Jack MacArthur (1914-2005) Voice of Calvary

Dr. Jack MacArthur was an American pastor who is best remembered as the founder and host of Voice for Calvary radio and television ministries. He was also the founder and pastor of Calvary Bible Church in Burbank. He was a conference speaker, author, church planter and father of Dr, John F. Macarthur.

He was born in Calgary on 30th March 1914. He had a boyhood desire to experience his father’s faith which grew into a lifelong devotion to preaching God’s Word.

He earned degree in theology from Los Angeles City College Eastern Theological Seminary. A Litt.D. from Los Angeles Pacific College (now Pacific University). He received an honorary D.D. from Bob Jones University.

25th June 1937 he married Irene, they had 4 children.

His radio ministry Voice of Calvary began broadcasting on 28th June 1942. He felt the call to reach beyond his church to share God’s Word. Jack hosted the radio program until he died (1942-2005). In the final months of Jack’s life his messages were archived and sent to The Master’s Seminary library. Since then many have been broadcast by the Voice of Calvary family who kept the ministry alive. The radio program was finally closed in October 2020. The archived programs will be a resource for future generations of seminary students.
Voice of Calvary was sponsored & adapted as a television broadcast( 1956-83).

On finishing seminary he accepted the pastorate at Manchester Baptist Church in Los Angeles. He also travelled as an evangelist, preaching at many city and union campaigns throughout USA, Canada and Europe.
He served as director of evangelism for Charles F. Fuller Foundation and field evangelist for the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago.
Pastor at Fountain Avenue Baptist Church (1948-52)
Pastor at First Baptist Church of Downey (FBCD) (1952-4)

November 1954 Jack and his staff left FBCD to found the independent, nondenominational *Harry Macarthur Memorial Bible Church of Glendale -
(named after his father).
Renamed Calvary Bible Church when they moved to, Burbank. Jack was senior pastor there for 50 years. It is still a thriving congregation.

He wrote a number of books (See ‘Amazon’)

Jack preached for 70 years. From the age of 19 he preached almost every week until poor health force him to stop a few month before his death.
He was a Biblical Expositor. He influenced many other preachers to preach the Word faithfully, helping to stem the tide when evangelical preaching was becoming more and more gimmicky and less Bible centered. His faithful advocacy of biblical teaching may prove to be the most important and far reaching legacy of a very full and fruitful ministry.

*Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them
Revelations 14 v13

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