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Billy James Hargis (August 3, 1925 – November 27, 2004) was an American Christian evangelist. At the height of his popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, his ''Christian Crusade'' ministry was broadcast on more than 500 radio stations and 250 television stations. He promoted an anti-Communist, segregationist message as well as evangelizing, and founded a radio station, monthly newspaper, and a college in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to support his ministries. In 1974, several students at his American Christian College accused Hargis of sexual misconduct;〔James Stuart Olson, ''Historical Dictionary of the 1970s,'' Greenwood Publishing, 1999 p. 187 ISBN 0-313-30543-9〕 however, the Tulsa district attorney found no evidence or wrongdoing. Hargis went into partial retirement, and the college closed in 1977. He continued to publish his newspaper and write books. ==Biography== Hargis was adopted by a railroad employee, Billy James Hargis, Sr., and his wife. By the time the boy was ten, his adoptive mother was in poor health and close to death. The boy had been baptized, and had few pleasures other than the family's daily Bible readings because his family was too poor during the Great Depression to own a radio.〔(Adam Bernstein, "Evangelist Billy James Hargis Dies; Spread Anti-Communist Message" ), ''Washington Post,'' November 30, 2004.〕 When his mother was hospitalized, Hargis promised to devote himself to God if she were spared from death. She recovered and, at age 17, Hargis was ordained in the Disciples of Christ denomination, even before his completing Bible college.〔 After a few years, he left his pastorate for a ministry of radio preaching.〔(Michael Carlson, "Billy James Hargis. Rightwing preacher laid low by sexual scandal" ), The ''Guardian,'' 10 December 2004〕 In 1943, Hargis entered Ozark Bible College in Bentonville, Arkansas, and studied there for one year. By 1947, when he became concerned about Communism, he was pastor of the First Christian Church in Sapulpa, a city west of Tulsa. He later received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Pikes Peak Bible Seminary in 1957 and a theology degree from Burton College and Seminary in Colorado in 1958.〔 In 1950, he established an organization called the Christian Crusade. In the mid-1950s, Hargis was closely associated with the evangelist Carl McIntire and in the early 1960s Hargis had developed a close relationship with the resigned United States Army Major General Edwin Walker, but he increasingly went his own way in preaching anti-Communism. His targets included government and popular singers.〔〔(Glenn H. Utter & John W. Storey, ''The Religious Right: A Reference Handbook'' ), ABC-CLIO Ltd 2001, 2nd edition, p. 6f., 92. ISBN 978-1-57607-212-7〕 In 1957, the Disciples of Christ denomination withdrew his ordination because he was attacking other churches in his anti-Communist crusade, but by then Hargis' radio program was bringing in $1 million annually and he had established a degree of both financial and theological independence.〔 In 1960, the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated Hargis, suspecting him of being linked to recent bombing attacks on Little Rock public schools and of planning to bomb Philander Smith College. No evidence was found and no charges were filed. On May 31, 1961, Bob Jones University honored Hargis with an honorary Doctor of Laws.〔''Sword of the Lord'', 23 Jun 1961, pg 4.〕 In 1966, Dr. Hargis founded a congregation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, called the Church of the Christian Crusade. This was part of a complex of organizations which he founded in Tulsa, including the American Christian College in 1971, and the ''Christian Crusade'' monthly newspaper. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Billy James Hargis」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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