J. Kenneth Grider (October 22, 1921 – December 6, 2006) was a
Nazarene Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
theologian and former seminary professor primarily associated with the followers of
John Wesley
John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...
who are part of the
Holiness movement
The Holiness movement is a Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent other traditions such as Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. The movement is historically distinguished by its emph ...
.
Biography
Early life
J. Kenneth Grider was born October 22, 1921, in
Madison, IL
Madison is a city in Madison and St. Clair counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 3,891 at the 2010 census. It is home to World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and the first Bulgarian Orthodox church in the United States.
...
to William Sanford and Elizabeth (Krone) Grider. In 1948, he got a M.A. from the
Drew University, Madison, New Jersey in 1950. In 1947, he graduated from the
Nazarene Theological Seminary. He received his
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
Entertainment
* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic
* Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group
** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...
from the
University of Glasgow in 1952.
Career
Grider was a distinguished
visiting Professor of theology at Olivet Nazarene University in
Bourbonnais, IL
Bourbonnais ( ) is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,164 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.
History
The village is named for François Bourbonnais Sr., a fur trapper, hunter and agent of the ...
, and professor of theology emeritus at Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas City. He taught courses in Hurlet Nazarene College (Scotland),
Point Loma Nazarene University,
Olivet Nazarene University,
Southern Nazarene University,
Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary, and extension courses in Mexico and the Philippines.
He was an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene.
He was one of the translators of the
New International Version
The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The ''NIV'' was created as a modern translation, by Bible scholars using the earliest an ...
of the Bible, working at two committee levels on six
New Testament books. His "magnum opus" is the
systematic theology ''A Wesleyan-Holiness Theology'' (1994). He also wrote over 2,000 poems, articles, commentaries, essays, and lessons and contributed to numerous symposia. He was the editor of ''The Seminary Tower'' for 36 years.
Theology
Grider had
Arminian
Arminianism is a branch of Protestantism based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609) and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. Dutch Arminianism was originally articulated in the ''Re ...
soteriological views in the
Wesleyan tradition, and was a supporter of the
governmental theory of atonement view.
Death
Grider died December 6, 2006, in
Chandler, AZ.
Awards
In 1966, Grider received the Olivet Nazarene University's Clergy Alumnus of the Year award. In 1991, he received an honorary
Doctor of Divinity
A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity.
In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...
degree from the Olivet Nazarene University. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Wesleyan Theological Society.
Publications
Books
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Chapters
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Articles
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Notes and references
Citations
Sources
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External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grider, J. Kenneth
1921 births
2006 deaths
20th-century American theologians
Translators of the Bible into English
American Christian theologians
American members of the Church of the Nazarene
Arminian theologians
Nazarene theologians
Nazarene Theological Seminary alumni
Olivet Nazarene University alumni
Olivet Nazarene University faculty
Systematic theologians