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Ole Edward Anthony (October 3, 1938April 16, 2021) was an American minister, religious investigator and satirist. Anthony was the editor of ''
The Wittenburg Door ''The Wittenburg Door'', sometimes known as simply ''The Door'', was a Christian satire and humor magazine, previously published bimonthly by the non-profit Trinity Foundation based in Dallas, Texas. The magazine started publication in 1971 and ...
'', a magazine of
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
satire. He was head of the Trinity Foundation, and in that capacity was involved in investigating the financial activities and alleged misappropriations of
televangelist Televangelism (from ''televangelist'', a blend of ''television'' and ''evangelist'') and occasionally termed radio evangelism or teleministry, denotes the utilization of media platforms, notably radio and television, for the marketing of relig ...
s.


Biography

Anthony was born on October 3, 1938, in St. Peter, Minnesota. He was reared in the
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
faith. He served in the
U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...
from 1956 until December 1959, as a "special weapons maintenance technician" and had top-secret clearance, receiving the Good Conduct Medal and two "outstanding unit" awards. Anthony's investigative work into the fundraising tactics of big-money televangelists first came to national attention in 1991 following a ''
Primetime Live ''Primetime'' was an American news magazine television program that debuted on ABC in 1989 with co-hosts Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer and originally had the title ''Primetime Live''. The program's final episode aired May 18, 2012. History ...
'' hidden-camera investigation of televangelists. Anthony portrayed himself—a Dallas minister of a small church trying to learn how big-money ministries work—in the segment on fellow East Dallas minister
Robert Tilton Robert Tilton (born June 7, 1946) is an American televangelist and the former pastor of the Word of Faith Family Church in Farmers Branch, Texas, Farmers Branch, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. At his ministry's peak in 1991, Tilton's infomercial-styl ...
. Anthony and the Trinity Foundation were instrumental in providing evidence for the many state and Federal investigations of Tilton in the years that followed, and he was often interviewed by reporters in preparations for stories on other televangelists. He was also the subject of a lengthy profile in the December 6, 2004, issue of ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
''. He was a close friend of writer and comedian
Joe Bob Briggs John Irving Bloom (born January 27, 1953), known by the stage name Joe Bob Briggs, is an American syndicated film critic, writer, actor, comic performer, and horror host. He is known for having hosted ''Joe Bob's Drive-in Theater'' on The Movi ...
, who is also a member of the Trinity Foundation. Former members of the group have been critical of the foundation and Anthony. Ole Anthony died on April 16, 2021, after being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthony, Ole 1938 births 2021 deaths Christians from Minnesota Military personnel from Minnesota 20th-century American journalists American male journalists Former Lutherans