Televangelist Rex Humbard, 88
Posted: Tuesday, October 9th, 2007 1:11 pmFrom September 22:
ATLANTIS, Florida (AP) — The Rev. Rex Humbard, a former itinerant preacher whose televangelism ministry once reached more parts of the globe than any other religious program, died Friday, a family spokeswoman said. He was 88.
Humbard died of natural causes at a South Florida hospital near his Lantana home, family spokeswoman Kathy Scott said. …
As with his contemporaries Billy Graham and Oral Roberts, Humbard’s ministry began to flourish in the post-World War II era. …
By 1970, Humbard’s syndicated program appeared on more TV stations in America than any other program and eventually reached more than 600 stations, according to the 1999 reference work “Religious Leaders of America.” …
His ministry suffered from internal disputes and extensive borrowing. In the 1970s, federal and state regulators complained that millions of dollars in notes that he had issued to followers over the years violated securities laws.
Humbard eventually left in 1982 and the congregation dwindled, sometimes with as few as 75 people showing up. … Read full obituary
