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Bob Enyart
Born
Robert Enyart

(1959-01-10)January 10, 1959
Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedSeptember 12, 2021(2021-09-12) (aged 62)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Cause of deathCOVID-19
Alma materArizona State University
Occupation(s)Conservative talk radio host, pastor
Children5

Robert Enyart (January 10, 1959 – September 12, 2021) was an American conservative talk radio host and pastor of Denver Bible Church in Denver, Colorado. He was an anti-abortion advocate and political commentator. Enyart opposed mandated vaccinations and mask mandates for COVID-19. He died of COVID-19 in September 2021.

Early life and education

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Enyart was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey.[1] He attended a Catholic grammar school for eight years before attending a public high school. Enyart studied at Arizona State University at Tempe, where he specialized in computer science.[2]

Career

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Before graduating from college, Enyart began working in the technology industry, including positions at McDonnell Douglas and US West in Denver.[2] He designed computer software for military helicopters and served as a computer analyst for Microsoft.[3][4][5]

Opposed to legal abortion, Enyart began working for Operation Rescue in 1989; multiple arrests for trespassing, assault and obstruction at women's clinics led to conviction, and Enyart spent time in jail.[2][6]

In 1991, Enyart began broadcasting about conservative issues at KQXI. With his audience growing, he began broadcasting on Christian television station KWHD-TV, owned by LeSea Broadcasting of South Bend, Indiana.[2]

In 2000, Enyart became pastor at Denver Bible Church.[7]

Enyart hosted Bob Enyart Live, a daily show on Denver-based Christian radio station KLTT and was a host for Cornerstone Television.[8][9][10]

In 1991, Enyart created a radio show to support creationism and attack evolution.[9] Enyart changed the name of the show in 2006 to Real Science Friday as a challenge to National Public Radio's show Science Friday. On December 28, 2012, Enyart settled a trademark infringement and cybersquatting lawsuit brought against him by NPR and renamed his show Real Science Radio.[11][12]

Activism and views

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Abortion

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Enyart served as a spokesperson for the anti-abortion group American Right to Life.[7][13] He picketed the homes of doctors who performed abortions, causing one Colorado town to ban such protests in residential neighborhoods.[14] Enyart criticized presidential candidates who did not share his view on abortion and advocated for the death penalty for women who had abortions.[15][16]

AIDS

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In 1995, Enyart angered families of people with AIDS when he read a man's obituary on his television show, Bob Enyart Live, calling the deceased a sodomite.[17] A regular feature of the show involved reading obituaries of people who had died from AIDS while playing "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen, whose lead singer, Freddie Mercury, died in 1991 from complications from AIDS.[18]

Corporal punishment

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Enyart was a proponent of corporal punishment of children.[19] He served a 60-day jail sentence in the Jefferson County Correctional Facility after being convicted of child abuse for hitting a 7-year-old child with a belt so violently that he raised welts and broke the skin of the child.[2][20][21]

In 1994, Enyart agreed to stop making late-night telephone calls to residents of Kenosha, Wisconsin who were upset with the content of his program on a Kenosha television station. The calls prompted Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) to call for a Federal Communications Commission investigation to determine if the talk show host had broken laws.[22]

Enyart was sentenced to 11 days in jail in June 2009 after he refused to pay a fine upon his conviction of criminal trespassing at the Focus on the Family headquarters.[23]

O. J. Simpson

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In 1999, Enyart bought about $16,000 worth of O. J. Simpson memorabilia, which he burned on the steps of the Los Angeles courthouse where Simpson was acquitted, to protest the verdict in the Simpson murder case.[24][25]

Open Theism

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Enyart was a proponent of the doctrine Open Theism which rejects several aspects of the Classical Theism of traditional Christianity. In 2014, he publicly debated the issue with Reformed Baptist apologist James R. White.[26]

COVID-19

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Following a lawsuit brought by Enyart, a U.S. District Court judge ruled in October 2020 that the state could not impose mask-wearing mandates or limits on the size of gatherings at Denver Bible Church.[27]

Enyart supported the debunked theory that COVID-19 vaccinations had been tested on aborted fetuses.[13] He remained unvaccinated until his death from Covid.[18]

Personal life and death

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Enyart married Krista Johnson in 1982. The couple had two children, Josiah and Nathanial, before divorcing in 1989 as a result of his extra-marital affairs.[2]

After a brief second marriage, Enyart married Cheryl Mayns in 1994.[2][28][29] In 1999, he served a 60-day jail sentence after being convicted of child abuse for hitting her 7-year-old child with a belt so violently that he raised welts and broke the skin of the child.[21][30]

In August 2021, Enyart announced that he had contracted COVID-19.[18] He died from the virus on September 12, 2021, at the age of 62.[31][32]

References

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  1. ^ "Conservative radio host who spurned vaccines, mocked AIDS patients dies of covid-19". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Roberts, Michael (December 16, 1999). "Thank God for Bob!". Westword. Voice Media Group, LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  3. ^ Hurley, Harry (September 15, 2021). "New Jersey Should Take Note of Latest Radio Host to Die from COVID-19". WPG Talk Radio 95.5 FM. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "Lesson of Anti-Vaxxer Radio Host Bob Enyart's Cause of Death". US Day News. September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "Bob Enyart". My Heritage. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  6. ^ "ROBERT ADOLPH ENYART (BOB ENYART) et al | TIMELINE | 1987 to PRESENT | by Curtis Kekoa III | PRESENTED TO THE BOULDER, CO POLICE DEPARTMENT 10/11/2012".
  7. ^ a b Tabachnik, Sam (September 14, 2021). "Bob Enyart, Conservative Firebrand and Pastor, Dies of COVID-19". The Denver Post. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  8. ^ "Bob Enyart Live | KLTT - 670AM". KLTT Powerful Christian Talk. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Arvada Pastor and Radio Host's "Real Science Friday" Sued by NPR Show". The Denver Post. December 1, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  10. ^ Starr, Jerold (2001). Air Wars: The Fight to Reclaim Public Broadcasting. Temple University Press. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-56639-913-5. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  11. ^ "Trademark Suit Against Creationists Settled". National Center for Science Education. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  12. ^ Steffan, Melissa (February 5, 2013). "Creationist Pastor Loses to NPR over 'Science Friday' Radio Show". Christianity Today.
  13. ^ a b Bella, Timothy (September 14, 2021). "Conservative Radio Host Who Spurned Vaccines, Mocked AIDS Patients Dies of Covid-19". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  14. ^ McKibben, Ginny (June 28, 2000). "County Limits Demonstrations Abortion Protests at Doctor's Home Lead to Ordinance". The Denver Post. p. A-01. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
  15. ^ Beaubien, Jason (June 15, 2007). "Romney's Abortion Stance: Flip-Flop or Full Circle?". All Things Considered. NPR. Archived from the original on December 23, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2008.
  16. ^ Pengelly, Martin (September 14, 2021). "Colorado Radio Host Who Urged Boycott of Vaccines Dies of Covid-19". The Guardian. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  17. ^ "Host Must Stop Reading Gays' Obituaries on TV Friends of AIDS Victim Angered". The Gazette. January 14, 1995. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2008.
  18. ^ a b c Roberts, Michael. "COVID Hits Pastor/Podcaster Who Sued Over Masks in Church". Westword. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  19. ^ Briggs, Bill (May 17, 1995). "The World of Bob Enyart Outspoken TV Broadcaster Steers a Hard Right". Denver Post. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2008.
  20. ^ Gerhardt, Gary (April 10, 1999). "TV Host Begins Jail Sentence Bob Enyart Given 60 Days for Hitting Boy With Belt". Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2021 – via High Beam Research.
  21. ^ a b Lindsay, Sue (June 17, 1999). "Judge Affirms Enyart's Right to Discuss Abuse Conviction on TV". Rocky Mountain News. Cengage Learning Network. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via High Beam Research.
  22. ^ Lisheron, Mark (December 23, 1994). "'Right-Wing' TV Host Will Stop Late-Night Calls to Foes in Kenosha". JS Online. Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2021 – via Newsbank.
  23. ^ Ensslin, John (June 10, 2009). "Activists Jailed Over Trespassing at Focus". The Gazette. Freedom Communications. Archived from the original on June 13, 2009. Retrieved September 21, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
  24. ^ Mehta, Seema (February 18, 1999). "Group Burns Simpson Memorabilia Outside Court". Los Angeles Times. pp. B4. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  25. ^ "Buyer Smashes and Burns O. J. Simpson Memorabilia". Chicago Tribune. The Tribune Publishing Company. February 18, 1999. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  26. ^ "Is the Future Settled or Open? James White vs Bob Enyart". YouTube. August 10, 2014.
  27. ^ Bradbury, Shelly (October 21, 2020). "Colorado's COVID-19 Restrictions on Churches Violate Constitution, Federal Judge Rules". The Denver Post. MediaNews Group. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  28. ^ Peake, Amber (September 15, 2021). "Who Was Bob Enyart's Wife, Cheryl? Late Pastor's Family Life Explored". The Focus. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  29. ^ Snouwaert, Jessica (September 15, 2021). "Controversial Denver Pastor Bob Enyart Dies at Age 62 From COVID-19". The Denver Gazette. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  30. ^ Gerhardt, Gary (April 10, 1999). "TV Host Begins Jail Sentence Bob Enyart Given 60 Days for Hitting Boy With Belt". Rocky Mountain News. Cengage Learning Network. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2008.
  31. ^ "Pastor Bob Enyart, Known for His Unwavering Pro-Life Work, Daily Radio Show, and Christian Ministry Has Gone To Be With the Lord at the Age of 62". KGOV.com (Press release). September 14, 2021. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021. Despite the efforts of the hospital staff, his health continued to deteriorate and he eventually died on Sunday, September 12 at 3:00 p.m.
  32. ^ Bella, Timothy (September 14, 2021). "Conservative radio host who spurned vaccines, mocked AIDS patients dies of covid-19". The Washington Post.
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