Tony Evans mourns death of father: 'For his legacy of faith and family, I’m forever grateful'
Pastor Tony Evans is mourning the death of his father, Arthur S. Evans Sr., who he fondly remembered as the “foundation” and “rock” of the Evans family, leading them all to “a saving faith in Jesus Christ.”
On Tuesday, Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Texas, announced on Instagram that his 90-year-old father had “entered into the presence of His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
“We celebrate this day because we know that my father is overjoyed to finally see the face of the One he served with his whole heart since the day He met Jesus and surrendered His life to him,” Evans wrote.
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The pastor referred to his father as his “foundation” and the “rock” of the Evans family who led them “all to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.”
“I saw him love the Lord, love his family, and love the body of Christ with his life. Besides hearing well-done from his Savior, my father took pleasure in his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren as his earthly accolades,” Evans said.
“Faith and family. This is my father’s legacy. And legacy was everything to him. The reason I am what I am today is because of the foundation my father laid for me to stand on. I know what it is to lead my family because I watched him. I know what it is to lead my church family because I watched him.”
“And I know what it is to preach to people all over the world because I stood next to him on street corners decades ago, watching my father preach to anyone who would listen.”
Upon his death, Arthur S. Evans Sr. was wearing his Kingdom Man shirt, his son said, adding: “Whatever I am, and however I lead others, my knowledge of what it means to be a Kingdom Man, started with my father. And for his legacy of faith and family, I’m forever grateful.”
“Thank you for your concern and prayers for our family during this time,” he concluded. “We know God is still on the throne and our faith in Him, His Word and His love for us is still unwavered.”
According to his obituary, Evans Sr. died in Baltimore, Maryland, and is survived by two sons and six grandchildren, including Bible teacher Priscilla Shirer.
Shirer also took to Instagram to remember her late grandfather, writing: “Legacy Maker. Jesus Follower. Grandfather. Thank you sweet Two Daddy. Your faithfulness changed the trajectory of my life.”
The Evans family is still grieving the unexpected loss of Evans' sister, Beverly Johnson, who died in January, along with his niece, Wynter Pitts, who died last year, and his brother who died six months before that.
Earlier this year, Tony Evans revealed that his wife, Lois, was diagnosed with a rare and incurable form of cancer. The family is “totally resting on the supernatural” for a miracle for healing, Evans said.
Throughout his ministry, Evans has stressed the importance of strong male leadership within the family as a necessary foundation for a thriving, God-honoring society.
“What we’re seeing, and will continue to see, is the decimation of the family, because the man is the foundation of the family, and the family is the foundation of society,” Evans said in a February interview with The Christian Post. “So if we want to unravel the family and society, the best way is to get rid of men fulfilling their roles.”
“In Moses' day and in Jesus' day, they killed all the males because they wanted to control what was happening in a community of people among the Jews,” he said. “So what the enemy is doing is trying to get rid of the males psychologically, emotionally, and functionally, and that's what culture is currently doing.”
Evans noted that in the African American community, for example, almost 70 percent of children are born to single mothers, meaning the majority of children are raised without a positive male influence in their lives.
“Then, you're on the precipice of disaster as a community,” he said. “Not because the women aren't great, but you've asked them to do more than what they were created to do. So getting back to the right view of marriage and a right view of family is critical, and that starts with the right view of man.”
