I have two distinct reasons for joy as I write you today. The first is a report about a writing project that we began with Dr. Kinlaw more than twenty years ago. Actually, the “project” was the culmination of a vision God had given Mr. Burt “Buddy” Luce, a long-time friend of Dr. Kinlaw’s. Buddy wanted to give to another generation the tenets of the kind of faith he grew up with at Indian Springs Holiness Camp Meeting. Dr. Kinlaw felt a written record of our sacred beliefs may be a witness to multiple generations.
In 1998 Dr. Kinlaw invited a group of scholars to Buddy’s home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to write a systematic theology. Buddy and his brother, Joe Luce, and two of Joe’s adult children, Burt and Beth Luce Reed, served as hosts for this academic consortium. The task of pulling together that kind of academic group was nearly insurmountable, because the very group also preached, served on mission fields, and itinerated to camp meetings, etc. The word “busy” was an understatement!
At that time I was serving as president of Wesley Biblical Seminary (WBS) in Jackson, Mississippi, where Beth served as chair of the board. My family knew Buddy Luce as Uncle Buddy and Joe as Papa Joe. Many of the writers on this project were part of the WBS faculty, including Drs John Oswalt, Gareth Cockerill, Bill Ury, and Steve Blakemore, who all wrote significant chapters of this work. Allan Coppedge, Mary Fisher, Chris Bounds, Tom McCall, Paul Vincent, Harold Burgess, and Paul Blair also were part of the contributing team.
Before the project could be completed, Harold Burgess, Mary Fisher, and Dr. Kinlaw—as well as Buddy and Joe Luce—were graduated to glory, and the project lost momentum. Dear Dr. Oswalt, our champion and friend, felt that the project ought to be resumed, and we added Dr. Matt Ayars, current president of WBS, to the consortium. With that addition and with five of our group now in glory, we proceeded at Dr. Oswalt’s direction. Dr. Kinlaw’s granddaughter, Cricket Albertson, served as Dr. Oswalt’s associate editor.
After more than twenty years, over Memorial Day weekend, Dr. Oswalt led the final meeting to complete the work of the systematic theology project. Soon, a multi-volume work of what we believe to be theologically true about our Wesleyan holiness theology will be released. What an effort! Thank you, Dr. Oswalt, for mobilizing everyone to help complete this herculean task. I have been honored to have a humble part serving alongside you in this sacred enterprise. The writers named above are all heroic and cherished colleagues. Our prayer is that Dr. Kinlaw is looking down with his heavenly colleagues and can see “the travail of his soul, and be satisfied.” To date, I have not been more overjoyed for a task than this one. Be prepared to obtain a copy of this significant work! It will be an encyclopedia for Christian belief.
My other reason for joy today is a very personal one. Last year at the Hemlock Inn Retreats, Dorena and I, along with our daughter, Katie Grabau, asked our beloved friends to pray with us to trust God for Katie and her husband because they were trying to have a child. There were multiple complicating factors. It thrills my heart to announce that yesterday our grandson turned one month old! Jonathan and Katie named their son James Daniel, and we sing To God Be the Glory! But pray that the family is not offended when I call my new grandson, despite his beautiful name, BOAZ (meaning “strength is within”)!
Dorena and I hold your prayers as sacred love in our hearts. Thank you! Life in our Society is abundant and full!
