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Jack Van Impe

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Jack Leo Van Impe (born February 9, 1931[1]) is a televangelist who is known for his half-hour weekly television series Jack Van Impe Presents, an eschatological commentary on the news of the week through his interpretation of the Bible. The program airs throughout the United States, Canada, and several other countries through both religious broadcasters and the purchase of paid programming time on commercial television stations. Van Impe's website claims that he is known as the "Walking Bible" because of his extensive memorization of Bible verses.[2]

Biography

Originally from Troy, Michigan, Van Impe was an accordion player as a child, performing duets with his missionary father across Michigan and other states. In 1948, Van Impe graduated from high school and entered Detroit Bible College, earning his diploma in 1952 and beginning his career as a preacher and evangelist as well as an extensive recording career. In an episode of Jack Van Impe Presents, Jack notes that during his years working with the Billy Graham crusades, Van Impe met his future wife, Rexella (b. 1932), who was an organist with the crusades. The couple were later married and started their own joint ministry.

Since the 1950s, Van Impe has released dozens of Gospel and spoken word recordings. His first album Presenting the Van Impes features Van Impe on the accordion as well as Rexella's organ playing. Subsequent musical recordings featured the accorgan, a type of electronic accordion.

The rock singer and songwriter Bob Seger features an audio clip of Van Impe criticizing rock and roll music in the introductory portion of his song "Heavy Music Part 2," the B side of his 1967 Detroit-area hit single Heavy Music.

Jack Van Impe Ministries

Jack Van Impe Presents is videotaped at the Jack Van Impe Ministries World Outreach Center, in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Impe's wife Rexella cohosts the telecast. On a typical show, Rexella begins by reading a recent news headline. Van Impe then applies his memorization of Bible verses to interpret the news story, generally in an attempt to show that it is another manifestation of biblically-predicted signs of the end of the age.

In 2001, Jack Van Impe Ministries "won" the parodic Ig Nobel Prize in Astrophysics for its assertion that "black holes fulfill all the technical requirements to be the location of Hell."[3]

Personal views

On August 30, 2005, Van Impe said of Pat Robertson, "We do not need an Osama bin Laden leading us" and called for Robertson to recant his positions of calling for the assassination of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and the death of a Supreme Court Justice.[4]

On February 14th, Van Impe implied that President Obama is a dictator. He continued the implication, citing quotes by Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, stating that Obama is worshiped as a god by his political supporters.

Health problems

In an episode of Jack Van Impe Presents aired the week of June 19, 2006, Van Impe disclosed that he had undergone two total knee replacements in early 2006. He gave thanks to God for his recovery and for leading him to the "wonderful surgeon" who did the operation. Incidentally, the surgeon was Muslim.

Discography

  • Presenting the Van Impes Crown Records CV-1003
  • Accorgan Artisty
  • Singing And Making Melody With The Accorgan
  • Marked For Death: Can America Survive? (1969)
  • From Nightclubs to Christ (1970)
  • The Coming War With Russia

References

  1. ^ Religious Leaders of America, 2nd ed., Gale Group, 1999
  2. ^ Jack Van Impe website, "About" section
  3. ^ http://improbable.com/ig/winners/#ig2001
  4. ^ Blumenthal, Max (2005-08-30). "Televangelist Jack Van Impe called Robertson "an Osami bin Laden"". MediaMatters.org.
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