by The Reformed Baptist Christian preacher, Voddie Baucham Jr. has passed away at 56. He once preached a sermon where he, having given the offence of the gospel, said, “If you can’t say ‘Amen!’ say, ‘Ouch!’” Today, his death made me feel ouch. I say both ouch and amen, because VB’s faith has been turned to sight.
By Joe Thwagi
I first heard a Voddie Baucham sermon in 2015. At that time, I was freshly being sharpened in the word, and just beginning to see ministry as a future possibility. I still recall sitting and listening with a mixture of awe and conviction. What struck me most was his raw boldness – this man could speak openly when many others preferred going around the entire neighbourhood before getting to the same point. He did not massage the truth; he thundered it. He did not court popularity; he sought only to be faithful to Christ. His preaching was not reckless ranting. He had a boldness that flowed from being convinced of the sufficiency of Scripture and the supremacy of Christ. I remember thinking to myself, “This is what I must be. This is what every preacher must be.” It was the first of many ouches and amens VB would draw from me.
True boldness is a Biblical mark of every believer, and especially of those called to shepherd the flock of Christ. It is not arrogance, not self-confidence, and not a display of outward courage alone. Rather, Biblical boldness is rooted in conviction that God’s word is true even when all of man’s schemes and man’s words remain a lie; that Christ is Lord, and that eternal souls hang in the balance.
When the apostles in Acts faced threats, beatings, and imprisonment, they prayed not for safety, not for peace, but for boldness: “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to Your servants to continue to speak Your word with all boldness” (Acts 4:29). That prayer shaped me as much as it shaped the early church. In those early years of listening to Voddie, I found my own lips echoing the same prayer.
Boldness is the natural twin of truthfulness. A preacher who believes that God has spoken cannot remain timid or apologetic. To speak truth timidly is to betray its majesty. The apostle Paul, who ministered with tears and humility, could still declare, “I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable” (Acts 20:20). He reminded the Ephesian elders that he had declared “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). That is boldness. It is speaking the whole counsel, even the hard parts, even the unpopular parts, even the offensive parts.
The offense of the gospel
The gospel itself is offensive. It tells men they are sinners — rebels under the wrath of God, unable to save themselves, lost without the Lord Jesus Christ. It strips away every vestige of pride and self-sufficiency. To proclaim such a message requires a preacher who is willing to bear reproach, mockery, and sometimes even persecution. The temptation is always present to soften the edges, to accommodate the culture, to repackage the gospel into something palatable. But faithful boldness resists. Boldness loves Christ too much to dilute His truth, and loves souls too much to deceive them with half-gospels. This is what I saw in VB, and this is what I pray to embody myself as I preach at Upendo Gospel Community Church (UGCC).
Boldness is not optional. It is the calling of every minister who opens his mouth in the name of Christ. Like VB, I want to die with no part of God’s counsel withheld, no truth hidden in fear, no part of the gospel compromised. His greatest accomplishment was not in institutions built (though I am grateful for Founders Seminary and African Christian University), books written or platforms gained, but in his undying and unshifting fidelity to the gospel of Christ.
As a preacher, Voddie became known far beyond his local church in Texas. In 1993, he helped found Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas. He championed the importance of fathers leading their homes, of mothers nurturing their children, and of families worshiping together. His teaching on Biblical manhood and womanhood, on family worship challenged me to find these truths in the Scriptures. When I look at my own family, and at the responsibility I bear as a husband and father, I cannot help but recognize the debt I owe to VB’s teaching. His Family Driven Faith influenced not only how I view my role in the home, but also how I now encourage other men in our church to shepherd their households.
His sermons abound online. He was the first preacher who I ever saw pleading to sinners to repent with actual tears. That got me. He also gave a bit about his background, being brought up by a single mother. Of course, I also remember some of his memorable phrases like, “vipers in diapers” – speaking about the fact that children are born with original sin. SermonAudio, YouTube, and podcasts will continue to carry his distinctive voice and bold message forward, hopefully to those of our generation and beyond. Whether addressing cultural Marxism, the sufficiency of Scripture, or the centrality of Christ, his words will resonate with faithful Christians because they are both uncompromising and pastorally sensitive. I can remember some late nights in Nairobi, after ministry, listening again to his sermons online.
In 2015, VB accepted the call to serve as Dean of Theology at African Christian University (ACU) in Lusaka, Zambia. Together with Pastor Conrad Mbewe, often called the “Spurgeon of Africa,” Voddie poured himself into training African pastors, theologians, and missionaries. He loved Africa, and I believe Africa loved him back. As a Kenyan, I felt a special pride in this — here was one of the most recognized Reformed preachers in the world, investing in Africa, not from afar but by being among us. It confirmed to me that the Reformed faith is not a Western possession, rather, it belongs to Christ, and He is giving it to the nations. As I laboured in Nairobi, planting and replanting, I saw (and still see) Lusaka’s example as a powerful encouragement.
Even as he ministered in Africa, his global platform only grew. Conferences around the world invited him. Videos of his sermons were shared by millions. Social media amplified his message. Many Christians who never met him in person counted him as a spiritual father because of the way his preaching shaped their faith. I am one of those. His boldness made me bolder. His family-centered teaching made me more intentional. His stand on the sufficiency of Scripture reinforced my own convictions in the pulpit. His ministry was not far removed from my life—it touched it directly, and continues to do so. His sermons are woven into my memory as milestones in my walk with Christ.
When I left Switzerland with my family in early 2021 and was freshly returned to Kenya, news of his heart condition broke. My wife and I were shocked. We had just begun our planting labours, and to see this giant of the faith weakened was sobering. We prayed. In that moment, I realized that though I did not know him personally, VB’s voice had become a fatherly presence in my journey. His books also extended his influence. Expository Apologetics, and Fault Lines are the other of his books that I own and have read through. Fault Lines in particular became a watershed moment, exposing how some American-born unbiblical ideologies were infiltrating the church. Voddie was not afraid to be controversial. He was not interested in applause. He was interested in faithfulness to Christ.
Voddie was not only a preacher, but a husband, father, and grandfather. Together with his wife, Bridget, they raised ten children. VB often said that the greatest test of a man’s theology is not in the pulpit but in his living room. By that measure, he passed. Though his ministry took him across oceans, he never ceased to remind the world that his first ministry was at home. In a day when many leaders sacrifice their families on the altar of ministry success, Voddie sought to keep the balance. As I reflect on this, I cannot help but think of UGCC, the church I now serve. VB’s passion for establishing healthy churches resonates with me deeply. Like him, I desire to see families integrated into the life of the church, and fathers and mothers discipling their children under the lordship of Christ. His model strengthens my own convictions and keeps me faithful to the same truths he upheld.
Bearing suffering
One of the remarkable aspects of Voddie’s life was the way he bore suffering. After news about his deteriorating health in 2021, VB underwent treatment in the United States, and by God’s mercy, he was restored enough to continue his labours. Yet I remember seeing some updates of how his health remained fragile though he remained unbowed. He eventually returned to the U.S. from Zambia, seeking stability and medical care. For a man so strong in presence, so towering in influence, it was humbling to see him weakened in body. But here too he taught us: suffering is not meaningless. Every affliction is a reminder that our treasure is in jars of clay, “to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).
Then came the news of his sudden death. At only 56 years old, he was taken. Humanly speaking, it is too soon. We longed for decades more of his voice, his counsel, his preaching. Yet God, who numbers our days, saw fit to bring His servant home. History reminds us that this is not unique. Charles Spurgeon, the “Prince of Preachers,” died at 57. Robert Murray M’Cheyne died at 29. David Brainerd at 29. Henry Martyn at 31. John Calvin himself only lived to 54. Faithful men have often been taken young, but their impact has outlasted their years, extending for centuries. Voddie stands in that company now. And how heavy this feels in our generation, at least to me. Within the last decade, we have already lost R. C. Sproul. John MacArthur too has entered glory. These were stalwarts of the Reformed faith, men who shaped thousands of pastors, churches, and believers. And now Voddie Baucham too has gone. The torch is passing.
I feel the weight of his departure as though it were the loss of a spiritual kinsman. His boldness is a model for mine. His convictions are the very ones I hold. His faith is now sight, and for that, I say amen. But the ache of his death makes me say ouch. And yet, in God’s providence, even the ouch will turn to amen for us who remain. May you rest in peace, Voddie Baucham, Jr.
Joe Mwita Thwagi pastors Upendo Gospel Community Church in Nairobi. This article was first published on https://joethwagi.wordpress.com/
