The Gospel Hour is a nonprofit Christian organization that has distributed fundamental Christian books, music, and CDs worldwide now for more than 60 years. Founder Dr. Oliver B. Greene wrote more than 100 books explaining the Bible.
Dr. Oliver B. Greene founded The Gospel Hour in 1956 as a Christian outreach using radio, personal appearances, books, and audiotapes. The radio program, which began on one station in Georgia, spread in syndication until it reached across the nation. At one time, the program was heard on more than 150 stations. The program is currently heard on more than 80 stations in America; on Caribbean Radio Lighthouse, which carries the program throughout the Caribbean area; and worldwide by way of the Internet.
Dr. Greene began preaching as an evangelist in the early 1940s and went wherever he was invited to preach. This eventually led to his standard practice of holding revivals in churches and arenas during the winter and tent campaigns in the summer. His tents were quite impressive, the largest one being 300 feet long and 150 feet wide.
He also traveled extensively overseas, visiting and raising money for missionaries in many different countries. He was truly a “triple threat,” spreading the Gospel through public speaking, the Written Word, and the medium of radio. His personal ministry ended suddenly on July 26, 1976, when he died of an aneurism. Through the prayers and donations of many friends, this ministry has continued and reaches thousands daily throughout the world.
After his death, his son, Dr. David B. Greene, along with his widow and his other son Tom, continued the ministry. David has been involved with The Gospel Hour since childhood, always traveling with his dad in meetings and helping at The Gospel Hour headquarters. He brings to the ministry a scientific and mathematics background, as well as a degree in law. David is a practicing attorney in Greenville, South Carolina at The Greene Law Firm, P.A.
The Gospel Hour Statement of Faith
We believe in:
- The Bible as the God-breathed, fully inspired and forever settled Word of God, both the Old and New Testaments
- The Bible Account of Creation
- One God, Existing in Three Persons: Father, Son, & Holy Spirit
- The Deity, Virgin Birth, & Sinlessness of Jesus Christ, God in Flesh
- The Substitutionary Death of Jesus Christ on the Cross for the Sins of Mankind, & His Bodily Resurrection & Ascension
- Salvation by Grace through Faith in the Shed Blood of Jesus Christ, the One & Only Savior of the World
- The Person & Work of the Holy Spirit — Convicting of Sin, Drawing & Regenerating Sinners, Indwelling Believers
- Water Baptism by Immersion — Not As a Means of Salvation, But Signifying the Death, Burial, & Resurrection of Christ & the Believer’s Identification with Him
- Jesus as the Head of the One True Church, the Body of Christ, Made Up of All Who Are Born Again through Faith in Christ
- The Complete Independence of the Local Church, an Assembly of Baptized Believers
- The Literal, Visible, Personal, Premillennial, Pretribulational Return of Jesus Christ to Take Believers Out of the World
- The Literal, Bodily Resurrection of the Righteous Dead at His Coming
- The Everlasting, Conscious Blessedness of the Saved & the Everlasting, Conscious Punishment of the Unsaved
Timeline of Dr. Oliver B. Greene’s Life & Ministry
- Feb. 14, 1915 – Oliver B. Greene Born
- Sept. 9, 1935 – Oliver B. Greene Saved
- Feb. 29, 1936 – Called to preach
- 1938 – First Preached on the Radio in Georgia
- July 24, 1939 – Ordained as a Baptist Minister at Morgan Memorial Baptist Church, Greenville, SC
- Sept. 10, 1939 – Married Aileen Hazel Collins
- 1939 – 1968 – Held Tent Revival Meetings along the East Coast
- March 8, 1942 – Son Thomas Greene Born
- April 8, 1942 – The Gospel Hour Ministry Began
- 1943 – First Recorded Sermons on Radio, WSTP in Salisbury, NC
- Son David Greene Born March 9, 1946
- March 1947 – First Edition of the Monthly Newspaper – The Gospel Hour News Printed
- Oct. 8, 1956 – The Gospel Hour Incorporated
- May 27, 1960 – Received Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree, Immanuel Schools of Atlanta
- January 1961 – First Printing Press Installed at The Gospel Hour Facilities
- October 1961 – Canceled Tent Revival Meetings Due to Medical Reasons
- Summer of 1968 – Last Tent Revival Meeting on the Grounds of Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, VA
- July 26, 1976 – Dr. Greene Went Home to be with the Lord
In five years, (1939-1943) Dr. Greene:
- Preached More Than 1,600 Times over the Radio
- Saw 1,700 Souls Saved
- Had 25 People Go into Full-Time Christian Service
Before The Gospel Hour was incorporated in 1956:
- Supported Missionaries in Alaska & Brazil
- Held Tent Meetings
- Published the Monthly Newspaper “The Gospel Hour News”
- Dr. Greene had Raised Enough Money to Build a Hospital in the Congo and a Church in the Holy Land
- The radio program The Gospel Hour was Heard on Many Stations