Photo: Far right, Iva Griffith McElroy (1900-1973) and son Dr. John A. Hash (1921-2012) /
A few days ago, I wrote about the paternal family of my wife, Michelle. The brother of her paternal grandmother, Rose Lethie Hash Williams (1923-1989), was John A. Hash. Hash was a minister who established a Bible-study ministry, Bible Pathway Ministries, with publications that eventually reached millions of readers throughout the world. The ministry is still active today.
Rose Lethie Hash Williams with her brother John A. Hash
Born May 27, 1921, in Marion County, Oregon, Hash entered the ministry at age 19. He pastored several churches while attending Bible school and college, then worked with ministries led by evangelists Rex Humbard, Jerry Falwell and John R. Rice. While working for Falwell and later for Rice’s “Sword of the Lord” in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, John helped raise financial support and gained experience with religious publishing and direct-mail outreach.1
During the early 1970s, John became increasingly aware that many Christians attended church but possessed little knowledge of the Bible as a whole. The project that became Bible Pathway Ministries took shape in 1973 and entered regular publication around 1974. Hash placed an advertisement in a religious publication offering a free guide that would help readers complete the Bible in one year. About 1,000 people responded, but the printer required an initial order of 20,000 copies. Hash sold his car and rental property, cashed in insurance policies and eventually sold the family home to finance the first printing.2
John and Letha Hash with their children Linda, Bonnie and Rick.
John Hash’s wife, Letha Hash (1923-2007), became an essential partner in the work. The couple mailed the guides without charge and relied largely on donations. A memorial account recalled that Letha sometimes worked through the night typing as many as 15,000 address labels. When the ministry’s money nearly ran out, John continued sending the guides. A ministry history says that more than $10,000 in contributions arrived during a single weekend, allowing publication to continue.
The monthly guide, called “Bible Pathway,” asked readers to devote about 15 minutes each day to reading their Bible. Rather than selecting only familiar or inspirational passages, the program moved systematically through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
During one version of the plan that I very clearly remember reading as a teenager, they covered the Old Testament from January through September and the New Testament from October through December. An additional New Testament chapter during the first nine months allowed participants to complete the New Testament twice each year.
Daily entries included assigned chapters, a short devotional commentary, definitions of unfamiliar words, a prayer suggestion and a section showing how the day’s passages pointed toward Christ. I remmeber seeing copies of these at many churchs I attended.
Bible Pathway grew into a substantial international publishing and missionary enterprise. By the end of the 1980s, the ministry reported distributing more than 60 million copies in 186 nations. A later publisher’s description placed total distribution since 1974 at more than 90 million copies in 35 languages.
In 1989, Hash joined Campus Crusade for Christ founder Bill Bright in leading an organization called the International Bible Reading Association. The goal of the two men was to encourage more people to read the Bible. On Jan. 1, 1990, they created an event in which individuals participated in a public reading on the Mount of Olives, with similar events in Berlin and Bucharest. President George H. W. Bush later proclaimed 1990 the International Year of Bible Reading.3
The Murfreesboro Daily News-Journal. Feb 14, 2012, A2.
Hash remained the president of Bible Pathway Ministries until his death Feb. 5, 2012, following prolonged complications from diabetes. He was 90 and had spent more than seven decades in ministry.
John and Letha’s headstone at Evergreen Cemetery in Tennessee
Hash’s devotional commentaries continued in print and online after his death, promoting the idea that ordinary readers can understand the whole Bible if they approach it one day at a time.
For more of my genealogy research, visit rscottwilliams.info.
Notes
- “John Hash Obituary,” The Daily News Journal, February 14, 2012; J. Gordon Henry, “A Life Well Lived: Dr. John A. Hash,” Reflector, April 2012, 9. ↩︎
- “Bible Pathway Is Encouraging People to Get in Their Bible,” Mission Network News, April 15, 2013; Henry, “A Life Well Lived,” 9. ↩︎
- “Legacy of Bible Pathway Ministries Pioneer Celebrated,” Mission Network News, February 24, 2012; “Bible Reading Marathon Running With National Day of Prayer,” The Christian Post, May 6, 2004; George Bush, “Proclamation 6100—International Year of Bible Reading, 1990,” February 22, 1990. ↩︎
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