In 1973, the Academy Award for best documentary feature film was granted to “Marjoe,” an expose of the world’s youngest preacher and evangelist.
Born in 1944, Marjoe Gortner’s parents trained their young son to preach, and had him ordained as a Pentecostal preacher at the age of four. His name, Marjoe, was a combination of the names Mary and Joseph.
Marjoe was trained by his mother in particular, and relates stories of intense practice and abusive behavior. If he failed to please his mother adequately, she would place a pillow over his face until he gasped for air, and then resume practice after he was “corrected.”
Never having experienced a faith in God, Gortner decided to reveal the truth behind his evangelism by allowing a film crew to follow him in one final revival tour in 1971. At this point in his life, he had been preaching for almost 25 years.
As a young boy, he was a curly-headed blond, well spoken and clearly verbally gifted for his age. His mother made sure he was dressed in special suits, sewing additional pockets to stash money. Extra money earned the worshipper a special kiss from the charming young man.
His preaching included pressing hard for donations, asking the audience to contribute the largest bill in their pockets to prove their devotion to Jesus.
His performances included faith healing, the laying on of hands, speaking in tongues, singing and, later on, rockstar-style moves inspired by Mick Jagger.
At age 15, the novelty of the child preacher was wearing off and the money wasn’t rolling in as freely as it used to. He left home and lived with an older woman for the next two and a half years.
By age 18, he wanted to sue his parents, estimating they had collected about 3 million dollars and yet he was not even afforded an education or trust fund. He decided against it, feeling resentment would ultimately make him bitter.
Ultimately, he decided to return to the preaching circuit, focusing on a youth ministry, but motivated by money. In the documentary, he reveals behind the scenes tactics of tapping the audience for extra funds which can then be skimmed for personal use.
At the end of the documentary, Gortner says, “What can I say? I think religion is a drug. It’s addicting. Can God deliver a religion addict?”
While the documentary received critical accolades and heavy press coverage, it was never shown in the southern US states for fear of a backlash. It is now available on DVD and for rent at various Internet sites.
