Dr Luder G. Whitlock, Jr is executive director of the CNL Charitable Foundation and the JMS Foundation; president of Excelsis; and minister at large for the First Presbyterian Church of Orlando. He was the second President of Reformed Theological Seminary (1978-2001). He hired me to teach at RTS back in 1989 (when I was 28 years old!). I still marvel at that. I know that many of you in the Reformed Theological Seminary family keep up with Luder and Mary Lou, and so you will be interested to know about his new book, due out next month from P&R Publishing. It is called Divided We Fall: Overcoming a History of Christian Disunity. You can also find it listed on Amazon.com here.
The publisher asked me to write the foreword (which I was delighted to do), and here is some of what I said: The important (and difficult) topic that Dr. Luder Whitlock tackles in this book is not simply one which he has researched. He speaks from conviction and experience. He has not merely thought about the unity of the church, or studied the unity of the church, but has spent a lifetime promoting and cultivating the unity of the church in a fractured and fragmented world. I have had the privilege of watching him do so for over three decades.
If you are a Christian leader, this book will push you hard and make you think. I have been reflecting a good bit of late on the contributions of Sam Patterson (founding President of Reformed Theological Seminary) and Luder Whitlock (his successor and the longest-serving President in the history of RTS) to the pan-denominational Reformed resurgence that has been slowly building over the last fifty years (both played a major role, often unappreciated). Two things are apparent to me about both men that were key to their ability to foster a movement as well as promote unity across denominational lines: (1) their unwavering commitment to truth and (2) their convictional kindness in dealing with others.
Dr. Whitlock has put this into practice in serving in a number of influential positions in graduate theological education and international ecclesiastical cooperation. We could learn a thing or two about the pursuit of unity and community in the church from such a man. I was challenged and edified by reading Divided We Fall. I think you will be too.