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Chuck Norris Honors Mentor He Met Through Movieguide®: ‘God Loved Me Through Ed Cole’

Photo from Chuck Norris’ Instagram

Chuck Norris Honors Mentor He Met Through Movieguide®: ‘God Loved Me Through Ed Cole’

By Movieguide® Contributor

Actor Chuck Norris recently celebrated his mentor Dr. Edwin Cole, whom the star met at the Movieguide® Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry.

In an op-ed for WND, Norris shared how Dr. Cole, the founder of the Christian Men’s Network, showed him the power of a good father.

Norris’ biological father, who abandoned his family just a few years after returning from serving in WWII.

“I can’t really say I learned anything positive from him, though he did teach me what not to do as a father,” Norris said

His mother remarried, and the actor shared that his step-father was a positive role model for him, saying, “He modeled what a loving husband and father should be, and I will be forever grateful that he came into our lives.”

However, Norris reserved his greatest praise for Dr. Cole.

“The man who had the greatest impact upon my fatherhood, however, was Dr. Edwin Louis Cole,” he shared. “What I know, I owe to him.”

Dr. Cole is known as “The Father of the Christian Men’s Movement,” influencing millions of men all over the world. 

“My wife, Gena, and I first met Ed and Nancy in 1998 at a banquet honoring WALKER TEXAS RANGER,” Norris remembered, referring to the Movieguide® Awards Gala Banquet. “Over the next four years there would be many choice moments between Ed and me.”

“One night in that period, Dr. Cole drove across Dallas through a thunderstorm simply to deliver a message God had laid on his heart to encourage us to get grounded in the Bible in order to discern between the genuine and the counterfeit in life. What a great lesson. What a great man!” Norris shared. 

His essay continued

God loved me through Ed Cole, and I thank God for him. And I look forward to thanking Ed again when I see him one day in Heaven.

I will never forget or take for granted Ed’s influence in my life. He influenced me to increase my trust in God, to be a faithful husband and father. Even though I was a “TV tough guy,” Ed challenged me to be a real man. He challenged me with the three keys: to be a better role model, mentor and motivator to my family. I actually expounded on those three principles as I wrote to men and fathers about manhood and fatherhood in my New York Times bestseller, “Black Belt Patriotism.”

I am not a perfect father or husband. Truth be known, I’ve learned far more from my failures than from my successes. However, I won’t allow them to stop me from pressing on and bettering myself – and I don’t believe that you should allow failures to hinder your fatherhood either. As Ed used to say, “You don’t drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.” …

Norris concluded his essay with hope, writing, “I learned from Dr. Cole that, 400 years before Jesus was born, the closing verse of the Old Testament predicted a primary hope, purpose and power gifted to fathers by the future coming of the Messiah: He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers. …

“That verse reminds me of Dr. Cole’s legacy message: If we men continue to fight to be the best husbands, fathers and leaders we can be, I believe we will not only give our family members what they need, but we will also receive in return what we need and simultaneously help to restore our country, one home at a time,” Norris said.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.