Paul Harvey 1918-2009 (UPDATED)

Popular radio commentator Paul Harvey died over the weekend in a Phoenix, Arizona hospital. Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story” made him a mainstay of American radio journalism and endeared him to the public. Harvey was 90 years old.

According to Adherents.com, Harvey joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 2000, and attended services at the Camelback Adventist Church in Scottsdale, Arizona. He occasionally quoted from Ellen G. White during broadcasts.

(See Update Below)

Harvey received numerous accolades during his 70 years in radio, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2005. Dr. Benjamin Carson, an Adventist neurosurgeon, received the award in 2008.

Harvey’s right-leaning remarks envisiaged and engendered the hidebound commentary of outlets like Fox News. Occasionally, Harvey’s comments drew criticism.

In 2005, Harvey made the following contentious remarks in his radio broadcast:

We sent men with rifles into Afghanistan and Iraq, and we kept our best weapons in their silos. Even now, we’re standing there dying, daring to do nothing decisive because we’ve declared ourselves to be better than our terrorist enemies, more moral, more civilized. Our image is at stake, we insist.

But we didn’t come this far because we are made of sugar candy. Once upon a time, we elbowed our way onto and into this continent by giving smallpox-infected blankets to Native Americans. Yes, that was biological warfare. And we used every other weapon we could get our hands on, to grab this land from whomever, and we grew prosperous. And yes, we greased the skids with the sweat of slaves.

And so it goes with most great nation-states, which feeling guilty about their savage pasts, eventually civilize themselves out of business, and wind up invaded and ultimately dominated by the lean, hungry, up-and-coming who are not made of sugar candy

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UPDATE: In response to numerous queries about Paul Harvey’s being an Adventist, Pastor Charles White of the Saddleback SDA Church shares this message:

We have received many inquiries. Paul Harvey and his wife Angel have attended Camelback church for nearly 20 yrs. during the winter. They have a home in the Biltmore District a few miles from Camelback church. When we arrived here 9 yrs. ago we became acquainted with them and have given them pastoral care. They were wonderful people and very supportive. Neither Paul or Angel (Lynne) were members of the SDA church. They considered my wife and I their pastoral team and confided in us quite regularly. When Angel died in May of 2008 I was invited back to Chicago to do her funeral service in the Fourth Presbyterian Church in downtown Chicago . We will also be flying back to Chicago tomorrow to attend Paul’s service and the preside at the graveside on Monday.

We have considered it a wonderful privilege to minister to these dear people. Their connection with the SDA church has been long-time. Paul was personal friends with George Vandeman and many other Adventist pastors and laypersons.

Their connection to the church was through Angel’s sister who was a baptized SDA member. I understand that a couple of aunts were also SDA. The rumor that he was Adventist got started on the web with erroneous information that has been passed on and perpetuated. Doug Bachelor stated it on one of his telecasts and that also gave it further believability. I spoke with him a few days ago and he said he read it on the web. Please do all you can to clarify this error. Thank you for your interest.

Most sincerely,

Charles White, senior pastor Camelback

Watch: Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story”

h/t BH