Dr. J. Vernon McGee (1904-1988) never put much stock in worldly titles and accolades, often calling himself “just a plowboy” who loved Jesus and wanted the world to know Him. Still, his down-home oratorical style made him one of the most recognizable Christian personalities in history. Today, McGee’s Bible teachings have now reached nearly every nation on earth.
Top 10 Events in the Life of J. Vernon McGee
1904: On June 17, 1904, John Vernon McGee entered the world with a wail so loud it could be heard across Texas (according to his mother, Carrie). He bore his father’s first name, but everyone called him Vernon. The little family never had much money and frequently moved between Texas and Oklahoma to accommodate his father’s occupation as a cotton-ginner. But no matter where they resided, McGee’s father (a heavy drinker who would never darken the door of a church himself) always insisted that his son attend Sunday school.
1918-1926: A few months before McGee’s fourteenth birthday, his father died in a work-related accident. Heavily burdened by the loss, McGee rode his bike to his father’s graveside, fell to his knees, and told God that he wanted to serve Him. He had no idea what the commitment would involve or even what his Spirit-led declaration meant. But later in life, he would praise God for seeing to completion the good work that began in him that day.
McGee and his mother moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and he accepted Christ as his savior after speaking to Dr. L. Allen, a local Presbyterian pastor. McGee set aside his dream of one day attending college, working as a bank teller to support his mother. Years later, the bank manager Mr. Joe Boyd helped him raise the necessary funds to attend Southwestern University in Memphis.
1926-1930: McGee struggled with discouragement during his first college years. Having fallen in with a bad crowd, he agonized over the internal war between his old nature and Christ’s indwelling Spirit. He later shared that spiritual battle with sin in one of his most popular teachings. After experiencing the peace that came with repentance, McGee’s zeal for the Lord returned, and he felt compelled to proclaim the Good News to anyone who would listen.
Toward the end of his time at Southwestern, with the Great Depression underway, McGee’s anxiety grew over his inability to attend seminary after graduation. On the day he received his Bachelor of Arts degree, he sulked in his dorm room instead of celebrating. Then the phone rang. Against all odds, God had laid it on the hearts of two “little widow ladies” to provide the funds for his seminary education.
1930-1933: While studying at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, McGee served as student pastor at a local Presbyterian Church. After hearing one of his sermons, a country boy who wore yellow shoes paid McGee the highest compliment he would ever receive. God used the boy’s simple words, “I never knew Jesus was so wonderful!” to give McGee a clear mission statement that would become the overriding goal of his life’s work. Eventually, McGee engraved the phrase “Sir, we would see Jesus” on the back of his pulpit as a reminder of that mission. To this day, the ministry McGee started focuses on revealing Jesus to the world through every page of His Word.
1933-1936: After receiving his Bachelor of Divinity degree, McGee returned home to Nashville. On June 18, 1933, the Second Presbyterian Church ordained McGee and granted him the pastorate there. For three years, he enjoyed serving the same body of believers who had led him to Christ, raised him in the faith, and supported his educational pursuits.
1936-1940: McGee moved to Cleburne, Texas, in 1936 to pursue his master’s degree and doctorate at Dallas Theological Seminary. While pastoring a small Presbyterian church in Cleburne, McGee met Ruth Inez Jordan at a dinner party and immediately fell in love. He wanted to ask Ruth to marry him on their first date. To avoid appearing forward, he saved the proposal for their second date. The couple wed a year later, and their marriage was a model of love and respect from that day on. After McGee graduated from seminary, God called the newlyweds to move westward.
1940-1948: McGee accepted the call to pastor a church in Pasadena, California, with his new wife by his side. He considered the eight years he spent shepherding the flock at Lincoln Avenue Presbyterian Church the most fulfilling of his life. The close connections while serving the congregation brought him great joy, though the period included many challenges and changes.
In 1941, the McGees lost their first child, Ruth, at birth. That same year the birth of McGee’s radio ministry began with a local weekly program called The Open Bible Hour, which eventually expanded to a daily half-hour program called the High Noon Bible Class. In 1946, the McGees welcomed their daughter, Lynda Karah, into the world.
1949-1965: McGee became the successor for Pastor Louis T. Talbot at the historic Church of the Open Door in downtown Los Angeles in 1949. He gave the daily invocation at Billy Graham’s crusade that year and two years later was asked to take over a popular national radio program, which paved the way for the launch of Thru the Bible in 1967.
Having received so much from the Bible colleges and seminaries he attended, McGee worked hard to ensure quality education remained available for anyone called to ministry. In the 1950s and 1960s, he helped found the Los Angeles Bible Training School, an inner-city college still in existence today. McGee also played a vital role in the survival and success of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (BIOLA) and his alma mater, Dallas Theological Seminary.
1965-1988: In 1965, after undergoing cancer surgery, doctors gave McGee six months to live. Upon hearing the prognosis, Frances Siewert, the author of the Amplified Bible, mailed McGee a sympathy letter to let her friend know she was praying that the Lord would take him home swiftly. McGee responded to her letter with, “Don’t you pray that prayer. This is between the Lord and me, and you let Him handle it… I want to live.” The Lord heard his request and allowed him to live another 23 years!
McGee retired in 1970 and dedicated the remainder of his life to the Thru the Bible Radio Network. His easy-to-understand Genesis to Revelation Bible teachings invited listeners across North America (and in 37 languages) to board the “Bible Bus” and meet Jesus through Scripture.
1988-current: Just days before McGee quietly passed into the arms of Jesus in 1988, he gave the Board of Directors specific instructions about how to proceed with the Thru the Bible program after his death. He said, “Just keep playing the tapes until the money runs out, then turn out the lights and close the door.”
No one would be more surprised than McGee to learn that 30 years later, with God at the wheel, the Bible Bus now travels the globe, infiltrating forbidden realms, maneuvering behind iron and bamboo curtains—still taking the whole Word to the whole world.
Today, listeners hear McGee’s Bible teaching on 1.3 million terrestrial radio broadcasts annually—3,500 per day, an average of one broadcast every 30 seconds, not to mention millions of digital streams and engagements.
“And if Jesus tarries, who knows where God will take His Word in the next 50 years.” –TTB.org
10 Notable Facts and Quotes About J. Vernon McGee’s Ministry
“By human standards, Thru the Bible should not work. Yet, God’s ways are not man’s ways. God’s methods for success always run counterintuitive. After all, God does things His way so that nobody else can take credit. We try to be ready, but it’s God who opens the doors of opportunities and opens people’s hearts.” — Gregg Harris, Thru the Bible President
Fact: Thru the Bible is committed to getting God’s Word into the hands and hearts of anyone on earth who wants to hear it, especially those in remote places. Using boots-on-the-ground volunteers in almost every area they serve; the team is able to determine the precise delivery system that will make the most impact. They provide an App that offers the entire Bible synced with McGee’s studies, and they take advantage of mass communication mediums like WhatsApp and television programs. But they also offer innovative devices like hand-held solar-powered players, SD cards, and wind-up boxes that can be used where electricity is less reliable.
“Thru the Bible has undoubtedly been the most successful Christian radio program in history—particularly when one considers the longevity of the program, its evergreen relevance and adaptability to changing cultural norms, and its unprecedented international impact … I suspect it will continue to be relevant and impactful far into the future.” — Ed Atsinger, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors for Salem Media Group, Inc.
Fact: Thru the Bible is financially supported by listeners but doesn’t appeal for funds. God continues to provide for the ministry and has faithfully expanded its reach year after year.
“One of the great secrets to his success was that Dr. McGee studied the Bible five hours a day, five days a week. He would arise at 4 am and begin his studies and then at 9 am would finish and have breakfast.” — HagiographyNOW
Fact: God continues to use McGee’s teaching to break through cultural barriers. Every day Thru the Bible touches the lives of people in hard-to-reach places like North Korea, Japan, Pakistan, Mongolia, Russia, and Northern Iraq (to name a few). These people hear God’s Word in their heart language, and many come to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as a result.
“The World Prayer Team is one of the foundations of the success of this ministry. The team is made up of listeners from all over the world, but particularly those in North America, who consistently pray for God’s favor in this ministry and for fruitfulness in taking His Word worldwide to people who often have no other way to hear about the love of God.” — Steve Shwetz, Thru the Bible Program Host and Chairman of the Board of Directors
Fact: McGee strongly believed that prayer was the most important commodity for growing the ministry. Today the Thru the Bible World Prayer Team regularly intercedes for God’s light to shine in the darkest places of the world, and as the team hears stories of answered prayer and God’s faithfulness, their own faith grows.
“My friend, let me put it in a nutshell by asking one question: Do you love Jesus Christ? I don’t care what your system is, what your denomination is, what your program is, what little set of rules you follow, they will all come to naught if you don’t love Him.” — Dr. J. Vernon McGee
Fact: Thru the Bible offers, at no charge, more than one hundred Bible study booklets written by McGee. Listeners hungry for more of God’s Word can also freely download the entire five-year program and his notes and outlines at TTB.org.
Dr. J. Vernon McGee never desired fame. He simply loved Jesus, loved God’s Word, and loved people. Perhaps that’s why God continues to use this man—with his distinct Southern drawl and unpretentious manner—to enrich the simple, confound the wise, and show the world just how wonderful Jesus really is.
Special thanks to Barb Peil, Vice President of Communications at Thru the Bible, for providing valuable insight into the heart and life of their amazing founder.
Further Reading:
Top 30 Christian Podcasts Everyone Should Know About
Devotions by Your Favorite Pastors
What You Should Know About Dr. David Jeremiah
Cover Photo Credit: Copyright Thru the Bible Radio (TTB.org). Used with Permission.
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