Mike Tucker and Me

Mike Tucker: Adventist Celebrity: Televangelist, Faith for Today
[Third in series of Adventist Celebrities and Me... because so many SDAs claim I wasn't ever really an SDA but someone on the periphery of the church.]

All the seventh-grade girls at Dallas Junior Academy were thrilled to get a single young male as our homeroom teacher. It was an instant crush for them. I was the only hold-out as I thought he was too lanky and gooey sweet. We knew it was inevitable that he would have a girl friend, but when he spoke about Gayle, it irritated the girls.

That year, with tears in Shari Workman's eyes, Mike married Gayle. That announcement in class didn't go over well....

Within a few months, the dudes (and a few really far out girls) no longer "dug" him, as my admiration soared. You see he was a godly man and his extremely mild and soothing manner grated on early teens who are trying their best to be cool. My roll-your-eyes-at-the-I-have-a-crush-on-Mr.-Tucker chicks helped me maintain a more judicious attitude about him.

However, I have to say... Mr. Tucker should have been a bit more teenage savvy, as the ardent tears for us to turn to the Lord each Friday during Bible class (a huge shock that really impressed us at first) (cringe).... as sincere as they might have been.... you know... it started to be mocked by the boys... I really felt sorry for him. I had never seen a guy cry and I sort of looked forward to it.


Several years later I worked for a friend of Mike's and learned WAY too much about him. And then he became pastor of a church nearby. My cousins, the Coles, are very good friends with him and I have always very much enjoyed going to the Arlington SDA church. It tries to be gospel-oriented and contemporary.

Once I spoke privately to Mike about starting a ministry for kids who had been sexually abused by SDA teachers and pastors. (NOT ME! I assure you, this idea was born from hearing so many stories from others....) He admitted that it was a real problem, but didn't really believe that he could get involved with something like that at the time. And I am sure that wasn't just an excuse, because he really was zooming his way to the top then. But when he said those kids need to just get over it with prayer, I thought.... "hum... what about those tears now? Where's the compassion for kids now?"

Not too long afterwards he became the televangelist for the Adventists TV program, Faith for Today.

I can't really see him in the SDA celebrity role, as I will always remember him as my sweet seventh-grade teacher who cried.

Dear Mr. Tucker,

I will ask the same thing of you as I have Shawn Boonstra, Cliff Goldstein and Doug Batchelor. Please, please, stop being a one commandment church. Join the rest of Christianity in fighting the culture of death, a culture steeped in immorality. No one can really understand anything about Sabbath when they are overwhelmed in sin. Sabbath isn't the answer, only Christ is the answer. I know you preach that, but begin opening up yourself to some really courageous statements. You may have to fall on your sword for this one, but why not really start preaching that abortion is a sin?

Now maybe you have been.... if so, then God bless you. But if so, speak a little louder so that the General Conference can hear!

DOUG BACHELOR AND ME

Doug Batchelor: Adventists Celebrity: Televangelist and Director of Amazing Facts

[Second in series of Adventist Celebrities and Me... because so many SDAs claim I wasn't ever really an SDA but someone on the periphery of the church.]

(First was the Cliff Goldstein and Me post.)

Only I don't know Doug Batchelor.

My brother-in-law Michael O'brien and his wife, my sister, Heidi traveled with him for a while when they sang in the Seventh-day Adventists singing group "Heritage Singers." Doug was the official preacher for the group. So they know him.

My husband once played racquetball with him at Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas. (My husband, who has pretty much dropped out of the church by then, didn't know who he was at the time.) Oh, and Arthur won.....

My only encounter with him was when he came to the Keene SDA church to give a series of meetings for the college. I, being the self-appointed prayer warrior for the church (as I led out in a prayer group each week during Sabbath School for Adventists requests), invited everyone in the Keene church to join me in a prayer session for Doug backstage every night. Mostly, no one showed else showed up.

Seeing my determination each evening, Doug graciously thanked me for praying for him during the service.

One strange memory that has nothing to do with this post, is that one evening a Pentecostal lady who WASN'T an SDA showed up to pray for Doug's meetings. She broke into tongues during the prayer session. It freaked me out. But I still appreciated her coming and praying for us.... especially since the SDAs were not showing up...

One of the nights (the seminar lasted for a week--at least) I confronted him in the media room before his sermon began and explained all about Adventists For Life and my work as President. I was becoming extremely discouraged that no SDA leader would get involved even though most CLAIMED to be pro-life. So I asked him to become involved with us.

He was bold in proclaiming to me that he was indeed pro-life---personally--and began suggesting that I get together a petition with signatures. I about fell over. That had been done over and over. I failed to impress upon him how involved our group had been. Finally, after a short struggle to explain to him the massive amount of work we had done for years that had been utterly unsuccessful in making a dent in the church, I begged him to help us.

He let out a despairing sigh, even with a big smile on his face, and whispered to me, "What do you want me to do? Get fired?" Then he thanked me and made a hasty retreat for the exit. I don't think he was making some grand "on the record" statement. The statement was thoughtless and impulsive (we've all made them...), at least that is what I hope....

But the statement revealed the abortion mindset was entrenched so deeply at the top levels of the General Conference, that even a televangelist like Doug Batchelor wouldn't touch the subject for fear of losing his position.

Pastor Batchelor,

I urgently call upon you to have the courage to be a man who stands firmly for more than just the Sabbath. Time for your church to be more than just a one-commandment church. Time to wake up and realize that your church has contributed to the cataclysmic failure of Christianity to impact our culture for Christ. Let's unite as the Body of Christ. Let's show the world the true face of God who is both full of mercy and judgement. Time for some Christian heroes. Are you prepared to be one?