Evangelist Bob Harrington delighted and amazed television audiences during the 1960s and 70s.
Viewers watched him boldly witness for Christ on Donahue, The Art Linkletter Show, 60 Minutes and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Bob was a phenomenon!
Bob first became famous through his work with drunks, drug addicts, whores, pimps and gangsters in New Orleans. This earned him the title "The Chaplain of Bourbon Street."
A journalist once called him "The most unusual preacher of the twentieth century." Bob called himself "God's Super Salesman."
There was no one like him in America.
The Alabama Country Boy
Bob was born on September 2, 1927 in the small town of Sweetwater, Alabama. His dad was a prosperous business man and Bob and his brother were somewhat spoiled. But Bob's grandmother kept him in line and pushed him to "join the church."
Young Bob had a tremendous desire to excel. He admired the successful businessmen all around him and one of his heroes was Charles Lindbergh, who made the daring solo flight across the Atlantic.
Bob sailed through high school without much studying because he had a quick mind and sharp tongue. Bob was also a big fellow so he played football. During half-time he played the trumpet in the band.
When the Japanese bombed Pear Harbor, Bob's parents sent him to a military high school in Marion, Alabama. There he learned discipline, made the football team and played violin in the band. Bob's friends made fun of him for playing the violin. But witty Bob accused them of not being able to play the radio without picking up static.
Sailing, Smartening and Settling Down
After high school Bob joined the Navy. But when the Japanese surrendered, the war was over and Bob was discharged within a year. He came home with bad habits, discouragement and self-doubt.
The University of Alabama granted Bob a football scholarship, so he enrolled there as a pre-med student. His love for pictures led him to also develop a highly profitable photography business on campus.
Soon Bob married his sweetheart Joyce and God blessed
them with two daughters, Rhonda and Mitzi. The Harrington family began attending church on Sunday mornings. But Bob wasn't really interested in God.
Bob received no offers to play pro football and he realized he didn't have the drive or discipline to become a doctor. By this time he was drinking, smoking and seeing other women. One day he came home and told Joyce they were moving to Mobile, Alabama.
He had decided to sell insurance.
Bob The Salesman
Bob got a job with Liberty Mutual Life Insurance Company and he fell in love with selling. He soon broke all the company's sales records.
But after two years with the company Bob was getting restless…because his boss was a religious fanatic.
So Bob answered an ad for the Pan American Insurance Company. When they told him they had been praying for someone with his credentials, Bob didn't want to hear all this religious talk. But he signed on with the company anyway. They assigned him to a territory in Butler, Alabama.
Bob was only 30 years old but he took the area by storm and became a highly-paid insurance agent. In fact…
Bob sold over a million dollars worth of insurance! He was now eligible for the "Million Dollar Club."
But Bob's success wasn't making him happy. His marriage was on the rocks. And something was missing in his life. Every time he drove home he would pass a highway sign that had a tremendous impact on his life. The sign read...
Happy is The Man Who Knows God...
Bob's Dramatic Conversion…
On April 15, 1958 while staying with his parents, Bob attended a revival service. He went because he was hoping to meet some insurance prospects.
But during the service Bob saw himself for what he was:
a phony husband and father. And a phony Christian. Bob
felt trapped and was anxious to get out of the meeting.
But he felt the Lord calling him "home"…
Finally Bob could stand it no longer. He hurried down the church aisle to give his life to Christ. He hugged the evangelist and the pastor. The three of them went upstairs and prayed together.
Bob left the church a changed man. He was saved! His mother had once given him birth. And now he was born again. From that point forward each year Bob would celebrate both births.
That night Bob went to bed and slept somewhere "between the floor and heaven." He even dreamed about God!
The next day Bob discovered he had lost his craving for cigarettes. He also discovered that word of his conversion had spread around town. And the townspeople didn't believe it was genuine.
Bob sped home to tell his wife about his conversion. As he burned up the highway an angry patrolman pulled him over. But when Bob shared with him how Christ had changed his life, the patrolman ended up getting saved also!
Arriving home, Bob grabbed his wife Joyce and swung her around in his arms. He told her he had found the Lord! When she finally realized he wasn't kidding, Joyce hugged him and began crying.
Bob Begins to Witness
Bob was asked to give his testimony at the church in Sweetwater. When he spoke his mother and 15 other people came to the Lord. Bob suddenly realized God was calling him to preach. Three days later Bob won his 58 year old dad to Christ. His father also answered the call to preach.
God led Bob to a Christian used-car salesmen who helped him develop his "holy boldness." Bob soon realized that anyone ought to be able to simply tell what happened to him. We don't have to be Bible scholars to share what happened to us!
Bob wanted to win people to Christ! He was willing to preach anywhere, anytime, any place to anybody. And he carried his Bible with him everywhere—even to the grocery store.
Bob The Evangelist
When Bob told Joyce he was leaving the insurance business to become an evangelist she and her mother sent Bob to a psychiatrist! But the session didn't turn out the way they expected. Bob led the psychiatrist to the Lord!
Joyce and the girls soon gave their lives to the Lord. Bob's house became a Christian home!
Bob asked Joyce to go witnessing with him. At first she was reluctant, but he persuaded her to share her story with others. And she became an effective witness.
Bob realized that witnessing is more important than being a doctor or fireman because people's eternal destinies are at stake.
So he began winning hundreds of people to the Lord. He teamed up with evangelist Eddie Martin of Pennsylvania who taught him much about organizing a revival meeting. But Bob felt he had to strike out on his own.
He began witnessing in churches, schools, clubs, elevators…everywhere he went. He even conducted a "Soul-A-Thon" on TV and won hundreds to Christ. Some people said Bob's fearless and powerful preaching reminded them of John the Baptist. Others said he was like Billy Sunday.
Bob The Non-Conformist
Bob was actually trying to follow the world's most famous non-conformist: Jesus Christ! That's why he didn't limit himself to the normal "clergyman" approach. Bob was different!
Some pastors and church leaders criticized Bob for being a "flamboyant radical."
But their criticisms didn't stop him.
Bob became known as the evangelist who was "success-oriented." He knew God expects us to succeed and he admired the success of his hero, Billy Graham—whose one goal was to be an effective soul-winner.
Soul-winning became Bob's hobby. He tried golf, tennis and swimming, but could never really get into them. Bob always end up witnessing!
Bob's "ever-present aura of joy," his down-to-earth preaching style and quick-witted responses made him popular among the masses.
And within two years Bob had won more than five thousand people to Christ!
Bob Goes to Seminary
In 1960 Bob moved his family to Louisiana so he could attend New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Bob became assistant at the First Baptist Church, where he imitated Dr. Grey's dress, frankness and speed-demon delivery.
Bob also learned much from studying the life of Billy Sunday, the preacher who had been famous for being controversial, sensational and unorthodox.
One day one of Bob's seminary professors challenged the students: "Wherever there's a pocket of sin, there's a mission field." Bob suddenly realized his mission field was New Orleans!
The Bourbon Street Ministry Begins…
Bob began preaching all over New Orleans and soon discovered Bourbon Street in the French Quarter.
Billy Graham once described the New Orleans French Quarter as "the middle of hell." Pornographic books and films were openly displayed, drugs were sold on the streets and you could get a girl or anything else for a price. Television showed the parades and floats of Mardis Gras. But it was really a vast orgy of sex and booze.
Bob was determined to be a "fisher of men."
So in 1961 he opened his office on Bourbon Street. He set up shop between a liquor store and a honky-tonk. Outside his office Bob hung a flaming red cross. He also set up a signboard inviting troubled souls to come inside for prayer, counseling and comfort.
Bob had no illusions about his ministry on Bourbon Street. He knew it was going to be tough. Not only would he have to contend with the blatant opposition, he would also have to resist the subtle temptations of the street.
Building His Image
Dr. Grey advised Bob to "use strategy." So he began dressing flamboyantly to match his colorful personality. He started wearing a red tie, red socks and carrying a bright red Bible.
Why? Bob said, "I want the sinners to see me coming!"
Bob not only wanted them to see him coming, he wanted those who needed help to know where to reach him. So he rented a huge billboard in the business district.
Some of his fellow Baptists didn't like his unusual approach to witnessing. The "high-steeple, few people" church leaders didn't approve of Bob's surroundings or his unorthodox (but highly successful) methods. Or his publicity.
But Bob Harrington won the respect of the entertainers and barkers along Bourbon Street. They eventually realized he was not trying to close their places down but was there to help people find the Lord. They began calling Bob "Big Daddy."
Winning them over was not easy. A whorehouse proprietor once asked Bob to turn down his loud gospel music because it was running the customers away!
One nightclub owner resented the fact that Bob would order a Coke, pay for it, and then talk to the patrons about Christ. The owner complained to the police, but the cops said he had as much right to be there as anyone else. Eventually, Bob won the club owner himself to Christ!
Most of the strippers and club owners came to regard Bob as their friend. And they called on him in emergencies.
Tough Guy in a Tough World
Bob's work on Bourbon Street constantly exposed him to the ravages of sin. So as God's salesman he worked hard to convince people that sin would cost them their character, influence, reputation, time, health, home and money. And would eventually cost them their eternal destiny.
Bob was controversial, flamboyant and outspoken.
Nobody had invited this sin-busting young preacher to set up shop in the most sin-soaked street in America. But Bob marched into dens of iniquity and spoke to brawling men and half naked women about Christ. He regularly ministered to dope addicts, prostitutes, alcoholics, homosexuals, and…
Gangsters. Bob set his sights on winning the New Orleans mobster, Carlos Marcello, to Christ.
This was a daring challenge for the young, unknown evangelist. But Bob did lead Marcello to the Lord and they became good friends.
And suddenly, most of Bob's opposition on Bourbon Street stopped.
Marcello's brother Pete ran the Sho-Bar Club across the street from Bob's headquarters. And his nightclub became Bob's "church," where he preached each Sunday to dope addicts, strippers and gangsters. A tough crowd. But they realized Bob loved them and he was there to help them.
"Satan Brings Happiness"
Walking up and down Bourbon Street, Bob began passing out one of his most popular tracts, called Satan Brings Happiness.
Using the "reverse-selling" approach, Bob's told the reader they could "forget" all about the ten commandments, the traffic laws and the police. They could live as they pleased and forget all about God and Christ. And just when this might sound good to a wayward reader…
The tract warned them not to die.
Because they were going to hell. And if they cried out for help Satan would not help them one bit. The tract, of course, concluded with a plea for them to give their life to Christ.
The Chaplain of Bourbon Street
God made Bob a witness on Bourbon street and he intended to fulfill that calling. So he rented a huge billboard in the business district to advertise his address and telephone number.
Bob did not want to hide his light under a bushel! He realized that cities and movie stars have an "image." So Bob built one for himself. And it paid off…
In October of 1962, just four years after Bob's conversion, Mayor Victor Schiro of New Orleans proclaimed him "The Chaplain of Bourbon Street."
Bob's "Chaplain of Bourbon Street" title became his selling image. Radio, newspaper and television reporters wanted to interview him. He was invited to speak at schools and civic clubs. He appeared on the Phil Donahue Show and 60 Minutes.
Evangelizing The World
Bob eventually trained a dedicated team of young people to help him with the work on Bourbon Street. He also organized his office with a competent staff. All of this freed him to travel around the country and win people to Christ.
Bob could now do what he believed the Lord called him to do: evangelize the world!
He ministered to people in nightclubs, factories, businesses, you name it. And Bob became known internationally for his giant crusades.
Bob not only captivated large crowds, he also witnessed to people one-on-one, daily. He carried the message of Christ into the streets, boulevards, roadways and alleys. Bob shared Christ with people heart to heart and face to face.
Bob was always a man "on the go." He said, "When you know who you are, where you're going and what you're doing, then 'Go, Man, Go' for Jesus." He said life is full of bumps but Jesus was his Holy Shock Absorber.
Bob preached in auditoriums, coliseums, state fairs, night clubs and taverns all across America. He knew people were more relaxed in those familiar atmospheres.
He preached boldly to churches, mobs, riots, motorcycle gangs, night clubs, television, radio, college seminars, high school pep rallies, wrestling matches and every other kind of audience.
Whenever Bob preached at churches, they were usually packed, with overflow crowds spilling out into the parking lot.
Holding Audiences Spellbound
Bob went to Hollywood and let Art Linkletter's agent know what he had to offer the audience of 16 million. He appeared on the show June 27, 1966 and again later.
One of Art Linkletter's writers, Walter Wagner, had once interviewed Billy Graham. But interviewing Bob Harrington changed his life. He found himself sharing his heart with Bob, who closed the door, knelt with him and led him to Christ.
When Harrington began his TV interview with Art Linkletter, Wagner was dazzled by Bob's power. Bob held the audience spellbound with his wit and profound stories about his work with the strippers, pimps, barkers and drug addicts on Bourbon Street. The audience cheered, applauded him and later broke the security rules: they flocked around Bob to get his autograph.
Wagner collaborated with Harrington and wrote his life story, The Chaplain of Bourbon Street.
God's Super Salesman
Bob was constantly on the go, telling others about Christ. He applied his insurance "salesmanship" to presenting the Gospel to the world, traveling up to 200,000 miles a year.
He believed any young man called to the ministry should start developing his salesmanship. Get a job somewhere selling. Bible schools and seminaries should require courses in salesmanship. The greatest salesmen were Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul.
Bob knew that each convert should grow in the Lord. Through prayer, Bible reading, witnessing, etc.
And because of his own "Super Salesmanship for Christ," Bob emphasized growing by winning souls to Jesus Christ!
Bob's Ten Most Wanted List
Bob developed his own list of the Ten Most Wanted Men. Men whose decisions for Christ would shake the world.
His list included Elvis Presley, the President of the United States, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Walter Reuther, Don drysdale, Hugh Hefner, Johnny Carson, Dr. Timothy Leary and Howard Hughes. Bob realized America needed strong, idolized leaders to stand for Christ and influence the nation. And he set out to win them.
Bob even asked movie and television leaders in Los Angeles to join him in following Christ. He pointed out that Jesus was his producer and his writers never had a flop. Their inspiring words from Genesis to Revelation changed lives!
Bob was endorsed by such notables as former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, the late great coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, and Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. And even the famous atheist leader…
Madalyn Murray O'Hair.
Debating The Atheist
Bob debated with Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the atheist from Austin, Texas who was "the most hated woman in America."
During their "Fight to The Finish" tour across America, Bob would begin the program by speaking out against both atheism and complacent Christianity. O'Hair would then vent her anger against Bible-believing Christians, curse and take God's name in vain. She ripped pages out of a Bible and threw them at the audience. O'Hair would then storm off stage.
Bob said Madalyn Murray O'Hair was one tough ol' biddy, in an all-out war against Christianity. But he did acknowledge she was more dedicated to nothing than most people are to something.
The "Holy Honeymoon" With Christ
What motivated Bob Harrington to become God's Super Salesman?
His primary motivation was his love for his Lord. Bob was sold on Christ! He said it was a matter of staying on his "holy honeymoon." The same love for the Lord you could see in Billy Graham, Oral Roberts and many others who have never left their holy honeymoon.
And Bob was motivated every time he won someone to Christ. The changed lives of his wife, daughters, his mother and father and the masses he won to the Lord.
Bob was motivated by the love and encouragement he received from other preachers, his parents and his staff. He appreciated the friendship of Fred Roan, a saved car dealer in Mobile Alabama who taught Bob how to pray and testify and witness for the Lord.
Bob's great successes motivated him to do even more. His revivals, radio messages (50 radio stations), speaking at conventions, high schools, civic clubs, night clubs, colleges and universities, television appearances…all of this motivated him.
Bob also enjoyed living out on the Lake Vista section of New Orleans with Mayor Schiro, Al Hirt, Pete Fountain and others.
He also enjoyed the financial blessings from his work that paid for his home and his daughters' educations.
But then one day...
Tragedy Strikes
Bob Harrington's evangelistic career turned to ashes.
Bob became addicted to money making and the flattery of women. And in 1976 he turned his back on his Lord, divorced his wife and left the ministry.
Bob, who had previously won thousands to Christ, was now a prodigal minister. A prodigal husband. And a prodigal father.
Bob moved to Florida and began selling a personal success program called Balanced Living. And although he charged executives $1,000 to $3,000 to show them how to succeed, Harrington's debts piled up.
During the next twenty years Bob lived only for himself. He lived for pleasure. But although he had to struggle with debt and lawsuits, he never drank or did drugs.
Bob was miserable. He later admitted, "Satan threw me a pass, and I ran with it to defeat."
He found himself in Los Angeles, considering suicide.
Suddenly the phone rang.
It was Bob's old friend Rex Humbard. Rex counseled with Bob, prayed with him and led the former Chaplain of Bourbon Street to read Psalm 51. Bob repented of his sins and re-committed his life to the Lord.
Back in The Saddle Again
"Brother Bob" is back in business!
Now in his late 70s, Bob speaks with the energy of a man half his age, winning people to the Lord and stirring up "backslidden saints."
In 1998 Bob married Becky Birdwell, and they live together on the ranch where she raises miniature horses near Mansfield, Texas.
Jerry Falwell began supporting Bob's restored ministry. Bob preached at Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church in July, 2000. Three hundred people were saved that Sunday!
Bob says he has lived four lives—he was lost, he was saved, he left the Lord, and he has been restored.
Bob Harrington's Contributions
To Christianity
During the trying times and social upheavals of the 1960s and '70s, Bob stood ramrod straight and won thousands to Christ. His quick wit and bold witness for Christ lit up our television screen and crusade stadiums all across America.
His motto was, "It's fun being saved!"
Bob showed a generation of Christians that we should all be "salespeople" for Christ. We need to be sold on the gospel and constantly selling others.
And perhaps Bob's greatest contribution was to show us we need to reach out to those who are down and out. They need us. Out there on the streets where life is the toughest.
Bob was certainly tough. He boldly went where few had dared to go. He marched into the Bourbon Street hellhole and told everybody there that God loved them and Christ died for them. He was God's Super Salesman, winning everybody he could reach for Jesus Christ.
Evangelist Bob Harrington won thousands of people to Christ.
He is a Christian Hero!
Bob Harrington
"I am an evangelist...
a 'Super Salesman' for God
...winning real people
to Jesus Christ
in real situations."
"We must jettison all the religious junk and get back to God's Word."
---------
Rick Josey
“My son, give me your heart; And let your eyes keep in my ways.”
---------
Proverbs 23:26
By Rick Josey
Bob Harrington was restored to fellowship.
In 1995, he returned to New Orleans. He was broke and alone. His daughter Rhonda and her husband took him in. “She and Chuck brought me back to the Lord. They are my heroes."
In time Bob began to preach again and since his "return to God" he has spoken at some of the best-known churches in America.
Bob Harrington today.
-- Bob Harrington
"The Chaplain of Bourbon Street"
and Soul-Winner par excellence.
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