Theologian Dr Stanley Grenz died on the weekend in Vancouver, Canada from a “massive blood pressure spike which damaged his brain” (Knightopia)
I didn’t really know him well. We met a some conferences, notable the Young Leaders New Edge event in 1998 in New Mexico. Nice guy. I am challeged by the fact that although he died young (55 years), he managed to give his message and his gift to the world. He finished well, and finishing well is something I aspire to.
Andy Rowell is in Vancouver and is the best person to ask for more information.
” Please do pray for Edna and family in their time of grief and loss. All who knew him were enriched by his scholarship, wisdom, graciousness, humility, and service. He will be deeply missed, remembered fondly, and the legacy of his work will continue to edify the church of Jesus Christ.” Andy Rowell
There are some of Stanley’s articles on his official site Next-Wave has an excellent interview, as does Ginkworld. and Brian McLaren has written a eulogy. Thanks Shannon for the news.
From Andy Rowell:
“Stanley J. Grenz passed away yesterday morning (Saturday, March 12), twenty-four hours after suffering a massive brain hemorrhage. The memorial service will most likely be Friday afternoon at Stan’s church, First Baptist Church, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada but that is still to be determined.
I’m sure information will be available Monday, if not sooner, on the following websites. Nothing is posted on them yet except a short statement on Stan’s own site.
Please do pray for Edna and family in their time of grief and loss. All who knew him were enriched by his scholarship, wisdom, graciousness, humility, and service. He will be deeply missed, remembered fondly, and the legacy of his work will continue to edify the church of Jesus Christ.
Andy Rowell
www.granvillechapel.com
I never had the privilege of taking a course with Stan Grenz. He began teaching at Mars Hill Graduate School after I left Seattle. His book, A Primer on Postmodernism, however, made a lasting impression on me many years before I moved to the Pacific Northwest. It was the late nineties, and I was working for a ministy dedicated to teaching apologetics. This ministry was steeped in foundationalism and commited to the use of reason to “tear down” many of the day’s philosophical systems.
It was a lonely place to work, and I was a horrible fit. Intuitively, I knew that reason alone could not reach the deepest part of the soul to restore what has been lost. However, I did not have the language to express these intuitions. Stan Grenz gave me the words, those penetrating words. He helped start me down a different path, and I will always be in his debt.
“…the Christian gospel emphasizes the relevance of faith for every dimension of life. It refuses to allow commitment to Christ to remain merely an intellectual endeavor, a matter solely of assent to orthodox propositions. Commitment to Christ must also take its lodging in the heart.”
Stanley J. Grenz