Brother (Reverend) Al (Warick)

Brother Al, a flamboyant character who operates out of Fresno, California, owns racehorses at Monterey and a private jet. He got his start working as a “front man” for evangelist/healer David Epley—whom we have just discussed. One night about 15 years ago, according to a former colleague, Brother Al walked away with the entire offering at an Epley service and went into business for himself, working on radio alone to start. He has been very successful.

Reverend Al’s Enquirer ad.

  Most of Al’s current income appears to be derived from advertisements dropped into supermarket tabloids (an expensive form of advertising) asking that a selection be made from a list of eight needs. For a mere $1.25, a “scriptural bracelet” will be sent you. At first glance, this seems not to be a worthwhile investment for Al to make. Mailing of even the cheapest trinket costs, in labor, packaging, and postage, more than $1.25. But the profit here is in the name and address, which not only can be used by Reverend Al, but can be sold to other evangelists. Anyone who answers such an ad will be predisposed to believe all sorts of things and can be counted upon to contribute to unlikely causes. Al seems proud that he writes his own begging letters. In a 1985 mailing, he told me:I hope you also look close at my letters and replies to your needs and realize “I do not hire” (like other ministers) writers to do my work.

Maybe he should.

David Paul

The Reverend David Paul, son of an evangelist, hails from Chesterfield, Missouri, and now operates out of St. Louis. He got his start working for another healer, Don Walker, Sr., in the late 1970s. Paul had a home in a small town in Illinois, sold it, and made a $40,000 profit which he invested in radio time across the United States. In four months—the usual time it takes for turnaround of such an investment—he was in business and making money. Then the opportunity of using TV came along, and he dropped radio in favor of the more powerful medium. He uses Don Walker, Jr., who lives in Stockton, California, as his “front man.” Being of the old school, Paul took a long time to avail himself of modern methods for the purpose of recalling his boldly gathered, pre-digested information to offer his congregation. In the “Word of Knowledge” stunt, he used a quite simple method which was already well known to the last generation of evangelists. He was for a long time content to store his information on small slips of paper inserted in his Bible, apparently put there to mark passages to which he would refer from time to time. Those who formerly worked with him describe how Paul would burn those slips in a wastebasket following every show. Getting all the necessary data onto a small slip is rather easy. All that is needed is a name, a disease, and perhaps an address number and street. Suppose you have on the slip, “William Parsons,” “Dr. Brown,” and “heart attack.” Those six words can be expanded into a minor melodrama. To wit:I have an impression of you clutching at your chest. The pain is more than you can bear. It’s enough to make you cry out in agony. You fall to your knees. “Dear God!” you are saying, “Take this burden from me! Let this travail pass!” The doctors are working over you, doing what they can for you. But they can’t do anything except get you to bed, and Dr. Brown is saying, “Take it easy, Bill. You’re a sick man.” But doctors are only human. Only Dr. Jesus can do what you need, Bill. I want you to go home—because I see an angel of the Lord standing at your front gate right now, Bill—and tell all the folks there that Dr. Jesus has put a whole new heart into your body! It’s done! Hallelujah!

(This is taken from an actual recording of David Paul in action.) Paul’s performance in Stockton, California, where I first saw his live show, was a startling event. The preaching part of the performance was drama at its best. Like a medieval rabble-rouser, he conjured up in the minds of his audience imaginary entities that I am sure some of them actually saw before them. He sprinted about, pointing out the Devil to his enthusiastic audience, and stomping on him with cries of “Take that, Devil!” I attended in the good company of several colleagues and Joan Smith, a reporter from the San Francisco Examiner. Smith later described his act:[Paul] sings and cavorts like Mick Jagger without the pelvic thrusts. For nearly two hours he preaches the gospel, working the microphone like a musical instrument, his voice a bellow and a growl, a staccato blast and a rich glissando.... He selects people from the crowd, emphasizing that he’s never seen them before and that he hasn’t read the cards they filled out at the door. The crowd gasps as he addresses apparent strangers by name and refers to personal problems God has told him will be healed.

This is Paul’s use of the “Word of Knowledge” gimmick. He is not at all shy about telling his followers that he speaks directly with God as he stands before them in person. He distinctly addresses God and stands there listening as the Divinity speaks to him, apparently informing this Anointed Person of the name and ailment of the afflicted. At one point in the Stockton meeting, it appeared that God told him about a bearded man sitting on the aisle, and Paul called him to the front, by name. He assured the audience that he had never spoken to this man before, and proceeded to describe the man’s problems and declared those problems solved. The unfortunate chap thereupon fell to the floor and appeared to be in the throes of either ecstasy or death. Reporter Smith and I watched with more than average interest as David Paul “called out” this victim. I had asked the reporter to note how the preacher had repeatedly told his audience that he obtained his information by divine communication. During that service, among other similar statements, he had clearly said to his audience:1. I’ll be ministering to those that God sends me to.2. Only way I can know about you is if God speaks to me.3. God spoke to me. By the Holy Spirit, “R” stands for “Roger”? He’d also specifically asked those he approached whether they had been questioned earlier:1. Anyone ask you anything about yourself?2. Anyone come up to you and ask you anything?3. Nobody came up and asked you anything?4. Some say to me: “Call me out. Tell me where I live, what my illness is.” I can’t do that. Only if God sends me to that person. As we watched, the Reverend Paul spoke to the bearded man: “Tom or Thomas—isn’t that your name?” The man agreed. Paul then groped about in the air and divined that Tom had serious marital and drinking problems, and again obtained agreement from him. Then the preacher put his hand on Tom’s head while inserting his foot in his open mouth when he reached just a tad too far, and gave Smith the evidence she needed:Some people have condemned you because—because of your financial status.... The only way that I can know about you is if God speaks to me.... God says he will heal you.

Perhaps Reverend Paul—or God—is confused. It had to be Paul’s wife who gave him that information, because, as Joan Smith knew, the man Paul “called out” was a bachelor, doesn’t drink, has a secure federal job and is not named Tom. But when Mrs. Paul had approached him earlier in the evening to strike up a conversation, he’d given her that false information. (“Tom’s” real name is Don Henvick. We first met him back in Chapter 8 and then again in Chapter 9, as he pursued Popoff. He is a member of the Society of American Magicians and of the Bay Area Skeptics, the latter a group that was instrumental in catching the faith-healers in the act of cheating. He’s the same man, referred to earlier, whom Reverend Popoff “cured” of uterine cancer in Detroit when Don attended a service dressed in drag as a decoy. The Stockton meeting with Paul was the first of many times Don would be “cured” of non-existent ailments.) David Paul isn’t much of a prophet, either. In his booklet Seven Prophetic Events that Will Change Your Life in 1986, he told his followers that “the Spirit of God has revealed” to him that in that year.1. The Soviets will try to negotiate a withdrawal from Afghanistan.2. The Ayahtollah Khomeni will be put out of power or will be killed.3. Continued unrest and trouble in the Middle East. [How did he know?]4. There will be a surge in the U.S. economy starting in April.5. Economic collapse in South Africa.6. “The Lord showed me that two of America’s leading ministers will fall from their religious pedestals ... [There was a substantial rumor in evangelist circles at that time of the coming PTL scandal with Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, but it waited until 1987 to materialize. Tough luck!]7. Many more people will “come to God.” These are the sensational revelations David Paul said “God has given me.” And, said Paul, without any reservations whatsoever. “THIS WILL HAPPEN IN 1986!” If that’s the best he can do at prophecy, he should get out of the prophet business.