Humbard, Rex 1919–2007

(Alpha Rex Emmanuel Humbard)

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born August 13, 1919, in Little Rock, AR; died September 21, 2007, in FL. Evangelist, broadcaster, and author. When Humbard gave his first televised sermon in 1949, he became one of the first "televangelists" who would populate religious airwaves in the decades to come. He believed, from his earliest appearances at revival meetings around the country, that his mission was to reach the millions of people who do not attend church. To that end, Humbard established the nondenominational Cathedral of Tomorrow in 1952 and preached to thousands in person and millions of remote viewers around the world for the next thirty years. His enterprise expanded to include Cathedral Teleproductions, the Rex Humbard Christian Development Center, the Rex Humbard Outreach Ministry, and numerous other ventures. Though his television ministry faded in popularity toward the end, and the television enterprise was beset by financial problems, Humbard's ministry was never tainted by the types of scandal that ruined so many of his fellow evangelists. Also, according to his son, he never fell into the potential trap of preaching politics from the pulpit. Humbard's message was simple and down to earth, rooted in his background as the son of an itinerant preacher in the Gospel Big Top, a singer-guitarist with his siblings as the Humbard Singers, and a radio preacher in the 1930s and 1940s. Humbard was designated a pastor emeritus of the Cathedral of Tomorrow in 1983 and sold the property in 1994, but he never stopped preaching and reaching out to live audiences. He also wrote several books, including Put God on Main Street(1970),The Third Dimension(1972),Why I Believe Jesus Is Coming Soon(1972),Your Key to God's Bank(1977), and How to Stay on Top When the Bottom Falls Out(1981).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

BOOKS

Humbard, Rex,Miracles in My Life: Rex Humbard's Own Story, Fleming Revell (Old Tappan, NJ), 1971.

PERIODICALS

Los Angeles Times, September 23, 2007, p. B12.

New York Times, September 23, 2007, p. A30.