Eddie S. Lieberman, 93, of Greenville, who was born Jewish but converted to Christianity as a young man and spent his life preaching and supporting missionary work, died Nov. 25, 2006.
Eddie LiebermanA native of New York City, he grew up in a Jewish family. He was a graduate of Baylor University. Shortly after accepting Christ, he attended New Orleans Seminary, which was then known as the Baptist Bible Institute, but later chose to study clinical psychology at the University of Tennessee, where he earned a Ph.D.
Although he did not graduate from New Orleans, his devotion to the school remained. During the 1940s, he took time off from private practice to establish a counseling department at the seminary. During that time, God called him into the ministry. Lieberman served as a pastor in churches in Alabama and South Carolina. Ultimately, he would serve as an itinerant evangelist and a pastor for more than 70 years.
Lieberman, along with his longtime friend, John E. Haggai, became a founding trustee of the Haggai Institute for Advanced Leadership Training. Founded in 1969, the Haggai Institute equips Asian, African and Latin American Christian leaders who train others to reach their own people for Christ. Lieberman referred to the Haggai Institute as one of the top four “finest innovations in missions” throughout Christian history. He pointed out that by training leaders for evangelism, who will each train at least 100 others, the Haggai Institute is following a biblical principle: one would chase a thousand, and two would chase ten thousand.
He was the widower of Maizie Lee Lieberman. He was also predeceased by his first wife, Grace Ford Lieberman. Survivors include a daughter, two grandchildren, two stepgrandchildren and two great-grandchildren.