Joseph Tate Bayly (5 April 1920 – 16 July 1986) was an American

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

and publishing executive. Born in

Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Germantown () is an area in Northwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded by Palatine, Quaker, and Mennonite families in 1683 as an independent borough, it was absorbed into Philadelphia in 1854. The area, which is about six miles northwest fr ...

, Bayly earned his BA at Wheaton College,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, in 1940, and then entered

Faith Theological Seminary Faith Theological Seminary is an Higher education accreditation in the United States, unaccredited evangelicalism, evangelical Christian seminary in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1937 in Wilmington, Delaware, relocated to Philadelphia ...

to gain his BD in 1945. In 1944, Bayly married Mary Lou DeWalt, a classmate at Wheaton College. Bayly was awarded honorary doctorates from Sterling College and

Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) is an evangelical seminary with its main campus in Hamilton, Massachusetts, and three other campuses in Boston, Massachusetts; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Jacksonville, Florida. According to the Ass ...

. He was one of the original signers, in 1973, of

the Chicago Declaration of Evangelical Social Concern "The Chicago Declaration of Evangelical Social Concern" is a document drafted in 1973 by several evangelical faith leaders, and signed by 53 signatories. Concerned with what they saw as a diversion between Christian faith and a commitment to social ...

. This document confessed the failure of evangelical Christianity to confront racism, materialism and injustice as well as acknowledging the fact that they have "encouraged men to prideful domination and women to irresponsible passivity". He was initial east coast staff director for

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA (IVCF) is an evangelicalism, evangelical Christianity, Christian student movement with affiliate groups on university campuses in U.S.. It is a member of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students ...

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

of ''His'' magazine, and director of

InterVarsity Press Founded in 1947, InterVarsity Press (IVP) is a Christian publisher located in Lisle, Illinois. IVP focuses on publishing Christian books and digital resources that discuss influential cultural moments, provide tools for mental growth through a ...

. At the time of his death, Bayly was president of David C. Cook Publishing Company of

Elgin Elgin may refer to: Places Canada * Elgin County, Ontario * Elgin Settlement, a 19th-century community for freed slaves located in present-day North Buxton and South Buxton, Ontario * Elgin, a village in Rideau Lakes, Ontario * Elgin, Manit ...

, Illinois (now located in

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

). He died at the

Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...

in Rochester, Minnesota. Among his published works is ''The Gospel Blimp'', which was adapted for film in 1967 and was also made into a comic book by Spire Christian Comics. Two of Joseph's sons, David and Timothy, are Presbyterian ministers. Tim Bayly was ordained and served in the

Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PCUSA, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination in the Religion in the United States, United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States too. Its th ...

, eventually transferring with his congregation into the

Presbyterian Church in America The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Calvinist, Reformed in theolog ...

. David Bayly was ordained and served in the

Church of the United Brethren in Christ The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is an evangelical Christian denomination with churches in 17 countries. It is Protestant, with an episcopal structure and Arminian theology, with roots in the Mennonite and German Reformed communities ...

, later transferring into the

. After twenty years in the PCA, Tim Bayly transferred, along with his congregation, int
Evangel Presbytery
David Bayly transferred out of the

into independency.

Selected bibliography

* ''The Gospel Blimp'' (1967) * ''Congo Crisis'' (1967) * ''Out of My Mind'' (1970) * ''The View from a Hearse'' (1973) * ''Winterflight'' (1981) * ''Psalms of My Life'' (2000)

External links

*
"Baylyblog"
edited by David Bayly and Tim Bayly

- Joe Bayly's books

Findagrave, Joseph T. Bayly gravesite {{DEFAULTSORT:Bayly, Joseph T. Calvinist and Reformed writers Lay theologians American Calvinist and Reformed theologians 1920 births 1986 deaths Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni Faith Theological Seminary alumni 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians 20th-century American writers