"See the river of blood that ran from the slit
throats of innocent animals through four thousand years of time from
Eden to Calvary. See the vast multitude of weary, sin-laden souls as
they went to altars of sacrifice with their offerings...But now, see
Christ, the Lamb of God...and the offering in His own blood made once
for all....Only Jesus could make the announcement, 'It is finished!'"
"From disgrace to grace" is not our title for one of
America's greatly used men of God-that was Oliver
Greene's own appraisal of himself. He was born on
February 14, 1915 in Greenville, South Carolina.
Oliver's youthful life was that of a wastrel, living in
wanton wickedness. Drinking, stealing, bootlegging,
immorality-he was a veteran of all those vices. But at
age twenty, God saved that wayward youth when he
attended a revival meeting (solely in an attempt to date
a pure country girl) and heard a sermon on "The wages of
sin is death."
That
night he was convinced, convicted and converted! He got
a mighty good dose of salvation! Five months later God
called him to preach. To prepare for this, he attended
North Greenville Baptist College but was expelled in his
second year because of his reluctance to cooperate with
the denominational program.
Early in life it was immediately evident Oliver B.
Greene was an independent Baptist. Through
all of his ministry he
carried the honor of being one who "could not be
bought." In 1939, the 24-year-old bought a tent, and for
35 years he conducted revivals all across America, until
failing health forced him to stop. 
Carefully kept records reveal that over 200,000 found
Christ under his ministry. Perhaps his single greatest
campaign was in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, where 7,000
professions of faith were registered. He held his last
tent revival in Bel Air,
Maryland (this tent was 100 feet by 300 feet).
Surely another genius of Greene's labors for Christ was
his radio ministry, which grew from one station in 1939
to 180 stations at his death. The Gospel Hour is still
heard coast to coast by his taped messages. He prepared
these taped messages "to continue on the Gospel Hour
hopefully until Christ comes back."
Dr.
Greene was called Home to be with the Lord on July 26,
1976, but he "being dead, yet
speaketh," not only by radio but by his writings.
His books, pamphlets, tracts, totaling above 100 titles,
are still mailed out by the thousands.
Aye,
DISGRACE TO GRACE, a fitting appraisal as well as a
fitting epitaph for a great man of the Gospel and the
greatly used messenger of the Gospel Hour-Oliver B.
Greene!
Bio from Sword of the Lord
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