J. Vernon McGee
J. Vernon McGee | |
---|---|
Born |
John Vernon McGee June 17, 1904 Hillsboro, Texas |
Died | December 1, 1988 (aged 84) |
Resting place | Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum Altadena, California |
Education |
B.Div. from Columbia Theological Seminary; Th.M. and Th.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary |
Occupation |
Minister; Bible Teacher Founder and teacher of the "Thru the Bible Radio Network" program. |
Religion | Christian |
Spouse(s) | Ruth |
Children | One daughter, Lynda; first child stillborn |
Website | Thru the Bible |
John Vernon McGee, Th.D., LL.D, (June 17, 1904 – December 1, 1988) was an ordained Presbyterian minister (PCUS) and later became the pastor of a non-denominational church, a Bible teacher, theologian, and was also a radio minister.
Biography
Early Years and Education
He was born in Hillsboro, Texas. He graduated with his B.D. from Columbia Theological Seminary and his Th.M. and Th.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas. McGee's first church was located on a red clay hill in Midway, Georgia. He served Presbyterian churches in Decatur, Georgia; Nashville, Tennessee; and Cleburne, Texas before he moved with his wife to Pasadena, California, where he accepted a position at the Lincoln Avenue Presbyterian Church.
He moved from Pasadena to Los Angeles and became the pastor of the Church of the Open Door in 1949, where he continued as pastor until 1970. McGee also served as chairman of the Bible department at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (Biola University) and as a visiting lecturer at Dallas Theological Seminary.
Thru The Bible
In 1967, he began broadcasting the Thru the Bible Radio Network program. In a systematic study of each book of the Bible, McGee took his listeners from Genesis to Revelation in a two and one-half year "Bible bus trip," as he called it. After retiring from the pastorate in January, 1970, and realizing that two and a half years was not enough time to teach the Bible, McGee completed another study of the entire Bible in a five-year period. Thru the Bible has been translated into over 100 languages and is broadcast on Trans World Radio throughout the world every weekday.
Death
McGee continued many speaking engagements after he retired, including throughout a bout of cancer from which he fully recovered. However, a heart problem surgically corrected in 1965 resurfaced, and he died in his sleep in 1988. Since his death, the five-year program of Thru the Bible has continued to air on over 800 radio stations in North America, is heard in more than 100 languages and is broadcast worldwide via radio, shortwave, and the Internet.
Education and Areas of Service
Degree | Year | Institution |
---|---|---|
Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) | 1930 | Southwestern (Memphis, TN) |
Bachelor of Divinity (B.Div.) | 1933 | Columbia Theological Seminary |
Master of Theology (Th.M.) | 1937 | Dallas Theological Seminary |
Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) | 1940 | Dallas Theological Seminary |
Years | Congregation | Location | Denomination |
---|---|---|---|
19??-19?? | ?? | Cleveland, Texas | Presbyterian |
19??-19?? | ?? | Decatur, Georgia | Presbyterian |
19??-19?? | Second Presbyterian Church | Nashville, Tennessee | Presbyterian |
May 3, 1936-October 3, 1940 | First Presbyterian Church | Cleburne, Texas | Presbyterian |
1940-1948 | Lincoln Avenue Presbyterian Church | Pasadena, California | Presbyterian |
1949-1970 | Church of the Open Door | Los Angeles, California | non-denominational |
Years | Program | Location |
---|---|---|
1941-19?? | The Open Bible Hour | Pasadena, California |
19??-1967 | High Noon Bible Class | Pasadena, California |
1967–Present | Thru the Bible | Pasadena, California |
Additional areas of service:
- Head of the English Bible Department at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (a.k.a. Biola University)
- Visiting lecturer at Dallas Theological Seminary
- In 1962 he co-founded and taught at the Los Angeles Bible Training School (a.k.a. LABTS)[1]
References
- Notes
- Bibliography
Delgado, Berta (2004). "A voice from the heavens". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
External links
- Thru The Bible Radio Network
- Thru the Bible daily program
- Thru the Bible Questions and Answers saturday broadcast
- Thru the Bible Sunday Sermon broadcast
- Thru the Bible International broadcast
- Entire 5-year Program (free download ~5.9GB,435 hours)
- J. Vernon McGee at Find A Grave