Biography
Howard George Hendricks was born on April 5, 1924, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents separated when he was a child, and he grew up in poverty with his mother. As a boy he was a street kid in a tough neighborhood and did not have a good example at home. When he was a teenager, a Sunday school teacher took an interest in him and invited him to a church. He was converted at the age of eleven and began to attend. The influence of that teacher changed his life. He later said that he owed everything to the people who invested in him.
He studied at Philadelphia College of Bible and then at Dallas Theological Seminary. After graduation in 1950, he joined the faculty of Dallas, where he taught for sixty years. He was known as Prof to generations of students, who found him a warm and humorous teacher with a passion for the Bible and for people. He taught the course on Christian education and on the methods of Bible study. He was a master of the art of asking questions, and he pushed his students to think for themselves. He was also known for his stress on mentoring, the idea that a person grows by spending time with those who are further along.
He wrote several books, among them Living by the Book, which he wrote with his wife Jeanne, and Teaching to Change Lives. In them he gave simple methods for observing, interpreting and applying the Scriptures. Living by the Book became a standard text on how to study the Bible. He also wrote As Iron Sharpens Iron, a book on the value of mentoring in the church. His books were practical and filled with stories. They reached thousands of pastors and teachers.
He was also a popular speaker, in great demand at conferences and churches. He served as chaplain of the Dallas Cowboys football team for many years and became a friend of the coaches and players. He spoke to business leaders and to military officers. His speaking was marked by humor and by sharp observations. He once said that the Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.
His work shaped many of the leading evangelical pastors and authors of the day, and he is credited with influencing a generation of leaders. Among his students were Chuck Swindoll, Tony Evans and many others. He taught them to love the Word and to give themselves to the people. He took an interest in each student and kept up with many of them throughout his life.
He was not a perfect man. He worked at a heavy pace and was often away from his family. His wife, Jeanne, carried a great share of the work at home. He was also known for his strong personality and for his habit of challenging his students. He could be demanding, and some found him intimidating. He also faced the effects of age and illness in his last years.
He died on February 20, 2013, in Dallas, at the age of eighty-nine. His life shows the lasting effect of a man who invests in others, and the way that a child who was helped by a Sunday school teacher became the one who helped thousands.