Jesus told us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us (Matthew 7:12). It is usually helpful for me to know something about a speaker, or writer, when I am deciding how much to be influenced by his or her information. Therefore, I now offer some brief personal background for those who would find it helpful.
Someone has said that out of the ashes of our failures… often comes a strongly anointed calling to do meaningful ministry…. This principle has proven true in my own life. I grew up in mainline church and will be forever thankful for the head knowledge gained there. I was born again, with unforgettable certainty, at the age of thirty. A “warm fire has burned” within my soul ever since. It gives me a continuing desire to do everything I can to help build His Kingdom.
This desire to build His Kingdom has brought changes in every area of my life. I prayed fervently about changing careers…and the Lord provided. My first family was taken from me…but He provided another. I had seen about seventeen years of “good American” family life…and went on to see over thirty years of wonderful, Christian, family life. Between those families, I lived like a monk for seven years. And I can truly identify with folks who report that life’s worst pain can yield life’s greatest gain!
Finally, in regard to Deeper Doctrine, I should say a few things. During my “monk years,” the good Lord enabled me to earn a Master of Divinity from an evangelical seminary. I also did a decade of inner-city missions’ work. There I saw so many persons whose broken families left them “crippled” in so many ways. Those same people had not found much help from organized church. Almost two decades of pastoring also proved the need for better teachings about divorce & remarriage. My pastorate was not full-time; therefore, I did other work…such as writing. My first book, Divorce as “Required” by Scripture, was the result of many years of research & writing. However, this book is not my hobby-horse. It just seems to be so needed today…in view of the many mistranslated texts on the subject. The article about Divorce, on this website, is also not a hobby-horse. It is there to let interested persons have a look at how the book got started.
My list of projects, on this website, will show a variety of other places where I believe deeper doctrine will help the church. As time goes on, I hope and plan to have several more books, tracts, etc. on Deeper Doctrine issues. However I need to say that ‘retirement’ has slowed me down considerably.