Luis Palau
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encyclopedia
November 27, 1934
Ingeniero
Maschwitz, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Died March 11, 2021 (aged 86)
Portland,
Oregon, U.S.
Nationality Argentine, American
Education Multnomah Bible College
Occupation Evangelist
Years
active 1960–2021
Known for Christian evangelist, author of books on
Christianity
Luis Palau Jr. (November 27, 1934 –
March 11, 2021) was an international Christian evangelist living in the
Portland area in Oregon, United States. He was born in Argentina and moved to
Portland in his mid-twenties to enroll in a graduate program in Biblical
studies.
Palau had a long and close
relationship with evangelist Billy Graham, and was characterized by many as
Graham's successor. "One of the world’s leading evangelical Christian
figures,"[1] he was known for his strong appeal to young people, and for
his efforts to reach out to secular leaders to address issues like
homelessness.
In 2007, Palau was estimated to have
shared the message of Jesus Christ with 25 million people in 70 nations.[2]
Palau's ministry employs 70 people in their headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon
and another 25 around the world which include offices in Buenos Aires,
Argentina and London, England.[3]
In 2018, Palau shared[4] on Facebook
and YouTube that he had stage-four lung cancer,[5] which led to his death in
March 2021.[6]
Early life
Luis Palau Jr. was born November 27,
1934 in Maschwitz, Buenos Aires, Argentina.[7][3] He has five younger sisters
and one brother.[3] His father, a construction executive, died when Palau was
10.[8] Within a matter of years after his father's death, due to poor financial
management by relatives, Palau, his siblings, and his widowed mother were left
nearly destitute. Palau was forced to leave his education at a British-run
boarding school and began working as the sole provider for the family at a bank
in Córdoba, Argentina.
Palau says that he was born again at
the age of 12, devoting his life to Christ.
Palau first heard Billy Graham on a
radio broadcast from Portland, Oregon while still living in Argentina in 1950,
and drew inspiration from him. He later worked for Graham as a Spanish
translator and as an evangelist. In 1970, Graham contributed the seed money for
Palau to start his own ministry, which he modeled after Graham's.[9]
Since then, Palau held many
large-scale evangelistic festivals and gatherings around the world.
Settling in Oregon
Palau arrived in Portland in 1960 to
attend a graduate program at Multnomah Bible College,[3] from which he graduated
in 1961.[10] His travel and tuition was paid by U.S. benefactors.[8] There he
met his wife, Pat, a Beaverton kindergarten teacher, who was a fellow
student.[8] They married in 1961 and settled in Cedar Mill, an unincorporated
area of the Portland metropolitan area just north of Beaverton.[11] He became a
U.S. citizen in 1962.[3][12] The Palaus spent the next eight years serving as
missionaries in Mexico and Colombia, before returning to Oregon.[8] After
receiving $100,000 as seed money in 1970 from Billy Graham, in quarterly
payments of $25,000,[13] Palau worked to build up his ministry in Oregon
through the 1970s.
In 1975, Palau shared the Bible
Expositor post at Eurofest '75 with Bishop Festo Kivengere.[citation needed]
Eurofest '75 was co-sponsored by the Billy Graham organisation and was held in
Brussels, Belgium, at the Palais du Centenaire and the Heysel Stadium from July
24 until August 2, 1975. In October 1978, the Luis Palau Evangelistic
Association, based in Beaverton, was incorporated.[11]
Growing local popularity and secular
service
Palau in 2008
In 1999, a writeup in a Portland
weekly newspaper noted that Palau had assembled an 80,000-member audience in
"the nation's least-churched major city." It also noted the contrast
with the previous large revival, led by an aging Graham, which drew larger
numbers but not as many young people as Palau's. Media coverage of Palau's
event mentioned Palau as a potential successor to Graham.[10] The annual budget
of his ministry was estimated that year at $6 million.[10]
His ministry, the Luis Palau
Evangelical Association, continued to be based in nearby Beaverton as of 2003.
Three of his four sons were working for his ministry at that time.[8]
As of 2003, Palau hosted three daily
radio programs: an English show carried by 900 stations in 23 countries, and
two Spanish programs carried by 880 stations in 25 countries.[3] In that year
he was noted for being "at the forefront of efforts to make evangelism
more active, contemporary and accessible to a younger audience,"[14] and
his ministry's annual budget was estimated at $11 million.[8]
In August 2003, Palau mobilized
several thousand volunteers from numerous churches to "spruce up"
local public schools.[8]
In November 2005, Palau visited
China, wrapping up a week-long visit by attending a Beijing church service
along with U.S. President George W. Bush.[15] He launched a book venture after
holding a conversation with a former government Chinese official during his
trip to Beijing; Palau launched a book venture based on the transcribed work.
The book, now published by Zondervan, is entitled A Friendly Dialogue Between
An Atheist and a Christian.[16]
Palau made a point of staying out of
politics, refusing to endorse ballot measures or candidates. Recently he has
partnered with secular leaders as well. Portland Mayor Vera Katz did not attend
his first big Portland event in 1999,[10] but her successor, Tom Potter, who is
not a churchgoer, approached Palau at a 2005 Portland appearance by First Lady
Laura Bush. Potter asked for Palau's assistance in getting other evangelical
leaders to address Portland's homelessness problems.[17]
Palau got in touch with fellow
evangelicals, and cooperated with Portland Commissioner Erik Sten, Potter,
Beaverton Mayor Rob Drake, and Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis in 2008 in planning
his August 22–23 festival, which focused on volunteerism in support of the
homeless. Palau's last Portland event drew about 140,000 people over two
days.[18] Palau addressed 500 Christian pastors in March 2008, joined by
Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams, in the buildup to the August event. He
calls the effort the "Season of Service".[19]
In 2013, Palau was residing in Cedar
Mill,[20][21] but in late 2018 was residing in nearby Bethany,[22] another
unincorporated area also north of Beaverton and immediately west of Cedar Mill.
A November 2018 article in the Beaverton Valley Times referred to the Cedar
Mill Bible Church as Palau's "home base".[22]
In 2015, Palau hosted CityFest, an
evangelistic event in New York City that drew 60,000 people to Central
Park.[23] This was a year-long effort that involved over 1,700 churches.[1]
Illness and death
On January 17, 2018, Palau shared on
Facebook and YouTube[4] that he had stage-four lung cancer.[5] In late November
2018, he told a reporter for the Beaverton Valley Times that his cancer had
"stabilized for now".[22] His health worsened in early 2021, however,
leading to hospitalization in February and a subsequent decision to discontinue
treatment.[6]
On March 11, 2021, Palau died of lung
cancer, in his home, surrounded by family. He was 86.[24][25]
Works
Palau wrote numerous books including:
Where Is God When Bad Things Happen?
ISBN 978-0385492645
Calling America and the Nations to
Christ ISBN 978-0785279846
God is Relevant ISBN 978-0385486798
High Definition Life ISBN
978-0800718657
A Friendly Dialogue between an
Atheist and a Christian ISBN 978-0-310-28533-5
Movie
A film entitled Palau the Movie was
released in 2019. It tells the story of Palau's life and ministry. Starring
Gastón Pauls and Alexia Moyano, the film is in color and is 117 minutes
long.[26]
With affection,
Ruben
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