Participants: Lincoln Steed (Host), Wintley Phipps
Series Code: LI
Program Code: LI000264A
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00:16 Welcome to the Liberty Insider.
00:18 This is the program that brings you up-to-date 00:20 news, views, discussion, 00:22 information on religious liberty. 00:25 My name is Lincoln Steed, editor of Liberty Magazine 00:28 and on my program I don't know today or tonight 00:32 but on this program I have "The Voice" Wintley Phipps. 00:34 Oh, thank you, it's good to be here. 00:36 And I had some wonderful contacts with you 00:38 and early on I found out 00:40 that you had quite a history in religious liberty 00:43 working for our church 00:44 the Seventh-day Adventist church 00:45 but you're life career has centered 00:48 a lot around your voice and you're pastoral career 00:52 and I know you had so many experiences 00:54 but one aspect that-- that all came together 00:57 I think was you have been involved 00:59 in either the inauguration or prayer breaks 01:01 and different events for a succession of US president 01:05 starting with-- Ronald Reagan. 01:07 Well, no, before him. 01:08 Right Jimmy Carter later but Ronald Reagan was first. 01:11 But Jimmy Carter was pretty dated 01:14 Ronald Reagan as far as the president. 01:15 Correct. 01:16 All the way through to-- to President Obama. 01:19 Yeah, and let me-- 01:20 Well, tell me a little bit about that 01:21 that's an incredible privilege 01:23 to be so close at these pivotal times 01:26 these leaders of the free world as they cast themselves. 01:29 Yes, and I'll tell you 01:31 when you're sitting at a breakfast table 01:33 in front of thousands of people 01:35 and you're sitting next on the same table 01:37 with the president and your senators 01:39 and other people looking at that 01:41 it's impressive to them 01:43 because they, they don't get that opportunity. 01:45 Remarkable. 01:46 Yes, you know, but for me that journey really began 01:50 when I was 16-years-old. 01:53 I was a student at Kingsway College. 01:55 In Canada? 01:56 In Canada, where I grew up in Montreal, 01:58 I actually grew up. 01:59 And I gave my life to the Lord when I was 16-years-old. 02:03 And while under conviction waking that campus 02:09 I experienced God speaking to me 02:11 for the first time in my life. 02:13 And it was a mysterious beautiful voice. 02:18 I tell people when people say well, 02:20 how do I know God is speaking to me? 02:22 I say, you know, 02:24 when you're about to do something wrong 02:25 and you hear that voice saying, don't do it. 02:28 Conscience. That's God. 02:29 I said you wouldn't tell yourself not to do wrong. 02:33 And when you learn to recognize that voice 02:38 it's a beautiful experience. 02:39 Well, I'm walking the campus in deep conviction 02:44 and God spoke to my heart 02:45 and said I have seen your dreams 02:48 because I wanted to travel the world 02:49 and sing and meet important people. 02:51 That was my dream. 02:54 You haven't been singing for too long, 02:56 at least not with voice you have now. 02:57 Well, not very-- 02:58 Your voice might have broken for the year or two only. 03:00 Yeah, that's right the voice broke 03:02 when I was about 15,14 and half, 15 03:04 and really I woke up with the sound 03:06 coming out in my throat. 03:08 And while walking this campus God spoke to my heart 03:12 and said I have seen your dreams. 03:14 Give me your dreams and I'll let you see 03:18 what I have been dreaming for you. 03:19 I'll let you see a little glimpse 03:21 of what I have been dreaming. 03:22 You know as your saying this I'm reminded of the sermon 03:24 I'm working at now on Joseph, a dreamer. 03:26 Yeah, the dreamer. 03:27 Here comes the dream. That's right. 03:28 But no all dreams are so bad, 03:30 Joseph's weren't either. That's right. 03:32 But you know, it's not all smooth 03:33 either I'm sure you had your ups and downs. 03:36 Absolutely. 03:37 And so I saw them experiencing this incredible joy 03:42 of God speaking to my heart. 03:45 I heard God say to me if you can just be faithful, 03:50 I will take your life down on unusual path. 03:55 I'll allow you to minister to the masses, 03:59 speak truth to people of influence and power, 04:03 and I want you to prepare 04:05 to articulate the issues of religious freedom. 04:09 I had no idea what that man at 16, I-- 04:13 I couldn't have imagined however 04:16 that giving my life to God 04:18 everyone of those words spoken into my heart 04:22 would come to pass. 04:24 To be able to counsel 04:27 not because of any merit of my own 04:29 but because of God's goodness to counsel presidents 04:34 which I have had the opportunity to do 04:36 in their personal lives and in making decisions. 04:41 Some of-- some of the encouragement 04:43 that I was able to give presidents ended up 04:46 in their state of the union addresses. 04:49 I was present when press-- 04:52 President Clinton made a public acknowledgement 04:55 of the counseling role of you. 04:57 Yeah. 04:58 At a low point at his life which he to himself. 05:01 But yes, people that he knew and you are one of them. 05:04 You had the privilege to speak 05:06 to his emotional need at that time. 05:09 I'll tell about that in just a moment 05:11 but it's also interesting to get another prospective 05:16 or get your own prospective on all of those different men 05:21 because they're men and they have 05:24 different strengths and different weaknesses. 05:27 President Reagan for example 05:30 had a "Horshack" fatherly kind of loving image. 05:35 I mean, when you were disarmed. 05:36 Was that really him, or was that his style? 05:39 Yeah, that was just-- Did you get through the-- 05:41 But you, when you-- when you got around 05:44 and you were charmed by him, there's no doubt about it. 05:48 He just had that ethos about him. 05:51 Interesting now if I travel with the gentlemen 05:54 and did a program with the gentlemen 05:55 by name Hugh Sidey many years ago 05:57 who used to be the editor or he wrote 05:59 the presidential column for Time Magazine 06:02 and he had known every presidents 06:04 since I so have personally 06:07 and he said I remember after I sang, 06:10 he got up and he said you know, 06:12 I have known all these presidents 06:14 he said, the smartest president 06:18 I think we ever had is Jimmy Carter 06:20 and of course a lot of you 06:21 don't recognize Jimmy Carter is a nuclear physicist. 06:23 Yes, and a micro manger. 06:25 He had a micro-- exactly, they're paralyzed him 06:30 and he said the biggest turn around he had ever seen 06:33 in the presidency was Lyndon Johnson 06:35 who went from a southern almost bigot 06:38 to some people to this magnanimous president on race. 06:42 He said President Reagan on the other hand, 06:44 he said well, he said President Carter's problem was 06:47 because he was a nuclear physicist 06:49 he would read everything that came across his desk 06:53 and all that information began to paralyze him. 06:57 He said, but President Reagan on the other hand. 06:58 Didn't write any thing. 06:59 He would see all the information 07:01 and smile and pat it 07:04 and that's how Hugh Sidey kind of described it and-- 07:07 But you know, relatively if I'm totally wrong with this, 07:09 whether it's the US president 07:12 or the president of a co-operation 07:14 or even the president of a church 07:17 I think the real power and the role 07:21 is to project certain values 07:24 and says the bully pulpit but before that I think 07:27 they can define the agenda through their persona. 07:30 Yes. 07:31 The idea of Jimmy Carter, I think failed for this person 07:34 does everything as bound to fail 07:37 because there's all sorts of deputies to do that 07:40 but that person can buy their very person 07:42 define a country even. 07:44 Absolutely. 07:45 And on that regard you know, I'm not politically 07:48 involved at all myself 07:49 but you know, I recognize that the time that-- 07:51 that Ronald Reagan did project 07:54 a very positive personal image for the United States. 07:58 I mean we sat, we are at the breakfast table 08:02 and he was smiling and he leaned up to my wife 08:04 and he kind of winked at her you know 08:06 and I said she will never forget President Reagan. 08:10 But he had that kind of really grandfatherly awesome ethos. 08:15 And president Bush the son 08:21 I remember when his first prayer breakfast 08:25 when after he was elected 08:28 he walked into the room and I shook his hand 08:31 and I said, so you're now our president. 08:35 And he said, yeah, I'm excited to be so to be real. 08:39 So, it was he was very green and we saw him develop 08:43 really in the role in his office because 08:48 and interestingly enough President Clinton 08:53 it was in 1990 I was singing in Birmingham, Alabama 08:57 I got ready to go the dais 08:59 and the security people started running back and forth 09:02 and they said the governor is coming. 09:03 So I straightened up my tie, brushed down my suite 09:06 and they brought him Bill Clinton. 09:07 1990 no one knew who Bill Clinton was, 09:11 no one even he hadn't even announced 09:12 he was running for President and-- 09:15 Well, even when he was running 09:16 Ross Perot has dismissed him just-- 09:18 Yeah, that's right, that's right. 09:21 And-- but since I was in Birmingham 09:23 and I did know who he was I said the governor 09:25 you know the governor is coming 09:26 I assumed he was governor of Alabama. 09:29 So when they put him beside me 09:30 I went into this long story with him 09:32 of how much I love Alabama 09:34 and what a great state Alabama is 09:35 and I went to school at Huntsville 09:37 and he is puzzled why am I extolling 09:38 the virtues of Alabama. 09:40 And when they made introductions 09:42 ladies and gentlemen the governor of Arkansas 09:45 and as when he downed on me you know, but I sang-- 09:49 Clinton remembers you. 09:50 Yeah, I sang and he spoke and I didn't see him again 09:53 till about four months before the election in 1992. 09:56 I was singing somewhere 09:57 he walked into the room campaigning 09:59 I thought that was my chance to fix it, 10:00 let him know I love Arkansas too. 10:02 So, as a governor you probably don't know me or remember me. 10:05 He said I remember you, 10:06 he said, you sang for me 10:07 a year ago in Birmingham, Alabama 10:09 because you know he has an amazing memory. 10:11 And by the way-- Hillary was the speaker at our Liberty once 10:16 and I found she is the same. 10:18 Oh, yeah, she sat down at our table 10:19 and instantly seemed to know everybody's name. 10:21 Wow. 10:22 That's a social gift that I don't have 10:24 and I really admire that in other people. 10:26 Yeah, and so, when he became president 10:30 I sang for his first prayer at prayer breakfast 10:33 and afterwards he sent me a wonderful note, 10:36 on a picture as I was reading each other 10:37 how much he was blessed by the music 10:39 and he signed it with thanks Bill Clinton, 10:42 Governor of Alabama. 10:44 That's probably going to be your collectors out of it, 10:46 probably more valuable than-- 10:48 That's right, governor of Alabama. 10:49 It's like I was watching a video other day 10:51 and there was on stamps and they were showing 10:52 the up side down stamp with an airplane upside down 10:55 with millions of dollars because that's wrong. 10:57 That's right, that's right. That will be unique. 10:58 And that fopa started a friendship 11:02 like you said you were in an audience 11:04 where we would acknowledge. 11:05 An event that you pretty much said emotion. 11:07 Yes. 11:08 It was we might talk about that's another time, 11:11 your dream academy there was a program there 11:13 that he came and spoken and met a few of us. 11:16 Absolutely and that friendship not only continued 11:23 I got a chance to actually minister to him 11:25 because when the Monica Lewinsky story broke 11:28 I watched him aging in front of my very eyes on television 11:32 and God impressed me to send him a message. 11:34 I said, Mr. President God has impressed me 11:36 to ask you to read Psalm 69 11:39 and in Psalm 69 David, says, "Save me oh, God, 11:42 for the waters are coming onto my soul 11:44 I'm sinking in deep mire, 11:46 where there is no place to stand. 11:47 The floods over flow me 11:48 I'm very of my crying, my throat is parched." 11:52 I knew he would identify what David said, 11:53 those who hate me without a cause 11:55 or more than hairs on my head. 11:57 But actually I wasn't got to say 11:58 lots of David's troubles were self inflicted. 12:00 Yes, exactly. 12:02 But what he was saying is 12:03 I didn't do these people anything 12:05 but they hate me you know. 12:08 And I knew he would identify what David said 12:11 God you know my foolishness, 12:13 my sins are not hidden from you 12:14 and then David said, 12:16 "God let not those who seek after you 12:18 be ashamed because of me 12:20 and because of what I have done." 12:21 And so I'm at another function at the White House 12:24 and his labor secretary Alexis Herman 12:25 pulls me to the side 12:27 and said you don't know what happened. 12:28 I said what happened? 12:29 She is at the president called a few of us together 12:31 his closest cabinet members 12:33 and shared with us from Psalm 69 12:35 we were reading up on him actually she said 12:38 because we were angry with him and he went up through his room 12:41 and wrote out the first speech 12:43 that he gave to the American people 12:44 where he openly came up and said you know, 12:47 there's no fancy way for me to tell you 12:49 but I did sin and I'm a sinner 12:51 and I was invited to be in the eastern room 12:54 of the White House to hear the president give this speech 12:57 and I was in the days this young Adventist 13:00 who had been used of God amongst many people 13:03 I'm sure to help nudge him to that moment. 13:06 And he sent me a hand written note 13:07 he said, Dear, Wintley, 13:08 I received your message of that Psalm 69. 13:11 I read it with care and gratitude. 13:13 I appreciate your counsel, your support 13:15 I need them all right now. 13:17 And-- and that friendship just continued so much so 13:21 that a few weeks ago, my phone rings 13:25 and it was a movie star his name is Chris Tucker 13:29 in the Rush Hour series of movies 13:32 and he said Mr. Phipps, 13:34 he has that voice, you know, Mr. Phipps, I said, yeah. 13:37 He said, I'm at the library, 13:40 President Clinton's library at Little Rock, Arkansas 13:43 and I'm watching a video of you singing. 13:48 It is the part of the permanent display there. 13:49 Yes. President. 13:51 If you go to President Clinton's library 13:53 and I went as I was going up the stairs 13:55 I heard my voice, you know, 13:57 and he has a video that plays 13:59 every five minutes of me singing 14:01 and so it's just amazing how what God said. 14:05 What residuals do you get? No, no, no. 14:08 But what God said to that little 16-year-old boy 14:12 has come to pass and ways I could have never imagined. 14:15 Well, it illustrates in a big way 14:18 the influence that each of us have 14:19 and we don't realize it connecting with other people 14:22 and religious liberty in the religious liberty work here 14:26 I know you have many, many stories. 14:27 Yes. 14:28 I think the value is not the-- sometimes may 14:32 but usually our legislative liaison 14:34 on some of the top people in the church 14:35 they meet these top officials 14:37 but I think it's the big opportunity 14:40 that they have to somewhat through their life 14:43 but often through actual words to say 14:45 I'm a seventh-day Adventist Christian. 14:46 We believe in this that has to take greetings 14:49 of all these public figures. Oh, absolutely. 14:51 I don't know if you know it 14:52 but do you remember when Russia first opened up 14:56 a lot of churches in Christian denominations 14:58 were pouring a lot of money and resources 15:00 because it was a miracle. 15:03 Well, the Russian Duma pervaded by the Russian Orthodox church 15:09 passed a law stating and they set a date 15:13 that from that day from that day on, 15:15 no foreign nationals were gonna be allowed 15:18 to do evangelical work. 15:19 I remember because of the Eastern Orthodox Church 15:20 was coming into their own and trying to restrict others. 15:23 We need to take a break now 15:25 we are in the middle of a very interesting discussion. 15:27 So stay with us and we'll be back shortly. |
Revised 2014-12-17