Posted on 12/23/2020 7:07:04 AM PST by SeekAndFind
In addition to a pandemic and widespread protests, 2020 saw the passing of many Christian leaders and ministry figures. Some were controversial, others widely accepted.
Largely centered on figures prominent to Christianity in the United States, those listed here sometimes made history, sometimes made headlines, and sometimes influenced many within the Church and society at large.
Here are 10 notable Christians who died this year. They include a United Methodist bishop, a prominent Christian apologist, a distinguished televangelist, a famed civil rights leader, and a man who helped found the Presbyterian Church (USA).
1. James Frederick Kubik – Jan. 4, 2020
James Frederick Kubik, a financial expert and longtime certified public accountant who helped to found the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1983, died at age 89.
The PCUSA was formed in 1983 via the reunification of two Presbyterian denominations, United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A and the Presbyterian Church in the United States, that had split over the issue of slavery in the 19th century.
Kubik was a key player in tackling the financial aspects of the reunification, according to the Rev. John M. Mulder, former president of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
“He was the primary person who unraveled the General Assembly budgets during the early 1980s and won the trust of all parties in putting together a unified budget that could serve as the basis of reunion,” recalled Mulder.
“It was a herculean effort and without his financial and personal integrity, there may not have been a reunion in 1983.”
2. Jack Van Impe – Jan. 18, 2020
Televangelist Jack Van Impe, the host of "Jack Van Impe Presents,” who over the span of nearly 70 years of ministry work reportedly led 8 million people to Christ, died at age 88.
Van Impe’s program, which aired its final episode around the time of his death, hit the peak of its popularity during the 1990s, when it reached approximately 25,000 cities and 150 nations.
The televangelist was sometimes controversial, as he once predicted in the 1990s that Jesus would return by the year 2012 and claimed that President Barack Obama was part of a Muslim conspiracy to infiltrate the United States.
“He was among a large number of young men who served in the early days with Youth for Christ. Dr. Van Impe became known as ‘The Walking Bible’ because he memorized large portions of Scripture, inspiring young people to do the same,” tweeted the Rev. Franklin Graham in January in condolence.
“His life demonstrated the importance of ‘laying up these words of Mine in your heart and in your soul’ (Deuteronomy. 11:18). May we all be inspired to do the same.”
3. George Coyne – Feb. 11, 2020
Father George V. Coyne, a Jesuit and former director of the Vatican Observatory from 1978 to 2006, died at age 87 while undergoing treatments for bladder cancer.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, during the Great Depression, Coyne earned a doctorate in astronomy in 1962 from Georgetown University and was ordained in 1965.
During his long tenure as director, Coyne was credited with modernizing the Observatory and organized many conferences on the relationship of science and theology.
“Under his leadership the Vatican Observatory Research Group was established at the University of Arizona and in collaboration with the university he made possible the construction of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, with the world’s first spin-cast mirror, on Mt. Graham,” stated the Observatory.
“And with the establishment in 1986 of the biennial Vatican Observatory Summer Schools in astronomy and astrophysics, Fr Coyne advanced the education of a generation of young astronomers, especially from developing countries.”
4. Joseph Lowery – March 27, 2020
The Rev. Joseph Lowery, a prominent civil rights activist, who along with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, died at age 98.
A native of Huntsville, Alabama, Lowery began his advocacy in the early 1950s as head of a desegregation group known as the Alabama Civic Affairs Association.
For his work, Lowery received many honors, including an NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award and twice being named by Essence magazine as one of the "Fifteen Greatest Black Preachers."
In January 2009, Lowery gave the benediction prayer at the Inauguration of the first African American President in United States history, Barack Obama.
“Our faith does not shrink, though pressed by the flood of mortal ills. For we know that, Lord, you’re able and you’re willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor,” he prayed before the national audience.
“And while we have sown the seeds of greed — the wind of greed and corruption, and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.”
5. Ravi Zacharias – May 19, 2020
Prominent Christian apologetics author, radio personality, and speaker Ravi Zacharias died at age 74, following a lengthy battle with a rare form of cancer.
Born in India, Zacharias had a born again religious experience as a teenager following a suicide attempt and became a world-renowned Christian apologetics figure.
Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, which he founded in 1984, presently boasts 16 offices across the world and around 200 employees, which include 80 apologetics speakers.
“It was his Savior, Jesus Christ, that my dad always wanted most to talk about. Even in his final days, until he lacked the energy and breath to speak, he turned every conversation to Jesus and what the Lord had done,” wrote his daughter, Sarah Davis, back in May.
“He perpetually marveled that God took a 17-year-old skeptic, defeated in hopelessness and unbelief, and called him into a life of glorious hope and belief in the truth of Scripture — a message he would carry across the globe for 48 years.”
Following his death, credible allegations were reported that Zacharias had sexually harassed multiple massage therapists at the day spas that he co-owned and patronized.
6. Florence Littauer – July 11, 2020
Bestselling Christian self-help author and speaker Florence Littauer, who wrote more than 40 books and addressed hundreds of thousands over a 50-year public career, died at age 92.
Born just before the Great Depression, Littauer was involved in multiple ministry efforts over her life, including Campus Crusade for Christ and teaching multiple women’s Bible studies.
Littauer is regarded as a pioneer in women’s ministry, as she was a popular speaker at Christian ministry events during the 1970s, at a time when men dominated the speaking circuit.
She also founded Christian Leaders and Speakers Seminars, which was aimed at helping Christian communicators, especially women. Notable alumni include Southern Baptist Bible teacher and author Beth Moore.
Bestselling author John C. Maxwell labeled Littauer a “true legend” and “a trailblazer” who “opened the door for thousands of women to develop their leadership and communication skills.”
7. J. I. Packer – July 17, 2020
James Innell Packer, a renowned evangelical theologian and bestselling author more widely known as J.I. Packer, died at age 93 due to natural causes.
Born in a village just outside of Gloucester, England, Packer wrote hundreds of Christian books and articles over the span of nearly seven decades, including the bestseller Knowing God.
“If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father,” wrote Packer in the book.
“If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all.”
8. John Yambasu – Aug. 16, 2020
Bishop John K. Yambasu, the resident bishop of the Sierra Leone Area of The United Methodist Church, was killed in a car accident days before his 64th birthday.
A native of Sierra Leone, Yambasu graduated from Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, Georgia, and was ordained a deacon in 1987, then an elder in 1990.
Yambasu was consecrated a bishop in 2009, he taught at many Christian schools and was noted for his leadership during Sierra Leone’s Ebola crisis in 2014-2016.
A theological conservative, Yambasu helped create the “Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation,” which seeks to create an amicable split for the United Methodist Church over the denomination’s longtime debate over whether to change its stance on homosexuality.
“Bishop Yambasu’s untimely death is stunning news to The United Methodist Church,” said Council of Bishops President Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey in a statement in August.
“Bishop Yambasu’s undeniable love and passion for the church has been evident in his area and throughout The United Methodist Church.”
9. Luci Swindoll – Oct. 20, 2020
Luci Swindoll, an author and longtime speaker for Women of Faith, one the largest women’s conferences in the United States, died at age 88 from COVID-19 complications.
The sister of prominent Pastor Chuck Swindoll, Luci was born in El Campo, Texas, and spent five years as executive vice president at Pastor Swindoll’s Insight for Living ministry.
Notable books of hers included, I Married Adventure: Looking at Life Through the Lens of Possibility, and Doing Life Differently: The Art of Living with Imagination.
“No matter what, you have to be yourself … I learned it was OK to be myself and like myself—and survive—in spite of my mother’s strong disapproval,” she wrote in Doing Life Differently.
“She had no category for me because I thwarted her domestic dreams for her only daughter. What was to become of me if I ended up without a husband?”
10. Harry Jackson – Nov. 9, 2020
Bishop Harry Jackson Jr., a megachurch pastor and longtime conservative Christian activist who was an evangelical adviser to President Donald Trump, died at age 66.
Jackson served as lead pastor of Hope Christian Church of Beltsville, Maryland, and chaired the High Impact Leadership Coalition as well as Harry Jackson Ministries.
He was active in many causes, including the pro-life movement, the traditional marriage movement, racial reconciliation efforts, and criminal justice reform.
“Bishop Jackson was a true friend of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was with us in Washington on Sept. 26 for Prayer March 2020 where he led in prayer for Vice President Mike Pence and our nation, and then joined me as we went to the Oval Office to pray for President Donald J. Trump,” stated The Rev. Franklin Graham, head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, on Facebook.
“I was privileged to see Bishop Jackson again in the Rose Garden for the announcement of Amy Coney Barrett as Supreme Court Justice. He was a man who stood for truth and was a great supporter of the Lord’s work around the world. His voice will be missed."
Well.
PROFESSING Christians anyway.
Oral Roberts is still dead........................
Randy Amos, faithful preacher, devoted husband. Not known by you, perhaps, but those that knew him and grew due to his ministry understand that Heaven has gained a very faithful saint.
Well done, brother...Well done. Now, you are home. One can only imagine what you could teach us about our Lord, now that you see Him face to face.
The slideshow format was more annoying than usual! I got through seeing four people who had died, then I got message “a recurring problem”...
Indeed....some
The story goes that Oral Roberts and Billy Graham were both sent to hell for a year. After a month, the Devil called God and said he had to take them back. God ask why. The Devil said that Billy Graham had converted over half the people and that Oral Roberts was close to raising enough to air condition the place.
Donna Hearne also passed away. She was President of the Constitutional Coalition and hosted an annual Education Conference, which was supported by Eagle Forum members as well as Christian organizations. She was a watchdog of American education and sounded the clarion call about Common Core.
Jack Van Impe looked like Rex Tillerson.
I didn’t know Harry Jackson had died!
I’m not convinced the post mortem accusations against Ravi Z were credible. A man with a little money dies, carpet bag lawyers and disgruntled employees can create a case. God knows. I know I have been disappointed by ministers that I have known. I have also been blessed by the examples of many.
Not to take away from anyone but you are so right. Perhaps the most powerful christians are ones whose names we have never heard.
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