One of the boldest revivalist of the Voice of Healing days. Coe was born in Oklahoma City on March 11th, 1918 and entered an orphanage at age nine because of a severe hardship on his mother who herself was overwhelmed with trying to raise her children. At age 17 he left the orphanage, began to drink and gamble, taking the same path that his father had.

In 1941 Coe joined the army after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. During his stay in the military Coe was so sold out to God that he would attend church every night. This caused him much persecution among his fellow soldiers and a sergeant sent him to a base psychiatrist to be evaluated. After being confined for a while in the psych ward the doctor told him that he was suffering from psycho neurosis or religious fanaticism and that he wasn't dangerous and let him out. In 1944 he was ordained an Assemblies of God minister.

Bold in Spirit
Coe was a very large man with a dynamic platform presence. He was well known for his blunt and sometimes overbearing direct responses. The boldness of the Spirit of God on his life was quite evident in his ministry. He was a fearless minister of the gospel of Christ.

There was something almost magnetic with Coe's relationship with the common man. They loved him immensely because of his frankness and simple way of communicating what people were thinking. Coe was never afraid of telling it the way it was. He understood the needs of the people and there was no beating around the bush when listening to him.

The common everyday working man loved him while many of the religious leaders were irritated by his frankness and lack of polish. He could stir you up with his pointed and very direct gospel messages. If there was one common theme in the preaching of Jack Coe it was 'hope' for those that had none. His anointed faith building messages seemed to touch those who were desperate and at the end of their ropes. Some of his great gospel messages included, "Curing The Incurable, Do It Again Lord, Greater Is He, If Thou Can Believe, and Wilt Thou Be Made Whole."

Overwhelming Passion
Some religious leaders thought that Coe was a radical and an extremist, but it never really appeared to affect him in a negative way. The more opposition against him the more he seemed to like it. Coe was highly opinionated and was never afraid of a spiritual fight. He enjoyed healing the sick and casting out devils. If there was any man that had an overwhelming passion to touch the world for Jesus, it was Jack Coe.

Brother Coe was the counter-part to Oral Roberts. Roberts once called Coe, "a man of great faith." One day Coe went to a Roberts tent meeting and measured his tent. It was said that he then ordered one a little bigger. Coe was not bashful about announcing that his tent was the largest in the world seating over 22,000 people. He sometimes would speak of other tent evangelist as having "pup-tents."

Brother Coe speaks of a time when he asked God to fill one of his first tents. Coe prayed, "God, you can fill it." The Lords reply, "Son, I won't only fill this one; but this is only the beginning of what I'll do for you, if you'll have faith in Me. Always remember not to take any glory for yourself. Don't put any emphasis on what Jack Coe can do. Give all the glory to Jesus Christ. I'll bless you and cause you to grow and prosper. Always remember from where your strength comes, and what I've done for you."

In 1950 Brother Coe published his own magazine, the Herald of Healing. About the same time he opened a children's orphanage. Coe loved children and never forgot where he had come from. In six years the Herald of Healing was being delivered to over 350,000 people.

The Religious Wars
In 1953 Coe found himself expelled from his ministerial fellowship. They felt that he was very independent and extreme, and they were sometimes uneasy with his ministry methods. Coe was reported as saying, "One of the officials made the remark to me that he would not rest until every man that was preaching divine healing in a deliverance ministry, separated from the General Council of the Assembly of God."

Coe thought many were jealous of his success in ministry. He was infuriated when he found out that he was accused of high living in a fancy house at the expense of the revival. Coe, not being intimated by anyone, printed pictures of four homes owned by some top denominational officials and the homes of himself and three other men who worked with him. The homes of the Coe team were considered modest compared to the church officials. Unfortunately this just caused a larger rift between Coe and some organized denominations. 

It is important to point out that Coe was not by himself and being singled out during this period in history. There were many other traveling tent evangelist who were also in times of religious opposition. This was a very difficult time in history for both the independent revivalist and the denominations.

Even during this difficult time Coe managed to build the Dallas Revival Center and in only two years it was one of the largest churches in Dallas.

Arrested in Miami
One of the most commemorative things that happened to Coe was his arrest for practicing medicine without a license in Miami, Florida.

It was Wednesday, February 8th, 1956, the caption read, "Coe Freed Under Bond of $5,000." What was his crime? Practicing medicine without a license, a felony in the State of Florida.

The Spirit of the Lord impacted South Florida during this time of early 1956, invading it with signs, wonders, healings, and miracles. What was the response? A jail view from the Dade County prison for God's man of faith, Jack Coe. 

The court case brought national attention to the healing revivalist of the Voice of Healing days. Even though Brother Coe won the court case against him, the victory over the anti-christ spirit was not won. That spirit still operates in Miami today resisting the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

When Coe was arrested, so many Christians called the Miami Herald newspaper that for the first time in the history of that newspaper their switchboard broke down.

America Stunned
One year later America was stunned. In 1957 while preaching in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Brother Coe was struck down with bulbar polio and died a few days later, in Dallas Parkland Hospital.