Clark Pinnock dies

Dr. Clark Pinnock died on Sunday Aug 15 from a heart attack; he was 73.

I first met Pinnock in his book, Set Forth Your Case: studies in Christian Apologetics, while a student at Providence in the early 80s. Over the years I read many others, A Wideness in God's Mercy, The Openness of God, and most recently, Most Moved Mover. 

I met him in person in 1985 at a prayer gathering at McMaster; a bunch of students gathered on the platform in an auditorium and Clark sitting cross-legged praying for people.

When I was pastoring in Niagara Falls in the early 90s I invited him to come and speak about prayer at a concert of prayer evening.

Then I had him for a directed reading in Ethics at MacDiv in 2000. Once a week I would come and sit at a chair beside his desk and we would discuss the reading content and my reflection essays. He was the moderator at the defense of my master's thesis, and wrote an endorsement for the back of my book on multicultural leadership.

Over the years I have never understood the criticism and vitriol directed at Clark by evangelical leaders. He was one of the most humble, gentle, thoughtful, other-centred persons I have ever encountered.

Over the past decade I would encounter Clark walking or biking on the streets in our neighbourhood (Westdale, Hamilton). He would always smile and acknowledge me, although during the last few years I knew that he couldn't quite place who I was.

Thank you Clark for your contribution to the content of my faith and theology, and for living a God-honouring life before a watching world.

Doug Koop writes an excellent tribute to Clark here at Christianity Today.

Comments

[John Galbraith]

Dan, Sorry to hear about Dr. Pinnock's passing. He obviously had an impact on your ministry. Dr. Pinnock was certainly an interesting scholar with wide-ranging ideas. I especially appreciated his earlier writings but was troubled at his changing views on the sovereignty of God, hell,etc., but most surprising was his descent into open theism. I would think that no matter how gracious and humble a man is as believers we have the mandate to be good Bereans (Acts 17:11) and test a man's teachings compared to the Scriptures. Obviously his changing theology had to be addressed by other scholars. Again my condolences on losing a friend.