subsequent marriages include those to Christine E. Shaw and in 2000, to Melissa Pastore, a multi-linguist, alleged former adult model, businesswoman, and succeeding Pastor.

Ministry

Although Dr. Gene Scott at one time was an avowed agnostic he eventually joined the Assemblies of God and over the years preached in many countries. After leaving the AOG, he was voted Vice President of the fledgling Full Gospel Fellowship of Churches and Ministers International (which his father was a member) and later served as its President from October 1975 to July 1984. From the time of his pastorate at Faith Center forward, his worldwide preaching was via shortwave radio, satellite television (both large and small dish transmission), major network and cable TV, and Internet streaming media.

Wescott Christian Center

In 1970, Scott resigned his Assemblies of God credential in good standing. An interviewed spokesperson for the Fellowship Assemblies claimed that the departure was to protect the fellowship and denomination from embarrassment due to Dr. Scott's unconventional antics and flamboyant lifestyle. He returned to Oroville, California, to launch his own ministry with his father; they named this Wescott Christian Center. Wescott Christian Center still maintains a small branch in Oroville where Gene Scott had vowed to establish a ministry in exchange for postgraduate education funding by the citizens and his in-laws, the Frazers.

Faith Center

In 1975, while serving his Oroville ministry, Dr. Scott was approached to serve as a financial consultant for the 45-year-old Faith Center church in Glendale, California by its then pastor and founder, religious broadcast pioneer Ray Schoch. Faith Center owned four broadcast stations, which included KHOF-TV channel 30, San Bernardino, California, KHOF-FM 99.5 Los Angeles, California, KVOF-TV channel 38, San Francisco, California, and WHCT channel 18 in Hartford, Connecticut. Faith Center was in crisis because Schoch had suffered severe cardiac problems and was no longer able to lead. Mismanagement by Schoch's staff, whom he had put in charge in his absence, had left the network hemorrhaging money. Facing financial ruin, the congregation of Faith Center unanimously elected Dr. Scott as its new pastor. Once he brought the center out of the red, he dissolved the polity and merged the center into his private corporations for his central control and no members.

Los Angeles University Cathedral

In 1985 Dr. Scott attempted to save the former Church of the Open Doorway building from demolition. Although unsuccessful after losing millions of church dollars, he was able to save the historic red neon "Jesus Saves" signs which had formerly adorned the roof of the Church of the Open Door and which had become a very familiar sight to Los Angeles area residents over the years. The signs are now mounted atop the main cathedral due to disputes over rights to placing them on the tower roof, and possiblly due to liability in resurrecting the old fragile signs.

In 1990, Dr. Scott and his congregation moved their Sunday service to the former United Artists flagship theater (which was built by Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in 1927) in downtown Los Angeles. The theater was renamed the "Los Angeles University Cathedral". Full ownership of the Cathedral was acquired in December 2002. Scott's restoration of the theater signaled the beginning of an attempted revitalization of the former theatre district along Broadway. The Baroque-style University Cathedral became the largest Protestant church in downtown Los Angeles. Symbolic shapes are blended into the Cathedral wall designs, recognizable to long time congregants as representing the best of Dr. Scott's inclinations and creativity. Both the Cathedral and the world-famous "Jesus Saves" signs are designated historic monuments. Over 100,000 people have viewed the church exhibition of the "Dr. Gene Scott Bible Collection" with its many historic Bibles, books and manuscripts.

University Network

In 1975 Scott began a series of broadcasts which resulted in the creation of the University Network. By 1983 the University Network was broadcasting his sermons 24-hours-a-day via satellite to the United States and Canada, as well as to much of Mexico and the Caribbean. By 1990, his network was available to 180 countries and by 1992 his sermons were being broadcast in several languages on AM, FM and short wave radio. His programming consisted of his trademark informal style of Bible teaching mixed with provocative commentary, music and personal interests in such diverse subjects as his philately, his paintings, scientific interpretations of the great wonders of the world, and his American Saddlebred horses. Dr. Scott was widely known for his taste and penchant for quality wines, mansions and "uncommon" people.

Stage and broadcasting presentation

Scott's broadcasts, which are still playing 24/7 despite his passing, fall in to two distinct categories. The first category is the broadcast of the traditional Sunday service in a format familiar to Protestant Christianity. The second category is a broadcast of what Scott has named the "Festival of Faith". The "Festival of Faith" is a very informal, non-traditional broadcast which features Scott sitting alone in a chair, often smoking a cigar or a pipe, telling jokes, interacting with the crew and volunteer phone operators, berating his staff and/or his congregation, and making remarks that are often considered to be quite off-color to many. He often spices up his speech with what many would consider profanity, although all his remarks are within FCC guidelines if not always within the guidelines of good taste; yet, illustrative of the point being made. He also is well-known for constantly engaging in the nervous habit of cleaning out his nose with a handkerchief while on camera, proving the fact it was live TV. These "Festival of Faith" broadcasts also feature Scott reading from books on UFOs, Demonology, The Great Pyramid of Giza, or similar viewer-grabbing topics. He will quite often call out, "AM I BORING YOU?", to which his staff will shout, "NO SIR!" He frequently exhorts his viewers to "Get on the phone!" to make a monetary pledge or to encourage him to keep reading.

Death

After months of telling God to heal his cancer, on Friday, February 18, 2005, Dr. Scott suffered a stroke and slipped in to a comatose state after a battle with late treated prostate cancer diagnosed four years earlier. At 16:30 PST on Monday, February 21, 2005, he died at Glendale Adventist Hospital. Spokesperson Mark Travis and his widow Melissa announced publicly that a staff nurse present as he passed, called Melissa, per her instructions, to notify her when, "God took Gene's breath away." She took over his ministry upon his death.

With replays taken from nearly 30 years of broadcasts, Dr. Scott's broadcast ministry continues uninterrupted since his cancer death a year ago. His website does not note his passing (although his widow's broadcasts mention Dr. Scott's death). Mrs. Scott has filled the broadcast time with her teachings. Viewers are invited to call or write to Dr. Scott at the locations posted on the ministry's website.

Other activities and cases

The membership and interests of Dr. Scott included:

• Los Angeles Central Library Save the Books telethon.
• Vice-chairman of the Board of the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center and one of its founding directors.
• Member, Board of Rebuild L.A.
• Member, Philatelic Foundation of New York.

--taken from Wikipedia.org

Selected Books

• Michigan Shadow Towns, A Study of Vanishing and Vibrant Villages
• Dr. Gene Scott's Large Print, Wide Margin Edition of Tischendorf's New Testament

Official Website - www.drgenescott.com

Additional Resources

Here are some additional links and resources relating to Gene Scott:

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