The Reader‘s archive is vast and varied, going back to 1971. Every day in Archive Dive, we’ll dig through and bring up some finds.

By the time the Reader caught up to Campbell again in 2000, he’d moved to L.A. to pursue a career in show business and had just appeared as himself in the documentary American Pimp; he’d returned to Chicago for his 49th birthday party, which turned into an epic all-nighter attended by players, pimps, DJs, and rappers. He was still blinged out in his favorite colors, green (for money) and gold (for honey). Reporter Dave Hoekstra took a more skeptical view of the preacher. He spent time with Campbell and visited his mother and sister, who still lived in Austin. He visited Leonard Rascher, who had taught Campbell at the Moody Bible Institute night school. After Campbell opened his own storefront church, the Magic World Christian Kingdom Church of the Royal Family, in South Austin, Rascher came every week to lead Bible study.

Rascher concedes that Campbell’s flashy lifestyle seems to conflict with his pursuit of God. “The Bishop answers in two ways: he gave up women, alcohol, and drugs because the Lord told him to. And if the Lord told him to give up the fancy clothes, he would. But the Lord didn’t tell him to. The other answer is that if he had gotten rid of all the cars and jewelry, people would say the only reason he turned to Christianity was because he lost it all. He wanted to show them you can be a Christian not just because you bottomed out.”

In 1993, Campbell closed the church, preferring to do God’s work “in the field”; he now considers himself a street minister. He and Rascher were briefly reunited last month when Campbell attended Rascher’s retirement luncheon. “I was never skeptical about this until recent years,” says Rascher. “I know he’s done things that to me would be very questionable. He goes on the Mancow program, which is questionable for someone that has a Christian testimony. We didn’t have a lot of time to talk. I told him I was glad he came. He had his green suit on, but that’s him. That’s OK….My peers or colleagues? Some said I was foolish to get involved with him. Others believe like I, that when Jesus died for the world, that included people like him.”