New Man Report 2008

'Mr. Universe' Is Now a Worldwide Evangelist

By Paul Steven Ghiringhelli

Bodybuilding champ Dennis Tinerino ministers around the world, telling of the strength he’s found in Christ

Earning the titles of Mr. America, Natural Mr. America and four-time Mr. Universe did not satisfy Dennis Tinerino. Neither did lucrative illegal ventures, celebrity friends and a lavish lifestyle. But while in jail more than 25 years ago for pimping and pandering, the mob-connected, hard-partying bodybuilder from the Brooklyn projects was brought to his knees.

"God let me continue on a path of self-gratification and of trying to fill the void in my heart until I hit rock bottom in jail," Tinerino told Charisma. "Even dead in my own trespasses, God didn't give up on me. He got me quiet in jail, and told me He loved me."

Today, the 60-year-old is a prophetic evangelist, boasting in a strength that is not his own. He shares his story of God's mercy and redemption across the globe, also hosting annual prophetic conferences near his home in Los Angeles. "I've been called to put my hand to the plow and not look back," he said. "To learn a life of sacrifice and total surrender."

In addition to preaching in such nations as South Africa, Turkey, Japan and Greece, Tinerino traveled with his wife, Anita, last year to minister in Europe's largest church, the Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations in Kiev, Ukraine.

Tinerino said 5,000 were saved in one meeting, and thousands more took vows of chastity in another. "Me and my wife were weeping for over two hours as we watched these young people commit to living lives of purity," he said. "It almost touched me more than seeing the 5,000 saved. Holiness is what releases God's power."

In the U.S. Tinerino holds monthly meetings at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel, where people from the entertainment industry are able to receive healing and ministry.

The journey from world-renowned bodybuilder to influential evangelist began for Tinerino at age 12, after his first communion in the late 1950s. Though he wanted to be a bodybuilder and actor, he said while riding on a New York subway one day he heard a voice tell him: "Life will pass; only knowing Jesus and what you do for Him will last." It would be many years before he took those words to heart.

In 1964 he won his first bodybuilding title, Mr. Brooklyn, at age 18. His early success in the sport helped him leave the poor, crime-ridden neighborhood of his youth and catapulted him onto national and international stages. He eventually competed with Arnold Schwarzenegger for the title of Mr. Universe in 1967. The two also appeared together in Schwarzenegger's first movie, Hercules in New York.

After winning Mr. Universe in 1968, Tinerino began to want more than the prestige of being a reigning bodybuilding champion, and he soon found himself entangled in organized crime. After run-ins with the police over an escort service he was operating in the late 1970s and physical altercations with his wife, Tinerino landed behind bars.

In jail he opened himself up to a long-distance, spiritual relationship with former Mr. South Africa Ray McCauley, now a prominent megachurch pastor. He said he also began recalling words God had given him through the years, including messages from entertainer Pat Boone, who had told him God loved him and had a plan for his life.

"God got me to the point where my kingdom had to be shaken," Tinerino said of his imprisonment. "I had nothing of real substance in my life."

On the phone with McCauley one day, Tinerino surrendered to Christ. He said for the first time in years he was finally at peace. After his release from prison, he was baptized in the Holy Spirit after meeting Kenneth Hagin at Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa, Okla. Tinerino, whose wife also received Christ around that time, said he knew almost immediately that he was called to preach. But first he had to make amends.

After paying off his $2 million debt, settling several lawsuits and serving three years' probation, Tinerino began pursuing what he says is his calling—soul-winning and waking up the church. "There's a shaking coming to this nation," he said. "We need humility and meekness as believers. God is separating the believers from the make-believers."

Tinerino is currently working on an autobiographical film that he hopes will become an evangelistic tool, much like the 1969 classic The Cross and the Switchblade.
Paul Steven Ghiringhelli with Mary Hudson