Paul David Washer | |
---|---|
Born | 1961 (age 62–63) |
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Missionary, Evangelist, Preacher |
Spouse | Rosario "Charo" Washer |
Children | 4[1][2][3] |
Paul David Washer (born 1961) is an American Christian Evangelist and author whose theology is rooted in Calvinism.[4]
Washer reports converting to Christianity while studying at the University of Texas at Austin to become an oil and gas lawyer.[5][6] He moved to Peru and served there as a missionary for 10 years.[7] In 1988, while in Peru,[8] Washer founded the HeartCry Missionary Society to support indigenous missionaries witnessing to people of their own cultures.[9][10] As of 2023, the organization supported 326 missionary families in 62 countries.[11]
Washer later returned to the United States, where he continues as the missions director of HeartCry, which has been based in Roanoke, Virginia since 2022.[12][13][14]
Washer is sometimes identified as part of the New Calvinism movement due to some similar viewpoints,[15][16] however, he has expressed concerns with this movement as well.[17][18][16][19]
In 2002, Washer preached a "shocking youth message" in which he suggested that most of his "Christian" audience will end up in hell because of the false gospel they are deceiving themself with. As of 2023, the YouTube video of the talk has received more than 4 million views.[20][21] Washer appeared in the 2018 documentary American Gospel: Christ Alone, in which he referred to the exclusivity of the Christian faith and its uniqueness by saying, "In other religions, you get to heaven by being good, by earning it..."[22]
In 2017, Washer suffered a non-fatal heart attack[20] and in late 2023 he received heart bypass surgery.[23]