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 Maryland Bible College & Seminary, founded in 1988, is a Bible college in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a successor to Stevens School of the Bible. The college is affiliated with Greater Grace World Outreach Greater Grace World Outreach (GGWO) is a ...

. Stevens was an early pioneer of radio and television

evangelism In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are i ...

, in his capacity as the host of the

Christian radio Christian radio is a Christian media radio format that focus on programming with a Christian message. Many such broadcasters play contemporary Christian music, though many programs include sermons, radio dramas, as well as news and talk progra ...

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. The town is based in Western Massachusetts and part of the Pittsfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,095 at the 2020 census. Lenox is the site of Shakespeare & Company and T ...

beginning in 1976. Stevens and his followers moved to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

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