Jimmy G. Tharpe
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Gid Tharpe, Sr. was an Independent Baptist
clergy
man in Shreveport
, Louisiana
, who founded the unaccredited
theologically
conservative
Louisiana Baptist University and Theological Seminary
, originally established in 1973 as Baptist Christian University. Earlier, Tharpe established Baptist Christian College (1961–1996) and the secondary school
, Baptist Christian Academy (1964–1988), both accredited
institutitions.
, and the former Fern Crump (1910–1963) in Sibley
, five miles (8 km) south of Minden
, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana. The senior Tharpe was an alcoholic who converted to Christianity
but frequently doubted his salvation
and sometimes returned to drinking. Jimmy Tharpe played baseball
in his youth and graduated in 1947 from Sibley High School, renamed and relocated more than a half-century later as Lakeside High School. As a youth, Tharpe attended the First Methodist Church in Sibley, along with his mother and sometimes his father, where he was called to the ministry and at twenty became the Sunday school
superintendent. After his marriage on April 21, 1950, to the former Mary Edith Moore (August 17, 1932—March 23, 2007), of Sibley, whom he once courted every day for a month, Tharpe switched to Missionary Baptist affiliation and joined the Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Minden, under pastor L. L. Clover
. The Methodist minister in Sibley, L.M. Sawyer, urged Tharpe to remain with his congregation and broke down when Tharpe told him that he had switched to Missionary Baptist, a change which would require baptism
by immersion because Baptists do not recognize the Methodist "sprinkling" procedure.
Tharpe was one of the first two graduates of the Louisiana Missionary Baptist Institute and Seminary, having been instructed out of Clover's home. At seventeen, Tharpe began working for the Illinois Central Railroad
. When he entered LMBIS in 1952, Tharpe told Clover that he wanted to keep his job and study part-time. Clover told him that such a decision would demonstrate a lack of faith, that Tharpe must be full-time in the ministry to succeed and depend on God
for sustenance. LMBIS is affiliated with the American Baptist Association
, a Landmark Baptist entity based in Texarkana
, Texas
, the organization of Missionary Baptist churches distinct from Southern Baptists or Independent Baptists.
After LMBIS, Tharpe procured a Master of Arts
degree from Trinity College
, signed by the college president T.W. Watson. Trinity was then in Clearwater
, Florida
, but since relocated to Temple Terrace
in Hillsborough County
near Tampa
. He was in-house at Florida Trinity for only two summers but transferred credits from Methodist-affiliated Centenary College
of Shreveport and East Texas Baptist University
in Marshall
, toward the master's degree. Trinity no longer offers master's degrees. Evangelist
Billy Graham
graduated from Florida Trinity when the institution was known as Florida Bible Institute. Tharpe years later received his doctor of philosophy
degree from National Christian University, which maintained campuses in San Antonio
and Dallas
. His memoirs do not give the years of any of his degrees.
Tharpe also received numerous honorary degrees, including a doctor of divinity
from Tennessee Temple University
in Chattanooga
and a doctor of humane letters
from Midwestern Baptist College
of Pontiac
, Michigan
. While in Pontiac, he was invited to speak at the Detroit Baptist Temple located there.
regardless of subsequent sin
. In his memoirs, he writes, "When a child of God sins, the chastisement of God will come... When Samson
(who was a man of God) sinned, he lost his eyes, his respect, and finally lost his life. He didn't lose his salvation. He lost his joy, then his life. God's word teaches that Moses
died a premature death because he smote the rock instead of speaking to it. He died because of disobedience to God. David sinned by committing adultery
, then tried to hide it by murder
. God did not take his salvation, but he did take his joy. David said in Psalm 51:12, "restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.." "Losing your joy is probably the worst of all chastisements. Yet, God chastens his children," said Tharpe.
In regard to the New Testament
church, Tharpe taught that Jesus "did not organize a big, universal, mystical body. He organized a local church with a group of baptized believers who covenanted
together in an assembly to carry out His commands. It is a privilege to be a part of it. Great blessings are in store for those who keep the doors of the church open. People who put Christ first, who will dare to be different, who will suffer for his cause, are the ones who believe that His church is great."
, a village
located just west of his native Sibley. In 1956, Tharpe was called to Baptist Tabernacle in Shreveport, then a Missionary Baptist institution planted in 1954 by Foster Dare Lott, Sr. (1920–1966), the state and local missionary originally commissioned from Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Minden. Lott, a former U.S. Army chaplain in the Pacific Theater of operations during World War II
, often held tent revival
s, an old practice still utilized in rural
communities during the 1950s.Originally a Southern Baptist, Lott graduated from Baylor University
in Waco
, Texas
, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
in Fort Worth
. He built the first Baptist chapel in Japan
and had conducted evangelical crusades in Alaska
, Hawaii
, Massachusetts
, and the West Coast
.
For forty-seven years until his retirement in 2003, Tharpe was the pastor of the Baptist Tabernacle, not to be confused with another congregation which it later began, Shreveport Baptist Temple. In his memoirs, Tharpe said that the pain of leaving Trinity Baptist, which began with five members, was so difficult that he never wanted again to depart from another congregation and that was committed to finishing his ministry at Shreveport Tabernacle.
In the mid 1950s, Shreveport Tabernacle was switched from Missionary Baptist to Independent Baptist affiliation because of a dispute within Missionary Baptist ranks between Lott and Clover which climaxed at an associational meeting in Bossier City
. The dispute concerned whether the Missionary Baptist Seminary would be controlled through Calvary Church alone, as Clover supported, or whether it would be governed by a board with directors from multiple congregations, as Lott favored. Tharpe stood with Lott and Lott's colleague, C.K. House, and against the association leadership. Therefore, Tharpe and Lott were evicted from Missionary Baptist fellowship. Shreveport Tabernacle and several smaller churches were even forbidden to use the Missionary Baptist facility, the Boggs Springs Youth Encampment in Grannis
in southwest Arkansas. Therefore, Shreveport Tabernacle built its own youth camp. Years later, Tharpe and Clover encountered each other at a funeral in Sarepta
in Webster Parish and managed to put aside old animosities. Clover told Tharpe that he had regarded him as one of his most capable students and was pleased with Tharpe's success at Shreveport Tabernacle. Upon Clover's death, Mrs. Tommie B. Clover (1905–2002) of Minden gave Tharpe many books from her husband's library.
Tharpe was also responsible for the establishment of some seventy-five churches in Louisiana and Texas, the last having been Sibley Baptist Tabernacle in Tharpe's hometown. On a number of Sundays, Tharpe preached at Sibley Tabernacle in a 9 a.m. service and returned to Shreveport for the 11 a.m. worship.
were added with state certification for the graduates. The Louisiana Board of Regents licensed BCC in 1993, but the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
refused to grant accreditation. With federal funding available, BCC grew in numbers and programs. It became particularly known as "the Cradle of Coaches" for its training of successful athletes into coaching careers. BCC athletes won state championships, produced "All Americans": nine in basketball
, six in baseball
, and three in football
. In time, too rapid expansion with off-campus and prison
inmate programs and the ending of federal funds caused BCC to close its doors after thirty-five years.
Edith Tharpe, like her husband was a Sibley High School alumnus. She received her bachelor's degree from BCC and then procured master's and Ph.D. degrees by commuting to Northwestern State University
in Natchitoches
. Her doctoral dissertation was on "Teacher Morale", a part of which was subsequently featured in a national magazine
. Her career outside the home was as the dean of the BCC Education Department.
came to Caddo Parish in the late 1960s, BCA had more requests for admission than space was available. Tharpe recalls in his memoirs "After a year of weeding the tares from the wheat
, we had a good school, and for years maintained a strong and healthy enrollment. Then, one by one, new schools sprang up, and many [parents] who had come begging left to go to schools more conveniently located. Many who left were among the founders of these newly-created schools."
Tharpe noted that over the years, Shreveport parents grew tolerant of desegregated schools and many withdrew their children from private schools because it was more affordable to family pocketbooks. Parents also grew tired of the often lax academic standards at BCA, which also drew "problem" students, sent there for correction. Enrollment in all private schools slowly declined, and two institutions, First Baptist Academy and Calvary Baptist Academy, cut back to grades one through eight. Baptist Christian Academy closed entirely in 1988. Tharpe said that "we lasted a long, long time and, sadly, joined the ranks of those who gave in to the diminishing preference in Christian education."
Louisiana Baptist University was founded in 1973 as a graduate school distinct from the four-year Baptist Christian College. The stated purpose of LBU is to provide graduate educational opportunities for pastors and Christian workers while they are simultaneously working at their churches. LBU has trained thousands of pastors and church workers, including more than a dozen Christian college or seminary presidents. Tharpe retired from LBU in 1992 and was succeeded by Neal Weaver (born 1940). LBU serves about 100 in-class ministerial students and another approximately 1,200 in distance education
from 48 states and some 40 other nations. The institution has strived to maintain the latest technology in distance education.
The name Louisiana Baptist University and Theological Seminary was coined in 1994 to separate the identity of the school more clearly from Baptist Christian College, which, as it developed, closed two years thereafter. LBU was previously housed in the Centrum Building on Hollywood Avenue. It relocated to a 12500 square feet (1,161.3 m²) facility off Interstate 20
at 6301 Westport Avenue in the center of West Shreveport.
Numerous LBU faculty and administrators procured degrees from LBU, a practice questioned by the accrediting bodies. Rick Walston, who compiled Walston's Guide to Christian Distance Learning said that LBU has not sought accreditation from either a secular board or a Christian agency.
Clyde Fant, a Democrat
, to the dedication of the santuary building of Shreveport Tabernacle. In his memoirs, Tharpe referred to Fant, a Southern Baptist, as "a remarkable person and instrumental in helping us in so many ways... He was such a great mayor and did a lot for the church to make the dedication day possible."
Tharpe gives special consideration to two Episcopalians
who aided the ministry. Shreveport attorney
George Whitfield Jack, Jr. (1906 - deceased), himself the son of a former U.S. District Judge and the brother of the late State Representative
Wellborn Jack, flew to Washington, D.C.
, just prior to Christmas
on one occasion to represent Baptist Tabernacle before the Securities and Exchange Commission, which was investigating the sale of church bonds
. A government administrator in Fort Worth
had told Tharpe that the church had two weeks before it must declare bankruptcy
, but Jack's trip quickly resolved the matter.
Tharpe also developed a close friendship with Republican
Governor Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.
, whom Tharpe supported in the 1995 jungle primary
before Foster began to emerge as the leading candidate. The Episcopalian Foster invited Tharpe to lead the prayer
at Foster's inauguration
ceremony. The Tharpes stayed overnight in the Governor's Mansion in Baton Rouge, and he delivered a Bible
study at a prayer breakfast. Foster later invited the pastor to join him on a duck
hunting trip in South Louisiana. Tharpe presented Foster with an honorary degree from LBU. Earlier, Tharpe had accorded such honors to former Republican Governor David C. Treen
.
Others listed as "Friends of the Ministry" are the late Jerry Falwell
of Liberty University
in Lynchburg
, Virginia
, Lee Roberson
, the founder of Tennessee Temple University, Falwell mentor B.R. Lakin, and R.G. Lee of Bellevue Baptist Church
in Memphis
, Tennessee
. Two Western
film
stars, Lash La Rue
(1917–1996) and Dale Robertson
, best known for his old television series Tales of Wells Fargo
, are also mentioned in Tharpe's memoirs. Tharpe declared "Lash La Rue" day at Baptist Tabernacle and baptized the Louisiana-born actor
, who had already declared his belief in Jesus Christ. Missionary Baptist policy restricts formal pulpit speaker to members of that denomination, but Tharpe said that he felt he should offer access to any traditional believer in the Gospel
regardless of denominational ties.
in the 1990s but died of congestive heart failure
. Tharpe was survived by six children, all of Shreveport, Kathy T. Martin (born 1951) and husband, Charles Philip Martin (born 1949); Sharon Stevens (born 1953) and husband, Al D. Stevens; Jimmy G. Tharpe, Jr. (born 1954) and wife, Kimberly; Deborah T. "Debbye" Langley (born 1955) and husband, Gregory James Langley (born 1952); Roger David Tharpe (born 1957) and wife, the former Karen Ann Pharr, and Brenda Gayle Scott (born 1964) and husband, Paul Scott; twenty grandchildren; twenty-four great-grandchildren, and two brothers, George Norman Tharpe (born 1932) and wife, Darlene, and Jack Donald Tharpe (born 1935) and wife, Barbara, all of Sibley. Tharpe's only sister, Bonnie Lee, died at the age of eight.
Services were held on November 29 at Baptist Tabernacle. Interment followed at Forest Park West Cemetery in Shreveport.
On December 1, 1978, Tharpe was inducted into the Preacher's Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, an honor bestowed on living ministers. In the ceremony, it was noted that Tharpe "is in constant demand as a speaker all over America and in many foreign lands." Inducted along with Tharpe was Dr. Wendell Zimmerman, one of the original founders of Baptist Bible College
of Springfield
, Missouri
. Tharpe is also honored through the J.G. Tharpe Life Center at Baptist Tabernacle, 8501 East Kingston Road, Shreveport, LA 71118, One of Tharpe's grandsons, Dustin Aaron Tharpe (born 1982), became in 2008 the student pastor at Baptist Tabernacle.
In 2003, Tharpe published his autobiography
entitled Mr. Baptist.
Independent Baptist
Independent Baptist churches are Christian churches generally holding to conservative Baptist beliefs. They are characterized by being independent from the authority of denominations or similar bodies. Members of such churches comprised three percent of the United States adult population according...
clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
man in Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, who founded the unaccredited
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
theologically
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
conservative
Conservative Christianity
Conservative Christianity is a term applied to a number of groups or movements seen as giving priority to traditional Christian beliefs and practices...
Louisiana Baptist University and Theological Seminary
Louisiana Baptist University
Louisiana Baptist University is an accredited theologically conservative Christian university, founded in 1973, located at 6301 Westport Avenue in Shreveport, Louisiana....
, originally established in 1973 as Baptist Christian University. Earlier, Tharpe established Baptist Christian College (1961–1996) and the secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
, Baptist Christian Academy (1964–1988), both accredited
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
institutitions.
Early years and education
Tharpe was born to Lester H. Tharpe (1905–1972), a fishermanFisherman
A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...
, and the former Fern Crump (1910–1963) in Sibley
Sibley, Louisiana
Sibley is a town in south Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,098 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Minden Micropolitan Statistical Area....
, five miles (8 km) south of Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana. The senior Tharpe was an alcoholic who converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
but frequently doubted his salvation
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
and sometimes returned to drinking. Jimmy Tharpe played baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
in his youth and graduated in 1947 from Sibley High School, renamed and relocated more than a half-century later as Lakeside High School. As a youth, Tharpe attended the First Methodist Church in Sibley, along with his mother and sometimes his father, where he was called to the ministry and at twenty became the Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
superintendent. After his marriage on April 21, 1950, to the former Mary Edith Moore (August 17, 1932—March 23, 2007), of Sibley, whom he once courted every day for a month, Tharpe switched to Missionary Baptist affiliation and joined the Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Minden, under pastor L. L. Clover
L. L. Clover
Leander Louis Clover, known as L. L. Clover , was an American Baptist Association clergyman who in 1952 established Louisiana Missionary Baptist Institute and Seminary in Minden, Louisiana...
. The Methodist minister in Sibley, L.M. Sawyer, urged Tharpe to remain with his congregation and broke down when Tharpe told him that he had switched to Missionary Baptist, a change which would require baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
by immersion because Baptists do not recognize the Methodist "sprinkling" procedure.
Tharpe was one of the first two graduates of the Louisiana Missionary Baptist Institute and Seminary, having been instructed out of Clover's home. At seventeen, Tharpe began working for the Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
. When he entered LMBIS in 1952, Tharpe told Clover that he wanted to keep his job and study part-time. Clover told him that such a decision would demonstrate a lack of faith, that Tharpe must be full-time in the ministry to succeed and depend on God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
for sustenance. LMBIS is affiliated with the American Baptist Association
American Baptist Association
The American Baptist Association , formed in 1924, is an association of nearly 2,000 theologically conservative churches that are Landmark Baptist in their missions and teachings...
, a Landmark Baptist entity based in Texarkana
Texarkana, Texas
Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States. It effectively functions as one half of a city which crosses a state line — the other half, the city of Texarkana, Arkansas, lies on the other side of State Line Avenue...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, the organization of Missionary Baptist churches distinct from Southern Baptists or Independent Baptists.
After LMBIS, Tharpe procured a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree from Trinity College
Trinity College (Florida)
Trinity College is a evangelical interdenominational Bible college located in New Port Richey in Pasco County, Florida. It is a private college....
, signed by the college president T.W. Watson. Trinity was then in Clearwater
Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, but since relocated to Temple Terrace
Temple Terrace, Florida
Temple Terrace is an incorporated city in northeastern Hillsborough County, Florida, USA, adjacent to Tampa. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,541. It is the third and smallest incorporated municipality in Hillsborough County...
in Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County, Florida
As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...
near Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
. He was in-house at Florida Trinity for only two summers but transferred credits from Methodist-affiliated Centenary College
Centenary College of Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana is a primarily undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college in Shreveport, Louisiana. The college is one of the founding members of the Associated Colleges of the South, a pedagogical organization consisting of sixteen Southern liberal arts colleges...
of Shreveport and East Texas Baptist University
East Texas Baptist University
East Texas Baptist University is a private, coeducational Christian university in Marshall, Texas, United States associated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.- History :...
in Marshall
Marshall, Texas
Marshall is a city in Harrison County in the northeastern corner of Texas. Marshall is a major cultural and educational center in East Texas and the tri-state area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Marshall was about 23,523...
, toward the master's degree. Trinity no longer offers master's degrees. Evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
graduated from Florida Trinity when the institution was known as Florida Bible Institute. Tharpe years later received his doctor of philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree from National Christian University, which maintained campuses in San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
and Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. His memoirs do not give the years of any of his degrees.
Tharpe also received numerous honorary degrees, including a doctor of divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
from Tennessee Temple University
Tennessee Temple University
Tennessee Temple University is a four-year private Christian university, with its focus on liberal arts education, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Operating there, also, is Temple Baptist Seminary, the university's graduate school of Christian theology....
in Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
and a doctor of humane letters
Doctor of Humane Letters
The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters is always conferred as an honorary degree, usually to those who have distinguished themselves in areas other than science, government, literature or religion, which are awarded degrees of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, or Doctor of...
from Midwestern Baptist College
Midwestern Baptist College
Midwestern Baptist College, formally known as Midwestern Bible College, is an unaccredited higher education institution in Pontiac, Michigan....
of Pontiac
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. While in Pontiac, he was invited to speak at the Detroit Baptist Temple located there.
Biblical teachings
Tharpe taught the long-established principle that a believer in Christ could not lose the gift of salvationSalvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
regardless of subsequent sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
. In his memoirs, he writes, "When a child of God sins, the chastisement of God will come... When Samson
Samson
Samson, Shimshon ; Shamshoun or Sampson is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh ....
(who was a man of God) sinned, he lost his eyes, his respect, and finally lost his life. He didn't lose his salvation. He lost his joy, then his life. God's word teaches that Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
died a premature death because he smote the rock instead of speaking to it. He died because of disobedience to God. David sinned by committing adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
, then tried to hide it by murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
. God did not take his salvation, but he did take his joy. David said in Psalm 51:12, "restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.." "Losing your joy is probably the worst of all chastisements. Yet, God chastens his children," said Tharpe.
In regard to the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
church, Tharpe taught that Jesus "did not organize a big, universal, mystical body. He organized a local church with a group of baptized believers who covenanted
Covenant (religion)
In Abrahamic religions, a covenant is a formal alliance or agreement made by God with that religious community or with humanity in general. This sort of covenant is an important concept in Judaism and Christianity, derived in the first instance from the biblical covenant tradition.An example of a...
together in an assembly to carry out His commands. It is a privilege to be a part of it. Great blessings are in store for those who keep the doors of the church open. People who put Christ first, who will dare to be different, who will suffer for his cause, are the ones who believe that His church is great."
Ministerial matters, 1952-2003
Tharpe's active ministry began in 1951 as a Methodist. In 1952, he entered LMBIS under Clover's close tutelage and organized and pastored Trinity Baptist Church, then an ABA congregation in DoylineDoyline, Louisiana
Doyline is a village in southwestern Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 841 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Minden Micropolitan Statistical Area....
, a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
located just west of his native Sibley. In 1956, Tharpe was called to Baptist Tabernacle in Shreveport, then a Missionary Baptist institution planted in 1954 by Foster Dare Lott, Sr. (1920–1966), the state and local missionary originally commissioned from Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Minden. Lott, a former U.S. Army chaplain in the Pacific Theater of operations during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, often held tent revival
Tent revival
A tent revival is a gathering of Christian worshipers in a tent erected specifically for revival meetings, healing crusades, and church rallies. Tent revivals have had both local and national ministries....
s, an old practice still utilized in rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
communities during the 1950s.Originally a Southern Baptist, Lott graduated from Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
in Waco
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a private, non-profit institution of higher education, associated with the Southern Baptist Convention...
in Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. He built the first Baptist chapel in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and had conducted evangelical crusades in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
.
For forty-seven years until his retirement in 2003, Tharpe was the pastor of the Baptist Tabernacle, not to be confused with another congregation which it later began, Shreveport Baptist Temple. In his memoirs, Tharpe said that the pain of leaving Trinity Baptist, which began with five members, was so difficult that he never wanted again to depart from another congregation and that was committed to finishing his ministry at Shreveport Tabernacle.
In the mid 1950s, Shreveport Tabernacle was switched from Missionary Baptist to Independent Baptist affiliation because of a dispute within Missionary Baptist ranks between Lott and Clover which climaxed at an associational meeting in Bossier City
Bossier City, Louisiana
Bossier City is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States.As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 61,315. Bossier City is closely tied to its larger sister city Shreveport, located on the western bank of the Red River. The Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area is the...
. The dispute concerned whether the Missionary Baptist Seminary would be controlled through Calvary Church alone, as Clover supported, or whether it would be governed by a board with directors from multiple congregations, as Lott favored. Tharpe stood with Lott and Lott's colleague, C.K. House, and against the association leadership. Therefore, Tharpe and Lott were evicted from Missionary Baptist fellowship. Shreveport Tabernacle and several smaller churches were even forbidden to use the Missionary Baptist facility, the Boggs Springs Youth Encampment in Grannis
Grannis, Arkansas
Grannis is a city in Polk County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 575 at the 2000 census.Near Grannis is the Boggs Springs Youth Encampment of the American Baptist Association, a retreat of Missionary Baptist churches.-Geography:...
in southwest Arkansas. Therefore, Shreveport Tabernacle built its own youth camp. Years later, Tharpe and Clover encountered each other at a funeral in Sarepta
Sarepta, Louisiana
Sarepta is a town in Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 925 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Minden Micropolitan Statistical Area....
in Webster Parish and managed to put aside old animosities. Clover told Tharpe that he had regarded him as one of his most capable students and was pleased with Tharpe's success at Shreveport Tabernacle. Upon Clover's death, Mrs. Tommie B. Clover (1905–2002) of Minden gave Tharpe many books from her husband's library.
Tharpe was also responsible for the establishment of some seventy-five churches in Louisiana and Texas, the last having been Sibley Baptist Tabernacle in Tharpe's hometown. On a number of Sundays, Tharpe preached at Sibley Tabernacle in a 9 a.m. service and returned to Shreveport for the 11 a.m. worship.
Baptist Christian College
Baptist Christian College began as an institution for ministerial and other church-related vocations. In 1964, the bachelor's degree in elementary education was added for teachers in Christian schools. In 1967, Louisiana Department of Education granted state teacher certification to those completing the BCC curriculum, a move which allowed BCC graduates to teach in public schools. In 1971, offerings in secondary educationSecondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
were added with state certification for the graduates. The Louisiana Board of Regents licensed BCC in 1993, but the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
refused to grant accreditation. With federal funding available, BCC grew in numbers and programs. It became particularly known as "the Cradle of Coaches" for its training of successful athletes into coaching careers. BCC athletes won state championships, produced "All Americans": nine in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, six in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and three in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. In time, too rapid expansion with off-campus and prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
inmate programs and the ending of federal funds caused BCC to close its doors after thirty-five years.
Edith Tharpe, like her husband was a Sibley High School alumnus. She received her bachelor's degree from BCC and then procured master's and Ph.D. degrees by commuting to Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University, known as NSU, is a four-year public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.NSU was founded in 1884 as...
in Natchitoches
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
. Her doctoral dissertation was on "Teacher Morale", a part of which was subsequently featured in a national magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
. Her career outside the home was as the dean of the BCC Education Department.
Baptist Christian Academy
The accredited Baptist Christian Academy began in 1964 with grades one through eight. High school was added thereafter for the promotion of Christian education. When public school desegregationDesegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
came to Caddo Parish in the late 1960s, BCA had more requests for admission than space was available. Tharpe recalls in his memoirs "After a year of weeding the tares from the wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, we had a good school, and for years maintained a strong and healthy enrollment. Then, one by one, new schools sprang up, and many [parents] who had come begging left to go to schools more conveniently located. Many who left were among the founders of these newly-created schools."
Tharpe noted that over the years, Shreveport parents grew tolerant of desegregated schools and many withdrew their children from private schools because it was more affordable to family pocketbooks. Parents also grew tired of the often lax academic standards at BCA, which also drew "problem" students, sent there for correction. Enrollment in all private schools slowly declined, and two institutions, First Baptist Academy and Calvary Baptist Academy, cut back to grades one through eight. Baptist Christian Academy closed entirely in 1988. Tharpe said that "we lasted a long, long time and, sadly, joined the ranks of those who gave in to the diminishing preference in Christian education."
Louisiana Baptist University
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
from 48 states and some 40 other nations. The institution has strived to maintain the latest technology in distance education.
The name Louisiana Baptist University and Theological Seminary was coined in 1994 to separate the identity of the school more clearly from Baptist Christian College, which, as it developed, closed two years thereafter. LBU was previously housed in the Centrum Building on Hollywood Avenue. It relocated to a 12500 square feet (1,161.3 m²) facility off Interstate 20
Interstate 20
Interstate 20 is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I‑20 runs 1,535 miles from near Kent, Texas, at Interstate 10 to Florence, South Carolina, at Interstate 95...
at 6301 Westport Avenue in the center of West Shreveport.
Numerous LBU faculty and administrators procured degrees from LBU, a practice questioned by the accrediting bodies. Rick Walston, who compiled Walston's Guide to Christian Distance Learning said that LBU has not sought accreditation from either a secular board or a Christian agency.
Friends of the ministry
Tharpe invited Shreveport MayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Clyde Fant, a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, to the dedication of the santuary building of Shreveport Tabernacle. In his memoirs, Tharpe referred to Fant, a Southern Baptist, as "a remarkable person and instrumental in helping us in so many ways... He was such a great mayor and did a lot for the church to make the dedication day possible."
Tharpe gives special consideration to two Episcopalians
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
who aided the ministry. Shreveport attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
George Whitfield Jack, Jr. (1906 - deceased), himself the son of a former U.S. District Judge and the brother of the late State Representative
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
Wellborn Jack, flew to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, just prior to Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
on one occasion to represent Baptist Tabernacle before the Securities and Exchange Commission, which was investigating the sale of church bonds
Bond (finance)
In finance, a bond is a debt security, in which the authorized issuer owes the holders a debt and, depending on the terms of the bond, is obliged to pay interest to use and/or to repay the principal at a later date, termed maturity...
. A government administrator in Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
had told Tharpe that the church had two weeks before it must declare bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
, but Jack's trip quickly resolved the matter.
Tharpe also developed a close friendship with Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Governor Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.
Murphy J. Foster, Jr.
Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr. served as 53rd Governor of Louisiana from January 1996 until January 2004. Foster's father was Murphy J. Foster, Jr., but Mike Foster uses "Jr." even though he is technically Murphy J. Foster, III. Foster is a businessman, landowner, and sportsman in St...
, whom Tharpe supported in the 1995 jungle primary
Jungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
before Foster began to emerge as the leading candidate. The Episcopalian Foster invited Tharpe to lead the prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
at Foster's inauguration
Inauguration
An inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term of office. An example is the ceremony in which the President of the United States officially takes the oath of office....
ceremony. The Tharpes stayed overnight in the Governor's Mansion in Baton Rouge, and he delivered a Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
study at a prayer breakfast. Foster later invited the pastor to join him on a duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
hunting trip in South Louisiana. Tharpe presented Foster with an honorary degree from LBU. Earlier, Tharpe had accorded such honors to former Republican Governor David C. Treen
David C. Treen
David Conner "Dave" Treen, Sr. , was an American attorney and politician from Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana – the first Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana since Reconstruction. He was the first Republican in modern times to have served in the U.S...
.
Others listed as "Friends of the Ministry" are the late Jerry Falwell
Jerry Falwell
Jerry Lamon Falwell, Sr. was an evangelical fundamentalist Southern Baptist pastor, televangelist, and a conservative commentator from the United States. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia...
of Liberty University
Liberty University
Liberty University is a private Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty's annual enrollment is around 72,000 students, 12,000 of whom are residential students and 60,000+ studying through Liberty University Online...
in Lynchburg
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Lee Roberson
Lee Roberson
Lee Edward Roberson , was the founder of Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Camp Joy, in Harrison, Tennessee....
, the founder of Tennessee Temple University, Falwell mentor B.R. Lakin, and R.G. Lee of Bellevue Baptist Church
Bellevue Baptist Church
Bellevue Baptist Church is a large Southern Baptist megachurch in the Cordova area of Memphis, Tennessee, United States.-History:Bellevue Baptist was founded in 1903 by Central Baptist Church as a mission church on the outskirts of Memphis...
in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Two Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
stars, Lash La Rue
Lash La Rue
Alfred "Lash" LaRue was a popular western motion picture star of the 1940s and 1950s. He had exceptional skill with the bull whip, and taught Harrison Ford how to use a bullwhip in the Indiana Jones movies...
(1917–1996) and Dale Robertson
Dale Robertson
Dayle Lymoine "Dale" Robertson is an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the role of Jim Hardie in the TV series, Tales of Wells Fargo, and the owner of an incomplete railroad line in ABC's The Iron Horse, often appearing as the deceptively thoughtful but...
, best known for his old television series Tales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series that ran from March 18, 1957 to June 2, 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season when it expanded to an hour.-Synopsis:...
, are also mentioned in Tharpe's memoirs. Tharpe declared "Lash La Rue" day at Baptist Tabernacle and baptized the Louisiana-born actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, who had already declared his belief in Jesus Christ. Missionary Baptist policy restricts formal pulpit speaker to members of that denomination, but Tharpe said that he felt he should offer access to any traditional believer in the Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
regardless of denominational ties.
Death and legacy
Tharpe, a diabetic for the last two decades of his life, recovered from a strokeStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in the 1990s but died of congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
. Tharpe was survived by six children, all of Shreveport, Kathy T. Martin (born 1951) and husband, Charles Philip Martin (born 1949); Sharon Stevens (born 1953) and husband, Al D. Stevens; Jimmy G. Tharpe, Jr. (born 1954) and wife, Kimberly; Deborah T. "Debbye" Langley (born 1955) and husband, Gregory James Langley (born 1952); Roger David Tharpe (born 1957) and wife, the former Karen Ann Pharr, and Brenda Gayle Scott (born 1964) and husband, Paul Scott; twenty grandchildren; twenty-four great-grandchildren, and two brothers, George Norman Tharpe (born 1932) and wife, Darlene, and Jack Donald Tharpe (born 1935) and wife, Barbara, all of Sibley. Tharpe's only sister, Bonnie Lee, died at the age of eight.
Services were held on November 29 at Baptist Tabernacle. Interment followed at Forest Park West Cemetery in Shreveport.
On December 1, 1978, Tharpe was inducted into the Preacher's Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, an honor bestowed on living ministers. In the ceremony, it was noted that Tharpe "is in constant demand as a speaker all over America and in many foreign lands." Inducted along with Tharpe was Dr. Wendell Zimmerman, one of the original founders of Baptist Bible College
Baptist Bible College
Baptist Bible College is the name of two schools in the United States:*Baptist Bible College & Seminary, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania*Baptist Bible College Baptist Bible College may also refer to:*Free Will Baptist Bible College, Nashville, Tennessee*Heartland Baptist Bible...
of Springfield
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. Tharpe is also honored through the J.G. Tharpe Life Center at Baptist Tabernacle, 8501 East Kingston Road, Shreveport, LA 71118, One of Tharpe's grandsons, Dustin Aaron Tharpe (born 1982), became in 2008 the student pastor at Baptist Tabernacle.
In 2003, Tharpe published his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
entitled Mr. Baptist.