Louis Thompson Talbot (1889-1976) was the second president of Biola. In 1977, Billy Graham called him "one of the spiritual giants of this generation." (source: foreword to For This I Was Born, Memorial Edition)

He was born October 19, 1889, in Sydney, Australia. In 1911, Talbot moved to America to attend Moody Bible Institute, graduating in 1913 and taking a pastorate in Texas.

Talbot married Audry Hogue, an organ player at his pastorate in Paris, Texas, on December 27, 1916, and worked in a series of pastorates in Texas, Chicago, Iowa, Minneapolis, and Ontario during the next decade.

Talbot was called to the Church of the Open Door and the Bible Institute of Los Angeles on January 10, 1932, and began working to pull the church and the Bible Institute out of the debt into which they had fallen. Talbot served as president of the Bible Institute from November 1932 until he resigned in 1935, to be replaced by Paul Rood. When Rood resigned in 1938, the board asked Talbot to step into a second term as president. He agreed, and remained in office until 1952 (stepping down from pastoring the Church of the Open Door in 1948).

The last few years of Talbot's service for Biola were marked by extensive travel as he visited missionaries, made films, and promoted the work of the institute.

Talbot resigned in September 1952, taking the title of Chancellor.

His wife, Audrey, died of cancer in 1960. Still, Talbot carried on, preaching the gospel and producing films documenting his ministry to natives in the Third World.

Talbot remarried several years later, this time to Carol Terry, a Biola alumna and former missionary to India. The two companions lived happily and Talbot carried out his term as chancellor until his death in 1976.

Carol Terry recounted some of her husband’s last words before passing away. Spotting tears in her eyes, Talbot had chided her for crying at such a joyous time.

“For this moment I was born,” he told her. “For this I’ve lived all my life – to see my Savior face to face.”

Books by Louis Talbot

Addresses on Romans

Bible Questions Explained, 1938

Christ In the Tabernacle

Ephesians: An Exposition

An Exposition of the Book of Revolution

Gods Plan of the Ages

More Ojbects that Talk and Teach

Objects that Talk and Teach

The Prophecies of Daniel

Still More Objects that Talk and Teach

Why Four Gospels?

Films by Louis Talbot

Talbot produced about 22 missions films around the time of the 1950s. He showed these films widely in churches and Bible conferences, sometimes with the recorded soundtrack playing, and sometimes providing his own narration live.

Africa Awakes

Bolivia

Christ in the Tabernacle

Colombia

Egypt's Broken Fragments

Four Thousand Miles up the Amazon (1951?)

Himalayas

Human Pincushions and Fire Walkers

India's Sorrows

I Saw Bethlehem on Christmas Day (1950?)

I Saw Borneo (1949?)

I Saw Petra (1950?)

I Saw the World's Need

Japan (1949?)

Jungle Indians of Peru

Land of Promise (Holy Land) (1950?)

Land of the Pharaohs

Land Time Forgot (New Guinea) (1953?)

Pygmies of the Belgian Congo (1954?)

Red Terror over Malaya (1953?)

Siam

Venezuela

Sources

For this I was Born: The Captivating Story of Louis T. Talbot, Carol Talbot (Moody Press, 1977)