Actor Denzel Washington has never been shy about being a
man of faith. The Oscar winner is a member of West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los
Angeles and even donated $2.5 million to help the church build its new
sanctuary.
In a recent interview with GQ magazine, Washington discussed his Christian
values and how important reading the Bible is for him.
“I read from the Bible every day, and I read my Daily Word,” Washington
shared. “I read something great yesterday. It said, ‘Don’t aspire to make a
living. Aspire to make a difference.’”
shared. “I read something great yesterday. It said, ‘Don’t aspire to make a
living. Aspire to make a difference.’”
The 57-year-old actor also spoke with the men’s style glossy about the first
time he experienced the Holy Spirit during a service during a service at his
church, West Angeles.
time he experienced the Holy Spirit during a service during a service at his
church, West Angeles.
“The minister was preaching, ‘Just let it go.’ I said, ‘I’m going to go with
it,’” he recalled. “And I had this tremendous physical and spiritual
experience. It did frighten me. I was slobbering, crying, sweating. My cheeks
blew up. I was purging.”
it,’” he recalled. “And I had this tremendous physical and spiritual
experience. It did frighten me. I was slobbering, crying, sweating. My cheeks
blew up. I was purging.”
The emotional encounter in God’s presence overwhelmed Washington, the son a
Pentecostal preacher, and he phoned his mother afterwards for some clarity.
Pentecostal preacher, and he phoned his mother afterwards for some clarity.
“It was too intense. It almost drove me away,” Washington confessed. “I
called my mother, and she said I was being filled with the Holy Spirit. I was
like, ‘Does that mean I can never have wine again?’”
called my mother, and she said I was being filled with the Holy Spirit. I was
like, ‘Does that mean I can never have wine again?’”
The actor, who played an angel opposite Whitney Houston in
the 1996 film “The Preacher’s Wife,” did not leave the church and has actually
been a member more than 30 years.
the 1996 film “The Preacher’s Wife,” did not leave the church and has actually
been a member more than 30 years.
.
