Posted on 12/27/2021 8:43:21 AM PST by SeekAndFind
In addition to new COVID-19 variants, a new president, and new highly-watched Supreme Court battles, 2021 saw the passing of many Christian leaders and ministry figures.
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 11 notable Christians who died this year. They include a theologian who was censured by the Vatican, a prominent Latin-American evangelist, a major anti-Apartheid figure, and the founder what is believed to be the largest congregation in the world.
1. K.C. Price – Feb. 12, 2021
Frederick K.C. Price, a prolific author and the founder of the 28,000-member Crenshaw Christian Center in California, died at age 89 weeks after testing positive for COVID-19.
A proponent of prosperity gospel and friend to fellow televangelist Kenneth Copeland, Price was survived by his wife, Betty, four children, 10 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
“Our Husband, Father & your Apostle has gone to be w/ the Lord this evening,” said Price's family in a statement released soon after his death.
“We accept his decision to go as he got a glimpse of glory a few weeks ago. We are sad. Please allow us some time to process. He fought the good fight of faith & laid hold of eternal life.”
2. George Bogle – Feb. 12, 2021
On the same day that Price died, the Rev. George William Bogle, a Michigan-based evangelical pastor remembered for his nightly prayer request radio broadcast, also died.
The 86-year-old pastor who hosted the nightly program “Night Vision” died peacefully in his sleep at a rehabilitation center weeks after undergoing surgery for neck cancer.
“Because of all the things Dad did, he won the love of people,” said George Bogle Jr. the eldest son of the late preacher, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.
“And if you travel the circles of the church community in Detroit, there’s not many, especially if they’re over the age of 25, that have not heard of Pastor Bogle and in some ways touched by him.”
3. Luis Palau – March 11, 2021
Luis Palau, the notable preacher from Latin America who was renowned for leading massive outdoor evangelism gatherings, died at age 86 following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1934, Palau moved to the United States in 1960 to engage in ministry work, eventually basing the Luis Palau Association in Portland, Oregon, often encouraged by the Rev. Billy Graham himself.
Palau was survived by his wife, Patricia, four sons, three daughters-in-law, six siblings and 12 grandchildren.
“It is with a mixture of sadness and joy that we share with you that Dad passed away early this morning. He died suddenly and very peacefully, just as he had hoped. Mom and the family are doing well,” stated the Palau family back in March.
“This is hard news, but Luis is experiencing the beauty of the Lord face to face. Love to you from the family. We’ll share more news and updates in the days ahead.”
4. Hans Küng – April 6, 2021
Hans Küng, a controversial Swiss Catholic theologian, professor, and priest, who was once censured by the late Pope John Paul II, died at age 93, at his home in Tübingen, Germany.
Küng participated in the Second Vatican Council and garnered controversy in the Catholic Church for his criticism of certain teachings, notably the concept of Papal Infallibility, which claims that when speaking on matters of faith the pontiff cannot err.
In December 1979, shortly after Pope John Paul II began his papal reign, Küng was censored by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for his polarizing views.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who had had his differences with Küng, nevertheless commended him for trying “to revive the dialogue between faith and the natural sciences and to assert, with regard to scientific thought, the reasonableness and necessity of the Gottesfrage (the question about God).”
5. Ernest Angley – May 7, 2021
Ernest Angley, the controversial televangelist and self-professed faith healer who oversaw Grace Cathedral in Ohio and the Winston Broadcasting Network, died at age 99.
Angley reached millions with his broadcasts, but also experienced many controversies over his public career, including allegations of sexually harassing men and mistreating the staff at a buffet his church owned.
Some former church members claimed that Angley often threatened and bullied congregants, allegedly controlling what they read, watched on television, and even who they married.
“The Lord called his servant home, and it was such a quick calling. Rapidly, his health went down. And in a matter of a couple of days, he was in Heaven,” stated the Rev. Chris Machamer during a livestreamed service at Grace.
“I was just thinking as they were singing the last song, Rev. Angley’s mother had such a great impact on his life growing up down through the years. And it’s been many, many decades since he’s been able to see his mother. But he’s seeing her now.”
6. T.B. Joshua – June 5, 2021
T.B. Joshua, one of Nigeria’s most controversial and wealthiest preachers who founded the megachurch Synagogue Church of All Nations, died six days shy of his 58th birthday.
Joshua was a preacher of the prosperity gospel and claimed to have performed miracles, going as far as to claim in a video eventually taken down by YouTube that he could cure homosexuality.
In 2015, Joshua was indicted on a charge of criminal negligence when a building his church constructed collapsed in September 2014, killing more than 100 worshipers.
"God has taken His servant Prophet TB Joshua home — as it should be by divine will," said his church in a Facebook post announcing his death.
"His last moments on earth were spent in the service of God. This is what he was born for, lived for and died for. As Prophet TB Joshua says, 'The greatest way to use life is to spend it on something that will outlive it.'"
7. William Horne – Aug. 14, 2021
William Horne II, a city manager of Clearwater, Florida, who also served as vice president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, died of what was believed to be a heart attack.
Horne was elected vice president by the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, the position being the highest a layperson can hold in the mainline Protestant denomination.
In addition to the ELCA vice president position, Horne had also served as the vice president of the Florida-Bahamas Synod and on the ELCA Church Council as a member.
8. John Shelby Spong – Sept. 12, 2021
Theologically liberal Episcopal Church Bishop John Shelby Spong, an outspoken advocate of progressive views on LGBT issues and biblical interpretation, died in his sleep at age 90.
Although he originally identified as a fundamentalist growing up in North Carolina, Spong came to reject theologically conservatives and advocated for many controversial ideas.
During the 1980s, Spong advocated for the Church to bless same-sex unions as well as sex outside of marriage, and denied the historical existence of biblical figures like Judas Iscariot.
The Westar Institute, which was supported by Spong and hosted a critical biblical scholarship gathering known as the Jesus Seminar, honored the late Episcopal bishop.
“His work and witness have inspired and freed many Westar members and a generation of thoughtful people. May his memory be a blessing,” tweeted the Institute in September.
9. David Yonggi Cho – Sept. 14, 2021
David Yonggi Cho, co-founder of Yoido Full Gospel Church, believed to be the world’s largest congregation, encompassing a network of churches that once claimed over 800,000 members, died at age 85.
Yonggi Cho, who had retired from leading the church in 2008 and was named pastor emeritus, died at a Seoul hospital. He had been getting treatments for a cerebral hemorrhage that began in July 2020.
“He conveyed the gospel of hope to the Korean people who fell into despair after the Korean War,” said his church in a statement, as reported by The Associated Press. “He was instrumental in growing the Korean church, particularly developing Yoido Full Gospel Church as the world’s largest church.”
Raised Buddhist, Cho converted to Christianity as a youth after being introduced to the faith through a family friend and later joined the Assemblies of God, a Pentecostal denomination.
In 2014, Cho was convicted of embezzling $12 million and also tax evasion when he directed people to purchase stocks from his son that were four times the market price.
Cho expressed remorse for this actions, at the time remarking that through "this suffering" he had learned that "an individual shouldn't possess anything."
“Besides health, status, fame, authority, money... these are all matters that are outside the body and unworthy of any pursuit,” he added. “God forbid, if God calls me back today, I will still be able to go to the Kingdom of God.”
10. Marcus Lamb – Nov. 30, 2021
Daystar Television Network founder and president Marcus Lamb died of complications from COVID-19 at age 64.
A native of Georgia, Lamb began his preaching career at age 15 in 1973 and in the 1980s became a traveling missionary alongside his wife, Joni Trammell.
Lamb oversaw the launching of Daystar back in 1997, with the influential station having reportedly reached tens of millions of households in the United States alone.
“He will be greatly missed,” stated Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse, in November.
"For all those who put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have that assurance of being with God for eternity in Heaven. Marcus is now in the presence of His Lord and Savior.”
11. Desmond Tutu – Dec. 26, 2021
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the prominent opponent of South Africa's Apartheid system who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, died at age 90.
According to a family statement, Tutu died peacefully at the Oasis Frail Care Centre in Cape Town, having battled cancer multiple times over the course of his life since the late 1990s.
In addition to fighting against the white supremacist rule of Apartheid South Africa, Tutu was also known for his support of the Pro-Palestinian movement and the LGBT movement.
"Archbishop Tutu was a prophet and priest, a man of words and action, one who embodied the hope and joy that were the foundations of his life," stated the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
"His vision and bravery were allied with a canny political sense and wisdom, enabling him to be a healer and apostle of peace while so many still saw wounds and war."
Then he was a CINO.
Some of these, while notable, were preachers of unrighteousness. ie... they took the wide road that leads to destruction, which is he sad part.
What a rogues gallery! Almost makes me think the Church is dead. Almost...
He wasn’t Catholic at all. He was an Anglican Archbishop.
Also, roasting in Hell.
I meant Christian In Name Only.
He’s on the list at #11.
He’s a scumbag, not a Christian.
Dershowitz: Bishop Tutu Was a Dangerous Antisemite
Desmond Tutu’s Willful Ignorance
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2021/12/desmond-tutus-willful-ignorance
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