Precious Alan Highers

BY GARY HAMPTON ─ The singer of Israel said, “Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15). That simple statement lets me know that Alan Highers is precious in God’s eyes. Alan was first and foremost a Christian. His love for the church was evident in many things he did in his eighty-eight years on earth.

Alan started preaching in Fort Smith, Arkansas in 1953 at the age of 16. His first full-time preaching was done for the Getwell church in Memphis from 1959-1969. He held numerous debates, preached on the radio and spoke on a multitude of lecture programs.

He conducted the Open Forum at the annual Freed-Hardeman lectureship for fifteen years. Alan was a great lover of the history of those who sought to restore the church to God’s original design as revealed in scripture. Polishing the Pulpit had brother Highers and Hugh Fulford do several lunch time sessions on stories about some of those men, including both humorous events and sad recollections of the things in the lives of those men.

Brother Highers served as the editor of The Spiritual Sword from July, 1989 until his death. He was only the second editor of that periodical, following Thomas B. Warren. He used the pages of each quarterly issue to keep important considerations before the brotherhood.

Like editors introducing new papers, Alan set forth a prospectus in the October, 1989 issue. He wanted readers to know where the paper stood and where it was proposing to go. His stated goals included upholding the church Christ died for, offering in-depth studies in simple language, speaking forthrightly on issues of concern to God’s people and be “genuinely conservative, yet not to be radical, intemperate, or overbearing.”

Brother Highers used many issues to produce handbooks on vital topics. Those issues are still available and can be used to help God’s people be fully grounded in truth.

Obituaries written by people of the world would include Alan’s accomplishments in the field of the law. He was a lawyer and judge, serving on the Tennessee appellate court for about three decades. However, his preciousness arises from his efforts to further the kingdom of our Lord.

Brother Highers funeral obituary may be read here.