by Matt Sedensky: The Rev. D. James Kennedy, a pioneering Christian broadcaster and founder of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, whose fiercely conservative worldview helped fuel the rise of the religious right in American politics, died Wednesday. He was 76. Kennedy died at his home in Fort Lauderdale from complications of a heart attack he suffered on Dec. 28 . . .Kennedy's voice and face were known to millions through radio and television broadcasts, urging Christians to evangelize in their daily lives, while condemning homosexuality and abortion as assaults on the traditional family. His also preached on the major policy issues of the day, rejecting evolution and global warming. Kennedy was influential in the founding of the religious right, but did so more often from behind the scenes, as attention focused on his allies, the Revs. Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. . . .
Kennedy was a founding board member of the Moral Majority, which Falwell formed in 1979. In 1996, Kennedy created Coral Ridge's political arm, called the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ, to mobilize conservative Christians against gay marriage, pornography and what he called "judicial tyranny,"' among other issues. Kennedy also founded the Center for Christian Statesmanship, which organized Capitol Hill Bible studies and other events that attracted top government officials. He encouraged them "to embrace God's providential purpose for this nation." . . .
In 1959, the pastor started his congregation with about 45 members, eventually expanding into a megachurch that claims 10,000 members today. In the 1960s, when many conservative Christians were still debating how much to engage the broader culture, Kennedy jumped in and created Evangelism Explosion International, which trained Christians to share their beliefs with others. . . . Kennedy was the author of more than 50 books and founded two schools - Knox Theological Seminary and Westminster Academy, a K-12 Christian school near his church. Coral Ridge Ministries, his radio and TV outreach arm, claimed a weekly audience of 3.5 million people for all its broadcasts. . . .
Dennis James Kennedy was born Nov. 3, 1930, in Augusta, Ga., and his family moved in 1936 to Chicago and in 1945 to Tampa. . . . Kennedy earned multiple degrees, including a doctorate from New York Univ. Pastor Kennedy is survived by his wife of 51 years, Anne Lewis, and a daughter, Jennifer Kennedy Cassidy. Both were by his bedside when he died.
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