On Saturday afternoon, August 30, Harvest House Publishers received the bittersweet news that author John Weldon, after a lengthy battle with cancer, had gone to be in the arms of his beloved Savior.

John was born in 1948 in Chicago, Illinois. After becoming a Christian as an adult, he enrolled in seminary and earned multiple graduate-level degrees, including a PhD in comparative religion and a DMin with an emphasis on contemporary religious movements. He put his theology and apologetics expertise to work as a researcher for The John Ankerberg Show for more than two decades.

John was also a special part of the Harvest House family of authors for nearly 30 years. He lived a full and generous life for God, and he authored and coauthored 65+ books with the company with sales of nearly 3 million copies. Every single one of these books clearly proclaimed his deep and abounding love for God’s truth.

John was exceptionally knowledgeable and yet exceedingly humble. These traits were clearly evident in his many written defenses of the Christian faith, in which he spoke God’s truth with love (Ephesians 4:15). Even in the face of tremendous opposition—such as when it was necessary to respond to a lengthy and unwarranted lawsuit—he was able to take a strong stand and do it with grace.

Particularly special to us was the enormous compassion John expressed for the lost. He loved to share with people the reasons for the hope he knew in Christ, and he did this as a true friend with genuine love. In light of that it’s particularly fitting that his last book was How to Know You’re Going to Heaven, published in July 2014 by Harvest House.

John was marked by a sweet spirit and pure faith. He was fun to be with, and he was an inspiration by his life example. Even as he struggled with cancer he was always radiant with cheerfulness and joy, bringing a smile to everyone he encountered. As one to whom prayer was a natural extension of his life in Christ, he lived out the apostle Paul’s exhortation to “be devoted to one another in brotherly love…fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation” (Romans 12:10-12).

“Working with John, as an author and a friend, was always a great blessing,” said Bob Hawkins Jr., president of Harvest House Publishers. “His books and his life have left a lasting legacy, and we feel very honored to have known and worked alongside him in ministry.”