\u201cI just bootleg the gospel,\u201d\u009d Howard Butt Jr. told 1,500 Baptist men in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1954. Butt meant he had no license to preach, but that didn\u2019t stop him from doing it. The 89-year-old well-known author and speaker, as well as creator of the Laity Lodge Retreat Center, passed away yesterday evening from complications related to Parkinson\u2019s.
\n\u201cHoward was a mentor, a motivator, and a model servant whose mind and heart were profoundly poured out on me at a most critical time,\u201d\u009d said Christianity Today International president and CEO Harold Smith.
\n\u201cHis words of exhortation and encouragement to both my wife and me during a challenging first year of executive leadership offered us the assurances of God\u2019s watchcare and direction\u201d\u201deven in an industry experiencing such tumultuous change,\u201d\u009d Smith stated. \u201cTruly, the power of Howard\u2019s presence in word and deed has left a God-anointed legacy that will inspire me and the entire CT team for years to come.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n