Bob Enyart

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.

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
OccupationConservative talk radio host, pastor
Children2

Enyart died from the coronavirus.

Early life and education

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

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]

Concerned about legalized abortion, Enyart began working for Operation Rescue in 1989, where protests at women's clinics led to Enyart spending time in jail.[2]

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.[6]

Enyart hosted Bob Enyart Live, a daily show on Denver-based Christian radio station KLTT and was a host for Cornerstone Television.[7][8][9]

In 1991, Enyart created a radio show to support creationism and attack evolution.[8] 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.[10][11]

Activism and Views

Abortion

Enyart served as a spokesperson for the anti-abortion group American Right to Life.[6][12] He picketed the homes of doctors who performed abortions, causing one Colorado town to ban such protests in residential neighborhoods.[13] Enyart criticized presidential candidates who did not share his view on abortion and advocated for the death penalty for women who had abortions.[14][15]

AIDS

Enyart angered families of AIDS victims when he read a man's obituary on his television show, Bob Enyart Live, calling the deceased a sodomite.[16] A regular feature of the show involved reading obituaries of AIDS sufferers while playing "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen, whose lead singer, Freddie Mercury, died in 1991 from complications from AIDS.[17]

Corporal punishment

Enyart was a proponent of corporal punishment of children.[18] 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][19][20]

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.[21]

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.[22]

O. J. Simpson

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.[23][24]

Open Theism

Enyart was a proponent of the controversial doctrine Open Theism which rejects several aspects of the Classical Theism of traditional Christianity. He publicly debated the issue with Reformed Baptist apologist James R. White. [25]

COVID-19

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.[26]

Enyart supported the debunked theory that COVID-19 vaccinations had been tested on aborted fetuses.[12] He remained unvaccinated until his death.[17]

Personal life

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]

In 1994, Enyart married Cheryl Mayns, who became his third wife after he had a brief second marriage.[2][27][28] 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.[20][29]

In August 2021, Enyart announced that he had contracted COVID-19.[17] He died from the coronavirus on September 12, 2021, and was 62 years old.[30][31]

References
  1. "Conservative radio host who spurned vaccines, mocked AIDS patients dies of covid-19". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  2. 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. Tabachnik, Sam (September 14, 2021). "Bob Enyart, Conservative Firebrand and Pastor, Dies of COVID-19". The Denver Post. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  7. "Bob Enyart Live | KLTT - 670AM". KLTT Powerful Christian Talk. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  8. "Arvada Pastor and Radio Host's "Real Science Friday" Sued by NPR Show". The Denver Post. December 1, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  9. 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.
  10. "Trademark Suit Against Creationists Settled". National Center for Science Education. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  11. Steffan, Melissa (February 5, 2013). "Creationist Pastor Loses to NPR over 'Science Friday' Radio Show". Christianity Today.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. Pengelly, Martin (September 14, 2021). "Colorado Radio Host Who Urged Boycott of Vaccines Dies of Covid-19". The Guardian. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  16. "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.
  17. Roberts, Michael. "COVID Hits Pastor/Podcaster Who Sued Over Masks in Church". Westword. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. 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 12, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via High Beam Research.
  21. 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.
  22. 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.
  23. Mehta, Seema (February 18, 1999). "Group Burns Simpson Memorabilia Outside Court". Los Angeles Times. pp. B4. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  24. "Buyer Smashes and Burns O. J. Simpson Memorabilia". Chicago Tribune. The Tribune Publishing Company. February 18, 1999. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  25. "Is the Future Settled or Open? James White vs Bob Enyart". YouTube.
  26. 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.
  27. Peake, Amber (September 15, 2021). "Who Was Bob Enyart's Wife, Cheryl? Late Pastor's Family Life Explored". The Focus. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  28. Snouwaert, Jessica (September 15, 2021). "Controversial Denver Pastor Bob Enyart Dies at Age 62 From COVID-19". The Denver Gazette. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  29. 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.
  30. "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.
  31. 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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