Gary Greenwald

[[File:Gary Greenwald.jpeg|thumb|right|165px|Leisure Suit Gary]]
{{hatnote|No relation to the [[libertarian]] [[useful idiot]] [[pundit]] '''[[Glenn Greenwald]]'''.}}{{Christianity|1}}
{{cquote|I chose to spend three hours watching two men sit in a chair in the mid-1980s and promote [[bullshit|nonsense]] and was only intermittently bored because there is something inherently fascinating about elaborate [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]] being promoted by people with no self-consciousness and no self-awareness.|||An honest review of Greenwald's ''Deception of a Generation''<ref name=nathan>[https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2019/3/4/this-looks-terrible-deception-of-a-generation-1985 This Looks Terrible! Deception of a Generation (1985)]. ''Nathan Rabin's Happy Place'', 4 March 2019.</ref>}}
'''Gary L. Greenwald''' {{lived|1946|2023}} was a weirdo [[California]] based pastor<ref name=obit>[https://web.archive.org/web/20240201093615/https://eaglesnestministries.org/glgannouncement/ Apostle Gary L. Greenwald – April 10, 1946 – December 25, 2023]. Archived from ''Eagles Nest Ministries''.</ref> who strongly resembled 1970's porn star John Holmes. He also promoted the pointless [[Satanic Panic]] movement in the 1980's, through a series of fear-mongoring videos.

Greenwald had made a career in interpreting occult or satanic symbolism in just about everything. He started with a crusade against [[rock music]], claiming that it had large amounts of demoniacally inspired [[backward masking]].<ref>[http://vocaltracks.blogspot.com/2010/01/pastor-gary-greenwald-on-backmasking.html Pastor Gary Greenwald on Backmasking] by Jacob Smith, 31 January, 2010, ''Vocal Tracks''</ref> Greenwald, in conjunction with Texas based pastor and propagandist [[Phil Phillips]], had also railed against action figures, Comic books, Saturday morning cartoons, and the role-playing game "[[Dungeons & Dragons]]". Other targets of Greenwald's rants were martial arts, yoga, statues, and jewelry, falsely claiming that they had perceived [[occult]] influences.

Greenwald practiced [[faith healing]] at "Eagle's Nest Ministries" in California.<ref name=eagles />

==Background==
According to his biography and obituary on the official Eagle's Nest website, Greenwald’s early life was marked with disease.<ref name=obit /><ref name=eagles /> His parents were told that he had polio and he also had encephalitis and other debilitating health issues. He told his mother, Vivian, that he felt like he was a lemon and she put a small prayer group together to pray for a miracle for her son, but he healed on his own without any divine miracles or interventions.

When Greenwald was in high school, the school rejected having a Youth for Christ chapter on their campus (because [[Separation of church and state]]). So, he went to the fire station across the street to ask if they would allow him to have Youth for Christ meetings there and the station said yes and it became one of the most successful chapters at that time.

As a young man in Southern California, he started buying movie equipment, rented an auditorium and placed fundamentalist propaganda leaflet on cars, advertising free Christian movie screenings with a "salvation call" at the end of the flicks.  

Greenwald opened his own sign company and built one of the first signs for Trinity Broadcasting Network'; However, in 1978, claiming he received three prophetic words in two weeks confirming his call, he left his quarter million dollar sign company to enter into ministry full-time, after being baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Greenwald founded Eagle’s Nest Ministries in 1979 in Irvine, [[California]]. He ministered to hundreds, then thousands of gullible, sick, and old people in services as well as conducting international healing and miracle crusades using every media format, including print, radio, audio cassettes, television, and theatrical productions. His weekly [[television]] program attacked rock and roll music, recreational marijuana, children's toys, video games, and role playing games like "Dungeons & Dragons". He attacked holidays such as Halloween using poorly researched material and suggesting absurd alternatives such as eating and handing out sugarless candy and fruit, and dressing up as biblical characters from the Bible, as opposed to to dressing up like demons or witches or movie monsters and eating regular candy.

Many detractors claim that while growing up, the Eagle's Nest programs such as "Deception of A Generation" negatively influenced their parents, grandparents and relatives and ended up ruining their childhoods by confiscating and/or destroying their toys, comics, cartoons, and games.

Greenwald authored several books including "Seductions Exposed", "The Punk Called Rock", "Prophets and Personal Prophecy", and "Prophets and Prophetic Movements". He also recorded several lectures on subjects such as Dungeons & Dragons on audio cassette, and sold these as well as his other sermons, on his television program, and in his newsletters.

Greenwald claimed to hold two doctorate degrees,<ref name=eagles>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726224511/http://eaglesnestministries.org/apostle-gary-greenwald/ Apostle Gary Greenwald]. Archived from ''Eagle's Nest Ministries''.</ref> but it appears that at least one was honorary.

Greenwald regularly ministered to individuals almost every day of his personal life, whether he was in a grocery store or a restaurant.

==Selected media releases==

Greenwald seemed to be a prolific, if not well distributed multimedia creator. Some titles that have surfaced on the internet include...
*'''The Punk Called Rock''' (1981 - book and cassette series) Greenwald attempted exposing satanic [[subliminal messages]] in the popular music of the era.
*'''Marijuana the Heavenly Deception''' (1983 - book)
*'''Rock's Primal Scream''' (198? - VHS) Greenwald showed unproven examples, of how Satan uses rock music to control listeners, and eventually possess them entirely.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/20191215rocksprimalscream Rock's Primal Scream] on the [[Internet Archive]].</ref>
*'''Deception of a Generation''' (1984 or 1985 - VHS) Gary Greenwald and Phil Phillips combined in to a giant robot of crazy when they took on the perceived, but unproven, occult symbolism in "Scooby-Doo", "E.T.", "He-Man", "The Smurfs", "The Transformers", various comics, and (of course)... "Dungeons and Dragons".<ref>[http://buncheness.blogspot.com/2008/08/holy-shit-deception-of-generation.html Holy shit: Deception of a generation]. ''The Vault of Buncheness'', 7 August 2008.</ref><ref name=nathan />
*'''Prophets and Prophetic Movements''' (1990 - book) Self described as "This sequel to Prophets and Personal Prophecy is packed with the same kind of cutting instruction that made the first volume a best-seller. Prophetic insights, how-to's, and warnings make this book essential for the Spirit-filled church." You too can tap [[bullshit|insight]], [[PIDOOMA|knowledge]], and [[delusion|wisdom]] that made [[Harold Camping]] so successful.
*'''Seductions Exposed: The Spiritual Dynamics of Relationships''' (2003 - book) Greenwald tried to explain various factors that can lead to abusive relationships, codependent relationships and other romantic problems. Those factors include "...cursing yourself through forbidden statues, jewelry, and practices..."<ref>[http://www.christianbook.com/seductions-exposed-gary-greenwald/9780883689363/pd/89367 Seductions Exposed] by Gary Greenwald, ''Christianbook''</ref>

==External links==
*[http://www.thecinemasnob.com/dvd-r-hell/dvd-r-hell-deception-of-a-generation-part-1 DVD-R Hell on ''Deception Of a Generation''], [http://www.thecinemasnob.com/dvd-r-hell/dvd-r-hell-deception-of-a-generation-part-2 Part 2]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f-7B1jPpyI WCFC Channel 38 - The Eagle's Nest - "Halloween" (Part 1, 1984)]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qsOXz_HCr8 WCFC Channel 38 - The Eagle's Nest - "Halloween" (Part 2, 1984)]
*[https://archive.org/details/deception-of-a-generation ''Deception of A Generation'' (Complete Program)]
*[https://archive.org/details/20191215rocksprimalscream Rock's Primal Scream (Complete)]

==References==
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[[Category:California]]
[[Category:Christian clergy]]
[[Category:Film-makers]]
[[Category:Moral panics]]

Categories: California, Christian clergy, Film-makers, Moral panics