Legacy

Despite the challenges that come with age, Warren Wiersbe's passion for pursuing the truth of God's Word never wavered. Over the course of his sixty-plus years in ministry, he experienced personal growth in knowledge, wisdom, preaching expertise, and pastoral skills.

From a young age, Wiersbe had an insatiable love for learning, which was nurtured by his elementary and high school teachers. He learned under exceptional professors at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary and credited them for his understanding of Scripture and theology. His appreciation for the value of doctrine, and his ability to express doctrinal truth with precision and clarity, grew through the years. But his doctrinal positions did not change through his life and work.

His deep appreciation for the value of doctrine was refined through the years, allowing him to articulate theological truths with precision and clarity.

Wiersbe's approach to preaching, influenced by his professors, Dr. Lloyd Perry and Dr. Charles Koller, involved identifying an overarching thesis in the text and developing the sermon around it. For example, he would articulate a key word to illustrate how the sermon would unfold, such as "Let's discover four methods God uses to mature us," or "Our text reveals four experiences that produce spiritual maturity." This approach can be observed in any of Wiersbe’s sermons, as well as within the “BE” books.

In the early years, Warren Wiersbe's preaching approach was didactic, providing practical application, and often featuring alliterated outlines. However, after a car accident in June 1966, his perspective on preaching shifted. During the months of his recovery he studied the theme of suffering in Scripture and reflected on the relationship between body, mind, and spirit. The insights gained from this experience influenced the writing of his book "Why Us? When Bad Things Happen to God's People" (1984).

Alongside this focus on human experience, Wiersbe developed a renewed appreciation for God's majesty in Creation. While researching his book "Real Worship" (1986), he discovered the celebration of creation in Psalms, which deepened his appreciation for hymns such as "This Is My Father's World" and "All Creatures of Our God and King."
Another significant shift in Wiersbe's preaching style occurred with the writing of "Preaching and Teaching with Imagination" (1994). Viewing sermon preparation and delivery as a creative process, he began to emphasize the use of images and pictures in Scripture. He drew inspiration from how Jesus taught, employing object lessons and word pictures. This visually-oriented approach to preaching accounted for the fact that people tend to learn more effectively through visual engagement, especially in a culture increasingly saturated with images through advertising, television, and movies.

These shifts in Wiersbe's preaching style can be observed on paper. Early outlines were typed on 8.5" by 5.5" pages, with portions underlined in colored pencil to indicate their significance in the sermon. After 1966, he leaned less heavily on alliteration, and his outlines become more thematically driven.

In later years, Wiersbe incorporated physical and emotional elements of Christian growth and experience into his preaching. As his time at Back to the Bible progressed, he began handwriting his outlines and using sticky notes to mark additional Scripture references for the sermon. The outlines of his later years were on 8.5" by 11" pages, with the sermon text, main points, and illustrations accompanied by pasted-in supporting Scripture, poems, anecdotes, and illustrative information. This allowed him to keep his Bible open to the preaching text and avoid shuffling papers. Occasionally, he would use a handwritten outline on a very small piece of paper (4" by 3").

In every sermon or teaching situation, Wiersbe consistently highlighted the Gospel. He emphasized the need for each listener to trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior in order to become a child of God. Additionally, he ensured that his sermons and teachings had specific applications for the lives of his hearers. No one could leave simply saying, "I received a lot of information." Rather, listeners were challenged to do something with the truth they had heard.

In the era before the internet, Wikipedia, and Google, when you needed information at your fingertips, you went to the Public Library or you built your own. Warren built one of the nation’s most valuable personal libraries.

Wiersbe’s library was initially shaped by wise mentors, but he quickly learned what books were worth owning and why. From his mentors, he learned to read authors who did not hold his point of view; this contributed to a balanced pastoral perspective. For Wiersbe, the joy was in reading and learning from the books. He considered good books an investment, not an expense.

The early library was primarily commentaries and Bible reference works. Wiersbe enjoyed reading biographies of Christian missionaries, preachers, and evangelists. Once he had read a pastor’s biography, such as Spurgeon’s, that pastor’s volumes of sermons soon inhabited the shelves. From his rich collection of biographies and sermons eventually came the series of Giants books.

Reading a book that Wiersbe had read was an adventure. You would find his name and the date and place he secured the book by opening the cover. Engaging the text, there were marks (his system), comments, and questions in the margins. A blank page at the back of the book would be an index of definitions, main points, quotations, questions, and a cross-reference to keywords and ideas. In many cases, there was a list of book titles for further reading.

While serving in East Chicago, Covington, and Chicago, Wiersbe’s library predominantly resided in his church study. Nevertheless, his home was also gradually becoming a repository of knowledge.

The library consisted of diverse Bibles, spanning various sizes, thicknesses, and translations. Study Bibles, in particular, required specially reinforced shelves to accommodate their weight.

Wiersbe got books from anywhere - from seminary bookstores, as well as from used bookstores and catalog services. He was a member of book clubs, but Wiersbe was known to frequent used bookstores, relishing the thrill of discovering classic works at bargain prices. Returning home with such a find, he would slyly exclaim, “I met a stranger, and I took him in!” His subscriptions to Christian magazines and his habit of buying the Sunday edition of The New York Times were in part driven by his keen interest in book reviews.

In the late 1980s, Wiersbe embraced computer technology. He reconfigured his bookshelves to create a designated writing area equipped with a computer desk, a swivel chair, a table housing a printer and fax machine, and a substantial copier on a storage pedestal. Despite the technological shift, his typing method remained unchanged – a two-fingered “hunt and peck” approach. Fortunately, Wiersbe had computer-savvy friends who were adept at recovering lost files and restoring the system after power outages or other technical mishaps.

By the early 21st century, his collection had grown to an estimated 15,000 books. Wiersbe was not possessive about his books; he willingly lent them out over the years, even though some never returned. He generously shared his knowledge and wisdom with young pastors whom he mentored.

After Wiersbe’s passing, Cedarville University acquired his cherished library in 2019, ensuring that his legacy would continue to inspire future generations.

Warren Wiersbe fell in love with reading as an elementary school student and was a voracious reader all his life. His mind retained what he read, to the point of knowing what information was contained on what part of a page in a particular book! This uncanny ability allowed him to remember profound quotes, which in turn helped him become quotable himself.

At the back of the library in the Lincoln home was a room affectionately dubbed the “Holy of Holies” by family members. While a lighthearted joke, family and friends knew when Warren was in the study, holy work was truly underway.

The only source of natural light in this basement office were two small windows near the top of the walls, which were covered in floor to ceiling bookshelves. Dominating the center of the room was an oversized desk. On the left side of the desk, you would find commentaries and books related to the ongoing writing project. An assortment of Bibles stood upright on the rear of the desk, almost dividing it from the rest of the room. Next to those were reference books, neatly organized file folders, and letter trays containing correspondence. To the right of the desk, next to the bookshelves, TV trays played host to manuscripts, books earmarked for reading, additional file folders, and ongoing correspondence.

Upon entering the study, the bookshelves to the left housed an extensive collection of commentaries. They spanned the entire biblical spectrum, beginning with Genesis and culminating with approximately 30 volumes dedicated to Revelation. Positioned directly in front of the desk, a large bookcase proudly displayed the various editions and iterations of books authored by Warren Wiersbe. To the left of the desk, on the adjacent wall, you would find a meticulously organized assortment of resources. These included Hebrew and Greek references, Bible compendiums, an assortment of dictionaries, writer’s manuals, select hymnals, and an array of cherished devotional books.

The walls, though predominantly adorned with books, also displayed framed photographs of family members, ministry heroes, beloved pastor friends, and important life events. Additionally, more photographs and cherished memorabilia graced the adjoining library room, adding a personal and inviting ambiance to this sacred haven.

This was time invested in enjoying God, examining self and life, seeking God’s wisdom, and interceding for family, friends, and ministries. Then it became a space for research and learning, making notes, and shaping radio messages or sermons for worship. Frequently it was a space where young pastors gathered to discuss ministry life and preaching. Friends shared this intimate space, and the music of laughter carried up through the house. Sometime each day, the space was used for the writing of letters— to publishers, pastor friends, family members, and occasionally to a magazine editor. Wiersbe’s correspondence was so extensive that the staff at the local post office knew Warren and Betty by first name.

In that study, Wiersbe was equipped by God to prepare messages and to write commentaries and Christian books that encouraged and taught God’s people around the world. Warren surrounded himself with the best resources possible so that he could do the best work possible for Jesus Christ and His kingdom.

He might read through the entire Bible in six months, or focus on one book of the Bible for a month, or pursue a doctrine, theme, or phrase through the Scripture. He believed in “a devotional use of the Bible.” It was not mystical, nor was it bad hermeneutics. It meant God spoke to His child through the words of the text and the illumination of the Holy Spirit. This was how he identified his “life verse,” Psalm 16:11: “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore,” (NKJV).

Each year Wiersbe purchased a set of small, diary-sized pages, and he kept notes from his Scripture reading each day. This was his daily nourishment and preparation, but it became a rich resource for teaching and preaching as time went by.