Christian Retailing

Theologian and author Stanley Horton dies at 98 Print Email
Written by Christine D. Johnson   
Monday, 14 July 2014 10:46 AM America/New_York

StanleyHorton-AG-webStanley Monroe Horton, 98, of Springfield, Missouri, died Saturday, July 12, at Maranatha Village in Springfield.

Son of Harry Samuel Horton and Myrle May Fisher, Horton was born May 6, 1916, in Huntington Park, California. His maternal grandparents, Elmer Kirk Fisher and Clara Daisy Sanford, participated in the historic Azusa Street Revival of 1906, leading the nearby Upper Room Mission. In the words of Assemblies of God General Superintendent George O. Wood, Horton has served as a “bridge linking the Azusa revival to the present day.”

A graduate of multiple universities, including Harvard, Horton was distinguished professor emeritus of Bible and theology at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS), where he taught from 1978 to 1991. Prior to that, he served as chair of the Bible Department at Central Bible College from 1948 to 1978 and professor at Metropolitan Bible Institute from 1945 to 1948. In 1980, he served as president of the Society for Pentecostal Studies. Upon his retirement from teaching in 1991, he held the position of general editor of the Pentecostal Textbook Series/Logion Press in Springfield until 2000. He was listed in Who's Who in Religion and Outstanding Educators of America.

He served as chair of the editorial committee for The Full Life Study Bible and its 2003 revision titled Life in the Spirit Study Bible, often referred to as The Fire Bible. Dr. Horton also served as the official translator of 1 and 2 Corinthians from Koine Greek to modern Messianic Jewish vernacular for the Tree of Life Bible, a project completed in cooperation with the Messianic Family Bible Project and now the official Bible of The King's University.

Horton wrote dozens of books, including the acclaimed What the Bible Says About the Holy Spirit (Gospel Publishing House), and the Assemblies of God Adult Teacher Sunday school curriculum for over 25 years.

In 2009, Gospel Publishing House released a biography of his life, Stanley M. Horton: Shaper of Pentecostal Theology. As an addendum to the biography, a full bibliography of works by and about him, and video interviews with him are available at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center website (click here to view: http://s2.ag.org/hortonbib).

Horton was predeceased by his parents, his wife, Evelyn Gertrude Parsons, and siblings. He is survived by two sisters; two sons and a daughter; three grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Donations may be made to The Dr. Stanley M. Horton Scholarly Resources Endowment (http://agts.edu/more/horton/) by calling AGTS at 417-268-1000. The funeral will be held July 19 in the Evangel University chapel in Springfield.