"Why would God allow someone who had given over fifty years of his life to faithful ministry to die such a painful death?" one might ask. One answer is in something that radio preacher Steve Brown once said: God allows Christians and pagans to get cancer so that the world will see a difference in how Christians deal with it.
Bill Bright’s death showed the world how Christians deal with suffering and death. And people will remember Bill not only as a great visionary leader who founded one of the great movements of our time, but as the man who finished well and overcame suffering by his indomitable faith in Christ.
I will remember Bill always for the profound influence he had on me, inspiring me not only to live well but, when the time comes, to die well.
For further reading and information:
In lieu of flowers, the Brights have requested that friends honor Bill Bright’s memory through the William R. Bright Legacy Trust. The Legacy Trust is designed to further the work to which he gave his life: the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Gifts can be made to William R. Bright Legacy Trust (account #2747894), 100 Lake Hart Drive, Orlando, FL 32832. If you would like to make a donation online, please click here.
Visit the William R. Bright memorial site for more information on his life and influence. Also see A Life Lived Well, a tribute magazine to Bill Bright. (Adobe Acrobat Reader required.)
Read Bill Bright’s benediction.
Learn more about Campus Crusade for Christ.
William Bright, Changing the World through Prayer (New Life, 2000).
Ted Olsen, "Weblog: Campus Crusade for Christ Founder Bill Bright Dies at 81," Christianity Today, 21 July 2003.
Richard John Neuhaus, As I Lay Dying: Meditations upon Returning (Basic Books, 2002).