Lon Solomon
Lon Solomon is an American non-denominational Christian megachurch evangelist and the Senior Pastor at the McLean Bible Church in McLean, Virginia.
Personal biography
Lon Solomon was born and raised in a Jewish home in Portsmouth, VA.
Lon holds a B.S. degree in Chemistry (1971) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; a Th.M. degree in Hebrew and Old Testament (1975, summa cum laude) from Capital Bible Seminary; an M.A. degree (1978) in Near Eastern Studies from Johns Hopkins University; and a Doctorate of Divinity degree (2005) from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
Spiritual path
While in college, Lon searched for meaning and purpose.[citation needed] He sought to fill the inner void he felt with fraternity life, heavy drinking and drug use. When these failed to satisfy him, Lon turned to “spiritual” things at this point, diving into psychedelics, Eastern religions, and even attempting a return to mainstream Judaism. But all this failed to resolve his inner turmoil, and he decided that suicide was the only reasonable way out.
It was at this time that Lon met a Christian street evangelist, Bob Ekhardt, in Chapel Hill who began to talk to him about Jesus Christ. Ekhardt challenged him to read the Bible. As he read, Lon began to believe the Bible had the answers he was looking for in life. A particular verse he came across, Matthew 11:28, impacted him deeply. Upon reading "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest", Lon felt purpose for his life and made the decision to put his faith in Jesus Christ, believing Christ is the Jewish Messiah, and thereby converting to Christianity in the spring of 1971.
Lon refers to his life as an example of God’s transforming power because he believes the extreme changes in his life are only possible through supernatural intervention. Subsequent to his conversion Lon quit the drug and alcohol abuse that had plagued his life. He went on to graduate from Capital Bible Seminary before doing graduate work at Johns Hopkins University receiving a Master's Degree in Near Eastern Studies in 1979. He taught Hebrew and Old Testament at Capital Bible Seminary from 1975 to 1980.
Work at McLean Bible Church
In 1980, Lon became the Senior Pastor at McLean Bible Church in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., where he has served ever since. Today, Lon ministers to over 14,000 people every weekend at McLean Bible Church.
Lon’s 30-minute, Sunday radio broadcast called “So What?” can be heard weekly on SiriusXM 131, WAVA-FM (105.1), WASH-FM (97.1), WMZQ-FM (98.7),in the Washington, D.C. area, as well as WGMD-FM (92.7) on the DelMarVa peninsula, and WRVL-FM (88.3) in Lynchburg, Virginia.
The birth of Lon's disabled daughter Jill led to his initiating and organizing the Access Ministry of McLean Bible Church, a vast ministry to serve the needs of disabled children and their families.
Activity outside McLean Bible Church
Lon has been on the Board of Jews for Jesus since 1987, where he now serves as chairman of the Board’s Executive Committee.
In September 2002, Lon was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve in his administration as a member of the President’s Committee on Intellectual Disabilities, a position which he held until 2006.
Personal story
Source
http://mcleanbible.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=81281
Sermons and books by Lon Solomon
- Sermons by Series – Some of Lon Solomon's sermons online.
- Brokenness: How God Redeems Pain and Suffering
- Future Hope: A Jewish Christian Look at the End of the World – by David Brickner, foreword by Lon Solomon.
News articles
- PBS NewsWeekly Video Clip
- PBS News Article
- A Pastor With a Drive to Convert - Washington Post
- Lon Solomon: What I have Learned - Esquire Magazine