Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Gordon R. Lewis (1926-2016), an Integrative Theologian
Last night we received notification of the passing of noted evangelical philosopher and theologian, Dr. Gordon R. Lewis:
Serving as both past presidents of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Evangelical Philosophical Society, along with his tenure as a theology, philosophy and apologetics professor at Denver Seminary, his leadership shaped both "minds" and "hearts," of both scholars and practitioners alike. Gordon Lewis earnestly sought to enable disciples of Jesus to be learners of Bible, Theology, and Apologetics. Philosophy, including his own training and that of the discipline, was a servant not a colonizer of this endeavor.
My own encounter with Dr. Lewis's work began with his Integrative Theology, and that was also the first time, in 1998, that I was significantly exposed to the work of "contemporary evangelical theology." Lewis and Demarest's work molded my first impressions of how evangelical theology could done in such a rigorous, faithful and fruitful way. I thank my friend and professor, Michael Gurney, for exposing me to Lewis's work as a result of his Introduction to Theology course at then Multnomah Bible College. Lewis and Demarest's work sought to bring the many "tongues" of historical, biblical, systematic, apologetic and practical theology to sing together as "one voice" on crucial questions of theology.
Integrative Theology sought to "equip the equippers." Lewis was not content for the work of theology to be simply left and limited to the seminary classroom or left only for the professional(ized) theologian, philosopher or apologist. His Decide for Yourself: A Theological Workbook is evidence of that intent. Originally published in 1970 by Intervarsity Press, it sought to equip younger Christians, and indeed future leaders of the church in the U.S. In a particular way, Lewis did theology as apologetics and world-and-life view formation; a demonstration of the truthfulness and livability of Christianity as a body of knowledge, wisdom and understanding. As he wrote in the Preface of Decide for Yourself,
Dr. Lewis's work included contributions that spanned into areas of theology, apologetics, and spirituality. In apologetics, perhaps he was most known for his survey handbook, Testing Christianity's Truth Claims: Approaches to Christian Apologetics (1980). In at least article form, he wrote about issues of biblical infallibility and spirituality, and sometimes both, such as when discussing the value of propositional revelation for spiritual formation.Gordon R. Lewis, went to be with the Lord on June 11, 2016. He was born November 21, 1926 to Fred C. Lewis and Florence Winn Lewis in Johnson City, New York. He was married to Doris Berlin in 1948. She passed away in 1999. He married Willa Waddle in 2001. He is survived by Willa Waddle Lewis, Nancy & (Alan) Carter, Cindy & (Jim) Clark, and Scott Lewis, five grandsons Halden & (Ginny) Clark, Caleb & (Marlys) Clark, Daniel & (Ashlie) Clark, David & (Kaci) Clark, and Ian Carter, eight great-grandchildren and a niece and nephews.
After graduating from Johnson City High School in 1944, Gordon studied at Baptist Bible Seminary in Johnson City, New York, earned a BA at Gordon College in Boston and an MDiv at Faith Seminary in Wilmington, Delaware, where he was a student pastor of People's Baptist Church. While teaching at Baptist Bible Seminary in Johnson City from 1951-1958, he earned an MA and Ph.D in philosophy at Syracuse University.
He and his family moved to Denver, CO in 1958 when he joined the faculty of Denver Seminary as Professor of Theology and Philosophy. He retired from full-time teaching in 1993. He also served as interim pastor in several churches and helped start Foothills Fellowship Baptist Church where he was currently a member and senior elder.
During a sabbatical in 1973, he taught at Union Biblical Seminary in India. He interviewed national and missionary leaders in several Far Eastern countries on similarities and differences of the eastern and western mind. He published seven books and many articles in academic journals. His major work, co-authored with colleague Dr. Bruce Demarest, is Integrative Theology in three volumes, published by Zondervan in 1996. It presents a distinctive method to help people to discover truth when facing conflicting claims in a diverse world.
The memorial service for Professor Gordon Lewis will be held at Denver Seminary Chapel, June 15, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. Donations may be given to "The Gordon Lewis Centre for Christian Thought and Culture", c/o Denver Seminary, 6399 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton, CO 80120
Serving as both past presidents of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Evangelical Philosophical Society, along with his tenure as a theology, philosophy and apologetics professor at Denver Seminary, his leadership shaped both "minds" and "hearts," of both scholars and practitioners alike. Gordon Lewis earnestly sought to enable disciples of Jesus to be learners of Bible, Theology, and Apologetics. Philosophy, including his own training and that of the discipline, was a servant not a colonizer of this endeavor.
Integrative Theology sought to "equip the equippers." Lewis was not content for the work of theology to be simply left and limited to the seminary classroom or left only for the professional(ized) theologian, philosopher or apologist. His Decide for Yourself: A Theological Workbook is evidence of that intent. Originally published in 1970 by Intervarsity Press, it sought to equip younger Christians, and indeed future leaders of the church in the U.S. In a particular way, Lewis did theology as apologetics and world-and-life view formation; a demonstration of the truthfulness and livability of Christianity as a body of knowledge, wisdom and understanding. As he wrote in the Preface of Decide for Yourself,
Jesus Christ calls his followers to a disciplined life - morally and intellectually. Lord of our minds as well as our hearts, he challenges us to grow, not in grace only, but also in knowledge.And then from Integrative Theology, we have an extension of the above point applied to the task of doing theology:
In a 2006 article for Philosophia Christi, titled, "Jesus's Uses of Language and their Contemporary Significance," he concluded his paper with this prayer:Developing a theology that relates biblically revealed truth to humanity and nature is not an elective for Christians who believe in the Lord of all, but a requirement. God knows, sustains and gives purpose to all that is. God provides a focal point not only for our limited personal experiences or special interests but for all thought. The question for Christians is not whether they will relate all their fields of knowledge to God's purposes, but whether they, as stewards of God's truth, will do so poorly or well.
May God bless the influence, stewardship and leadership of Dr. Gordon R. Lewis!Heavenly Father, thank you for having spoken to us in these last days through the effective relationships and true affirmations of your Son. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for lovingly witnessing to the truth the Father gave you, even unto death. Thank you, Spirit of truth, for raising up the members of the Evangelical Philosophical Society to witness, as Jesus did, to loving relational fellowships grounded on loving propositional revelation, even unto death. Amen.
Labels: apologetics, gordon r. lewis, integrative theology, philosophical thelogy, systematic theology
