Lester Roloff
Encyclopedia
Lester Leo Roloff was an American
fundamental
Independent Baptist
preacher, and founder of teen homes across the South.
, Texas
of German descent, Roloff began preaching at age eighteen. He attended Baylor University
and later Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
. Roloff is reported to have brought his dairy
cow with him to raise tuition funds through the sale of its milk.
After graduation, Roloff began preaching at small country churches in southern Texas, before taking on pastoral duties at churches in Houston
and later Corpus Christi
. It was in Corpus Christi in 1944, that Roloff began his radio show, The Family Altar.
s in Corpus Christi after the scheduled speaker, B. B. Crim died. The enthusiastic reaction to Roloff's preaching led him to resign his pastorate and pursue full-time evangelism. Roloff's Evangelistic Enterprise was incorporated the following year.
Roloff preached stridently against Communism
, television
, alcohol
, tobacco
, pork
, and psychology
. His strong stands led to separation from most of his Southern Baptist
brethren. Roloff returned to pastoral ministry establishing the Alameda Street Baptist Church in Corpus Christi in 1954.
, and Georgia
. The first Roloff home for females, The Rebekah Home for Girls, was established in 1968.
The only literature permitted to those living in the Roloff homes was the King James Version of the Bible. Television
was forbidden, and only one hour of radio
per day was permitted to listen to Roloff's radio sermons. Daily church attendance was mandatory; each Roloff home had its own church and pastor on the grounds. Other policies, in accordance to the state, included windows being locked and alarm systems in order to prevent any truancy or escape. Contact with the outside world was denied except for monitored phone calls with parents. In addition, each dorm room had an intercom and loudspeaker. Individual rooms were monitored for conversation deemed inappropriate.
At Roloff's City of Refuge in Frederick
, Oklahoma, boys as young as 12 were reportedly made to pick cotton in the surrounding fields starting at 5am and working until sundown without even using work gloves.(Documentation needed)
The Texas Attorney General
's office began investigating reports of violent beatings, starvation, and torture at the Roloff Homes in 1971. Roloff denied the charges, and went to jail rather than let the homes be inspected. In spite of several trials, only one Roloff staffer was found guilty of child abuse, and this only happened after Lester Roloff died.
Some of the homes were temporarily closed in 1973, but re-opened the following year after Roloff successfully appealed to the Texas Supreme Court
. Roloff at one point transferred ownership of the homes from Roloff Evangelistic Enterprises to his church, the People's Baptist Church, forcing the state to sue the "new" owners, and keeping the homes running. The Attorney General refiled the case, forcing an injunction that tried to shut the ministry down. In 1975, the State of Texas passed laws that required licensing of youth homes. Roloff was arrested twice for refusing to comply with this law.
In 1979 an incident that became known as the "Christian Alamo", occurred as Roloff urged churches and pastors across America who supported the Roloff ministry to come to Corpus Christi and form a human chain around the church to prevent the Department of Human Resources from removing children from the homes. Legal battles with the State of Texas continued and the homes were closed and re-opened. The Texas homes were closed again in 2001.
, Texas, killing Roloff and a ladies' singing trio from the home for adult women. The wreckage of his crashed airplane is the centerpiece of Roloff Park at Hyles-Anderson College
, a Bible College in Crown Point, Indiana
.
Hall of Fame in 1993. After breaking with the Southern Baptists
in 1956 over a speech criticizing denominationalism, Roloff was branded as a King James Only
Independent Baptist
.
Roloff also incorporated singing into his sermons, and would occasionally break into impromptu
singing of hymns and/or leading his choir to sing along. The Family Altar program begins and ends with a recording of Roloff singing "When Jesus Comes (One Sat Alone Beside the Highway)" accompanied only by organ.
and youth movements. His final recorded sermon was preached at Tennessee Temple University
and is entitled "Hills that Help". It is regarded as a classic by his supporters. Perhaps his most well-known sermon was "Dr. Law and Dr. Grace."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fundamental
Fundamental
Fundamental may refer to:* Foundation of reality* Fundamental frequency, as in music or phonetics, often referred to as simply a "fundamental"...
Independent Baptist
Independent Baptist
Independent Baptist churches are Christian churches generally holding to conservative Baptist beliefs. They are characterized by being independent from the authority of denominations or similar bodies. Members of such churches comprised three percent of the United States adult population according...
preacher, and founder of teen homes across the South.
Early ministry
Born in DawsonDawson, Texas
Dawson is a town in Navarro County, Texas, United States. The population was 852 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dawson is located at ....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
of German descent, Roloff began preaching at age eighteen. He attended Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
and later Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a private, non-profit institution of higher education, associated with the Southern Baptist Convention...
. Roloff is reported to have brought his dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
cow with him to raise tuition funds through the sale of its milk.
After graduation, Roloff began preaching at small country churches in southern Texas, before taking on pastoral duties at churches in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
and later Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
. It was in Corpus Christi in 1944, that Roloff began his radio show, The Family Altar.
Ministry expands
In 1950 Roloff was called upon to fill in as preacher at a series of revival meetingRevival meeting
A revival meeting is a series of Christian religious services held in order to inspire active members of a church body, to raise funds and to gain new converts...
s in Corpus Christi after the scheduled speaker, B. B. Crim died. The enthusiastic reaction to Roloff's preaching led him to resign his pastorate and pursue full-time evangelism. Roloff's Evangelistic Enterprise was incorporated the following year.
Roloff preached stridently against Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
, and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
. His strong stands led to separation from most of his Southern Baptist
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
brethren. Roloff returned to pastoral ministry establishing the Alameda Street Baptist Church in Corpus Christi in 1954.
The Roloff Homes
Separated from mainline Southern Baptists because of his standards, Roloff began actively ministering to alcoholic and homeless men. His first mission house was established in Corpus Christi in 1954. Additional children's homes were eventually added throughout Texas, OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, and Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. The first Roloff home for females, The Rebekah Home for Girls, was established in 1968.
The only literature permitted to those living in the Roloff homes was the King James Version of the Bible. Television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
was forbidden, and only one hour of radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
per day was permitted to listen to Roloff's radio sermons. Daily church attendance was mandatory; each Roloff home had its own church and pastor on the grounds. Other policies, in accordance to the state, included windows being locked and alarm systems in order to prevent any truancy or escape. Contact with the outside world was denied except for monitored phone calls with parents. In addition, each dorm room had an intercom and loudspeaker. Individual rooms were monitored for conversation deemed inappropriate.
At Roloff's City of Refuge in Frederick
Frederick, Oklahoma
Frederick is a city in Tillman County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,940 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Tillman County. This is an agriculture based community primarily with wheat, cotton, and cattle....
, Oklahoma, boys as young as 12 were reportedly made to pick cotton in the surrounding fields starting at 5am and working until sundown without even using work gloves.(Documentation needed)
The Texas Attorney General
Texas Attorney General
The Texas Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Texas.The department has offices at the William P. Clements State Office Building at 300 West 15th Street in Austin.-History:...
's office began investigating reports of violent beatings, starvation, and torture at the Roloff Homes in 1971. Roloff denied the charges, and went to jail rather than let the homes be inspected. In spite of several trials, only one Roloff staffer was found guilty of child abuse, and this only happened after Lester Roloff died.
Some of the homes were temporarily closed in 1973, but re-opened the following year after Roloff successfully appealed to the Texas Supreme Court
Texas Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Texas is the court of last resort for non-criminal matters in the state of Texas. A different court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, is the court of last resort for criminal matters.The Court is composed of a Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices...
. Roloff at one point transferred ownership of the homes from Roloff Evangelistic Enterprises to his church, the People's Baptist Church, forcing the state to sue the "new" owners, and keeping the homes running. The Attorney General refiled the case, forcing an injunction that tried to shut the ministry down. In 1975, the State of Texas passed laws that required licensing of youth homes. Roloff was arrested twice for refusing to comply with this law.
In 1979 an incident that became known as the "Christian Alamo", occurred as Roloff urged churches and pastors across America who supported the Roloff ministry to come to Corpus Christi and form a human chain around the church to prevent the Department of Human Resources from removing children from the homes. Legal battles with the State of Texas continued and the homes were closed and re-opened. The Texas homes were closed again in 2001.
Death
Roloff had always had a fascination with flight. He purchased his first airplane in 1954, and used it to travel between his various speaking engagements throughout the country. On November 2, 1982, the same day Governor Mark White, who promised to shut the Roloff homes down, was elected, Roloff's plane crashed during a storm outside NormangeeNormangee, Texas
Normangee is a town in Leon and Madison Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 719 at the 2000 census.-History:The Railroads were pushing the frontier westward and the Trinity and Brazos Valley and the Houston and Texas Central were built between Houston and Dallas in 1904-1905...
, Texas, killing Roloff and a ladies' singing trio from the home for adult women. The wreckage of his crashed airplane is the centerpiece of Roloff Park at Hyles-Anderson College
Hyles-Anderson College
Hyles–Anderson College is an unaccredited Bible college in unincorporated Crown Point, Lake County, Indiana, with a postal address at 8400 Burr Street, Crown Point, Indiana 46307-1499. The college is a ministry of the First Baptist Church of Hammond. It focuses primarily on training pastors,...
, a Bible College in Crown Point, Indiana
Crown Point, Indiana
As of the census of 2010, there were 27,317 people and 10,976 households in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 88.20% White, 6.30% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.80% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.90% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races...
.
The Family Altar
Roloff's show continues on the radio today with recordings of his sermons aired in both 15 and 30-minute programs. Roloff was posthumously inducted into the National Religious BroadcastersNational Religious Broadcasters
National Religious Broadcasters is an American organization that represents Christian religious broadcasters on American television and radio, including several high-profile televangelists and Christian radio show hosts. It claims a membership of more than 1700 organizations...
Hall of Fame in 1993. After breaking with the Southern Baptists
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
in 1956 over a speech criticizing denominationalism, Roloff was branded as a King James Only
King-James-Only Movement
The "King James Only movement" advocates the superiority of the Authorized King James Version of the Protestant Bible. The topic increased in newsworthiness in 2011, the 400th anniversary of the translation's 1611 initial publication....
Independent Baptist
Independent Baptist
Independent Baptist churches are Christian churches generally holding to conservative Baptist beliefs. They are characterized by being independent from the authority of denominations or similar bodies. Members of such churches comprised three percent of the United States adult population according...
.
Roloff also incorporated singing into his sermons, and would occasionally break into impromptu
Impromptu
An impromptu is a free-form musical composition with the character of an ex tempore improvisation as if prompted by the spirit of the moment, usually for a solo instrument, such as piano...
singing of hymns and/or leading his choir to sing along. The Family Altar program begins and ends with a recording of Roloff singing "When Jesus Comes (One Sat Alone Beside the Highway)" accompanied only by organ.
Roloff's legacy
Roloff is cited as a major influence on both the Christian fundamentalist homeschoolingHomeschooling
Homeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
and youth movements. His final recorded sermon was preached at Tennessee Temple University
Tennessee Temple University
Tennessee Temple University is a four-year private Christian university, with its focus on liberal arts education, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Operating there, also, is Temple Baptist Seminary, the university's graduate school of Christian theology....
and is entitled "Hills that Help". It is regarded as a classic by his supporters. Perhaps his most well-known sermon was "Dr. Law and Dr. Grace."