I just finished a chapter for a book to be published this year on the historical Jesus. I sent it in two weeks late. Two basic problems contributed to the reason why I was late. The first is that I am lazy, and procrastinate. I put this reason first because . . . well . . . it’s first. It would have been done on time if I had simply gotten off my can sooner and gotten the job done. Whew! That was cathartic. The second reason is no fault of my own. Although I love my job teaching at Valley Forge Christian College, I must say that for scholarly work our library is seriously limited. Most of the books that I need are not in the holdings, and interlibrary loan takes too long. However, all is not lost. I live in the Northeast where there are more fine libraries than any place I know. Last Saturday I drove to Princeton Theological Seminary to do some work and gather some of the sources that I was having trouble getting. I had a good day; everything I wanted was available. It was also a nice day because the library is one of those old buildings that bears the marks of academia. There are wonderful pictures on the wall of the great scholars dating back to the early 1800’s; Warfield, Hodge(s), Machen, (before the ‘split’), Metzger, etc. I’m sure it creates a sense of pride to learn in a place with such an impressive heritage. Yes, I am talking about Princeton, but as I was driving home my mind turned to Fuller.

I began to think about all of the great scholars from Fuller who through the years have made such an impact on the church. I thought about professors whom I never had the privilege of meeting. One of the most significant changes in my life came in college after reading George Ladd’s New Testament Theology, as well many of his other works. Ladd rid me of Dispensationalism and taught me to see the Bible in terms of the progression of Salvation History. My eschatological views were completely changed, and although Ladd was not a Pentecostal, I found his theological approach a better fit for Pentecostals than the one Pentecostal’s were using. I will never cease to be amazed by the work of Geoffrey Bromiley; a fine theologian who I can thank every time I pick up a volume of Kittel in English. One of the major reasons I came to Fuller was because while I was in college I continually came across the same names in my research: Hubbard, Brown, Martin, Allen. I still refer to Colin Brown’s class notes (with footnotes and page numbers . . .because he always had them memorized). David Hubbard was a great leader who kept Fuller thriving through a period of turbulent theological debates. He was a fervent and scholarly preacher and I loved hearing him speak. Leslie Allen was a prophet for the prophets. Ralph Martin’s lectures on historical backgrounds confirmed to me the importance of historical study for understanding the text. Richard Mouw challenged my conservatism and at the same time made me glad to be an Evangelical. During my time at Fuller I learned to teach by watching a man who became my Ph.D. mentor. Donald Hagner’s classroom style joined scholarship, whit and humor in a way that made you want to learn. And I’ve only scratched the surface. What a wonderful heritage, I am proud to be a part of it. Harold Lindsell may have thought of Fuller as a “strange case� but “wisdom is vindicated by her deeds� and Fuller stands not only vindicated but distinguished by its extraordinary history and positive impact on the world.