James Montgomery Boice (July 7, 1938 – June 15, 2000) was an American
Reformed Christian
theologian
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 ...
, Bible teacher, author, and speaker known for his writing on the authority of Scripture and the defence of Biblical inerrancy. He was also the
Senior Minister of
Tenth Presbyterian Church
Tenth Presbyterian Church is a congregation of approximately 1,600 members located in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Tenth is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a denomination in the Reformed (Calvi ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
from 1968 until his death.
He can be heard on ''The Bible Study Hour''
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a tr ...
broadcast and many of his writings are publicly available in print and online. He also served as Chairman of the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy for over ten years and was a founding member of the
Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals
The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is an organization of Christian individuals that believes evangelicals have largely forgotten the foundations of the Christian Gospel and is dedicated to calling on the Protestant churches, especially those ...
.
Biography
James Montgomery Boice was a Bible teacher, author, and articulate spokesman in the United States and around the world on the topics of Scriptural authority and inerrancy. He was also the pastor of Philadelphia's historic Tenth Presbyterian Church from 1968 to 2000.
Under Boice's leadership and teaching of Christian beliefs, Tenth Presbyterian Church became a model for ministry in America's northeastern inner cities, offering a range of classes, fellowship groups, and specialised outreach ministries to the physically sick, women in crisis, and the homeless. In 1983, he founded City Center Academy (now The City School), a college-preparatory Christian school primarily serving minority residents of the church's neighborhood.
Boice was active in many initiatives beyond his own organization. He served as Chairman of the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy (ICBI) from its founding in 1977 until the completion of its work in 1988. ICBI produced three classic, creedal documents, published books, conducted "Authority of Scripture" seminars, and sponsored the large lay "Congress on the Bible I," which met in Washington, D.C., in September 1987. He also served on the Board of Bible Study Fellowship. He helped develop the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, being ''"formed in 1994 out of what was known as Evangelical Ministries when
James Boice
James Montgomery Boice (July 7, 1938 – June 15, 2000) was an American Reformed Christian theologian, Bible teacher, author, and speaker known for his writing on the authority of Scripture and the defence of Biblical inerrancy. He was also th ...
, then senior pastor of
Tenth Presbyterian Church
Tenth Presbyterian Church is a congregation of approximately 1,600 members located in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Tenth is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a denomination in the Reformed (Calvi ...
in Philadelphia and teacher on The Bible Study Hour radio program, called together a group of like-minded pastors and theologians from a variety of denominations to unite in a common cause to help revive a passion "for the truth of the Gospel" within the church."''
Over his lifetime Boice was a prodigious world traveler, having journeyed to more than thirty countries and teaching from the Bible in England, France, Switzerland, Canada, Japan, Australia, Guatemala, Korea and Saudi Arabia. While pursuing his doctoral studies in Switzerland, he started a Bible study group that eventually developed into the Basel Christian Fellowship.
Boice received a
diploma
A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...
from
The Stony Brook School (1956), an
A.B. from
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 highe ...
(1960), a
B.D. from
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of t ...
(1963), a
Th.D from the
University of Basel
The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis'', German: ''Universität Basel'') is a university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest surviving universiti ...
in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
(1966), and a
D.D.
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 ...
, (honorary) from the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church (1982).
He died of liver cancer on June 15, 2000.
He was married to Linda Ann Boice (born McNamara)
Writings
Boice was a prolific author, having published over 50 different works, including a collection of
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...
s. Some of his popular books include:
* ''Foundations of the Christian Faith'' ()
* ''The Doctrines of Grace: Rediscovering the Essentials of Evangelicalism'' ()
* ''Christ's Call to Discipleship'' ()
* ''Renewing Your Mind in a Mindless World: Learning to Think and Act Biblically'' ()
* ''Parables of Jesus'' ()
* ''What Ever Happened to the Gospel of Grace?'' ()
* ''Dealing With Bible Problems: Alleged Errors and Contradictions in the Bible'' ()
* ''Ordinary Men Called by God: A Study of Abraham, Moses, and David'' ()
Expositional commentaries
Boice also published many volumes of commentaries on books of the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...
, which each were edited from his spoken teachings:
* ''Genesis'' (3 volumes; , , )
* ''Joshua'' ()
* ''Nehemiah'' ()
* ''Psalms'' (3 volumes; , , )
* ''Daniel'' ()
* ''The Minor Prophets'' (2 volumes; , )
* ''Gospel of Matthew'' (2 volumes; , )
* ''The Sermon on the Mount'' ()
* ''The Gospel of John'' (5 volumes; , , , , )
* ''Acts'' ()
* ''Romans'' (4 volumes; , , , )
* ''Ephesians'' ()
* ''Philippians'' ()
* ''The Epistles of John'' ()
Boice is also known for contributing his commentary of the Epistle of Galatians to "The Expositor's Bible Commentary" ()
See also
*
Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals
The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is an organization of Christian individuals that believes evangelicals have largely forgotten the foundations of the Christian Gospel and is dedicated to calling on the Protestant churches, especially those ...
References
External links
Boice Center at Tenth Presbyterian ChurchThe Bible Study Hour on OnePlaceThe Bible Study Hour*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boice, James
1938 births
2000 deaths
Presbyterians from Pennsylvania
United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America ministers
American Calvinist and Reformed theologians
The Stony Brook School alumni
Harvard University alumni
Princeton Theological Seminary alumni
Writers from Philadelphia
Bible commentators
20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
20th-century American non-fiction writers
Presbyterian Church in America ministers
20th-century American clergy