Jack Chick, a controversial California-based evangelist who used comic books to spread the gospel, died Sunday at the age of 92, according to a note on his Facebook page.
“Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Brother Jack Chick passed away Sunday evening, October 23, peacefully in his sleep. He was 92,” the note said.
“He will be interred in a small private ceremony. Condolences can be sent to Chick Publications, and they will be taken to his widow. God bless you all.”
Chick is best known for his empire of comic-book-style Christian tracts, which often featured in-your-face confrontations against beliefs and philosophies that did not agree with evangelical Protestantism, especially Catholicism and Judaism, leading some to consider him a religious bigot.
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Websites such as boingboing.net called Chick the “father of the Satanic Panic” as well as “the paranoid, hateful minicomics pioneer.”
His company says it has sold more than 750 million tracts, with the content translated into more than 100 languages.
Chick’s material has covered a wide variety of subjects, strongly attacking abortion, homosexuality, the occult, rock music, left-wing politics, J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series, and the theory of evolution.
Chick often blamed the Roman Catholic Church for many of the world’s problems, prompting him to be labeled “savagely anti-Catholic” by Catholic Answers.
On one of his Catholic information pages, the question was posed: “Does Jack Chick hate Catholics?” with the response being:
“Quite the opposite. In the mid-1970s, when he first began to understand what Roman Catholicism really teaches, he knew it was unscriptural. He also knew that to speak out against it would be unpopular and hurt his publishing company.
“After much prayer, he made the decision that, no matter what it cost him personally, he would publish the truth that Roman Catholicism is not Christian. He did it because he loves Catholics and wants them to be saved through faith in Jesus, not trusting in religious liturgy and sacraments. He paid a price for that decision in many ways, as priests and nuns entered Christian bookstores screaming and making a scene, demanding that the store owner not stock Chick tracts. Some ‘Christian’ media have even refused to accept advertising from Chick Publications, fearing any ‘controversy’ that might hurt their cash flow.”
Born in Boyle Heights, California, in 1924, Chick’s online biography says of him: “From early childhood, it was obvious that Jack Chick had an ability to draw. He even failed the first grade because he was so busy drawing airplanes in battle. As he grew, Jack was constantly drawing, and honing skills that God would later use in a great way.
“While in high school, none of the Christians would have anything to do with him because of his bad language. They all agreed not to witness to him, convinced that he was the last guy on Earth who would ever accept Jesus Christ.”
Chick reportedly spent three years in the U.S. Army, and upon his discharge, he met and married his wife, Lynn, who was instrumental in his conversion to Christianity.
His bio states: “Once married, Jack used his artistic talents to earn a living. He had always longed to be a professional cartoonist, but now as a Christian, he desired to use his artistic talents for the Lord.
“While working at AstroScience Corporation in El Monte, California, Jack was sitting in his car reading a copy of ‘Power From On High’ by Charles Finney, which an old welder had given him. He remembers, ‘That book pushed my button. I went to church and saw all the deadness and hypocrisy, and I thought, that’s why there’s no revival. So I started making these little sketches. My burden was so heavy to wake Christians up to pray for revival.'”
