John Ankerberg (born December 10, 1945) is an American

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

television host, author, and speaker. He is an ordained

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

minister and has authored or coauthored more than 150 books and study guides. He is the producer and host of the internationally televised weekly program ''The John Ankerberg Show''.

Early life and education

Ankerberg earned an undergraduate degree from the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...

, an M.A. in Church History and Philosophy of Christian Thought, and a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

from

Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) is the divinity school of Trinity International University, an evangelical Christian university headquartered in Bannockburn, Illinois. The divinity school was founded in 1897. In April 2025, Trinit ...

. He earned a

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) is a doctorate in religious ministry. It often includes an original research component, and may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in ministry. It is categorized as an advanced doctoral de ...

from Luther Rice Seminary in Lithonia, Georgia. He is an ordained

minister.

Ministry

His ministry, the John Ankerberg Show, launched in 1980 on one network in Kansas City, Missouri. His organization notes: "While speaking at a Youth for Christ summer camp, he was first asked to host a Kansas City Christian television program. Structuring the program with a debate-format, the show quickly caught the attention of other networks. After moving to Chattanooga, Tennessee to serve another media ministry, The John Ankerberg Show was picked up on CBN, a new network that soon expanded nationwide. Within a short time, Dr. Ankerberg’s side project quickly became a full-time ministry in 1980, renting office space and studio time to produce additional programs." The television program airs on Daystar, God TV, and internationally in 10 languages with 4.5 billion potential viewers in virtually every nation. Influential among conservative evangelicals, John Ankerberg was a noted influence in the life of Arkansas governor and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. In 2018, Ankerberg met with a delegation of leaders regarding international Christian persecution with Vice President Mike Pence.

National Religious Broadcasters

Ankerberg is a member of the board of directors of the

National Religious Broadcasters National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) is an international association of evangelical communicators. While theologically diverse within the evangelical community, NRB members are linked through a Declaration of Unity that proclaims their joint com ...

, a position he has held on multiple occasions. He was most recently noted as a member of the Board Class of 2020.

Bakker and PTL scandal

In 1987, Ankerberg presented evidence that exposed the moral failings of televangelist

Jim Bakker James Orsen Bakker (; born January 2, 1940) is an American televangelist and convicted felon. Between 1974 and 1987, Bakker hosted the television program ''The PTL Club'' and its cable television platform, the PTL Satellite Network, with his ...

, which included solicitation for sex and homosexual relations.

Evangelicals and Catholics Together

In 1995, Ankerberg and other evangelical leaders expressed opposition to the proposed

Evangelicals and Catholics Together "Evangelicals and Catholics Together" is a 1994 ecumenical document signed by leading Evangelical and Catholic scholars in the United States. The co-signers of the document were Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus, representing each side of ...

ecumenical document designed to foster a sense of unity and cooperation between Protestant evangelicals and Catholics. This opposition resulted in a meeting that drafted an amendment clarifying the beliefs of the evangelical signers, which stated that "cooperation with evangelically committed Roman Catholics, does not imply acceptance of Roman Catholic doctrinal distinctives or endorsement of the Roman Catholic Church system." Ankerberg stated that the meeting "heals the breach", but "failed to mollify the concerns of many evangelicals."

Politics

Ankerberg has stated that he is non-partisan when it comes to voting for president.

Personal life

Ankerberg is married to his wife Darlene; they have one adult daughter. The Ankerbergs have lived in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

, since 1980.

Awards

* Recipient of the William Ward Ayer Award for Distinguished Service –

, 2015 * “The Television Program Producer of the Year Award”, National Religious Broadcasters, 1992Barry Courter
Technological Gospel: Ankerberg spreads the Word through TV, smartphones and apps
timesfreepress.com, USA, April 11, 2015

References

External links

* http://www.jashow.com Ankerberg Theological Research Institute and ''John Ankerberg Show'' official website * http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/life/entertainment/story/2015/apr/11/technological-gospelankerberg-spreads-word-th/297882/ Technological Gospel: Ankerberg spreads the Word through TV, smartphones and apps {{DEFAULTSORT:Ankerberg, John 1945 births Living people 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century Baptist ministers from the United States 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century Baptist ministers from the United States American Christian writers American male non-fiction writers American television evangelists Luther Rice University alumni Trinity Evangelical Divinity School alumni Writers from Chicago