Harry R. Jackson Jr. facts for kids

Harry R. Jackson Jr. (born in 1953 – died November 9, 2020) was an American Christian pastor, Pentecostal bishop, and author. He was the senior pastor at Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Maryland. He also led the International Communion of Evangelical Churches as its presiding bishop. Jackson was known as a social conservative activist and speaker. He founded the High Impact Leadership Coalition, a group of ministers who support socially conservative ideas. He also helped start The Reconciled Church Initiative. Jackson passed away in November 2020.

Early Life and Education

Harry R. Jackson Jr. was born and grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. His parents were Harry Jackson Sr. and Essie Jackson. His family had moved to Ohio from Florida a few years before he was born. As a child, Jackson became involved in political activities with his mother.

He went to Cincinnati Country Day School. Jackson later said he was "the black kid at Country Day who stayed in the houses of wealthy white people." He graduated from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. There, he played football and wrestled. He even tried out for the New England Patriots football team, but he did not make the team.

In 1973, Jackson's family moved to the Washington, D.C. area. They eventually settled in Silver Spring, Maryland. Jackson got a high-level job at Republic Steel. He also earned a master's degree in business administration from Harvard University.

Becoming a Minister

After his father passed away, Jackson decided to become a Christian minister. He moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he preached in the inner city. Later, he took a job at Corning Glass (now Corning Incorporated) in Corning, New York. He continued to preach in his free time.

In Corning, he started a church called the Christian Hope Center. Most of his church members were white. He said, "We really broke racial barriers for a black man pastoring white people in 1981." Jackson's work in Corning gained attention. He was asked to become the pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Maryland. This church was a "multiethnic megachurch" and grew to have 3,500 people. He served there for the rest of his life.

Views and Activism

Jackson believed that marriage should be between a man and a woman. He thought that changing the definition of marriage would harm the black family. He wrote about the black family in the late 1990s. He became well-known through his articles in Charisma magazine.

In 2009, Jackson led a movement against legalizing same-sex marriage in Washington, D.C.. His group filed a lawsuit after the D.C. Board of Elections did not allow a public vote on the issue. The board said such a vote would go against D.C.'s Human Rights Act. The courts upheld the board's decision. Jackson appealed to the United States Supreme Court, but his appeal was rejected.

Jackson founded and chaired the High Impact Leadership Coalition. This group is made up of ministers who support socially conservative causes. He also co-founded The Reconciled Church Initiative. This group works to bring racial healing to churches and to America.

Jackson also spoke about police departments. He said some police departments should lose funding. He encouraged conservatives to take seriously the deaths of black men in police custody.

Jackson had a lot of influence during Donald Trump’s time as president. He often attended events and prayed publicly. He supported policies like the First Step Act, a prison reform bill passed in 2018. Jackson said, "You can’t be a prophet to the culture while you’re standing outside of the room." He prayed at Trump's inauguration in 2017 and visited the White House many times.

Books Written

Jackson wrote several books:

• The Warrior’s Heart: Rules of Engagement for the Spiritual War Zone (2004)
• You Were Born for More: Six Steps to Breaking Through to Your Destiny (2013)

He also wrote books with Family Research Council President Tony Perkins and pollster George Barna.

Personal Life and Passing

Jackson married Vivian Michele Alexander in 1976. Vivian was also a co-pastor at Hope Christian Church. She passed away in 2018. In September 2020, Jackson married Rosalind Lott.

In 2005, Jackson had esophageal cancer and a stroke. He later said he almost died that year.

Harry R. Jackson Jr. passed away on November 9, 2020. He had recently attended an event at the White House Rose Garden. At this event, later-Justice Amy Coney Barrett was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court. This event was later called a "superspreader event" by the New York Times because it led to an outbreak at the White House. However, there is no report that Jackson died from Covid.