The Miracle of the Toupee

AUSTIN, Texas - The Rev. Kenneth Phillips changed his appearance two years ago. To this day, he can't stand to look at himself in the mirror.

This is a man with a worldwide ministry that other pastors envy. This is a man who commands a 25-acre church complex in the heart of Austin.

This is a man who is Art Garfunkel-bald and hates it. He hates it even more than former President George Bush hates broccoli.

He hates it so much that, when his hair started retreating years ago, he filled in the gaps with fake turf. For 20 years, many churchgoers were never the wiser. Until June 4, 2000.

On that day, in the middle of a sermon, he reached up without warning and removed his hairpiece. Afterward, he looked like a tonsured monk in a business suit.

Worshipers gasped, then cheered, then broke out in prayer. They couldn't believe what had just happened. Right before their eyes, their pastor had bared his soul, then bared his head.

"It was almost like seeing your pastor naked," said Associate Pastor John Ragsdale.

The sermon had been deeply personal. Phillips spoke about vanity and the sin of pride. He confessed that his fake hair had become a barrier with God.

"Twenty years ago, I started wearing a hairpiece," he told worshippers. He was soft-spoken and conversational, nothing like the thunderous preachers who pronounce the name of Jesus as though it had 18 syllables. All eyes were on him.

"I thought it had nothing to do with pride," he said. "I thought it was just personal preference."

Now he knew better, he said.

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