Jerry B. Jenkins

Jerry Bruce Jenkins (born September 23, 1949) is an American writer.

He is best known for the Left Behind series, written with Tim LaHaye.

Jenkins also writes the novels following the first ever TV series about Jesus, The Chosen.

Jenkins has written more than 200 books, in multiple genres, such as biography, self-help, romance, mystery, and young adult fiction.

Nineteen of his 130+ novels have explored eschatological themes and settings.

Jenkins was born September 1949 to Harry Philip Jenkins and Bonita Grace Thompson of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

He was paid US$1 1964 per inch.

While attending Moody Bible Institute, Jenkins served as night news editor for the institute's flagship radio station, WMBI-FM.

In 1965, Norman Rohrer established the Christian Writers Guild (CWG).

Rohrer offered a 48-part correspondence course intended to teach the craft of writing, as well as history and theology Rohrer believed were necessary to improve the quality of fiction and non-fiction writing intended for the Christian market.

After graduating from Forest View High School, Jenkins attended Moody Bible Institute from 1967 to 1968, and Harper College from 1968 to 1970.

After suffering an injury playing sports, Jenkins began work as a sports reporter while he was still in high school.

Before he could drive, Jenkins covered high school sports for local newspapers.

He was the managing editor of Moody Monthly from 1974 to 1979 and publisher from 1979 to 1981.

He served as Vice President of the Moody's publishing division from 1985 to 1988, and a writer-in-residence from 1988 onward.

The Dallas O'Neil and The Baker Street Sports Club (1986) series, and its follow up, the Dallas O'Neil Mysteries (1988–89), prompted Gil Thorp creator Jack Berrill to open discussions with Jenkins on creating a line of young adult books about Gil Thorp and the athletes at the fictional Milford High School.

The Gil Thorp series was never realized, but following Berrill's death in 1996, Jenkins was recruited by Tribune to continue to comic strip as its writer, with Rod Whigham as artist.

During his tenure as writer, Jenkins introduced a number of controversial storylines, including a young shomer Shabbat joining the Milford football team.

Jenkins's sons, Chad and Dallas, contributed to Gil Thorp by developing scenarios for their father to write.

Jenkins served as a member of Moody Bible Institute's Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2018.

Jenkins has written twenty as-told-to biographies and memoirs of prominent athletes and religious leaders, such as Hank Aaron, Bill Gaither, Walter Payton, Joe Gibbs, Mike Singletary, and Sammy Tippit.

Jenkins called those titles his "sports personality" books.

His credit as writer is given via an "as told to", "as told by", or "with Jerry B. Jenkins" attribution.

In an interview with Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn podcast, Jenkins explained he does not co-write, saying "if my name is on [the book] … I wrote every word."

According to the Chicago Reader, Chad Jenkins wrote the strip from 2001 to 2004 without credit, which both Jenkins and his son say is not true.

Chad served as a story consultant.

In 2001, Jenkins purchased the CWG, and Rohrer remained on staff as "Dean of Instruction".

CWG transitioned from mail-based delivery, to an online platform.

Jenkins recruited many of his friends and fellow writers to function as mentors to CWG members, and to expand the guild's offerings.

For works credited with Chris Fabry, such as The Wormlings (2007–08) series, Jenkins functioned as the editor, and Fabry was the sole writer.

Jenkins said co-writing a book "is a nightmare," but can be successful if the roles among the credited writers are settled beforehand.

In a 2008 interview with The Modesto Bee, Jenkins said his Christian faith was inspired by a Warner Sallman painting, guided by his mother.

In 2013, Jenkins developed the Christian Writers Guild Press intended to publish original works by CWG members.

Jenkins was criticized for creating a "vanity press", despite lambasting such publishing schemes in the past and closed the operation before contracting with any writers.

According to literary agent Chip MacGregor, of MacGregor & Luedeke, Jenkins "was ready to return to his primary occupation and calling, that of full-time writing" by early-2014.

Jenkins dissolved CWG in late-2014, which resulted in heavy criticism of both Jenkins and the CWG.

Dennis E. Hensley told Christianity Today that Jenkins and the CWG had offered a "great service to developing writers."

In 2016, Jenkins was described as a dispensationalist Christian by The Washington Post.

CWG's staff and mission were absorbed into a new organization called BelieversTrust, which operated until 2016.

His collaboration with Billy Graham resulted in In His Own Words (2018), published by Tyndale House, for which Jenkins received sole writing credit.