Dr. Paul Tudor Jones’ parents were both genuine Christians who lived their faith. Paul Sr., a leading businessman and community leader in Corinth, Mississippi, put such effort and compassion into helping others that he surpassed the pastoral care of many ministers. The Jones’ were a loving and very close family who were intensely loyal to each other. Both Dr. Jones’ brothers had distinguished careers and have led exemplary lives.

Paul graduated from Southwestern, now Rhodes College, Memphis, in 1932, and continued his education at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary and Union Theological Seminary in New York.

 

He had pastorates in First Presbyterian Church, Greenville, Mississippi; First Presbyterian Church, High Point, North Carolina; and Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Richmond, Virginia. He was pastor of Idlewild Presbyterian Church in Memphis from1954 until his retirement in 1975. After retirement from Idlewild, he served interim pastorates at many churches throughout the Mid-South.

Dr. Jones was elected president of the Memphis Committee on Community Relations in 1960 and in 1961. Throughout his ministry he was a leader at Presbytery, Synod, and General Assembly levels of the Church. He was a Trustee of Rhodes College and Louisville Seminary. Louisville Seminary has a Paul Tudor Jones Professorship of Historical Theology.

Paul had a remarkable ability to sense God’s presence and guidance in prayer. Few have so unerringly seen where their duty lay. He had an innate sense of joy and a gentle and kindly disposition, but an iron determination to stay the right course against all adversities and adversaries.

His was the wisest and most orderly of minds. His organization of thought and action were such that, while doing the work of ten, he never appeared to be rushed. He lost no time.

He was always an optimist and when his faith was tested he was always able to restore it with renewed strength. His constant care for others in adversity strengthened and refined his spirit of kindness. He had no critical spirit. He deplored sinful behavior but saw it as a tragedy for the sinner, who had either lost control of his passions or lost his sense of moral direction. He always kept clearly focused on what really mattered and wasted no time or energy on the non-essentials.

He felt that if you want to get the most out of life, to live at the highest levels of awareness and intensity, you have to give it away – spend it to the limit in service to God and fellowman. His was a life so lived.

He was born with tremendous talents and he made the best possible use of those he had. He studied the life and character of Christ as a lifelong practice and followed that pattern to the very limits of his extraordinary abilities. He allowed his imagination to be captured by the mind of Christ.

Included below is material that will give more insight into the kind of person he was, but the best way to know his character and understand the example of his life and teaching is to read his sermons. He never advised an approach to life he did not follow himself. The pattern of ethical morality by which he lived is clearly set out in his sermons. He practiced what he preached to the letter and if you study his sermons you will realize that this is an even more extraordinary claim than it seems.

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