George Eldon Ladd (July 31, 1911 – October 5, 1982) was a
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
minister and professor of
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
exegesis
Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (logic), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern usage, ...
and
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
at
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an interdenominational Evangelical Christian seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature.
Fuller consistently has a student body that compri ...
in
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
I ...
, known in
Christian eschatology for his promotion of
inaugurated eschatology
Inaugurated eschatology is the belief in Christian theology that the end times were inaugurated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and thus there are both "already" and "not yet" aspects to the Kingdom of God. George Eldon Ladd suggest ...
and "futuristic post-tribulationism."
Biography
Ladd was born in
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, Canada, and was raised in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
. He studied theology at
Gordon College in
, and was ordained in 1933 in the
Northern Baptist Convention
The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a mainline/evangelical Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainli ...
.
He pastored churches in
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
and
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
while pursuing further education at
Gordon Divinity School. Ladd served as an instructor at Gordon College of Theology and Missions (now
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary),
Wenham, Massachusetts
Wenham () is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts. The population was 4,979 at the time of the 2020 census.
The town of Wenham, originally settled in 1635 and incorporated in 1643, has retained much of its historic character and rural scenery ...
from 1942–45. He was an associate professor of
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
and Greek from 1946–50, and head of the department of New Testament from 1946–49. He studied at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
during this period, completing a PhD dissertation on "The Eschatology of the
Didache
The ''Didache'' (; ), also known as The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations (Διδαχὴ Κυρίου διὰ τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων τοῖς ἔθνεσιν), is a brief anonymous early Christian tr ...
".
Ladd moved to California in 1950, and taught biblical theology at
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an interdenominational Evangelical Christian seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature.
Fuller consistently has a student body that compri ...
,
Pasadena
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
...
. Fuller was in the fourth year of its existence when Ladd joined the faculty, and Hagner notes that he "became one of the key figures in developing the seminary's direction."
Notable contributions to evangelical theology
New Testament theology
Ladd's best-known work, ''A Theology of the New Testament'', has been used by thousands of
seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
students since its publication in 1974. In a poll conducted by
Mark Noll
Mark Allan Noll (born 1946) is an American historian specializing in the history of Christianity in the United States. He holds the position of Research Professor of History at Regent College, having previously been Francis A. McAnaney Professor o ...
in 1986, this work ranked as the second most influential book among evangelical scholars, second only to
Calvin Calvin may refer to:
Names
* Calvin (given name)
** Particularly Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States
* Calvin (surname)
** Particularly John Calvin, theologian
Places
In the United States
* Calvin, Arkansas, a hamlet
* Calvi ...
's ''
Institutes
An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body.
In some countries, institutes can ...
''. ''A Theology of the New Testament'' was enhanced and updated by Donald A. Hagner in 1993. Ladd's belief in both
present and future aspects of the Kingdom of God caused his detractors to critically compare his eschatological views to the
amillennialism
Amillennialism or amillenarism is a chillegoristic eschatological position in Christianity which holds that there will be no millennial reign of the righteous on Earth. This view contrasts with both postmillennial and, especially, with premi ...
that was popular within
Reformed theological circles. Despite these comparisons, Ladd was not Reformed, and in fact rejected the
Calvinistic view of the doctrine of salvation.
Inaugurated and premillennial eschatology
Ladd was a notable modern proponent of
Historic Premillennialism, and often criticized
dispensationalist
Dispensationalism is a system that was formalized in its entirety by John Nelson Darby. Dispensationalism maintains that history is divided into multiple ages or "dispensations" in which God acts with humanity in different ways. Dispensationali ...
views. This was notable during this period, as dispensationalism was by far the most widely held view among evangelicals during the mid-twentieth century. His writings regarding the
Kingdom of God
The concept of the kingship of God appears in all Abrahamic religions, where in some cases the terms Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are also used. The notion of God's kingship goes back to the Hebrew Bible, which refers to "his kingdom" b ...
(especially his view of
inaugurated eschatology
Inaugurated eschatology is the belief in Christian theology that the end times were inaugurated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and thus there are both "already" and "not yet" aspects to the Kingdom of God. George Eldon Ladd suggest ...
) have become a cornerstone of
Kingdom theology
Kingdom theology is a system of Christian thought that elaborates on inaugurated eschatology, which is a way of understanding the various teachings on the kingdom of God found throughout the New Testament. Its emphasis is that the purpose of bo ...
. His perspective is expressed in R. G. Clouse, ed., 1977, ''The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views'' (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press) and the shorter and more accessible ''The Gospel of the Kingdom'' (Paternoster, 1959).
Recognition
John Piper uses Ladd's desire for scholarly credibility as a cautionary tale, and relates how Ladd "was almost undone emotionally and professionally" by
Norman Perrin
Norman Perrin (29 November 1920 – 25 November 1976) was an English-born, American biblical scholar at the University of Chicago. Perrin specialized in the study of the New Testament, and was internationally known for his work on the teachin ...
's critical review of Ladd's ''Jesus and the Kingdom''. Piper goes on to describe how Ladd walked through the halls of Fuller shouting and waving a royalty check when ''A Theology of the New Testament'' was a stunning success ten years later.
In 1978, a ''
Festschrift
In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...
'' was published in his honour. ''Unity and Diversity in New Testament Theology: Essays in Honor of George E. Ladd'' (), which included contributions by
Leon Morris,
William Barclay,
F. F. Bruce
Frederick Fyvie Bruce (12 October 1910 – 11 September 1990), usually cited as F. F. Bruce, was a Scottish biblical scholar who supported the historical reliability of the New Testament. His first book, ''New Testament Documents: Are They ...
,
I. Howard Marshall,
Richard Longenecker and
Daniel Fuller
Daniel Payton Fuller (born August 28, 1925) is an American theologian and Professor Emeritus of hermeneutics. Fuller is the son of radio evangelist Charles E. Fuller, co-founder of the Fuller Theological Seminary.
Life and career
Fuller was born ...
.
Selected works
Books
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* - original issued as ''Jesus and the Kingdom''
* - originally published in small numbers in 1957
*
*
*
Articles and chapters
*
*
*
*
*
Citations
References
* .
External links
TheologicalStudies.org.ukBibliography of George Eldon Ladd's works - some available on-line
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ladd, George Eldon
1911 births
1982 deaths
Premillennialism
Fuller Theological Seminary faculty
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary faculty
New Testament scholars
People from Alberta
Gordon College (Massachusetts) alumni
Gordon College (Massachusetts) faculty
Harvard University alumni