Wiley Drake
Encyclopedia
Wiley S. Drake is a California
-based minister and radio host. He was the vice-presidential candidate for the America's Independent Party
ticket in 2008,. Drake has drawn controversy for his use of imprecatory prayer. He is the pastor of the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park in Buena Park, California
.
. He spent much of his time with his grandfather, Hamp Smead Beasley, a horse trader who took him to revival meetings. After winning a rodeo purse at fourteen, he joined the rodeo circuit. He joined the Navy at seventeen and served on the USS Kitty Hawk
.
teachings." Drake later protested an unofficial "Gay Day" celebration held at Disneyland in 1998.
He also campaigned against the appointment of a gay man, former University of Chicago dean James Hormel
, as ambassador to Luxembourg
. "We need to speak out and say we do not want an avowed homosexual to represent the U.S," Drake said in 1997.
Governor Mike Huckabee
's presidential campaign
. He sent out a letter personally endorsing Huckabee. Because the letter was on church stationery, the Internal Revenue Service
(IRS) began investigating Drake for possibly endorsing a political candidate as a church leader; such electioneering by churches is forbidden as a condition for churches' tax-exempt status.
Drake's possible violation of federal tax law was reported to the IRS by an advocacy group called Americans United for Separation of Church and State
(AU). Drake called on supporters use imprecatory prayer to pray for the punishment and even deaths of certain AU members, drawing controversy.
In May 2008, Drake announced that he had been cleared of any wrongdoing by the IRS.
, on the American Independent Party
ticket in the state of California.
on May 31, 2009. Drake stated on his Crusade Radio Program, "I am glad George Tiller is dead." He called Tiller “a brutal, murdering monster" and said he is "grateful to God" that the physician was killed. He also said, "This man, George Tiller, was far greater in his atrocities than Adolf Hitler
." Religion journalist Cary McMullen has written that, in the wake of Tiller's death, Drake "has gone from being outspoken to being dangerously outspoken, perhaps criminally so.
on June 2, 2009, Drake stated that he is engaging in imprecatory prayer, praying for God to kill President Barack Obama
, who he claimed needed to "turn his life around." In 2008 he was party to a lawsuit in federal court, Captain Pamela Barnett v. Barack Hussein Obama, which claimed that Barack Obama
was not an American citizen
and therefore ineligible to be President of the United States
. Also in 2008 he said that God would punish Rick Warren
for agreeing to give the benediction
at the inauguration of Obama, who he called an "evil illegal alien
". He had previously used such prayers against employees of the Internal Revenue Service
, Americans United for Separation of Church and State
, and George Tiller
.
In response to Drake's comments about Obama, the Southern Baptist Convention's Sing Oldham stated: "Mr. Drake does not represent Southern Baptist actions, resolutions, or positions in his interpretation and application of imprecatory prayers. ...Any comments made by Wiley Drake on this subject represent his personal views, not those of the Convention." Keith Olbermann
, a television host on MSNBC
, named Drake the "worst person in the world" in response to the revelation.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
-based minister and radio host. He was the vice-presidential candidate for the America's Independent Party
America's Independent Party
America's Party, originally known as America's Independent Party, is a conservative American political party formed in 2008 by supporters of Alan Keyes as an alternative to the Republican, Democratic and other parties....
ticket in 2008,. Drake has drawn controversy for his use of imprecatory prayer. He is the pastor of the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park in Buena Park, California
Buena Park, California
Buena Park is a city in northwestern Orange County, California. As of Census 2010 the population was 80,530. The city is adjacent to the city of Anaheim and is 12 miles northwest of downtown Santa Ana. The Current OMB metropolitan designation for Buena Park and the Orange County Area is "Santa...
.
Background
Drake grew up in Magnolia, ArkansasMagnolia, Arkansas
Magnolia is a city in Columbia County, Arkansas, United States, that was founded in 1853. At the time of its incorporation in 1858, the city had a population of about 1,950. The city grew slowly as an agricultural and regional cotton market until the discovery of oil just east of the city in March,...
. He spent much of his time with his grandfather, Hamp Smead Beasley, a horse trader who took him to revival meetings. After winning a rodeo purse at fourteen, he joined the rodeo circuit. He joined the Navy at seventeen and served on the USS Kitty Hawk
USS Kitty Hawk
Two ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Kitty Hawk: was a cargo ship and aircraft transport that served during World War II was the lead ship of the Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carriers, and was in commission between 1961 and 2009...
.
Homeless ministry
During the 1980s and 1990s, Drake clashed with officials of the city of Buena Park when he "turned his church parking lot and a church recreation building into a makeshift homeless shelter...", housing groups of homeless persons for months at a time. This activity led to his conviction in July 1997 of violation of building and property usage codes.Disney boycott and Hormel nomination
Drake wrote the resolution at the Southern Baptist Covention in 1996 calling for a boycott of the Walt Disney Corporation over its decision to "promote homosexuality over family values," by granting health benefits to gay and lesbian partners of employees. At that time, Drake described homosexuality as "abnormal, biologically unhealthy, as well as contrary to BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
teachings." Drake later protested an unofficial "Gay Day" celebration held at Disneyland in 1998.
He also campaigned against the appointment of a gay man, former University of Chicago dean James Hormel
James Hormel
James Catherwood Hormel is an American philanthropist and grandson of George A. Hormel, founder of Hormel Foods .-Early years:Hormel was born in Austin, Minnesota. He earned a B.A...
, as ambassador to Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
. "We need to speak out and say we do not want an avowed homosexual to represent the U.S," Drake said in 1997.
Huckabee Endorsement Scandal, 2008
In early 2008, Drake, the pastor for the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, was a vocal supporter of former ArkansasArkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
Governor Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
's presidential campaign
Mike Huckabee presidential campaign, 2008
Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas, announced his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination for the 2008 presidential election in the United States on January 28, 2007...
. He sent out a letter personally endorsing Huckabee. Because the letter was on church stationery, the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
(IRS) began investigating Drake for possibly endorsing a political candidate as a church leader; such electioneering by churches is forbidden as a condition for churches' tax-exempt status.
Drake's possible violation of federal tax law was reported to the IRS by an advocacy group called Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Americans United for Separation of Church and State is a group that advocates separation of church and state, a legal doctrine interpreted by AU as being enshrined in the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.-Mission:The guiding principle of Americans...
(AU). Drake called on supporters use imprecatory prayer to pray for the punishment and even deaths of certain AU members, drawing controversy.
In May 2008, Drake announced that he had been cleared of any wrongdoing by the IRS.
Vice presidential campaign
Drake ran for Vice President of the United States in 2008, along with presidential candidate Alan KeyesAlan Keyes
Alan Lee Keyes is an American conservative political activist, author, former diplomat, and perennial candidate for public office. A doctoral graduate of Harvard University, Keyes began his diplomatic career in the U.S...
, on the American Independent Party
American Independent Party
The American Independent Party is a right-wing political party of the United States that was established in 1967 by Bill and Eileen Shearer. In 1968, the American Independent Party nominated George C. Wallace as its presidential candidate and retired Air Force General Curtis E. LeMay as the vice...
ticket in the state of California.
Response to the assassination of Dr. George Tiller
Drake was widely criticized for his response to the murder of abortion provider George TillerGeorge Tiller
George Richard Tiller, MD was an American physician from Wichita, Kansas. He was the medical director of a clinic in Wichita, Women's Health Care Services, one of only three nationwide which provided abortions after the 21st week of pregnancy .Pro-life group Operation Rescue kept a daily vigil...
on May 31, 2009. Drake stated on his Crusade Radio Program, "I am glad George Tiller is dead." He called Tiller “a brutal, murdering monster" and said he is "grateful to God" that the physician was killed. He also said, "This man, George Tiller, was far greater in his atrocities than Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
." Religion journalist Cary McMullen has written that, in the wake of Tiller's death, Drake "has gone from being outspoken to being dangerously outspoken, perhaps criminally so.
Imprecatory prayer controversy, 2009
On The Alan Colmes ShowThe Alan Colmes Show
The Alan Colmes Show is a nationally-syndicated American radio show hosted by commentator Alan Colmes on Fox News Radio.The show is aired on weeknights from 10:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m. from Fox's New York City studios...
on June 2, 2009, Drake stated that he is engaging in imprecatory prayer, praying for God to kill President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, who he claimed needed to "turn his life around." In 2008 he was party to a lawsuit in federal court, Captain Pamela Barnett v. Barack Hussein Obama, which claimed that Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
was not an American citizen
Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theories about the citizenship of Barack Obama claim that Barack Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States and is therefore not eligible to be President of the United States under Article Two of the U.S. Constitution. Some theories allege that Obama was born in Kenya, not...
and therefore ineligible to be President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. Also in 2008 he said that God would punish Rick Warren
Rick Warren
Richard Duane "Rick" Warren is an American evangelical Christian minister and author. He is the founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church, an evangelical megachurch located in Lake Forest, California, currently the eighth-largest church in the United States...
for agreeing to give the benediction
Benediction
A benediction is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service.-Judaism:...
at the inauguration of Obama, who he called an "evil illegal alien
Alien (law)
In law, an alien is a person in a country who is not a citizen of that country.-Categorization:Types of "alien" persons are:*An alien who is legally permitted to remain in a country which is foreign to him or her. On specified terms, this kind of alien may be called a legal alien of that country...
". He had previously used such prayers against employees of the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
, Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Americans United for Separation of Church and State is a group that advocates separation of church and state, a legal doctrine interpreted by AU as being enshrined in the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.-Mission:The guiding principle of Americans...
, and George Tiller
George Tiller
George Richard Tiller, MD was an American physician from Wichita, Kansas. He was the medical director of a clinic in Wichita, Women's Health Care Services, one of only three nationwide which provided abortions after the 21st week of pregnancy .Pro-life group Operation Rescue kept a daily vigil...
.
In response to Drake's comments about Obama, the Southern Baptist Convention's Sing Oldham stated: "Mr. Drake does not represent Southern Baptist actions, resolutions, or positions in his interpretation and application of imprecatory prayers. ...Any comments made by Wiley Drake on this subject represent his personal views, not those of the Convention." Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann
Keith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
, a television host on MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, named Drake the "worst person in the world" in response to the revelation.