Rex Humbard, TV Evangelist, Dies at 88

[DeclinetoState]

By MICHAEL POLLAK (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/michael_pollak/index.html?inline=nyt-per)
</NYT_BYLINE>Published: September 23, 2007

<NYT_TEXT>Rex Humbard, a guitar-strumming revival preacher who became a pioneer of television evangelism in the 1950s and remained a familiar Sunday morning presence in millions of American homes for almost half a century, died Friday. He was 88.

Mr. Humbard died of natural causes at a hospital near his home in Lantana, Fla., a family spokeswoman, Kathy Scott, told The Associated Press.

Mr. Humbard’s sermons were televised on Sundays from 1953 to 1999, reaching up to 20 million viewers, his ministry estimated. For most of that time, Mr. Humbard broadcast from his 5,400-seat, marble-and-glass Cathedral of Tomorrow in suburban Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/us/23humbard.html)

[Timberwolf]

RIP, Rex.

[Jack_Savage]

I remember him. Everyone my age remembers him. We only had 2 tv channels then and he was on one of them every sunday morning. God Bless him.

[Nutrider99]

My grandmother was a BIG Rex Humbard fan, even after he lost his way and did nothing but beg for money. He didn't cry to his audience that if they didn't send him $8 million that God would call him home, but he certainly did his share to tarnish the reputation he had spent many years developing. The most agregious was when he sent out three "holy ropes" (binder twine) and told people to tie the ropes together, send him $50. so their prayers would be answered.

Humbard did a lot of good in his early ministry and his words were a comfort to many. He lost sight of God in the lights of his own televangelism. I can only hope for his sake that before God called him home he returned to the faith that he once had and reaffirmed his love for God.