THE DEATH OF JAMES MONTGOMERY BOICE

From the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals we received this note:

Eight weeks after learning he had a fatal form of liver cancer, the Reverend Dr. James Montgomery Boice, 61, Senior Minister of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, died in his sleep on Thursday, June 15, 2000. A world-famous Bible teacher and statesman for Reformation theology, Boice had received his doctor's diagnosis on Good Friday, two hours before stepping into the pulpit to deliver a sermon on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. On May 7 he informed his congregation of his condition, asking them at one point, "If God does something in your life, would you change it? If you'd change it, you'd make it worse. It wouldn't be as good."

Dr. Boice was pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church since 1968; during his 32 years it became a model for ministry in America's cities and the regular attendance grew from 350 to 1,200. Since 1969 he was the teacher on The Bible Study Hour radio broadcast over 238 stations, and was President of the program's parent organization, the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals.

Dr. Boice served as Chairman of the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy from its founding in 1977 until the completion of its work in 1988. At the time of his death he served on the Board of Directors of Bible Study Fellowship International, the Huguenot Fellowship, and was Chairman of the Board of City Center Academy, a college preparatory high school for inner-city youth founded seventeen years ago by Dr. Boice and his wife.

A prolific author, Dr. Boice wrote or contributed to over sixty books on the Bible and theology. Dr. Boice held degrees from Harvard University (A.B.), Princeton Theological Seminary (B.D.), the University of Basel, Switzerland (D. Theol.), and the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church (D.D., honorary).

Dr. Boice was born on July 7, 1938, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Linda Ann Boice (nee McNamara); three daughters, Elizabeth Boice Dawson, Heather Louise Boice, and Jennifer Boice Rainer; his mother, Mrs. Jean S. Boice; three sisters, Judith Boice Casanova, Nancy Boice Zimmerman, and Elizabeth Boice McKinley; and three grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, June 23, the Reverend Eric Alexander of St. Andrews, Scotland, preaching. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, 1716 Spruce Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19103 or to: City Center Academy, 1701 Delancey Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19103. USA