| Marilyn Hickey | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 1, 1931 in Overland Park, Kansas, U.S. |
| Religion | Christianity (Methodist, then Pentecostal) |
| Spouse | Rev. Wallace Hickey |
| Children | Michael Hickey & Sarah Beth Hickey Bowling, Reece Bowling (son-in-law) |
| Church | Pentecostal |
| Congregations served | Orchard Road Christian Center, Denver, Colorado co-pastor with husband Wallace |
| Offices held | Member, Board Of Regents, Oral Roberts University |
| Title | Founder, Marilyn Hickey Ministries Int'l co-host Marilyn & Sarah TV program (with daughter Sarah) |
Marilyn Hickey (born July 1, 1931) is an American Christian minister and Christian television televangelist and personality who teaches Bible studies both nationally and internationally.
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As a young girl, Marilyn, whose parents were professing Methodists, attended church only casually, but she became a born again Christian when she was a teenager. In college, she studied Spanish, intending to become a public high school teacher until she met her husband, Assemblies of God pastor Wallace Hickey, who challenged her commitment to Christ and was her encouragement to become a Pentecostal. The couple married, and after a short time in Texas returned to Denver to found Full Gospel Chapel. The church, now known as Orchard Road Christian Center, is now one of the largest churches in the Denver area, and currently meets in a former mall in Greenwood Village. They have since turned over the pastorate to their daughter Sarah Bowling and son-in-law Reece Bowling.
Hickey has aired a television program since 1973, and since 1996 has co-hosted it with her daughter Sarah. Marilyn and Sarah can be seen on various Christian networks such as Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) and the DayStar Network and independent stations in both the U.S. and across the globe, and also on web and podcasts, including the ministries website.[1][2]
With her daughter Sarah and at times with her husband Wallace and others, Hickey also regularly appears as both a speaker in conferences, especially overseas, leading missions trips with strong emphasis on outreach and aid in third-world nations. Hickey has served as a member of the Board of Regents of Oral Roberts University.[3]
The Hickeys preach and teach a Charismatic Word of Faith message. Some people have stated that the Hickeys are at the conservative end of the prosperity gospel ladder but others have criticized their emphasis on the "Name it and Claim it" ethos, in which they tell their audience or TV viewers that if they "sow a seed in fertile ground" (pledge to sow money and/or prayer into a ministry that is active and financially sound, such as their own), God will reward them. The Hickeys have a strong commitment to a born-again salvation message with a strong Assemblies of God theological background.
At numerous times in the past, Marilyn Hickey Ministries has been criticized for some of their fundraising practices, and also at times has been compared to other ministries such as Peter Popoff, Don Stewart and Kenneth Copeland. They have been accused of exploiting their audiences to raise money, and using God's words as their own, promising His blessings in return for funding the work of God through their ministries.[4] Many of her followers/partners are receiving letters asking them to "sow seed" (send money) in order to reap and receive various blessings (healing, deliverance, financial prosperity).[3]