On July 22, 2024, Jack Babbitt — former board member at The Master’s University and Seminary (TMUS) — entered the presence of the Lord.
Babbitt lived to be 101 years old. From a human perspective, his life was exceptional. He served his country with great distinction during World War II, completing 29 bombing missions (and one humanitarian effort) across Europe. After the war, he graduated with honors from Purdue University and had a long and successful career as an engineer and businessman. But throughout his century-and-a-year on this earth, Babbitt understood that the value of his life wasn’t going to be measured by its great length. He knew that his status as a war hero wasn’t a source of true glory. And he believed that the measure of success wasn’t the significance of his wealth or the size and influence of his businesses. So what did Babbitt consider to be truly important in this life? What did he think of as a worthwhile investment? What was something he knew would bring his life far more meaning and joy than any earthly success? One place to find answers is in a booklet The Master’s Seminary sent Babbitt in 2019. It was titled “Babbitt’s Men.”
In this booklet, 20 graduates of the Seminary share their stories. Each of these men trained for ministry at TMS. Today, they are pastors across the United States, in cities like Bakersfield, California; Naples, Florida; Prescott, Arizona; and others. They are leading churches and pastoral training centers in countries like Northern Ireland, Italy, Fiji, and Argentina. They are proclaiming Christ, impacting lives, and strengthening the church. The ministry they have today, and will, Lord willing, continue to have for decades to come, was made possible by a financial investment from Babbitt.
Another place to see what mattered to Babbitt is his first conversation with John MacArthur in the mid-1990s. At the time, MacArthur was beginning his second decade as president of The Master’s University. Babbitt had achieved remarkable success in the business world and was looking for a Christian institution where he could invest his resources. During that conversation, Babbitt found what he was looking for in MacArthur’s convictional leadership. MacArthur told him that The Master’s University (The Master’s College at the time) prepared men and women to lead with conviction. The institution wasn’t interested in merely calling itself Christian. It cultivated theological convictions that couldn’t be swayed by culture, that led its graduates to pursue personal holiness, boldly proclaim the gospel, and serve the church. The focus on deep convictions resonated with Babbitt. He’d been courted by other institutions that called themselves Christian, yet he’d come to see that they had a marginal commitment to the deepest truths of God’s Word. At the end of that conversation, he sensed he’d found a place that shared his love for the truth and his desire to train uncompromising leaders.
In the coming years, Babbitt would not only invest in the school, he would help lead it as a member of TMUS’s board of directors. In meetings, he wasn’t afraid to ask tough questions or speak his mind if he believed a decision was not grounded in biblical convictions and in the best interest of TMUS. Eventually, Babbitt would withdraw from the board for health-related reasons, but he never withdrew his commitment to the institution or his investment in it. In a personal letter to Babbitt on his 100th birthday in 2023, nearly 30 years after they first met, MacArthur told Babbitt, “There are no words for me to express my gratitude for your long faithfulness, trust, and encouragement. We love you greatly and believe the Lord has uniquely used your life and will continue to do so long into the future because of your faithfulness.”
The missionary C.T. Studd once said, “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.” Babbitt’s time on this earth has come and gone. And as long and rich as his earthly story was, the details of it will soon be forgotten. If the Lord tarries for another 101 years, few on this earth will remember who Babbitt was and all that he did. Yet because of his deep and ongoing investment in the church’s future leaders, his legacy will endure and his influence will only grow in the decades to come as TMUS continues to prepare leaders for the church and heralds of truth to bring the hope of eternity to a lost and dying world.
Thank you, Jack. We are so grateful that you are in the presence of the Lord, enjoying your reward for all eternity.
