16 The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; 17 but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. 18 The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day—and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus.
2 Timothy 1:1 (NKJV)
Twin boys born in the small East Texas community of Sulphur Springs gave little indication at birth or in their early years that both would ascend the ladder of human success and become widely known. Mack and Jack Pogue were reared by their mother to attend the Methodist church, and she clearly hoped that this would be sufficient to make them “good boys” and "good men.” Doubtless, some of the impact she desired became reality; but, in time, both boys dropped affiliation with the Methodists.
Mack became one of the most successful real estate magnates in Dallas and for that matter, around the world. And Jack was no slacker. He tried working in a commercial real estate partnership but considered himself a loner, one who worked best on his own. Like Mack, Jack prospered in one of the most active markets in the world. Jack’s fame was associated with a trilogy of unique practices. First, his 6% fee was non-negotiable. Second, the meek little man described by a former pastor as “leprechaunous” was transformed into a veritable tiger when he sat to negotiate a real estate deal. One man who had banked all over Dallas trying to change a contract before losing on every point told me: “All I want to say is that if my life is ever on the block, I want Jack Pogue to argue my case.”
A third factor for which Jack was widely known was honesty. Clever, quick, and determined, he was known throughout Dallas as a man of his word. Hate him or love him, no one doubted his integrity. He would walk away from a ten-million-dollar profit in a second if it required the slightest hint of a “side deal.”
Enter Jim Ray Smith, whose life on the gridiron left him famous and whose business interests intersected those of Jack Pogue. In October of 1970, Jim Ray began to talk about the sermons of his pastor, W. A. Criswell. To Jack it seemed like every question that arose evoked from Smith an answer that began with the phrase, “Well, my pastor, W. A. Criswell says . . . .”
Meantime, Jimmy D. Spence, longtime friend and associate in Sulphur Springs had lost his wife in 1967. He found solace in the Bible and frequently asked Jack to read the Bible to him. With the University of Texas and the Korean War behind him, Jack respected the Bible but found it impossible to comprehend and settled into a life of practical agnosticism. Now his friend Jimmy Spence was dying. Holding Jack by the hand, Jimmy said, “God bless you, Jack,” and he died. Jack could not shake the obvious—the Bible made a difference to Jimmy Spence.
Coupled with hearing the faithful witness of Jim Ray Smith, whom Jack profoundly respected, Jack began struggling to read the Bible and to attend Lovers Lane United Methodist Church. He was Methodist, always had been, always would be. But now he was looking for answers to what the Bible taught. One Sunday, the pastor said, “Jesus is not God.” Stunned and disappointed, Jack made the decision to slip incognito into First Baptist Church Dallas and hear this Criswell about whom Jim Ray Smith talked incessantly.
This urgency Jack Pogue experienced was the result of a moment in downtown Dallas when in the grips of uncertainty, he considered his own relationship to God. In March of 1971, standing on the street in front of the bank, Jack told God that he did not understand the Bible, but he did believe it and would follow the Bible. He describes what happened next: “It was as though a great burden was lifted from my chest.” [1]
Soon, Jack found a seat in the balcony of the First Baptist Church and with some skepticism prepared to hear Criswell. As if on cue, the far-famed pastor said, “I promise you, as long as I am your pastor, every sermon will be from this sacred book.” As he uttered these words, he held high his copy of the Bible. Jack was mesmerized, hooked.
In July of 1971, Pogue accompanied Criswell and a host of others to the lands of the Bible. Criswell baptized the real estate tycoon in the Jordan River, but few thought much about this fairly standard event. Not too long afterward, Criswell called Pogue about a real estate deal involving the church. Pogue worked his magic and refused any remuneration out of gratitude to God for his salvation.
Common gossip was that Pogue prospered by his deals with the church. In effect, he did become the real estate mogul of the church. But the truth of what that meant lay buried for most. Jack was so grateful for the Lord’s kindness that he steadfastly refused to take any fee at all even though some of the deals he negotiated brought millions to the benefit of the church’s downtown facilities.
Soon Jack Pogue became to W. A. Criswell as Onesiphorus was to Paul. Investing funds for his pastor, Jack took all the risks, sustained all the losses, and saw to it that the pastor’s portfolio prospered, making him the millionaire Criswell always said he wanted to be. Criswell longed to leave a substantial amount to God’s work upon his transfer to glory. He wished to care for Betty, Mabel Ann, and her son Chris, whom the Criswells had adopted. Having done that, he wanted his library to go to the Criswell College and his money to the Criswell Foundation to be used of God. Mrs. Criswell contested his desires, and a long legal battle ensued. Eventually, much of the estate went to Mrs. Criswell and her personal estate, but a substantial part remained with the Foundation to do kingdom work.
Pogue’s fascination with the Bible blossomed. Eventually, he became such a student of the Bible, reading it through three times or more every year. When The Criswell Study Bible was planned, as the senior editor, I made a unique proposal. The Bible would have a lay editor. Every note submitted would be read by two grammarians, then by Jack Pogue. If Jack did not understand the note or if he thought that it failed to represent Criswell’s position, then he had the authority to scratch the note and have it rewritten.
As a result, Jack was one of the most carefully trained lay Bible students I have ever known. No one would contend that a anyone living knows more about The Criswell Study Bible than Jack Pogue.[2] A look at Pogue’s nearly illegible Bible finds one observing every page marked in colors, re-annotated, and sporting a fair number of questions in the margins. Subsequent editions will have to deal with Jack’s questions.
Jack traveled with the pastor and Mrs. Criswell—often this was to England, where they rummaged through the shops of antiquities dealers and sellers of Meissen porcelain, which were cherished particularly by Mrs. Criswell. Carpets, and especially paintings, together with one of the largest private collections of Meissen to be seen anywhere, were added to the Swiss Avenue residence. Over a period of time, some people walked breathlessly (for fear of causing breakage) through the downstairs displays, but few mounted the stairs and not many church members ever saw the inside of “the parsonage.” Even Pogue’s daily visit was as the final guest of the day in Criswell’s office, and trips to the house were usually only to pick up the pastor and ferry him to the airport.
Through the years, Jack served as a Criswell College Board Trustee and the chief executive officer of the Criswell Foundation, but never as a FBC deacon. He continued, however, in the area of his expertise to represent the church in various real estate and construction opportunities. Jack exercised as much influence as anyone around First Baptist. He took special interest in all things Criswellian. Assisting Chris Criswell, grandson and adopted child of the Criswells, Jack arranged for his beginning in the real estate world. He did what he could to help Mabel Ann, Criswell’s daughter, whose life, despite her operatic voice, was little more than a series of tragedies until near its end.
Some felt that Jack Pogue’s devotion to the pastor was abnormal even to the point of being pathological. Certain boorish faculty used to taunt Jack by asking him if all men were sinners. When Jack replied appropriately, and in keeping with Scripture, that all men were sinners, the professors would inquire about Criswell’s sins. Grinning sheepishly, Pogue would reply that he knew Criswell better than anyone, and he had simply never observed a sin being committed.
Whatever people wanted to make of this relationship, I know none who would not envy such a friendship. Pogue made Criswell a wealthy man, but what really mattered was his devotion to the preacher who promised that he would always magnify the Word of God in his preaching. So profoundly was Pogue moved by the Bible, so deeply did he believe its words to be the very utterance of God that his heart was forever knit to the preacher who he believed faithfully expounded it.
With the passing of Criswell on January 10, 2002, Pogue did not move on. His devotion intensified. During almost daily visits to Criswell’s mausoleum, Pogue would thank God repeatedly for the influence of Criswell in his own life. Seized by a desire for the nations to hear the stilled voice of his mentor, Pogue turned to the task of gathering the audio and video copies of every Criswell sermon, editing these for the public, having them translated into other languages, and making them available without cost to every preacher who wished to download them on his computer. Hence, the W.A. Criswell Sermon Library has been preserved for historians and made available to preachers online. Until this day Jack views this as his legacy.
W. A. Criswell had a stable-full of friends, a host of admirers, and more than a few critics. Jack Pogue was his only close friend from 1971 until his death in 2002. He was the friend that “sticks closer than a brother.” Like Onesiphorus, Pogue’s life became so enmeshed in the life of his preacher/pastor that for all of their differences, the life of the pastor cannot be calculated apart from the life of his helper. Furthermore, any evaluation of the life of either man is incomplete without Jimmy D. Spence and Jim Ray Smith. Their stellar witness for Jesus took Jack Pogue into the presence of God on March 18, 2025.
On January 14, 2002, Jack Pogue composed the following tribute to his pastor of more than thirty years:
"In looking back at Dr. Criswell’s ministry and life, I think of the 71st Psalm where the psalmist writes:
14 But I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more. 15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness And Your salvation all the day, For I do not know their limits. 16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.
17 O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works. 18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.
These verses describe Dr. Criswell’s life. All he ever wanted to do was to preach the gospel and win souls for Jesus. His message was simple and life-changing:
You are saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Look! Look to Jesus and be saved. Anybody can look. A little boy or a little girl can look. A teenager can look. An old man or an old woman can look. Anybody and everybody can look. Just simply look. Look to Jesus and live, for why should you die?
That was the heart and soul of all his messages.
The pastor was the kindest man I have ever known. He loved everyone, and he always, always had something kind to say. He would always say to me, “I am praying for you, son.” He had a wonderful and kind face. As you looked into his face, you could sense the Holy Spirit of the Lord.
Preacher, I love you with all of my heart and soul, and I thank you for living your life in a way that is the example of how God wants me to live my life. Because of what Jesus has done for us, I will see you again someday in heaven, and at that time we will be together for all eternity. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for so great a salvation, and thank you, Heavenly Father, for putting the pastor in my life and for the impact he had on me."
Jack Pogue
Someday is now!