Rufus Hollis Gause, Jr. (July 1, 1925 – September 6, 2015), known as R. Hollis Gause, was an American

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

theologian and pastor. He was affiliated with the

Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) The Church of God, with headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee, United States, is a Holiness Pentecostal Christian denomination. The Church of God's publishing house is Pathway Press. History Origins (1886–1902) R. G. Spurling (1857–1935), ...

. Gause was the first dean of the Pentecostal Theological Seminary.

Early life and education

Gause was born July 1, 1925. His father was a Pentecostal Holiness Church minister and the family moved to the Church of God (Cleveland) when Gause was a teenager. Gause married Beulah Hunt in 1948 and they had a son, Valdane. He graduated from high school in Clinton, South Carolina. He attended junior college at Emmanuel College in Georgia and finished his undergraduate studies at

Presbyterian College Presbyterian College (PC) is a private Presbyterian liberal arts college in Clinton, South Carolina. History Presbyterian College was founded in 1880 by the William Plumer Jacobs. He had served as the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Cl ...

back in Clinton. He then studied at

Columbia Theological Seminary Columbia Theological Seminary is a Presbyterian seminary in Decatur, Georgia. It is one of ten theological institutions affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). History Columbia Theological Seminary was founded in 1828 in Lexington, Geo ...

in Decatur, Georgia and received a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1949 (which was upgraded to an M.Div. in 1971). He would eventually receive a Ph.D. in New Testament from

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

in 1975 with a dissertation titled, ''The Lukan Transfiguration Account'' directed by William A. Beardslee.

Career

Gause began his teaching career in 1947 at

Lee College Lee College is a public community college in Baytown, Texas. Lee College's main campus occupies near downtown Baytown and extension campuses throughout its service area. The school has an enrollment of over 7,773 total students as of Fall 2018. ...

Cleveland, Tennessee Cleveland is the county seat of and largest city in Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 47,356 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Cleveland metropolitan area, Tennessee (consisting of Bradley and neigh ...

. He taught there from 1947-1975 and 1982-1984. Gause joined the lay ministry of the Church of God in 1943 and was promoted to the church's ordained ministry in 1954. Gause became the first dean and director of the Church of God Graduate School of Christian Ministries (now Pentecostal Theological Seminary) in 1975. Gause served as president of the Society for Pentecostal Studies from 1971 to 1972. He also pastored the Warren Church of God in

Warren, Michigan Warren is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2020 Census places the city's population at 139,387, making Warren the largest city in Macomb County, the third largest city in Michigan, and Metro Detroit's largest suburb. T ...

(now known as the Maranatha Church of God) from 1982 to 1984. RHGause_and_StevenJLand_at_Church_of_God_General_Assembly_2002

Gause has been described by Chris E.W. Green as a mentoring figure to the members of the Cleveland School of Pentecostal scholars. Gause has authored books of both a popular and scholarly nature. In 2006 he co-authored a book with Kimberly Ervin Alexander entitled ''Women in Leadership: A Pentecostal Perspective'' published by the Church of God Theological Seminary's Center for Pentecostal Leadership and Care. 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 ...

'' in honor of Gause titled ''Passover, Pentecost and Parousia'' and edited by Steven J. Land, Rickie D. Moore, and John Christopher Thomas was published in 2010. Gause died in 2015 at the age of 90.

Selected works

* ''Church of God Polity'' (Cleveland, TN: Pathway Press, 1973)''.'' * ''Living in the Spirit: The Way of Salvation'' (Cleveland, TN: Pathway Press,1980)''.'' * ''Revelation: God’s Stamp of Sovereignty on History'' (Cleveland, TN: Pathway Press, 1983)''.'' * R. Hollis & Beulah Gause, ''Women in the Body of Christ'' (Cleveland, TN: Pathway Press, 1984)''.'' * ''The Preaching of Paul: A Study of Romans'' (Cleveland, TN: Pathway Press, 1986)''.'' * Kimberly Ervin Alexander and R. Hollis Gause, ''Women in Leadership: A Pentecostal Perspective'' (Cleveland, TN: Center for Pentecostal Leadership and Care, 2006)''.'' * ''Living in the Spirit: The Way of Salvation, Revised and Expanded edition'' (Cleveland, TN: CPT Press, 2010). * ''The Lukan Transfiguration Account: The Exalted Lord in the Glory of the Kingdom of God'' (Centre for Pentecostal Theology Classics Series; Cleveland, TN: CPT Press, 2020, published posthumously). *''Hebrews'' (Brill, 2022)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gause, R. Hollis Pentecostal theologians 20th-century American theologians 1925 births 2015 deaths Christians from South Carolina Pentecostals from Tennessee People from Clinton, South Carolina Emory University alumni Pentecostal Theological Seminary faculty Presbyterian College alumni Columbia Theological Seminary alumni 21st-century American theologians American Christian theologians