Bruce Wilkinson
Encyclopedia
Bruce Wilkinson is a Christian
teacher and author. He was born (ca. 1940) in New Jersey and graduated from Northeastern Bible College
(B.A. and Th. B.), Dallas Theological Seminary
(Th. M.) and Western Conservative Baptist Seminary
(D.D.). He served as a college professor at Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland
, Oregon
, until resigning to launch Walk Thru the Bible
in June 1976. He is best known for his best-selling (and, in some circles, highly controversial) book The Prayer of Jabez
in 2000.
is a global, non-denominational Christian organization headquartered in Atlanta
, Georgia
. It has become one of North America
's most successful Christian ministries, producing 11,000 seminars for 2 million people.
Wilkinson has spoken to more than 400,000 men across America as a Promise Keepers
stadium speaker. At the request of Promise Keepers, he developed the widely used video curriculum, Personal Holiness in Times of Temptation, as a part of the "Biblical Manhood" series.
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Wilkinson traveled to Russia to teach in conjunction with the presentation of the Jesus film. Wilkinson served five years as chairman of CoMission, an innovative education ministry in Russia.
In 1998, he founded WorldTeachers, a global initiative to develop a Bible teacher for every 50,000 people in every nation of the world. In the first three years, over 6,000 WorldTeachers have joined the WorldTeach vision from 40 nations including India
, Brazil
, Ukraine
, Singapore
, South Africa
, Nepal
, Mozambique
, Philippines
, Vietnam
, Kenya
, El Salvador
, Mexico
, Hungary
, Romania
, Sri Lanka
, Russia
, Lesotho
, Swaziland
, Botswana
, Angola
, Namibia
, Zambia
, Myanmar
, Jordan
, South Korea
, and Belarus
. This constitutes 5% of the goal.
In 1976, Wilkinson was named Northeastern Bible College
Alumnus of the Year and in 1986 he was awarded the Religious Heritage of America Committee's Faith and Freedom Award.
Anyone can do a good deed, but some good works can only happen by an act of God. Around the world these acts are called miracles—not that even religious people expect to see one any time soon. But what would happen if millions of ordinary people walked out each morning expecting God to deliver a miracle through them to a person in need? You Were Born for This starts with the dramatic premise that everyone at all times is in need of a miracle, and that God is ready to meet those needs supernaturally through ordinary people who are willing to learn the “protocol of heaven.”
In the straightforward, story-driven, highly motivating style for which Bruce is known, Wilkinson describes how anyone can be a ‘Delivery Guy from heaven in such universally significant arenas of life as finances, practical help, relationships, purpose and spiritual growth.
You Were Born for This was written in order to change how people see the world and show people what they can expect God to do through Christians (and even non-Christians) to meet real needs. Bruce explains that seven simple tools can be mastered so that people can say with confidence, “I want to deliver a supernatural gift from God to someone in need today–and I expect to!”
, Johannesburg
, in 2002, and started an organization called Dream for Africa, which included the launch of the Never Ending Gardens
. This organization helps fight against the AIDS epidemic in Africa. It sent American, Bible college students and young, African volunteers to 172 high schools. They showed a week long program of film (Beat the Drum), drama, and music to promote abstinence.
Recently, political conflicts, particularly in Swaziland
, forced him to resign from the Dream for Africa project and return to the United States. The details of the events that led to Wilkinson's departure from Africa were provided in an article in the Wall Street Journal. As reported in the article, among the reasons for his pullout were the complications in establishing a planned "African Dream Village" in Swaziland. Wilkinson had plans to build this African Dream Village to house 10,000 orphans. These homes were to form a village and be based on themes — such as Wild West rodeos or Swazi village life — to entertain tourists. The orphans would be trained as rodeo stars and serve as safari guides at nearby game reserves. The idea, Wilkinson said, was to "try to bring experiences to the kids they could only get at Walt Disney or a dude ranch."
In the 40-page "Dream for Africa" plan, Wilkinson sought a 99-year lease on the land and control of nearby game parks from the King Mswati of Swaziland. Wilkinson gave Mswati just five days to approve the plan, which was refused. Soon thereafter, Swazi newspapers published details of the "Dream for Africa" draft plan, which turned public opinion against Wilkinson. According to the Wall Street Journal article, when the Swazi king failed to meet with him again in what was perceived as a snub on behalf of the king, Wilkinson decided to depart.
Wilkinson served on the overview committee for the New King James Version
of the Bible, authored the Books of the Bible outlines and co-edited the Bible book introductions for The Open Bible. He is the executive editor of four best-selling Bibles including The Daily Walk Bible (NIV, NL, NKV, RSV), The Closer Walk New Testament (NIV), The Youth Walk Bible (NIV), and The Family Walk Bible (NIV).
.
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
teacher and author. He was born (ca. 1940) in New Jersey and graduated from Northeastern Bible College
Northeastern Bible College
Northeastern Bible College was founded by Charles W. Anderson and first opened in September, 1950, as Brookdale Bible School, at the Brookdale Baptist Church in Bloomfield, New Jersey. The college relocated to a campus in Essex Fells in the fall of 1952...
(B.A. and Th. B.), Dallas Theological Seminary
Dallas Theological Seminary
Dallas Theological Seminary is an evangelical theological seminary located in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system known as Dispensationalism...
(Th. M.) and Western Conservative Baptist Seminary
Western Seminary
Western Seminary is an evangelical, non-denominational theological seminary with campuses in Portland, Oregon, as well as in San Jose and Sacramento in California. The seminary offers Master’s Degrees in Divinity, Counseling, Intercultural Studies, Leadership and Theology along with Doctoral...
(D.D.). He served as a college professor at Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, until resigning to launch Walk Thru the Bible
Walk Thru the Bible
Walk Thru the Bible Ministries is a non-denominational evangelical Christian educational organization headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.-Overview:Walk Thru the Bible was founded in the USA in 1976 by Bruce Wilkinson...
in June 1976. He is best known for his best-selling (and, in some circles, highly controversial) book The Prayer of Jabez
The Prayer of Jabez
The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life is an inspirational Bruce Wilkinson published in 2000 by Multnomah Books as the first book in the "BreakThrough" book series...
in 2000.
Biography
Walk Thru the BibleWalk Thru the Bible
Walk Thru the Bible Ministries is a non-denominational evangelical Christian educational organization headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.-Overview:Walk Thru the Bible was founded in the USA in 1976 by Bruce Wilkinson...
is a global, non-denominational Christian organization headquartered in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. It has become one of North America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
's most successful Christian ministries, producing 11,000 seminars for 2 million people.
Wilkinson has spoken to more than 400,000 men across America as a Promise Keepers
Promise Keepers
Promise Keepers is an international conservative Christian organization for men. While it originated in the United States, it is now world-wide...
stadium speaker. At the request of Promise Keepers, he developed the widely used video curriculum, Personal Holiness in Times of Temptation, as a part of the "Biblical Manhood" series.
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Wilkinson traveled to Russia to teach in conjunction with the presentation of the Jesus film. Wilkinson served five years as chairman of CoMission, an innovative education ministry in Russia.
In 1998, he founded WorldTeachers, a global initiative to develop a Bible teacher for every 50,000 people in every nation of the world. In the first three years, over 6,000 WorldTeachers have joined the WorldTeach vision from 40 nations including India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
, Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
, Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
, Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, and Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. This constitutes 5% of the goal.
In 1976, Wilkinson was named Northeastern Bible College
Northeastern Bible College
Northeastern Bible College was founded by Charles W. Anderson and first opened in September, 1950, as Brookdale Bible School, at the Brookdale Baptist Church in Bloomfield, New Jersey. The college relocated to a campus in Essex Fells in the fall of 1952...
Alumnus of the Year and in 1986 he was awarded the Religious Heritage of America Committee's Faith and Freedom Award.
You Were Born for This
His first book in more than six years - You Were Born for This: Seven Keys to a Life of Predictable Miracles - was released September 15, 2009. This book is based on the following premise:Anyone can do a good deed, but some good works can only happen by an act of God. Around the world these acts are called miracles—not that even religious people expect to see one any time soon. But what would happen if millions of ordinary people walked out each morning expecting God to deliver a miracle through them to a person in need? You Were Born for This starts with the dramatic premise that everyone at all times is in need of a miracle, and that God is ready to meet those needs supernaturally through ordinary people who are willing to learn the “protocol of heaven.”
In the straightforward, story-driven, highly motivating style for which Bruce is known, Wilkinson describes how anyone can be a ‘Delivery Guy from heaven in such universally significant arenas of life as finances, practical help, relationships, purpose and spiritual growth.
You Were Born for This was written in order to change how people see the world and show people what they can expect God to do through Christians (and even non-Christians) to meet real needs. Bruce explains that seven simple tools can be mastered so that people can say with confidence, “I want to deliver a supernatural gift from God to someone in need today–and I expect to!”
Dream for Africa
Believing that Africa should be the next focal point for evangelical efforts, Wilkinson moved to BryanstonBryanston, Gauteng
Bryanston is an upper class, wealthy residential suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. First named as an area in 1949, it was established in 1969 as a suburb of Sandton and provided with tarred roads and municipal services, but after municipal boundaries were revised following the end of Apartheid,...
, Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, in 2002, and started an organization called Dream for Africa, which included the launch of the Never Ending Gardens
Never Ending Gardens
Never Ending Gardens is a division of Dream for Africa, a faith-based non-profit organization based in Gainesville, Georgia, USA, and in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa that seeks to alleviate hunger in Africa by building sustainable vegetable gardens in communities to improve their diet.While...
. This organization helps fight against the AIDS epidemic in Africa. It sent American, Bible college students and young, African volunteers to 172 high schools. They showed a week long program of film (Beat the Drum), drama, and music to promote abstinence.
Recently, political conflicts, particularly in Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, forced him to resign from the Dream for Africa project and return to the United States. The details of the events that led to Wilkinson's departure from Africa were provided in an article in the Wall Street Journal. As reported in the article, among the reasons for his pullout were the complications in establishing a planned "African Dream Village" in Swaziland. Wilkinson had plans to build this African Dream Village to house 10,000 orphans. These homes were to form a village and be based on themes — such as Wild West rodeos or Swazi village life — to entertain tourists. The orphans would be trained as rodeo stars and serve as safari guides at nearby game reserves. The idea, Wilkinson said, was to "try to bring experiences to the kids they could only get at Walt Disney or a dude ranch."
In the 40-page "Dream for Africa" plan, Wilkinson sought a 99-year lease on the land and control of nearby game parks from the King Mswati of Swaziland. Wilkinson gave Mswati just five days to approve the plan, which was refused. Soon thereafter, Swazi newspapers published details of the "Dream for Africa" draft plan, which turned public opinion against Wilkinson. According to the Wall Street Journal article, when the Swazi king failed to meet with him again in what was perceived as a snub on behalf of the king, Wilkinson decided to depart.
Personal
The Wilkinsons have three married children, David, Jennifer, & Jessica, and four grandchildren (Andrew, Eric, Johnny, and Jonathan).List of books
- Victory Over Temptation
- Walk through the Bible
- Youthwalk Again ISBN 0-310-54601-X
- The Wilkinson & Boa Bible Handbook ISBN 0-7852-4864-1, ISBN 0-7852-4903-6
- Talk Through The Bible ISBN 0-8407-5286-5
- Talk Through the Old Testament
- Talk Through the New Testament
- Talk Through Bible Personalities ISBN 0-9612142-0-1
- 7 Laws of the Learner ISBN 0-88070-464-0
- Almost Every Answer for Practically Any Teacher (Gold Medallion Winner) ISBN 0-88070-473-X
- Personal Holiness in Times of Temptation ISBN 1-56507-943-4
- Experiencing Spiritual Breakthroughs (based on his “The Three Chairs” seminar) ISBN 1-57673-536-2
- 30 Days to Spiritual Breakthroughs ISBN 1-57673-977-5
- The Prayer of JabezThe Prayer of JabezThe Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life is an inspirational Bruce Wilkinson published in 2000 by Multnomah Books as the first book in the "BreakThrough" book series...
(October 2000) ISBN 1-57673-733-0- Living the Jabez Miracle
- The Prayer of Jabez for Young Hearts ISBN 0-613-96871-9
- The Prayer of Jabez for Little Ones (with Melody CarlsonMelody CarlsonMelody Carlson is an accomplished Christian author for children, pre-teens, youth, and adults, with sales totaling more than two million. Some of her most popular works are the Diary of a Teenage Girl books series and the True Colors book series...
) ISBN 0-8499-7943-9 - The Prayer of Jabez for Kids (with Melody Carlson) ISBN 0-8499-7944-7
- Secrets of the Vine (October 2001) ISBN 1-57673-975-9
- Secrets of the Vine for Little Ones ISBN 1-4003-0052-5
- Secrets of the Vine for Kids ISBN 1-4003-0053-3
- Secrets of the Vine for Teens (March 2003) ISBN 1-57673-922-8
- A Life God Rewards (October 2002) ISBN 1-57673-976-7
- A Life God Rewards for Teens (October 2002) ISBN 1-59052-077-7
- A Life God Rewards for Kids ISBN 1-59052-095-5
- Set Apart ISBN 1-59052-071-8
- 30 Days to Discovering Personal Victory Through Holiness ISBN 1-59052-070-X
- The Dream Giver (October 2003) ISBN 1-59052-201-X
- The Dream Giver for Parents (September 2004) ISBN 1-59052-455-1
- Beyond Jabez ISBN 1-59052-367-9
- You Were Born for This (releasing September 15, 2009) - ISBN 978-1-60142-182-1
Wilkinson served on the overview committee for the New King James Version
New King James Version
The New King James Version is a modern translation of the Bible published by Thomas Nelson, Inc. The New Testament was published in 1979. The Psalms in 1980. The full Bible was published in 1982. It took a total of 7 years to complete...
of the Bible, authored the Books of the Bible outlines and co-edited the Bible book introductions for The Open Bible. He is the executive editor of four best-selling Bibles including The Daily Walk Bible (NIV, NL, NKV, RSV), The Closer Walk New Testament (NIV), The Youth Walk Bible (NIV), and The Family Walk Bible (NIV).
Critics
Wilkinson has been criticized by Christian Fundamentalist missionary and writer David Cloud because of his ecumenical involvements with Roman Catholics and the Russian Orthodox ChurchRussian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
.