Famous Ex-Pentecostals
A few ex-Pentecostals have found fame in music, sports, and other areas of popular culture. Some of these people we admire, some make us cringe, but all are part of the heritage of Pentecostalism and drew upon their early experiences as they redefined their lives.
- Elvis Presley - His parents met in an Assemblies of God church, and Elvis himself was baptized there at the age of nine. He later attended a Oneness Pentecostal Church with his parents and is rumored to have been also baptized there before going on to become the King of Rock and Roll.
- Toni Braxton - Born to an Apostolic minister, Braxton was raised in a strict Pentecostal household that prohibited all music except gospel. She was discovered by a songwriter while singing to herself at a gas station. She went on to become one of the most successful R&B singers of the 1990's.
- Sam Kineson - One of the best-known comedians of the 1980's, Kineson began his career as a Pentecostal preacher. Kineson's father was also a Pentecostal minister, and Sam followed in his footsteps until he decided to take his show to the comedy circuit. Kineson's raucous stand-up routines offended just about everybody, but also sold out shows until his death in 1992.
- Phil Jackson - Coach Phil Jackson went from running the aisles to running the basketball court. Raised in a strict Pentecostal household with both parents involved in ministry, sports was the only activity that Jackson was allowed.
Having long since left his Pentecostal roots, he went on to coach such basketball stars as
Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan.
- D'Angelo - This Grammy-winning R&B artist's father was a Pentecostal minister. His parents divorced when he was five, but he was raised attending a Pentecostal church so strict that D'Angelo later stated that the only activity he was allowed was bowling. His interest in music developed early, and at the age of 15, he was coordinating music at the Pentecostal church. Only a few years later, he became a successful R&B singer.
- Gale Harold - This star of a blatantly homosexual Showtime TV series says little about his childhood except that it was 'a bizarre Pentecostal experience'
- Marjoe Gortner - Born to parents who were both flamboyant Pentecostal evangelists, Marjoe was coached as a preacher from his earliest years. As an adult, he spent several years on the revival circuit before confessing in the Academy Award-winning documentary 'Marjoe' that his preaching was merely a money-making show and he believed none of it.
Would you like to add another famous ex-Pentecostal to this list? Email me!
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