In Part 1, I began to introduce dozens of well-known celebrities who ascribe to Christian faith. In Part 2, I will focus mostly on sports heroes. But first, let me mention some non-sports celebrities.
Dale Evans now has her own show, "A Date with Dale," on the TBN network. She has written a "Christian" verse to her famous western theme song, "Happy Trails":
Happy trails to you;
It's been great to say hello,
And to share with you
The joy we've come to know:
It started on the day when we met Jesus;
When He comes into your heart He really pleases;
For a life that's true,
A happy trail to you.
Incidentally, before Roy met Dale, he was one of the Sons of the Pioneers. Another founding member of that group was Tim Spencer. He was a Christian. He became the leader of a celebrity prayer group in Hollywood and founded Manna Music, a major Christian music publisher.
Now let's move on to sports. Meadowlark Lemon was probably the best-known Harlem Globetrotter of all time. But Meadowlark gave his life to Christ and now preaches the gospel. He has own television program on TBN.
Jimmy Blacklock is another former Globetrotter who is now a Christian.
By the way, the inventor of basketball, James Naismith, was an ordained minister. He invented the game in 1891 as a way of curing the wintertime boredom of the boys he taught.
Turning to football, Florida State coach Bobby Bowden is a devout Christian. So is Joe Gibbs, coach of the Washington Redskins. Former L. A. Ram and actor Roosevelt ("Rosey") Grier preaches the gospel, and recently went to minister to O. J. Simpson in jail.
Mike Barber, formerly a Houston Oiler starter, now ministers the gospel to inmates in prison and has a program on TBN. Football lineman Reggie White is an ordained minister. Former Baylor star and Chicago Bear Mike Singletary is supposed to be a Christian, as well.
Natalie Nalepa, an All-American track star at Baylor, is a Christian.
Pro golfer Corey Pathen was Jewish, but was saved 1991. The list of Christians in pro baseball includes some of the top stars of the sport. Orel Hershiser of the L. A. Dodgers had his Christian testimony printed as a gospel tract by the American Tract Society. Brett Butler of the Dodgers is also supposed to be a Christian. Other Christians in baseball are Rod Booker and Terry Pendleton.
Few stories are more compelling than that of former pitcher Dave Dravecky. He lost much of his shoulder to cancer. But he did what was considered impossible: trusting in God, Dravecky came back to pitch again--only to have his bone in his throwing arm snap in mid-pitch. Dravecky now goes about telling his testimony to groups across the country.
In the field of boxing, one can surely not ignore the likes of George Foreman and Evander Holyfield. Foreman, of course, pastors his own church in Houston. Holyfield retired as heavyweight champ not long ago because of potentially life-threatening heart problems. But he recently claimed to have received a physical healing by the power of God. Indeed, doctors have found a marked improvement in his condition.
On that note, let me close with a mention of actor/singer/dancer Ben Vereen, best known for his role in the TV mini-series "Roots." A few years ago, he had a stroke while driving, resulting in multiple car accidents in which he received life-threatening injuries. However, after years of suffering, Vereen testifies to having been divinely healed and now being able to dance again.
As I said before, I cannot vouch for the faith and commitment of all these who ascribe to Christianity. Some, as often happens, might cling to Christ during hard times and fall away when things get better.
But this is an important lesson for us. We sometimes might seem to "have it all." We might imagine ourselves able to take whatever comes. I could contrast the list above with a list of all those celebrities who took their own lives in despair, such as Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe.
In the end, both the mighty and the lowly either stand with Jesus Christ, or fall without him.
Copyright 1996 Paul A. Hughes
Last updated September 1996. For more information, comments, or suggestions, write RevHughes@aol.com.