Brother Stair

Ralph Gordon "Brother" Stair is a radio preacher otherwise referred to as a self-proclaimed "Last-Day Prophet of God." Much of Stair's attention has come from his leased airtime on 50,000 watt AM radio stations (particularly in the nighttime hours) and on shortwave radio. Stair and his ministry, the "Overcomer Ministry," are headquarted in a commune set up in a former motel in Walterboro, South Carolina.

His preachings have emphasized variants or combinations of the apocalypse, an impending Second Coming of Christ following a nuclear war, the rise of the New World Order from different political organizations including the Roman Catholic Church, or the economic and political destruction of America, though rarely placed under a general focus. His publicized run-ins with the law, lawsuits filed against him by former followers, and his contentious distinction as a false prophet (and claims of being a cult leader) all have polarized both him and his ministry.

His signature sign-off was, and still is:

"The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! Jesus Christ is coming in your lifetime! This is the last generation! Prepare to meet your God! Maranatha!"

Life

"Brother Stair"

R. G. Stair was born of German ancestry on May 3, 1933 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Stair has often cited this distinction that his birthplace shares the same name of the birthplace of Jesus as "proof of his credibility." Married at age 18 to a woman four years his senior, Stair began preaching as a teenager. Stair was only in the Philadelphia area for one year, in 1957, and then spent many years as a traveling evangelist with his first wife before settling in the Savannah, Georgia area in the 1960s. The marriage ended in divorce in 1978, which he coerced his first wife to do, so as not to cause a blemish on his name, where he then moved to South Carolina.

From his first marriage of 27 years, Stair has five children, fifteen grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren. All of whom he ultimately turned his back on all those years ago. Also, his name is actually Ralph Gordon Stair, Sr., not to be confused with his son of the same name, Ralph Gordon Stair, Jr.

Stair typically never uses his first name or initials while on the air. He, his radio audience, and his critics alike almost always refer to him as "Brother" Stair. He did use his initials for a time in the 70's calling himself R.G. Stair, He did not want to be confused with his first son, (Dr. Terry Lee Stair) because both of them were called "Brother Stair" at the time. His son currently has no contact with him.

Stair's closest followers moved with him in the late 1980s to a commune set up in a former motel near Walterboro, South Carolina. As more people joined Stair's group, now calling itself "The Overcomer Ministry", trailers were added to the property and additional lands nearby and in other states were purchased. The main location was, and still is, a farm located almost exactly on the 33rd parallel, a latitude which historically has been associated with the occult.

Teachings

Stair's theological teachings were, and still are, unfocused: Oneness Pentecostalism spiked with a collection of beliefs cribbed from various denominations. Stair was heavily influenced by circuit preachers A. A. Allen and William Branham and he occasionally played tapes of these men on his radio show. Stair was also influenced by Baptist radio preacher Lester Roloff, who advocated strict physical punishment as discipline for adolescents, and a rejection of processed foods, especially sugar.

Among Stair's other tenets:

• Like many Independent Baptists, Stair uses only the King James Version of the Bible.
• From the Seventh-day Adventists came the Saturday Sabbath and the fundamental teaching of resting on the Seventh Day.
• From the Holiness Movement came the strict dress code and return to traditional gender roles.
• From the Restoration Movement came a rejection of all religious denominations and titles.
• From traditional Pentecostalism came speaking in tongues.
• From the Amish came a rejection of modern technology and the return to an agrarian lifestyle.

Stair has also set forth with his teachings a view of Young Earth creationism, a literal belief in which the Earth was created in six days and is only 6,000 years old (not billions of years, as would be the case with Old Earth creationism). In addition, he has claimed that the current millennium is "the final one" set forth by God prior to its ultimate destruction.

Stair offered some praise for the moral stances - if not the racial beliefs - of Christian Identity preachers like Peter J. Peters who bought airtime on some of the same stations that Stair did. Before long, Stair denounced the entire Identity movement, noting that many members of his group are African-Americans.

Stair also teaches that television is evil, which therefore came as a surprise to some when he started his own website in 1998. Stair also rejects modern medicine as sinful. Stair's followers also follow strictly defined rules based on gender: Women do not cut their hair, wear no makeup or jewelry and are forbidden from wearing pants or slacks. Males are encouraged to wear beards, and are forbidden from having long hair or tattoos. Alcohol and tobacco are forbidden.

Conspiracy and Prophecy

Stair has often warned of vast conspiracies involving world political and religious leaders that would eventually coincide with the elimination of the United States and the arrival of the New World Order. He has instructed his followers to sell all their possessions, donate the proceeds to him for the purchase of more land and radio airtime, and flee to rural areas.

In the 1980s, Stair claimed the United States would face an economic collapse; that President Reagan would be removed from office; and that a limited nuclear war would strike the U.S. and wipe out every major city, citing them all name by name. His insistence was that if these prophecies did not come true by May of 1988, he would declare himself a false prophet and end his ministry. Even as those prophecies of "the upcoming destruction of America" famously failed, he has always maintained them to this very day, as proof that those events will eventually occur.

On March 6, 2001, Stair was purportedly "visited" by "a circular, Seven-Angel cloud" while preaching in his radio room at the commune. This apparition was allegedly witnessed by three other people, and Stair has used this "cloud" as a correlation with William Branham. Branham is regarded by some as the "Sixth Angel Messenger," while Stair is seen as the "Seventh Angel Messenger," all derived from interpretations of the Book of Revelation. His vision claimed to see visions of the September 11 attacks months ahead of time; they also intertwined with his classic failed prophecies from years earlier. None of these claims have ever truly been verified.

On the air, he has aired airchecks of the 1980s claims, citing New Orleans as proof that "a city was destroyed by God" (though it was actually due to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and not by a nuclear attack). In addition, he has insisted on the air that he is not a false prophet, that "these were never prophecies, but statements" and that "anyone who says otherwise is telling a lie" and are "liars."

"The Voice of the Overcomer"

Leasing of Radio Airtime

During the early years of his radio ministry, Stair would deliver his broadcasts on a strictly local basis from Philadelphia and Boston, purchasing airtime on local stations, but it was only after the move to South Carolina that Stair began building his broadcasting empire.

Flush with cash from the sale of his followers' property, and large anonymous donations, Stair began purchasing airtime during the evening and overnight hours on 50,000 watt clear channel AM stations (KAAY in Little Rock, WCKY in Cincinnati, WWKB in Buffalo, KXEL in Waterloo/Cedar Rapids and WLNO in New Orleans, for example) and shortwave radio stations such as WWCR in Nashville. His gravelly, emotional tenor voice was soon being heard by a worldwide audience.

Most of Stair's broadcasts were of his preaching, often pre-recorded. At other times he would take live phone calls on the air or play tapes of his worship services. Also frequently aired were tapes of Alexander Scourby's recitation of the King James Version of the Bible. Tapes would often switch abruptly and many of the recordings were of poor audio quality.

His explosive temper and lack of broadcasting polish and technique earned him many sarcastic fans who disagreed with his teachings but found him fascinating and occasionally tried to call up and provoke him. His "fans" dubbed him "Brother Scare" for his doom-centered preaching.

Pirate Radio and Shortwave

As his purchases of radio airtime increased, Stair brokered a deal with pirate radio activist Allan Weiner to broadcast from a ship Weiner owned, the M/V Fury. Again, Stair interpreted the ship's name as a prophetic allusion to the wrath of God. With Stair fronting the cash and Weiner providing the technical expertise, the ship was to be docked in international waters off the South Carolina coast.

Before the ship could leave Charleston Harbor, the FCC raided it and confiscated the broadcasting equipment. The FCC claimed that they had monitored test transmissions coming from some of Weiner's friends aboard the ship, which Weiner and Stair both denied. Weiner would later own licensed shortwave station WBCQ in Monticello, Maine and would sell airtime to Stair on the station.

Undaunted, Stair continued purchasing larger blocks of shortwave airtime to air his preaching including the entire schedule of some transmitters. In contrast to his increasing, if not ubiquitous, presence on the late-night and shortwave radio dials, Stair and his organization became more and more secretive in dealing with the outside world.

Shortly after the turn of the century, Stair purchased a local AM radio station, WQIZ AM 810kHz, for $150,000. In 2003, he sold it for $200,000 to a network affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church (FCC records and broadcast industry periodicals), an oddity in that he frequently assails the Roman Catholic Church on numerous grounds, mostly intertwined with his New World Order prophecies.

Seclusion and Suspicion

Among the revelations about life with Stair that would later emerge; Stair never applied for building permits for many of the additions constructed on the Walterboro commune. When several members of his commune died, Stair would block or delay notification of the local authorities. The deceased were simply buried on commune property. Despite the secrecy and seclusion, many outside the commune were becoming very suspicious as reports of sordid behavior by Stair were escaping his tightly controlled universe.

Notable incidents included the secret burial of an infant in an unmarked grave at Stair's behest, and the demise of evangelist Wayne Douglas (renamed "Simon" by Stair) who died a slow, lingering death after his return in good health from a missionary trip to Africa. Stair had prophesied that Douglas would die in Africa, and when that prophecy failed he retroactively amended it by claiming that Douglas contracted a fatal disease there. Suspicions remain about what exactly was in the "herb" capsules Stair provided for Douglas during his decline.

Legal Issues

2002 Arrest

On May 16, 2002, Stair was placed under arrest and charged with sexual misconduct towards several underage members of his commune. Among the allegations that emerged from Stair's arrest and criminal trial:

• Stair provided herbs that caused miscarriages and stillbirths to several women he had impregnated, including some that were underage.
• He had also obtained a large collection of pornography over an Internet connection that only he was allowed to use.
• Married couples in the commune were forbidden from having sex unless approved by Stair himself.

Stair spent over two months in prison as part of a plea bargain to settle the charges.

Charges/Lawsuits

Stair's overall following and ability to purchase radio airtime have decreased following the embarrassing allegations, and his troubles with the law have continued:

• In 2004, Stair pled guilty to charges of assault and battery after fondling two female members of his organization. The following year, police responded to a 9-1-1 call placed by Stair's wife Theresa who stated that her husband was locking her in a room and preventing her from using the toilet. Brother Stair could be heard screaming in the background before forcibly hanging up the phone. No charges were filed as a result of this incident.

• Also in 2005, Stair faced a civil suit filed by several ex-followers seeking over $177,000 in damages. On April 24, 2007, Stair was ordered by a Colleton County jury to pay $731,679 total in damages, a verdict that is now currently in appeal but the money has been impounded by the county. If left to stand, the ruling would render Stair unable to continue his practice of purchasing radio airtime. As has been the case, most of his stations are 50,000 watt AM stations and shortwave radio at the expense of thousands of dollars per month. For each station, this verdict could potentially spell the end of the ministry.

Acknowledging some of his failings, while denying some of the charges pressed against him, Stair has pleaded for forgiveness on his show, but most of his religious teachings and beliefs remain unchanged. He has also lashed out repeatedly against his ex-followers on the air, calling the verdict excessive, and now has claimed that the ministry is under attack not just by "agents of the Devil," but by "the Devil himself."

Miscellaneous

The rock group Live (whose members, like Stair, are originally from Southeastern Pennsylvania) included two brief soundbites of Stair in their 1994 song "White, Discussion".

External links

• Stair's website
• Testimonies of former followers, now critical of Stair
• A collection of news articles about Stair's criminal trial