Blessed Hope: The Autobiography of John F. Walvoord

by John F. Walvoord, Mal Couch, Tim LaHaye (Foreword)

...he has kept the " blessed hope" of the pretribulational Rapture alive and well. It would be impossible to write the history of the evangelical church of the last half of the twentieth century without giving Dr. John Walvoord a prominent position. For more than sixty years he has stood, without apology, for the literal interpretation of all Scripture, particularly Bible prophecy. More than any other one man he has kept the "blessed hope" of the pretribulational Rapture alive and well.
As president of Dallas Theological Seminary for forty years, he guided the training of more young ministers than any other person in America. He brought together one of the most qualified seminary faculties ever assembled. Names like Charles Ryrie, Dwight Pentecost, Merrill F.Unger, and Stanley Toussaint-all men committed to the literal interpretation of the Word of God and the literal, physical return of Christ to set up His millennial kingdom.
Dr. Walvoord's writings, particularly on prophetic subjects, are interesting yet scholarly, inspiring while not being Christian while at the same time meaningful to the Bible scholar. He is one of the most quoted pretribulational writers in the world.
Today's church owes a great debt to this man. Anyone who emphasizes the imminent coming of Christ, as has Dr. Walvoord, has helped to fire the spirit of holiness, evangelism, and missionary vision in the hearts of pastors and believers. Dr. John Walvoord has done for the present-generation church what John Nelson Darby did in the nineteenth century-he has kept the torch of prophetic expectation alive and well in the hearts of missions.
FROM THE FOREWORD BY TIM LAHAYE

178 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Doug Adamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an enjoyable read but not very detailed or thorough. Apparently, Walvoord recorded his thoughts and memories and Couch produced the book from the recordings. The book gives glimpses and broad insights into his life and ministry, notable ministers and teachers he as known or worked with (some humorous), and things (prophecy, evangelism, etc) important to him. The book also has several pages of testimonials about Walvoord from former students and fellow ministers. There is a helpful outline of significant dates in his life which is paired with significant dates in 20th-century history. This lifeline includes significant events that are not covered in the autobiography itself (for example, the births of his sons and the death, in a car accident, of his son Timothy). There is also a listing of Dr. Walvoord's published works which, along with title and publishing date, notes whether he was the author, a contributor, or the editor. It also notes words that were re-titled when being republished. Surprisingly, there was no mention of prominent co-workers Charles Ryrie or Dwight Pentecost (there is a brief 3-line testimonial by Pentecost). In short, it was an enjoyable read that tantalized but failed to fully satisfy.

[Hank Pharis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dr. Walvoord was the President of Dallas Seminary when I got my Th.M. I had the privilege of going to breakfast with him one morning with a couple of students and taking a class from him. He was a warm man who God used to dramatically improve the Seminary. The school was Dr. Chafer's vision but God used Dr. Walvoord to lead it to become bigger and better than Dr. Chafer could have probably ever dreamed. It was fun to hear him tell his story.