20 Christian Men Over 80 in 2017

(Listed by Birthday)

"So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation" (Psalm 71:18)

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1. Robert Duvall will turn 86 on January 5, 2017. Robert Duvall is a Christian who is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been nominated for seven Academy Awards in his lifetime and won the Academy Award for his performance in Tender Mercies. He lives in his home near The Plaines, Virginia.

2. Henry Slaughter will turn 90 on January 9, 2017. Henry Slaughter is an American southern gospel pianist, singer and songwriter. He has won five Dove Awards.

3. Tony Campolo will turn 82 on February 25, 2017. Tony Campolo is an American sociologist, pastor, author, public speaker and was the former spiritual advisor to U.S. President Bill Clinton.

4. Gavin McLeod will turn 86 on February 28, 2017. Gavin McLeod is an American actor and Christian activist who has been on television for six decades. He has been a guest on several variety and religious programs.

5. Roger T. Forster will turn 84 on March 1, 2017. Roger Forster is the leader of the Icthus Christian Fellowship, a neocharismatic Evangelical Christian Church that is part of the British New Church Movement.

6. Paul Rader will turn 83 on March 14, 2017. Paul Rader was the 15th General of the Salvation Army from 1994 to 1999. He served as the President of Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky from 2000 to 2006.

7. Pat Robertson will turn 87 on March 20, 2017. Pat Robertson currently serves as chancellor and CEO of Regent University and chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Network, located in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

8. Haddon Robinson will turn 86 on March 21, 2017. Haddon Robinson is the Harold John Ockenga Distinguished Professor of Preaching and the senior director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts.

9. Bill Gaither will turn 81 on March 28, 2017. Bill Gaither is an American singer and songwriter of Southern gospel and Contemporary Christian music. In the 1990's he produced the popular Gaither Homecoming Series of videos to spotlight the Southern gospel heritage in Christian music.

10. James Dobson will turn 81 on April 21, 2017. He is an author, evangelical Christian and psychologist. He founded Focus on the Family in 1977 and served as its President until 2003. He currently leads a radio program called Family Talk with Dr. James Dobson. 

11. Pat Boone will turn 83 on June 1, 2017.  Pat Boone is a Christian and an American singer, composer, actor, writer, television personality, and motivational speaker. He had 38 Top 40 hits, sold over 45 million records and has appeared in 12 films.

12. Homer Adams will turn 95 on July 2, 2017. He was the President of Trevecca Nazarene University from 1979 to 1991 and prior to that served as a college professor at Trevecca Nazarene University. He and his wife Beatrice Adams have been married for 72 years and still live in Nashville, Tennessee (Tennessean, July 2, 2014).

13. J.I. Packer will turn 91 on July 22, 2017.  J.I. Packer is an author, theologian, and professor in the Christian reformed tradition. Packer published the best selling Christian book Knowing God in 1973. He is currently serving as the Board of Governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada.

14. Charles Stanley will turn 85 on September 25, 2017. Charles Stanley is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the founder and president of In Touch Ministries.

15. Jimmy Carter will turn 93 on October 1, 2017. Jimmy Carter was the 39th President of the United States from 1977-1981 and prior to that the Governor of Georgia from 1971-1975. He continues to teach Sunday School at his home church Maranatha Baptist Church in Plaines, Georgia.

16. Chuck Swindoll will turn 83 on October 18, 2017. Chuck Swindoll is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, and radio preacher. He founded Insight for Living and was the President of Dallas Theological Seminary from 1994-2001. Currently he is the senior pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas.

17. Eugene Peterson will turn 85 on November 6, 2017. Eugene Peterson is a clergy, author, and poet. He has written over 30 books, including the best-selling paraphrase of the Bible called The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. He currently lives in Montana.

18. Billy Graham will turn 99 on November 17, 2017. Billy Graham is an author, spiritual advisor to US Presidents, and an American evangelist, who founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He held crusades around the world from 1947-2015. He resides at his home near Charlotte, North Carolina.

19. Luis Palua, Jr. will turn 83 on November 27, 2017. He is the founder of the Luis Palua Association. He is an international Christian evangelist who was born in Argentina. He resides near Portland, Oregon.

20. Pope Francis will turn 81 on December 17, 2017. Pope Francis is the 266th and current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. He also holds titles as Bishop of Rome and sovereign of Vatican City.

20 Christians Who Died in 2016

In Memoriam (Listed by Date of Death)

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!" (Rev. 14:13)

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Dedication: This blog post is dedicated to our families Christian mothers who died this year.
 Margaret Stokes, passed away on April 20, 2016, from complications of dementia.
Yvonne Hostettler, passed away on December 30, 2016, from congestive heart failure.

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1. Ingrid Williams died on February 10, 2016, at age 44, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. She was the wife of Monty Williams, who was at the time was an assistant coach for the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder. Justin Taylor wrote a blog post for the Gospel Coalition about the eulogy Monty Williams gave at her funeral. ESPN also featured a story on Ingrid Williams' passing. Below is the message that Monty Williams gave at his wife's funeral.

2. Antonin Scalia died in his sleep on February 13, 2016, at the age of 79, following a day of quail hunting at a ranch in Shafter, Texas. He had served as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1986 until his death. Antonin Scalia's obituary appeared in Christianity Today. Justice Scalia was a Catholic and his funeral mass focused on Christ.

3. Charles C. Ryrie died on February 16, 2016, at the age of 90. He was a theologian who edited the Ryrie Study Bible that sold over 2.6 million copies and helped shape dispensationalism. He was a retired professor and dean of Dallas Theological Seminary. Charles Ryrie's obituary appeared in Christianity Today. 

4. Don McClanen died on February 18, 2016, at the age of 91. In 1954, he founded the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as an organization to help coaches and athletes receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Don McClanen's obituary appeared in Christianity Today.

5. Joey Martin Feek died on March 4, 2016, at the age of 40, following a battle with cancer. She was a country music singer and part of the celebrated duo Joey + Rory, that she formed with her husband Rory. The following is a video tribute that Rory Feek created for his wife Joey.

6. Jerry Bridges died on March 6, 2016, at age 86, after suffering a heart attack. He was an author of more than 20 books and was a long-time leader within the interdenominational ministry The Navigators. Justin Taylor wrote a tribute to Jerry Bridges on his blog at The Gospel Coalition.

7. Gary Smalley died on March 8, 2016, at the age of 75. He was the author of over 60 books on relationships and worked often with the ministry Focus on the Family. Gary Smalley's obituary appeared in Christianity Today. James Dobson produced a video tribute to his friend Gary Smalley that is on YouTube.

8. Daryl Coley died on March 15, 2016, at the age of 60 in hospice care.  He was a minister who founded the Love Fellowship Tabernacle in Los Angeles. He was also a gospel singer who sang with the Edward Hawkins Singers, and became known for such well-known songs as Jesus Saves, Beyond the Veil, He's Preparing Me, and When Sunday Comes.  WREG.com in Memphis printed a tribute to his life.

9. Mother Mary Angelica died on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016, from complications of a stroke she had in 2002. She was 92 years old. She was a Roman Catholic nun who founded the Eternal Word Television Network (ETWN) in 1981, and guided it for 20 years. Growing from humble beginnings in a garage, Eternal World Television Network is presently the world's largest religious network. The New York Daily News published a tribute to Mother Mary Angelica.

10. Randy Hentzel, age 48 and Harold Nichols, age 53 were murdered on April 30, 2016, in Jamaica. They were serving as Christian missionaries in Jamaica with the Pennsylvania based Christian charity TEAMS for Medical Missions. CNN featured a news story on the investigation into their deaths in Jamaica. 

11. Janice Crouch, died on May 31, 2016, at age 78, following a stroke. She was the co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network, along with her late husband Paul Crouch.

12. Christina Grimmie died from gunshot wounds on June 11, 2016, after being shot after a concert in Orlando, Florida. She was 22 years old and a Christian. She got her start with her participation in NBC's singing competition The Voice. More information about her is on the Christina Grimmie Wikipedia page. The following is a tribute created for Christina Grimmie.

13. Pat Summitt died on June 28, 2016, at the age of 64, from complications of Alzheimer's Disease. She was a Christian and is known as the pioneer women's basketball coach at the University of Tennessee. Over her career she won 8 NCAA championships and won 1,098 games, the most in NCAA Basketball history.  The Christian Examiner published a commentary on the faith of Pat Summitt. Below is a video tribute to Pat Summitt.

14. Wayne Smith died on June 29, 2016, at the age of 87. He helped start Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky and served as its senior minister from 1956-1995. The Christian Standard published a tribute to Wayne Smith.  

15. Bill and Donna Manning were in a car accident on July 3, 2016, on their way to church. Donna Manning died instantly on July 3, 2016 (Nazarene.org, July 7, 2016), and Bill Manning died on July 20, 2016 from injuries in the same accident (Nazarene.org, July 21, 2016).  Donna Manning was 69 years old and was the children's book editor for Nazarene Publishing House. Bill Manning was a retired employee formerly with the International Headquarters of the Church of the Nazarene.

16. Tim LaHaye died on July 25, 2016, at the age of 90, following a stroke. He was a Christian leader and author known for writing 16 best selling novels that were part of the Left Behind series that sold over 80 million copies around the world. The Washington Times wrote a tribute to Tim LaHaye.

17. Jamison and Kathryne Pals and their three young children Ezra (3 years), Violet (23 months), and Calvin (2 months), died on July 31, 2016, in an automobile accident. Jamison and Kathryne Pals, both age 29, were preparing to move their family across the world to serve as missionaries in Japan. John Piper published a tribute to the family on his Desiring God blog.

18. Cliff Barrows died on November 15, 2016, at the age of 93. He had been well known as the music director and crusade host for over 60 years with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The Gospel Herald published a tribute to Cliff Barrows.

19. Russell Shedd died on November 26, 2016 at age of 87 years, from complications of cancer. Russell Shedd was one of top theologians in Brazil. He was a pastor, teacher, writer, and theologian who shaped the lives of thousands of pastors in the South American country of Brazil. Russell Shedd's obituary appeared in Christianity Today.

20. Dr. Helen Roseveare died on December 7, 2016, at the age of 91 in Northern Ireland. She was an English Christian missionary, doctor and author. From 1953 to 1973 she served as a missionary in the Congo with the Worldwide Evangelization Crusade. More information on her life and writings are on the Helen Roseveare Wikipedia page. Her biography is also posted on the Women of Christianity website.

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This feature is part of an annual series that started in 2011. All the years of the series can be viewed at these links.

• 75 Christians Who Died in 2018
• 100 Christians Who Died in 2017
• 20 Christians Who Died in 2016
• 20 Christians Who Died in 2015
• 20 Christians Who Died in 2014
• 20 Christians Who Died in 2013
• 20 Christians Who Died in 2012
• 20 Christians Who Died in 2011
• 20 Christians Who Died in 2010