Dennis James Kennedy ( or D. James Kennedy ) ( November 3 , 1930 - September 5 , 2007 ) , was an American televangelist and megachurch pastor . He started Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale , Florida and was the senior pastor there from 1960 until his death in 2007 . Dennis James Kennedy ( November 3 , 1930 - September 5 , 2007 ) , better known as D. James Kennedy , was an American Christian broadcaster , church pastor , and founder of the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale , Florida , where he was senior pastor from 1960 until his death in 2007 .