Om Kent Philpott
Kent Philpott was born in Portland, Oregon in 1942 and attended high school in Los Angeles. During and after four years military service, attended Sacramento State University (major psychology); Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, CA (MDiv); and San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, CA (DMin). Philpott became a Christian in 1963 through the ministry of the First Baptist Church of Fairfield, CA and Pastor Robert D. Lewis. Pastored Excelsior Baptist Church, (SBC) 1966-1968. Ordained in 1966. Was involved in the Jesus People Movement in San Francisco from 1967 onward.
Began high school Bible studies, established Christian houses from San Jose to Sonoma, CA. Founding pastor of Church of the Open Door in San Rafael (1972), co-founded Love in Action, a ministry of ex-homosexuals. Established the Marin Christian General Store in San Rafael in 1970 and the Marin Christian Counseling Center. Wrote A Manual of Demonology and the Occult in 1973, was later published by Zondervan Publishing House. Logos International published three books during the mid-1970s: The Third Sex?, The Gay Theology, and If the Devil Wrote a Bible. Bible Voice of Los Angeles published The Deliverance Book in 1976.
In 1984 Philpott began pastoring the First Baptist Church of Mill Valley (ABC & SBC), now named Miller Avenue Baptist Church, where he is still Senior Pastor. Volunteered for thirty years as a teacher and cell-to-cell ministry at San Quentin State Prison, where he also managed the baseball team for 17 years and developed softball and 8-man flag football teams. Ten years as a high school baseball coach in Marin County. Director since 1984 of a Divorce Recovery Workshop. Produces and teaches “The Bible Study,” a television program on local San Francisco Bay Area stations since 1984 and recently started a new show, “Why We Are Christians.”