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READER'S CAUTION

This is a biography of a living, publicly known person. As such, I suggest the sources on this page be triple checked. There are many potential inaccuracies throughout the article. Laurie has written over a dozen books, some of which are autobiographical, all of which are available at most bookstores. Suprisingly, not one of his books are cited in the article when reporting on his education or past. So where did the information come from - someone's internet blog? Is it "Wikipedia reliable" or just some biased drivel from those who don't fully agree with Laurie or his beliefs?

Also, nothing is mentioned about his significant ministry experience prior to establishing Harvest Christian Fellowship - apart from some obscure reference to a small bible study he led over twenty years ago. Laurie didn't simply "walk out of obscurity" and start preaching - let's get some better facts on this guy people! Additionally, nothing tangible is mentioned about his "Harvest Crusades" (i.e. attendence figures, past locations, guest speakers / musicians, etc). We didn't just raise almost 8 million dollars for Wikepedia to bolster our own opinions about someone's faith and qualifications. VERIFIABLE FACTS ONLY PLEASE. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 137.242.1.50 ( talk) 19:08, 6 January 2010 (UTC) reply

We don't take information from the subjects of articles (what we call "self-published sources"). They are notoriously unreliable. We want impartial information from reliable sources. And we certainly aren't going to turn this article into a fan reference site for "attendence figures, past locations, guest speakers / musicians, etc"! -- Orange Mike | Talk 02:04, 3 April 2023 (UTC) reply
hi sir your message is powerful and God is using you in a mighty way how I wish that one day God bring you in Kenya 154.159.237.146 ( talk) 04:49, 13 September 2023 (UTC) reply

Question

Where did Pastor Laurie go to seminary? Does anyone know???

I don't know. A lot of the guys from the "second wave" of the Jesus Movement got pretty extensive OJT. I'm told that that Greg worked a lot with Chuck Smith back in the day.
Not sure it matters. Not sure if a formal education makes a huge difference with regard to ministry. I've seen guys with Seminary training that have no gift (thus no reason) to preach. Greg is gifted - his relevence and work speaks for it itself. knoodelhed 11:50, 24 January 2006 (UTC) reply
He didn't go to seminary. In fact, he doesn't even have a bachelor's degree. He has a few honorary doctorates, but its common knowledge that honorary doctorates (especially from religious institutions) are nothing more than PR tools. Sometimes, they're given out to compel a famous person to make a speech at the doctorate-issuing university; other times, they're given out in an attempt to admit the recipient into the university's crony club. Be that as it may, they're certainly not distributed because of scholastic ability.-- 71.9.9.13 02:20, 13 June 2006 (UTC) reply
In other words, Greg Laurie is not deserving of the doctoral academic distinction given that he has not put in any academic work.
Does a leader of a religious group really need any formal training in scripture? Isn't high school enough? --MLSmateo 05:37, 19 June 2006 (UTC)
I wonder how much education some of the early disciples received. Paul wasn't an educated man, yet he shook the world through the Holy Spirit 216.31.211.11 01:19, 20 February 2007 (UTC) reply
You don't think that someone who has put in countless hours studying to teach the Bible every week has not put in any "academic work". Are you serious??? As far as Paul not being educated, that is incorrect. He was a HIGHLY educated person in his day. However, the point can be made about Peter, John, and the other disciples. Fishermen were certainly not extensively educated in the academic world of their time, but they were still very effective evangelists. The point is, higher education isn't necessary to be good evangelists but that doesn't mean they are not intelligent or put any effort into educating themselves. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.241.23.185 ( talk) 01:18, 21 October 2008 (UTC) reply


As noted in Acts 23:6, Paul was "... a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee." Since the Pharisee's are the Jewish Priesthood, I would hardly call Paul "uneducated". And as the previous poster noted, Peter would be a better example of an uneducated preacher. Ken Roberts 14:43, 9 August 2010 (UTC)
As far as I understand it (being a Southern Baptist and married to a youth minister), a preacher only needs to be called and ordained by the church to be a pastor (at least in the Baptist faith). Not sure about other faiths. Formal training in scripture is a bonus and something that pastors are encouraged to pursue, but formal training is not a requirement for pastoral work. An evangelist needs even less of a formal education since an evangelist is primarily concerned with spreading the Gospel according to their faith - which only really needs a bible and (hopefully) an understanding of the bible principles (s)he's evangelizing. Ken Roberts 14:43, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

I believe he is first and foremost, a PASTOR. I wish WIKI would correct this, because he is/was a pastor first. Beez7005 ( talk) 03:52, 29 April 2021 (UTC) reply

Necessary?

Just to get this out of the way first-I'm not affiliated with Greg Laurie or Harvest etc.,but I have to question this following paragraph:'Laurie holds two honorary doctorates from Biola University and Azusa Pacific University, although his education is limited to high school (he has yet to attain a bachelor's degree or attend bible college).' I feel that this section in parentheses is unnecessary.It is already stated that he has only attended high school,so why is it necessary to state it again? Serenacw 09:56, 10 September 2006 (UTC) reply

Yes, this is necessary. He did not go to college nor bible college. I agree it is oddly written statement. 71.135.96.73 04:57, 18 December 2006 (UTC) reply

I think the point He is trying to make is that although Greg Laurie has a "limited" education He preaches to thousands of people and has become a multimillionaire in the process. Although He is very orthodox in His messages, many criticize His lack of "formal" education and extravagant lifestyle. Que Sera... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.232.157.78 ( talk) 14:26, 10 June 2008 (UTC) reply

"Extravagant Lifestyle"? Why do you suppose its "extravagant"? By whose standard? What sources do you cite?
Look, just becuase the man earned good money through his own effort (writing books, guest speaking, etc) dosen't make him better or worse than anyone else. Why do people insist that a Christian needs to be financialy poor in order to be relevant? Did you know that wealthy ministers (assuming Laurie is wealthy, I don't know for sure) usually don't take a salary from thier congregation? They make money from book sales, endorsements, interviews, etc. If you wrote a best seller and made $4 million, would you still live in a dingy apartment and drive a beater car? Why? Nothing extravagant about working hard and being successful at what you do. More power to him... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 137.242.1.15 ( talk) 16:18, 7 January 2010 (UTC) reply
I found this for you:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_a_needle#Christianity
A very clear passage in which Jesus Christ himself states that the rich are, virtually by definition, sinners who are unwelcome in the kingdom of God. Unless they renounce their excessive, unnecessary, worldly possessions in favor of a lifestyle which exists purely to serve the lord without blowing a ton of money on personal bells and whistles. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.230.132.186 ( talk) 10:12, 9 March 2010 (UTC) reply
I think you need to go back and re-read that passage. The rich man in the story was asking Jesus how he could get into heaven - I believe Greg Laurie's work already stands that he's not trying to "buy" his way into heaven since his testimony was about becoming a Christian before he became "rich". Ken Roberts 14:53, 9 August 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Alisonken1 ( talk • contribs)

76.246.235.134 ( talk) 01:24, 1 February 2010 (UTC) reply

How is any of this important? 206.169.15.5 ( talk) 22:46, 17 February 2010 (UTC) reply

Assessment comment

The comment(s) below were originally left at Talk:Greg Laurie/Comments, and are posted here for posterity. Following several discussions in past years, these subpages are now deprecated. The comments may be irrelevant or outdated; if so, please feel free to remove this section.

I have not edited this, in fact, I only just opened an account here. But I am mystified as to why the article doesn't mention Calvary Chapel and Chuck Smith. During the time I knew Greg Laurie (1975-1979) he was a preacher at the Calvary Chapel in Riverside, CA. I never heard of Frisbee, but I was aware of his attendance at Newport High. He was quite vocal about his connection to Chuck Smith and he copied Chuck's methods (as did all Calvary Chapel preachers). I thought it was odd that the entire section of his life and the basis of his "ministry" was not included in this article. His "honorary degrees" mean nothing except another way to fleece the gullible. Timmytwang 05:10, 1 July 2007 (UTC) reply

Last edited at 05:10, 1 July 2007 (UTC). Substituted at 16:44, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

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Covid-19

Expand upon Wikipietime ( talk) 02:37, 6 October 2020 (UTC) reply

"Baptist pastor" in opening paragraph?

Laurie's relatively new denominational affiliation is certainly newsworthy, but mention of it seems quite out of place for the introduction, unless in some parenthetical phrase like "Southern Baptist but still under the Calvary Chapel umbrella", which would be cumbersome for the opening sentence and is not here being recommended. Am not questioning his bona fides, his call from God into the Baptist camp, nor the fact that he long ago emerged from behind the shadow of Chuck Smith; but I suspect that most people who have heard of Laurie identify him as a Calvary Chapel man, and always would even if he severed all official ties with CC. FWIW, the word "Baptist" appears nowhere in the new movie about how he got his start in ministry. – HelpMyUnbelief ( talk) 04:59, 19 March 2023 (UTC) reply

Movie

Who edited this to include Jesus Revolution in the introduction? Seems like an unnecessary marketing ploy to hype the just-released movie. 64.201.112.203 ( talk) 01:11, 26 March 2023 (UTC) reply

I did. Full disclosure: I watched the movie recently – and liked it – so it was fresh in my thinking and in fact was my motivation for looking up the article on Greg Laurie in the first place. Mention of the movie in the intro was intended merely as a quick tie-in to something current and relevant; the idea of a marketing ploy never crossed my mind. In hindsight, though, I can see why it would look that way. If it comes across thusly, I repent in sackcloth and ashes. :-( – HelpMyUnbelief ( talk) 21:44, 29 March 2023 (UTC) reply

RECENT ENCOUNTER

While taking care of a woman with Dementia we encountered a man who was sitting in the foyer of a diner in Lindenhurst, NY. This man’s wife’s aunt recently passed away. He was searching his phone for a Dr to help his wife through this time. I provided a Dr that helped me when my husband of 31 years passed away. We prayed together for his wife & family. Then he said a blessing in all of us. Was this man you??? It’s driving me crazy that I felt I knew you but took me awhile to think of Greg Laurie since I’ve watched your sermons on TV & always found them encouraging, loving, & in direct line with God’s Word. Please respond. 631-806-8189. God bless you for all you do for all of us. LISA 24.44.38.139 ( talk) 03:14, 21 February 2024 (UTC) reply

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