Well-Respected Author of 'The Pursuit of Holiness' Jerry Bridges Dies

Jerry Bridges, author of the bestselling book, The Pursuit of Holiness, died Sunday at the age of 86.

Bridges was a Bible teacher and speaker for The Navigators ministry for more than half a century, according to Christianity Today magazine.

In 1978, he published The Pursuit of Holiness, which became a surprise hit and sold more than 1 million copies. Bridges went on to write more than 20 books, including The Practice of Godliness, The Discipline of Grace, and Respectable Sins.

Bridges suffered a heart attack Saturday and doctors removed him from life-support the following day. He is survived by two children, Kathy and Dan.

"Very few authors have shaped me more than he did; very few books have played so important a role in my life and faith," wrote Tim Challies, author and pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto.

"There was nothing flashy about Jerry Bridges. He was a humble and unassuming man — strong in spirit, if not in voice or frame," said Justin Taylor, vice president of book publishing at Crossway. "Now we can rejoice with him in his full and final healing as he beholds his beloved Savior face to face."

Have you read The Pursuit of Holiness or any of Bridges other books? Share how his books influenced your faith in the comments section below.