Billy James Hargis
| Billy James Hargis | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | August 3, 1925 |
| Died | November 27, 2004 (aged 79) |
| Residence | (2) Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
Ozark Bible College |
| Occupation | Conservative political activist |
| Spouse(s) | Betty Jane Secrest Hargis (married 1952) |
| Children |
Three daughters |
| Parent(s) | Mr. and Mrs. Billy James Hargis, Sr. |
Ozark Bible College
Pikes Peak Bible Seminary
Three daughters
Billy James Hargis (August 3, 1925 – November 27, 2004) was an American Christian evangelist. At the height of his popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, his Christian Crusade ministry was broadcast on more than 500 radio stations and 250 television stations. He promoted an anti-Communist, segregationist message as well as evangelizing, and founded a radio station, monthly newspaper, and a college in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to support his ministries. In 1974, several students at his American Christian College accused Hargis of sexual misconduct; however, the Tulsa district attorney found no evidence or wrongdoing. Hargis went into partial retirement, and the college closed in 1977. He continued to publish his newspaper and write books.
Hargis was adopted by a railroad employee, Billy James Hargis, Sr., and his wife. By the time the boy was ten, his adoptive mother was in poor health and close to death. The boy had been baptized, and had few pleasures other than the family's daily Bible readings because his family was too poor during the Great Depression to own a radio. When his mother was hospitalized, Hargis promised to devote himself to God if she were spared from death. She recovered and, at age 17, Hargis was ordained in the Disciples of Christ denomination, even before his completing Bible college. After a few years, he left his pastorate for a ministry of radio preaching.
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