Stan Grenz Eulogy

The following eulogy was delivered by professor Mark Davies as part of the Regent College chapel service held Tuesday, March 15, 2005.

Remembrance of the Life of Dr. Stanley J. Grenz

Dr. Mark Davies

James 4:14 You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. What is life? You are a mist that is seen for a moment and then disappears.

In the early hours of this past Friday morning, our teacher, our colleague and our friend Dr. Stanley J. Grenz suffered a major brain hemorrhage and died the following morning.

From 1990 to 2002, Stan held the position of Pioneer McDonald Professor of Baptist Heritage, Theology and Ethics at Carey Theological College , holding a cross-appointment to Regent College .  After a brief engagement as Distinguished Professor of Theology at Baylor University and Truett Seminary in Waco, Texas, Stan returned to Carey Theological College where he resumed his duties as Pioneer McDonald Professor of Theology.

This of course is profound loss to his family and his friends, and to those with whom he worked and taught. It is also a great loss to the wider evangelical community. Stan’s gifts as a writer, teacher and theologian were formidable and his influence on evangelical Christianity was profound. The emails and tributes, many of which can be read on his website, have begun to pour in from all over the world.

Stan had many gifts, and of course will be remembered most widely for his ministry through writing. The author of 25 books and literally hundreds of articles, Stan was one of the key figures in helping move modern evangelical theology to the new frontier of post-modernity. Writing was what Stan not only did, but what he loved. For all the books he published he never tired of his work or calling, but embraced each new project with great enthusiasm, always hoping that the end project would bring glory to God and encourage the people of God

But Stan was also an excellent teacher. Many here today know firsthand of what I speak. And this ministry of his, perhaps lesser known, was something he took very seriously and few things excited Stan like a student who was keen on learning theology. Stan delighted in mentoring young theologians. Yesterday alone I have heard of three former students who are flying in from various parts of North America to be attend his memorial service this Sunday at 2:30 at First Baptist.

But perhaps the best summary of Stan’s impact as a teacher was voiced yesterday. We had gathered at Carey as faculty and staff to mourn the loss of Stan and Stan’s current TA, Jay Smith was there with us. As his tears flowed freely he simply said, “Stan has changed my life forever.” I can think of few compliments more profound.

Stan was also a colleague and a friend. I had the privilege of working with Stan for the past 10 years. And the thing I most left with was his ability to encourage us in our task. I cannot remember him ever being critical or negative. He was always optimistic, always trying to spur us on to do even greater work for the kingdom and was there to celebrate when we did. His loss is a devastating blow to the community of Carey Theological College .

But Stan was also very much a family man. It is telling that the only picture we had in the office of Stan was placed there by Stan and it was him holding his newborn granddaughter, Anika Grace on his lap and there is a smile on his face as wide as you can imagine: The great theologian, as nothing more than a proud happy grandpa. He loved his wife Edna, deeply and spoke of her often. He also had a deep and abiding love for his two married children Corrina and Joel, of whom he was so very proud. Their loss is profound and we stand with them in sympathy and prayer.

But I would draw an incomplete picture of Stan if I did not also mention his limitations. Like the rest of us, he was after all human. And perhaps his most evident limitation could be found in his somewhat limited ability to tell jokes. When he would tell them, he was as excited as a school child getting out for recess, And inwardly you would groan, knowing that somehow you would have to laugh – mostly as a act of pastoral care.

He often would begin his classes by playing a guitar and leading worship songs. And again, his singing and playing were not as strong as his teaching and writing. And one of my colleagues, Paul Beckingham asked him about this, and he said in all seriousness, “I have strong gifts and that is why it is important for me to minister out of my weakness.”

Our teacher and our friend, Stan leaves us with one last lesson. And we are grateful.

Stan had many gifts. But today, what we miss most is the gift of Stan.