Matt Gleason breaks the news of the passing of Dr. Gene Scott.
I remember this guy. Didn't he have a church in downtown LA? I remember his television show, an evangelist with a chalkboard that would fill up as beautifully as a Beuys chalkboard
Scott's broadcasts 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. He also is well-known for constantly engaging in the nervous habit of cleaning out his nose with a handkerchief while on camera. 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.
Yea, Gene Scott would do that. I never listened to him, but I marveled for a time or two at his Fidel/marathon style of public speaking. This is the first time I've seen his website. I've always gotten a Scientology vibe from him, but I really never knew what was up. Today I learn a little more.
But I always thought he was a PLAYER.
I remember going to a restaurant in Santa Monica and the good doctor was exiting from a dinner, hat and cape (or was it a shouldered coat?), climbing into a plush chauffered ride, with lovely (HOT) ladies at each arm. He was kind of Snoop stylin', he was.
Then, the links at the bottom of Wikipedia lead me to this old LATimes article that's supposed to be critical of him, but I wonder?:
As he delivers his message, Scott pauses every few seconds to allow an
interpreter to repeat his words for the benefit of dozens of
Spanish-speaking members in the audience and others listening worldwide. He
illustrates the day's lesson on a glass rectangle with the intensity of an
agitated football coach marking Xs and Os at halftime.While reading aloud scattered verses in Ephesians, Scott scribbles
Greek words on the glass. Hagyois is for sainthood, Dike for righteousness
and Logos for the word. He writes in red, blue, green and black felt pens,
using the different colors to strike previous markings instead of using an
eraser.Within an hour, the board is streaked with arrows, circles, lines and
But the underlying message of "basic Christianity" is clear. While
indecipherable words that become nearly impossible to follow. The lecture
suddenly is reduced to a mind-numbing blur of Greek nuances that virtually
force the class to accept a relentless tightening of the instructor's
ecclesiastical monopoly.
other pastors denounce homosexuality, abortion, adultery, profanity and
drinking, Scott refuses to condemn such sinful behavior. He leaves
worshipers free to make their own choice without coercion.
Sounds cool, huh? So why is he on a site called excult.org?
Posted by Dennis at February 22, 2005 11:34 PM
This is sad news, I knew Scott when I lived in L.A. years ago, in fact knew his father also. Now that's a story : his dad, when much younger in the 1930's i think, became very ill in fact he was pronounced "dead" by a doctor. He was prayed over and returned to life and lived into his late
80's or early 90's.
Scott owned one of my paintings, a very large work on canvas over wood panels. He also liked to make paintings, his subject was always something that he had taught about from the Bible done in a very loose almost abstract style. Somebody was always after his head for one thing or the other,
I think mostly because he told the truth about alot of things that most would prefer not be mentioned or spoken of. Education was his thing,
I think he was one of the smartest people I've ever known, he could read and write in several languages as well as tell you the root meanings of the words in their original forms. He was an avid stamp collector and could tell you all manner of facts in that regard as well as a excellemt historian. And not the least he was a genuine beliver in the resurrection with a great sense of humor and a strong dislike for ignorance
and bigotry in any form. I am better for having known him.
I used to watch him late at night. All my recollections of him are accompanied with exhaustion buzz, like the first Saturday Night Live episodes.
Sometimes he'd play a video of his band cranking the same tune over and over again until all the donations came in.
"I want to know that Jesus welcomes me there.
I do not want to be denied.
I want to live in that City so fair.
That's enough for me to know."
The fundamentalists probably fingered him as a cultist because of his devotion to Great Pyramid Prophecy theory and the idea that present-day Anglos are the true Children of Israel.
I can't believe I still remember that lecture. It had to do with the lost tribes of Israel crossing the Caucasus Mountains, hence the name 'caucasians,' and migrating across Europe toward England.
Your testimonies make me wish I had lingered a little longer with his tv show all those years ago. I think I might have misjudged him. He's closer to the HST Gonzo shake-up-the-system thing than I had thought.
Bill>> IT's not for nothing that you can recall that info in that much detail, funny thing about stuff that's true, it seems to stick on your mind or in your heart, bidden or not.
Dennis>> I,m sure you are aware Scott had a website, most likely much of his broadcast stuff
is still available in some form.