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My Teachers, Part II

I wrote a blog post a few days back out of gratitude for those who taught me at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. What prompted me to write the first post were the recent deaths of pastors/teachers/theologians and reading those who wrote tributes to them. And then a former student from WTS wrote a nasty, "victimy" blog post about the culture, faculty and student body of WTS when he was there.
If you want, take a look at the previous post on what I wrote there.

Below are five more professors God gave me to help prepare me for pastoral ministry. I continue to be grateful for them.

As in the last post, I've linked to a book they've written. Some of these men have written many books and I encourage you to take a look at all of them.


Winston Smith--I had the opportunity to worship in the same church as Winston and his wife Kim and their then small children. He led our small group. Winston's passion for equipping future pastors in the counseling classes was what drove him. He was preparing people to serve people while serving Christ.

Paul Tripp--There was a reflex in Dr. Tripp's class to exclaim "Aha!". His ability to pull at the strands of the human heart and connect them to the redemptive work of Christ was just incredible. What we learned from him in the counseling classes continue to bear fruit today in my pastoral ministry and in the ministry of many of my former classmates. 

Vern Poythress--Dr. Poythress teaches New Testament at WTS.  My first impression of him was a bookish genius. But his gift of teaching became very apparent as difficult challenges were made accessible to me and my classmates through his lectures. However, personally, he never seemed accessible as a professor early on. I think it might have just been me. That all changed when I heard him preach at our church. His handling of the text and ability to display to us the beauty of Jesus was masterful. 

Ed Welch--Dr. Welch has a speaking manner that challenged me at first. His soft, dulcet tones tempted me to sleep rather than listen (sleep was "catch as catch can" for me in seminary). But I soon found out that if I didn't pay attention, take notes and reflect on what he was teaching, I would be missing out on how to love the depressive person, come alongside those who have faced trauma and to exercise a gracious patience with an addict. There was so much more that he taught us. God blessed me with the wisdom he has given Dr. Welch. 

Doug Green--Doug Green taught some of my Old Testament courses. For those courses, we needed to use the Hebrew language. I struggled in Hebrew (and Greek). What impacted me most about Doug was his personal tutoring of me over a Christmas break. He met with me every day over the course of two weeks in Montgomery Library and worked through the first 3 chapters of Genesis in Hebrew with me. He saw the lights go on for me regarding Hebrew and it was because of his patient teaching of me. I continue to be grateful to him for those two weeks. (Doug hasn't published a book, to my knowledge, so nothing to link to below for him.)


Marriage Matters--Winston Smith
Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands--Paul Tripp


The Returning King--Vern Poythress

Side by Side--Ed Welch

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