wfn.org | Presbyterian firebrand Carl McIntire dies at 95

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Note #7101 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

22-March-2002
02114

Presbyterian firebrand Carl McIntire dies at 95

Staunch foe of Communism and liberalism founded 2 denominations, built media empire

by Jerry L. Van Marter

The Rev. Carl McIntire, 95, a firebrand fundamentalist who founded two conservative denominations after being defrocked by the Presbyterian Church in 1936, died on March 19 in a hospital near his home church in Collingswood, NJ.

After his dismissal from the main body of the church, McIntire picketed nearly every General Assembly for more than half a century.

In his later years he was only a shadow of the immensely influential preacher who founded the Presbyterian Church of America, then after 12 years bolted from it - claiming it had become too liberal - to start the Bible Presbyterian Church.

McIntire last attended a General Assembly of the PC(USA) in 1997, in Syracuse, NY, where, wheelchair-bound and nearly blind, he took up his customary place outside the main entrance to the Assembly hall, displaying placards railing against the church's support of the World Council of Churches and National Council of Churches, among other "liberal" sins.

Through a newspaper, The Christian Beacon, and a radio program, The 20th Century Reformation Hour, McIntire reached a wide audience of Christians over more than two decades. At the height of the Cold War, he was a virulent anti-Communist - but he once said that global Communism was not as serious a threat as a worldwide takeover by the Roman Catholic Church.

McIntire's media empire eventually collapsed under the burden of his continuous battles with the Federal Communications Commission, local governments and fellow Christians. After his radio program went off the air in 1973, he was forced to sell off most of his holdings.

McIntire's wife, Fairy, died in 1992 after a marriage of 61 years. Three years later, he wed his longtime secretary, Alice Goff. In addition to his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Celeste McIntire Bashaw and Marianna Clark; a son, Thomas; and 13 grandchildren.

Memorial services are scheduled for March 26 at Collingswood Bible Presbyterian Church.
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