Topic(s): Speech, Tongue

• The Tongue “The boneless tongue, so small and weak, can crush and kill,” declared the Greek.
• The Persian proverb wisely saith, “A lengthy tongue, an early death.”
• Sometimes it takes this form instead: “Don’t let your tongue cut off your head.”
• While Arab sages this impart: “The tongue’s great storehouse is the heart.”
• From Hebrew wit, the maxim’s sprung: “Though feet should slip, don’t let the tongue.”
• A verse from Scripture crowns the whole: “Who keeps the tongue doth keep his soul.”

Leroy Brownlow (1914-2002): Part 1

Preacher, Author, Writer, Publisher, Businessman

By Noble Patterson

Topic(s): Christian Life, Evangelism

Links to this entire series:

• Leroy Brownlow: Part 1
• Leroy Brownlow: Part 2
• Leroy Brownlow: Part 3
• Leroy Brownlow: Part 4
• Leroy Brownlow: Part 5

Editor’s Note: Few men have influenced the church more in our lifetime than Leroy Brownlow. I came across his biography this week, and thought there were spiritual lessons to learn from one who “being dead yet speaketh” (Hebrews 11:4).

Christians in Fort Worth and throughout the nation were deeply saddened upon learning of the death of Leroy Brownlow, November 8, 2002, at age 88. Memorial services were conducted at the Bridgewood Church of Christ, in Fort Worth on November 12, with Robert Bankes, Robert Bostick, and Paul Brownlow officiating.

Brownlow had suffered a severe stroke in 1993 and was not expected to live.

As a result of the stroke, for the last nine years of his life he was incapacitated and was cared for at Bishop Davies Nursing Home in the Fort Worth suburb of Hurst. His influential voice has been felt around the world through his preaching and writing.

Leroy was born April 30, 1914, on a farm in Cooke County near Callisburg, east of Gainesville, Texas. He was the oldest of three children, the other two being girls. He attended school at Callisburg for a number of years and became a graduate of the high school at nearby Whitesboro, finishing his course with honors in 1931. Leroy did not grow up in the church. His parents were from different religious groups; his mother was a Presbyterian, and his father taught Sunday school in a Methodist church. His grandfather was a Baptist preacher for 65 years.

It was during this early period that Brother Paul C. Witt, of the Science Department at Abilene Christian College conducted a summer gospel meeting in Callisburg. The Brownlow family attended these services regularly. Leroy’s parents would come home from the meeting and study their Bibles by light of a lantern until late night. They concluded that the concept of New Testament undenominational Christianity was a valid one.

Leroy came to the same conclusion, and during this meeting was baptized at age 17. That changed everything! Even though Leroy had already enrolled at Southern Methodist University to pursue an engineering degree, Brother Witt encouraged the talented young man to attend Abilene Christian College and become a preacher. Leroy abandoned his plans to go to Southern Methodist University, packed up his belongings and drove to Abilene with his friend and mentor, Paul C. Witt, and entered Abilene Christian College. Leroy changed his major to Bible and Greek and returned home to preach his first sermon in Callisburg during the Christmas holidays in 1931. His topic was “I Am Ready to Preach the Gospel.” This expression from the pen of the apostle Paul seems to have been the expression of Leroy’s life—he was always “ready” to tell the sweet story. The church building was packed with old friends and acquaintances that had an interest in the welfare of the young gospel preacher.

After one year of college work, he taught in Texas public schools at Callisburg for two years, and preached regularly on weekends for the Callisburg church. Throughout his years at Abilene Christian College he preached regularly each weekend and held meetings in the summer. During his sophomore year he preached regularly at Albany, Texas, and Putnam, Texas. In his junior and senior years he preached full time in Rochester, Texas. He was eighteen years of age when he held his first gospel meeting in Bartonsville, Texas, which lasted ten days. Years later Leroy reminisced and stated that the meeting could not have lasted longer or the sermons would have run out. Fourteen were baptized and two were restored. There were also 14 baptisms in his second meeting, and 15 in the third meeting. The year he was 20 he preached 65 consecutive days in open-air meetings that resulted in 66 baptisms. Outdoor audiences were amazed as nightly the boy preacher defied flying bugs and denominational hecklers to preach simple truths.