CIU Today Fall 2016

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“I remember boundless energy, rigorous
intellect, and the profound respect
people had for him,” said current
professor Dr. John Crutchfield, who as a
CIU student, met with McQuilkin when
he was president.
“I had lunch with him a couple of times,
a couple of us guys got together, and we
would just hammer him with questions,
and his wisdom and the godliness was
remarkable.”
Under McQuilkin’s leadership, CIU’s
enrollment doubled and seminary
programs expanded.
“Mr. McQuilkin was the president who
hired me,” said Dr. Bryan Beyer, who
is now the dean of the College of Arts
& Sciences. “When I first started, I had
very little experience, and … I’ve always
appreciated that he took a chance on
me.”
McQuilkin maintained a presence on
CIU’s campus even in his last years of life.
Current students and recent graduates
also fondly recall having lunch with him in
the dining hall.
“Looking at the legacy he left, there’s
this man, this spiritual giant who’s written
books that I’ve spent hours pouring over
… and here he is just making casual
conversation with me and my friends in
the cafeteria,” said 2016 graduate David
Craft. “This school’s definitely going to
be missing a spiritual giant.”
Finishing Well
In the course of his 88 years of life,
McQuilkin spoke numerous times about
the importance of ending well in careers,
ministries, and all of life.
“Few, he used to tell me, finish well,”
said his friend John Davidson. “Sir, you
finished well. You finished very well.”
Editor’s Note: Memorials may be made
to the Robertson McQuilkin Memorial
Fund at View the
memorial service at
After the memorial service,
these shared their thoughts
on Robertson McQuilkin
Dr. Terry Powell,
Professor of Church
Ministry
Powell recalled when
McQuilkin served him as
an accountability partner
for several months in the
early 1990s, meeting together weekly for
prayer. About a decade later, McQuilkin
was visiting campus one day when he
met Powell and told him he prayed for
him that day. Powell thanked him.
A year passed and they met again.
Powell thanked McQuilkin for
“occasionally” praying for him.
“Oh no, you misunderstand” was
McQuilkin’s reply. “I pray for you every day.”
“I was stunned that after all those years,
he prayed for me daily,” Powell said.
“When someone like that dies, they are
harder to replace — intercessors.”
Henry Hennagan (former staff) and his
wife Mary (alumna ‘94):
The Hennagans came to Christ through
the ministry of students from CIU. Because
the Hennagans are African-American,
Henry especially remembers Robertson
McQuilkin encouraging the admission of
blacks to CIU as the South was coming
out of segregation in the 1960s.
“He changed the direction of a lot
of lives,” Mr. Hennagan said. “I call
Robertson a healing balm as he helped
me understand that just because some
Christians behave badly, it’s not a
reflection on Christ.”
Mrs. Hennagan, who earned degrees
in Bible and Education from CIU, says
McQuilkin was helpful to her in her
relationship to God.
“When I wanted to know if I was on cue
with Him, I would talk to Mr. McQuilkin,”
Mary said. “He has been very special to
me in my life.”
Dr. Ed Smither, Dean
of the CIU College of
Intercultural Studies
Smither first heard of
Robertson McQuilkin
as a freshman at North
Carolina State University,
when he read McQuilkin’s book, “The
Great Omission: A Biblical Basis for
World Evangelism.” When he later heard
that McQuilkin had stepped down as
president of CIU, Smither at first thought
perhaps something scandalous had
happened before learning McQuilkin
resigned to care for his wife Muriel.
“So those were my first two impressions of
him — a love for the world and a love for
his wife,” Smither said. “He understood
God’s heart for the nations, yet realizing
that none of us is so indispensable that we
can’t go home and cook and care for our
wives. He was a real man.”
Lynn Cook, member, CIU
Board of Trustees
Cook became personally
acquainted with Robertson
McQuilkin when she
became a CIU Board
member in 2009, and was
glad to meet the person she had only
read about.
“He was so personable and could speak
so easily one-on-one with you,” Cook
said. “He had a great sense of humor
and was such a godly man.”
CIU Alumnus Lowell Bailey (’52)
While a student at CIU, then Columbia
Bible College, Bailey sat under the
teaching of Robertson McQuilkin.
The two would later both serve as
missionaries and would sometimes cross
paths and share about their ministries.
“He knew how to challenge you and he
knew how to encourage you,” Bailey said.
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REMEMBERING ROBERTSON MCQUILKIN
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