Carl H. Stevens Jr. (November 4, 1929 – June 3, 2008) was an American clergyman. He was the founder of Stevens School of the Bible, former Pastor of Greater Grace World Outreach, and Chancellor at Maryland Bible College & Seminary. Stevens was an early pioneer of radio and television

evangelism Evangelism, or witnessing, is the act of sharing the Christian gospel, the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is typically done with the intention of converting others to Christianity. Evangelism can take several forms, such as persona ...

, in his capacity as the host of the

Christian radio Christian radio refers to Christian media radio formats that focus on Christian religious broadcasting or various forms of Christian music. Many such formats and programs include contemporary Christian music, gospel music, sermons, radio dramas, ...

broadcasts, ''Telephone Time'' and ''The Grace Hour.'' Stevens founded a Christian religious group known as "The Bible Speaks." The group was headquartered in

Lenox, Massachusetts Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is in Western Massachusetts and part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Pittsfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,095 at the 2020 United States census ...

beginning in 1976. Stevens and his followers moved to

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

in 1987 after their property in Lenox was sold following a court decision that required them to return $6.6 million in donations due to undue influence. Stevens died on June 3, 2008, at the age of 79. Carl Stevens, The Bible Speaks, and Greater Grace World Outreach have been investigated by multiple organizations for cult-like practices including swindling people out of money and spiritual abuse by leadership.

References

External links

Carl Stevens Memorial site
1929 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American clergy 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century evangelicals 21st-century American clergy 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century evangelicals American Christian clergy American Evangelical writers American evangelists American male non-fiction writers American religious writers American television evangelists Evangelical pastors {{US-Christian-clergy-stub