John Wayne sends a Telegram From Heaven offering H-O-P-E to us all, especially during the tough times. Welcome to Telegrams From Heaven. We hope you enjoy it. Thanks for dropping by.
Howdy Pilgrim.
When I was making movies, I loved to read in my spare time. A few of my favorite authors were Charles Dickens, SirArthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. Guess what? They are here too. Three Brits! I know! Amazing! Maybe they will send a telegram sometime soon.
I hear that there are some obstacles in your path. I had a few of those in my time. So did Charlie, Art and Agatha. Know that when the road looks rough ahead, remember the “Man Upstairs” and the word H-O-P-E. Hang onto both and tough it out. Life can give us voluminous challenges, but if you clench onto and believe in the creator, you can scale through all of life’s challenges, with hope and strength to keep moving forward.
Keep it in mind.
Now Giddy Up!
John Wayne
Is John Wayne in Heaven?
John Wayne is one of Hollywood’s most famous actors of all time. His public persona offered his fans a patriotic, manly image. But in private life he married three times, drank excessively and caroused with women not his wife.
According to reports, Wayne was raised in a Christian home, his three wives were Catholic, his children were raised Catholic, and he was a supporter of local Catholic activities. But reports also state that Wayne never publicly professed his belief in Jesus Christ as his savior. Family members stated he did come to faith before his death in 1979. But skeptics and outsiders maintain he wasn’t a believer, and more than one pastor delivered sermons stating John Wayne is in hell. What does all of this mean?
Is John Wayne in Heaven?
Three stories concerning John Wayne’s
A Note From a Child
The first story concerns dinner at the Newport Club with John Wayne and about ten of his friends. Apparently Wayne respected televangelist Robert Schuller, a popular pastor and motivational speaker known principally for his weekly television program Hour of Power televised from the famous Crystal Cathedral in southern California.
At the time, according to the story, Schuller’s daughter had been in an accident and the doctors were forced to amputate one of her legs. Wayne reportedly sent the child a card with the hope that she would recover soon. That must have been a morale booster for a child getting a “Get Well” card from the most famous actor in the world.
The story continues that in return, the child wrote Wayne a note, and it was delivered to Wayne by one of the men attending the meal at the Newport Club. Wayne opened the note in front of his guests and read it. She supposedly wrote:
“Dear Mr. Wayne, I got your note. Thanks for writing to me. I like you very much. I am going to be all right because Jesus is going to help me. Mr. Wayne, do you know Jesus? I sure hope you know Jesus, Mr. Wayne, because I cannot imagine Heaven being complete without John Wayne being there. “I hope, if you don’t know Jesus, that you will give your heart to Jesus right now. See you in Heaven.”
Wayne reportedly began to weep in front of his friends. Then he folded the note and placed it in his pocket. Then he asked the note bearer to return to the child with a personal reply;
“You go tell that little girl that right now, in this restaurant, right here, John Wayne gives his heart to Jesus Christ and I will see her in heaven.”
Within weeks John Wayne died.
Many people refute the validity of the story. It truly doesn’t sound like John Wayne. But none of us will know until we meet him in heaven where he can confirm or deny the story himself.
A Deathbed Prayer
The second story also centers around Robert Schuller. This version is recounted by
by Dr. R. L. Hymers, Jr. in his sermon titled, “Why John Wayne Went to Hell.” His sermon was based on Dr. Schuller’s book, Self-Esteem: The New Formation, published in 1982.
The night before John Wayne was to be operated on for cancer, he had his secretary phone Dr. Robert H. Schuller, the then-famous TV preacher. Schuller went to John Wayne’s hospital room and found him dressed only in his shorts, lying on the bed. “Duke” was John Wayne’s nickname. After a few minutes of light talk, Schuller said, “Duke, may I pray for you?” Wayne said, “Sure, I need all the help I can get.” Schuller closed his eyes and said this prayer, “Lord, John Wayne knows about you. He has heard about you all his life. He admires you. He respects you. And deep down he knows that you can and want to forgive him of all his sins. Deep down in his mind he accepts you and believes in you and loves you, now.” Schuller then said that he was sure John Wayne was now saved because Wayne’s face was “peaceful.” Schuller said, “Beyond a doubt, I spoke the right words, and he followed them without resistance and with sincere acceptance.”
Obviously by the title of his sermon, Dr. Hymers strongly discounted this story and argued throughout his sermon that in no way does this account meet the Biblical standard of John Wayne having accepted Jesus Christ as his savior.
Catholic Church
The final story is directly from members of Wayne’s family. It’s available to read on the
Aleteia website in an article titled “John Wayne’s deathbed conversion to Christianity.”
Aleteia is an online Catholic news and information website founded by Jesús Colina via the Foundation for Evangelization through the Media.
One of Wayne’s grandchildren became a priest. In the article, Fr. Matthew Muñoz, Wayne’s grandson and a Catholic priest of the diocese of Orange, California, revealed details of his grandfather’s spiritual life.
According to the article:
Muñoz was 14 years old when Wayne died of cancer. He explained to CNS (Catholic News Service) that when Wayne was ready to be baptized, Archbishop Marcos Gregorio McGrath (archbishop of Panama, the friend of a friend of Wayne’s) went to see him. “My mom and uncle were there when he came. So there’s no question about whether or not he was baptized. He wanted to become baptized and became Catholic. It was wonderful to see him come to the faith and to leave that witness for our whole family.”
According to the Catholic Church, for an adult to be baptized, there must be evident faith, and a profession of, and willingness to live as a Christian.
In Karen Edmisten’s article, “Deathbed And Late-Life Conversions,” published in the Catholic Digest, “Visible or not, messy, real lives can, by the grace of God, lead to surprising but sincere conversions. Holy Scripture affirms that sincere conversion, whenever it happens, is always real and fair, and it ‘counts.’ St. Dismas, the penitent thief who hung on the cross next to Jesus, recognized his Savior moments before it was too late.”
Summary
In summary, only those in heaven know the truth of John Wayne’s current residence. But we may at least hope that he accepted Jesus’ grace and asked for forgiveness before his death.
Purpose of Telegrams From Heaven
The “authors” of each Telegram From Heaven are men and women of accomplishment who lived in the ancient or recent past. Each were known for their faith. They are from around the globe, from every walk of life, and their life stories are inspiring and encouraging. We believe these stories offer powerful messages that might help change your life in some small or meaningful way, even if just to improve your walk with God.
The word “heaven” inspires limitless definitions among the religious and non-religious. A few examples include “the home of God,” “a setting of ultimate perfection in the clouds,” or “a place where the resurrection bodies and departed souls of believers spend eternity.” Most often the word conjures up images of ornate, opulent buildings and streets paved with gold. Of beauty, of paradise, of a heavenly kingdom.
Most Christians believe it is a real place, separate from Earth. Others are convinced it is close enough for its inhabitants to reveal themselves miraculously to the living.
Through brief, focused and topical messages, Telegrams From Heaven intends to encourage, entertain and inspire our neighbors around the world. We want to provide hope and inspiration.
Telegrams from Heaven are not intended to provoke or offend, but if you feel distressed in any way by one of our telegrams, we apologize.
Thanks for dropping by.