Chuck Swindoll
Encyclopedia
Charles Rozell "Chuck" Swindoll (born October 18, 1934) is an evangelical
Christian
pastor
, author
, educator and radio preacher
. He founded Insight for Living, currently headquartered in Plano, Texas
, which airs a radio program of the same name on more than 2,000 stations around the world in 15 languages. He is currently the senior pastor of Stonebriar Community Church
, in Frisco, Texas
.
(Wharton County), the third of three children born to Earl and Lovell Swindoll. He attended Charles H. Milby High School in Houston, Texas, where he was a member of the National Honor Society
and excelled in drama and music. (Today, he credits his drama teacher, Dick Nieme, for helping him overcome a severe stuttering problem.) As a member of the school marching band and orchestra, he learned to play all of the instruments in the woodwind section, although the saxophone remained his primary instrument. After graduating from high school, Chuck studied mechanical engineering
while working for Reed Roller Bit Company in Houston, Texas. Chuck then fulfilled his military service obligation with the United States Marine Corps
, first in San Francisco, then on the Japanese island of Okinawa. After his honorable discharge in 1959, Chuck attended Dallas Theological Seminary
, where he graduated magna cum laude four years later. He married his wife, Cynthia, on June 18, 1955, and the couple has four children.
, under J. Dwight Pentecost
, for two years. He has since held senior pastorates in Waltham, Massachusetts
(1965–1967), Irving, Texas
(1967–1971), and Fullerton, California
(1971–1994). He started his current senior pastorate in Frisco, Texas
, in 1998.
Swindoll is the founder and Chairman of the Board of Insight for Living, which produces a radio program of the same name on Christian and non-Christian radio stations around the world. The program is heard on more than 2000 stations as well as webcast
and is translated into several languages. Its roots go back to the summer of 1977, when Swindoll's sermons from the First Evangelical Free Church
in Fullerton, California, were broadcast on radio. In 1979, the Insight for Living radio ministry began. The offices of Insight for Living are now located in Plano, Texas
.
In July 1994, Swindoll became the president of the Dallas Theological Seminary
and now serves as its chancellor
. He is the author of more than 70 books, most of which are based on his research and preparation for sermons preached each Sunday. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Christianity Today
produced an article naming Swindoll as one of the top 25 most influential preachers of the past 50 years (1956–2006).
In 1998, Swindoll founded a new church in Frisco, Texas
, Stonebriar Community Church
. The church first held services at Collin County Community College (now called Collin College), then moved to its permanent home on Legendary Drive in Frisco
. The congregation grew rapidly from a few hundred members to several thousand in the first few years and this growth has necessitated major expansion of the current facility. Construction for the additions began in 2005. Many of the pastors at Stonebriar are graduates of Dallas Theological Seminary, and the church is known for its missionary
work in India
and in other countries. Though Swindoll is still widely regarded as an Evangelical Free Church of America
preacher, the Stonebriar Community Church
is not affiliated with any particular denomination
.
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, educator and radio preacher
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
. He founded Insight for Living, currently headquartered in Plano, Texas
Plano, Texas
Plano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as...
, which airs a radio program of the same name on more than 2,000 stations around the world in 15 languages. He is currently the senior pastor of Stonebriar Community Church
Stonebriar Community Church
Stonebriar Community Church is a nondenominational evangelical Christian church in Frisco, Texas, a fast-growing suburb north of Dallas, Texas...
, in Frisco, Texas
Frisco, Texas
Frisco is an affluent city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and a rapidly growing suburb of Dallas. As of the 2010 Census, 116,989 people were living in Frisco up from 33,714 in the previous census. Frisco was the fastest growing city in the United States in 2009, and also...
.
Early life
Chuck was born in El Campo, TexasEl Campo, Texas
El Campo is a city in Wharton County, Texas, United States. The population was 10,945 at the 2000 census, making it the largest city in Wharton County.-Geography:...
(Wharton County), the third of three children born to Earl and Lovell Swindoll. He attended Charles H. Milby High School in Houston, Texas, where he was a member of the National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
and excelled in drama and music. (Today, he credits his drama teacher, Dick Nieme, for helping him overcome a severe stuttering problem.) As a member of the school marching band and orchestra, he learned to play all of the instruments in the woodwind section, although the saxophone remained his primary instrument. After graduating from high school, Chuck studied mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
while working for Reed Roller Bit Company in Houston, Texas. Chuck then fulfilled his military service obligation with the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, first in San Francisco, then on the Japanese island of Okinawa. After his honorable discharge in 1959, Chuck attended Dallas Theological Seminary
Dallas Theological Seminary
Dallas Theological Seminary is an evangelical theological seminary located in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system known as Dispensationalism...
, where he graduated magna cum laude four years later. He married his wife, Cynthia, on June 18, 1955, and the couple has four children.
Career
Chuck Swindoll was ordained into the ministry in 1963 and served in Dallas, TexasDallas, 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...
, under J. Dwight Pentecost
J. Dwight Pentecost
J. Dwight Pentecost is a Christian theologian best known for his book Things to Come.He currently is Distinguished Professor of Bible Exposition, Emeritus, at Dallas Theological Seminary, one of only two so honored. He holds a B.A. from Hampden-Sydney College and Th.M. and Th.D. degrees from...
, for two years. He has since held senior pastorates in Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
(1965–1967), Irving, Texas
Irving, Texas
Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...
(1967–1971), and Fullerton, California
Fullerton, California
Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...
(1971–1994). He started his current senior pastorate in Frisco, Texas
Frisco, Texas
Frisco is an affluent city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and a rapidly growing suburb of Dallas. As of the 2010 Census, 116,989 people were living in Frisco up from 33,714 in the previous census. Frisco was the fastest growing city in the United States in 2009, and also...
, in 1998.
Swindoll is the founder and Chairman of the Board of Insight for Living, which produces a radio program of the same name on Christian and non-Christian radio stations around the world. The program is heard on more than 2000 stations as well as webcast
Webcast
A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand...
and is translated into several languages. Its roots go back to the summer of 1977, when Swindoll's sermons from the First Evangelical Free Church
Evangelical Free Church of America
The Evangelical Free Church of America is an evangelical Christian denomination. The EFCA was formed in 1950 from the merger of the Swedish Evangelical Free Church and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association.-History:...
in Fullerton, California, were broadcast on radio. In 1979, the Insight for Living radio ministry began. The offices of Insight for Living are now located in Plano, Texas
Plano, Texas
Plano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as...
.
In July 1994, Swindoll became the president of the Dallas Theological Seminary
Dallas Theological Seminary
Dallas Theological Seminary is an evangelical theological seminary located in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system known as Dispensationalism...
and now serves as its chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
. He is the author of more than 70 books, most of which are based on his research and preparation for sermons preached each Sunday. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Christianity Today
Christianity Today
Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...
produced an article naming Swindoll as one of the top 25 most influential preachers of the past 50 years (1956–2006).
In 1998, Swindoll founded a new church in Frisco, Texas
Frisco, Texas
Frisco is an affluent city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and a rapidly growing suburb of Dallas. As of the 2010 Census, 116,989 people were living in Frisco up from 33,714 in the previous census. Frisco was the fastest growing city in the United States in 2009, and also...
, Stonebriar Community Church
Stonebriar Community Church
Stonebriar Community Church is a nondenominational evangelical Christian church in Frisco, Texas, a fast-growing suburb north of Dallas, Texas...
. The church first held services at Collin County Community College (now called Collin College), then moved to its permanent home on Legendary Drive in Frisco
Frisco
Frisco may refer to:in places:*Frisco, Colorado*Frisco, Louisiana*Frisco, North Carolina*Frisco, Pennsylvania*Frisco, Texas*Frisco, Utah*Frisco City, Alabama*nickname for San Francisco, California in motion pictures:...
. The congregation grew rapidly from a few hundred members to several thousand in the first few years and this growth has necessitated major expansion of the current facility. Construction for the additions began in 2005. Many of the pastors at Stonebriar are graduates of Dallas Theological Seminary, and the church is known for its missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
work in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and in other countries. Though Swindoll is still widely regarded as an Evangelical Free Church of America
Evangelical Free Church of America
The Evangelical Free Church of America is an evangelical Christian denomination. The EFCA was formed in 1950 from the merger of the Swedish Evangelical Free Church and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association.-History:...
preacher, the Stonebriar Community Church
Stonebriar Community Church
Stonebriar Community Church is a nondenominational evangelical Christian church in Frisco, Texas, a fast-growing suburb north of Dallas, Texas...
is not affiliated with any particular denomination
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
.
Selected publications
- You And Your Child, Thomas Nelson (1977)
- Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back: Persevering Through Pressure, Thomas Nelson (1980)
- Strike The Original Match, Multnomah (1980)
- Improving Your Serve: The Art Of Unselfish Living, Word (1981)
- Strengthening Your Grip: Essentials In An Aimless World, Word (1982)
- Growing Strong In The Seasons Of Life, Multnomah (1983)
- Dropping Your Guard: The Value Of Open Relationships, Word (1983)
- Come Before Winter - And Share My Hope, Multnomah (1985)
- Living On The Ragged Edge: Coming To Terms With Reality, Word (1985)
- Growing Deep In The Christian Life: Returning To Our Roots, Multnomah (1986)
- The Quest For Character, Multnomah (1987)
- Living Above The Level Of Mediocrity : A Commitment To Excellence, Word (1987)
- Growing Wise In Family Life, Multnomah (1988)
- Living Beyond The Daily Grind: Reflections On The Songs And Sayings In Scripture, Word (1988)
- Rise & Shine: A Wake-Up Call, Multnomah (1989)
- The Grace Awakening, Word (1990)
- Sanctity Of Life: The Inescapable Issue, Word (1990)
- Stress Fractures, Multnomah (1990)
- Simple Faith, Word (1991)
- Laugh Again, Word (1992)
- Flying Closer To The Flame, Word (1993)
- The Finishing Touch, Word (1994)
- Paw Paw Chuck's Big Ideas in the Bible, Word (1995)
- Hope Again, Word (1996)
- The Road To Armageddon (with John F Walvoord; J Dwight Pentecost), Word (1999)
- Start Where You Are: Catch A Fresh Vision For Your Life, Word (1999)
- The Mystery Of God's Will: What Does He Want For Me?, Word (1999)
- Perfect Trust: Ears To Hear, Hearts To Trust, And Minds To Rest In Him, J. Countryman (2000)
- The Darkness And The Dawn : Empowered By The Tragedy And Triumph Of The Cross, Word (2001)
- Why, God?: Calming Words For Chaotic Times, Word (2001)
- Wisdom For The Way: Wise Words For Busy People, J. Countryman (2001)
- Understanding Christian Theology (with Roy B Zuck), Thomas Nelson (2003)
- Behold—The Man!: The Pathway Of His Passion, Word (2004)
- So, You Want To Be Like Christ?: Eight Essentials To Get You There, Word (2005)
- When God Is Silent (Choosing To Trust In Life's Trials), J. Countryman (2005)
- Great Attitudes For Graduates!: 10 Choices For Success In Life (with Terri A Gibbs), J. Countryman (2006)
- Encouragement For Life: Words Of Hope And Inspiration, J. Countryman (2006) ISBN 978-1404103238
- The Strength Of Character: 7 Essential Traits Of A Remarkable Life (with Terri A Gibbs), J. Countryman (2007) ISBN 978-1404103948
- A Bethlehem Christmas: Celebrating The Joyful Season, Thomas Nelson (2007) ISBN 978-1404104686
- The Owner's Manual for Christians: The Essential Guide for a God-Honoring Life, Thomas Nelson (2009) ISBN 084990191X
- The Church Awakening: An Urgent Call for Renewal, FaithWords (2010) ISBN 978-0446556538
Swindoll's New Testament Insights Commentary Series
- Insights on Romans, Zondervan (2010) ISBN 978-0310284307
- Insights on John, Zondervan (2010) ISBN 978-0310284352
- Insights on James and 1 & 2 Peter, Zondervan (2010) ISBN 978-0310284321
- Insights on 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus, Zondervan (2011) ISBN 978-0310284338
- Insights on Revelation, Zondervan (2012)
- Insights on Luke, Zondervan (2012)
Profiles in Character series
- David: A Man Of Passion & Destiny, Word (1997) ISBN 9780849913822
- Esther: A Woman Of Strength & Dignity, Word (1997) ISBN 9780849913839
- Joseph: A Man Of Integrity And Forgiveness, Word (1998) ISBN 9780849913426
- Moses: A Man Of Selfless Dedication, Word (1999) ISBN 9780849913853
- Elijah: A Man Of Heroism And Humility, Word (2000) ISBN 9780849913860
- Paul: A Man Of Grace And Grit, Word (2002) ISBN 9780849917493
- Job: A Man Of Heroic Endurance, Word (2004) ISBN 9780849913891
- Fascinating Stories Of Forgotten Lives : Rediscovering Some Old Testament Characters, Word (2005) ISBN 0849900166
- Jesus: The Greatest Life Of All, Thomas Nelson (2008) ISBN 0849901901
Honors and awards
- Harry A. Ironside Award for Expository Preaching - Dallas Theological SeminaryDallas Theological SeminaryDallas Theological Seminary is an evangelical theological seminary located in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system known as Dispensationalism...
, 1963 - Christian Education Award - Dallas Theological Seminary, 1963
- Faculty Award - Dallas Theological Seminary, 1963
- Doctor of Divinity - Talbot School of TheologyTalbot School of TheologyTalbot School of Theology is a non-denominational, conservative evangelical Christian theological seminary located near Los Angeles. Talbot is one of the seven schools that comprise Biola University, located in La Mirada, California.-History:...
, 1977 - Doctor of Human Letters - Taylor UniversityTaylor UniversityTaylor University is a private, interdenominational, evangelical Christian college located in Upland, Indiana. Founded in 1846, it is one of the oldest evangelical Christian colleges in America....
, 1986 - Clergyman of the Year - Religious Heritage of AmericaReligious Heritage of AmericaThe Religious Heritage of America Foundation was founded by W. Clement Stone as a national interfaith organization in the U.S. It was instrumental in getting the phrase, "one nation, under God", added to the US Pledge of Allegiance....
, 1988 - Doctor of Laws - Pepperdine UniversityPepperdine UniversityPepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
, 1990 - Doctor of Literature - Dallas Baptist UniversityDallas Baptist UniversityDallas Baptist University , formerly known as Dallas Baptist College, is a Christian liberal arts university located in Dallas, Texas. The main campus is located approximately fifteen miles southwest of downtown Dallas overlooking Mountain Creek Lake...
, 1998 - Lifetime Achievement Award - [Catalyst Conference], 2009
External links
- Insight for Living - Official Web Site (US, Worldwide)
- Insight for Living - Official Web Site (United Kingdom)
- Insight for Living Canada - Official Web Site (Canada)
- Insight for Living Inc. - Official Web Site (Australia)
- Stonebriar Community Church - Official Web Site
- Dallas Theological Seminary - Official Web Site