(AgapePress) - A prominent conservative voice in the world of Christian radio will be heard no longer. Marlin Maddoux, founder of the USA Radio Network and host of the "Point of View" radio talk show, passed away on Thursday in Dallas at the age of 70.

Maddoux, who had been on Christian radio stations around the country since the 1970s, died of complications following heart bypass surgery. A public memorial service is scheduled for Monday morning (March 8) at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, a suburb of Dallas. The Maddoux family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, people make a gift to the ministry so that "Point of View" can continue to be broadcast -- something they say was one of Marlin's dreams.

Bob Morrison, news director for the USA Radio Network, tells Associated Press that Maddoux was doing conservative talk radio before it became a popular format.

"He was doing it before Rush Limbaugh and [before] the big boom in that kind of radio that happened later," Morrison says. "Of course, one thing that Marlin added into the mix that I guess Rush and the others really don't, and that's much of what he has to say comes from a Christian perspective."

According to Morrison, Maddoux championed many conservative causes, mixing with them a combative style that made him a staple on Christian radio for more than 30 years.

"Marlin picked [issues] up and went with them," he recalls. "I know home schooling -- when he first did [started discussing the issue on radio], you could be arrested in some places for doing it -- he picked that up early on, and that was one of his causes." Other issues he says Maddoux addressed included the more recent topics of evolution and abortion -- "and a lot of people who were involved in those movements credit Marlin with getting them started by having heard his talk show."

Another pioneer in Christian radio, Dr. Don Wildmon -- founder and chairman of the American Family Association and its radio ministry, American Family Radio -- praised Maddoux for his contribution to Christian broadcasting.

"He really began a nationwide conservative news network. He labored long and hard," Wildmon says. "He was a dear and dedicated friend. He was a fighter, and we will sorely miss him. We're very much in debt for the contributions he made and the fights that he fought on behalf of Christians in this country."

Maddoux was also an author, with books such as America Betrayed and A Christian Agenda. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Mary, four children, and ten grandchildren.

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