Tim LaHaye

Tim LaHaye

3 Sermons
Timothy Francis "Tim" LaHaye (April 27, 1926–July 25, 2016) was an American Baptist preacher, author, and evangelical leader, best known for co-authoring the blockbuster Left Behind series and shaping the modern Christian conservative movement. Born in Detroit, Michigan, to Frank LaHaye, a Ford auto worker who died of a heart attack when Tim was nine, and Margaret Palmer LaHaye, he grew up in a working-class family. His father’s death profoundly impacted him, finding solace in a pastor’s assurance of reunion in heaven, igniting his lifelong faith. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, he attended Bob Jones University, earning a B.A. in 1950, and later a Doctor of Ministry from Western Seminary. LaHaye’s preaching career began in 1948 at a rural Baptist church in Pumpkintown, South Carolina, followed by a pastorate in Minneapolis (1950–1956). In 1956, he moved to San Diego, leading Scott Memorial Baptist Church (now Shadow Mountain Community Church) for 25 years, growing it into a multi-campus ministry. Ordained in the Southern Baptist Convention, he preached a dispensationalist, pre-tribulation rapture theology, influencing millions through his sermons and over 85 books. His Left Behind series, co-written with Jerry B. Jenkins starting in 1995, sold over 65 million copies, blending apocalyptic fiction with his eschatological views, and was lauded by Jerry Falwell as Christianity’s most impactful modern work outside the Bible.
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