George Eldon Ladd was a theological giant in post-war evangelicalism with an enigmatic personal life. His life is full of professional prestige that demonstrated tremendous diligence and effort in pursuit of academic excellence while at the same time he was unable to faithfully apply the same efforts for success in his family life. Although Ladd’s life ended in dysfunction and disgrace, there are tremendous lessons that can and should be gleaned in how he dogmatically pursued his goal of rehabilitating evangelical scholarship to the academy.
John D’Elia did a wonderful job balancing both the strength and the weaknesses of Ladd’s professional and personal life in A Place at the Table: George Eldon Ladd and the Rehabilitation of Evangelical Scholarship in America. D’Elia’s balanced and careful study of Ladd was laced with encouragements for academic pursuit as well as warnings of the dangers that face theologians. I was incredibly edified and challenged as I read through Ladd’s life with the backdrop of the wisdom of Kostenberger, “Excellence: The Character of God and the Pursuit of Scholarly Virtue,” at the front of my mind. I hope the lessons and warnings displayed in this paper will be balm for my soul as I begin my own formal pursuit for theological education and godly virtue.
The first virtue expounded on by Kostenberger for vocational excellence is diligence. He writes, “The virtue of diligence applied to the scholarly vocation does not differ much from the virtue necessary for anyone to do anything well and with excellence. Any successful athlete, musician, or scientist will testify to the necessity of diligence for achieving excellence. Diligence is a vital characteristic for us to cultivate throughout our lives and involves consistent hard work, planning, and follow through. It is the primary antidote to the vice of laziness” (Kostenberger, 101). Scholars must work incredibly hard in their studies to produce excellence. Scholastic success will never happen unless people give themselves to the virtue of diligence. Ladd exemplified this diligence in his theological pursuits.
Ladd displayed diligence in his pursuit of his doctorate. He was denied entrance to several places because of his previous schooling and yet, with each rejection he continued his letter writing campaign to another university. He continued to study and take the necessary courses that would allow him to advance in his proven field. The same diligence can be seen in his pursuit of getting his magna opus published by a non-evangelical company. He could have easily gotten his work on the kingdom of God to the market by a Christian publisher, but that would not serve his goal of getting evangelical scholarship into the mainstream of academia. It took tremendous diligence to wait and continue to pursue publisher after publisher, year after year so that his work could be published by the company that would advance evangelical scholarship into respectability.
It is hard to fully understand the degree of diligence that was required by Ladd to accomplish the sheer volume of his work. He spent several years in Germany to sharpen his language so that he could be an expert in reading German literature. It takes tremendous time and effort not only to learn a new language, but to master it. Ladd became a master of the German language. Unfortunately Ladd’s diligence in study can be overlooked or downplayed because he used his studying as an escape from the problems in his family and personal life. Although he may have had the wrong motivation, his diligence should not be overlooked.
I believe that diligence is one of the greatest needs in today’s evangelical world. I am a pastor that preaches 3 times a week, teaches Sunday school, writes a weekly newsletter and leads 1-2 mid-week Bible studies. I manuscript two sermons a week (one for Sunday morning and another for Wednesday night) and post them online so my church members can review them during the week. In a recent conversation with a fellow pastor, I was asked why I manuscript my sermons because, “It takes too much time.” It does take time to produce quality work. It is lamentable that so many young pastors see the weekly preparation of multiple sermons as too much work that takes too much time.
Ladd did not only exemplify diligence in his own studies, but also in the training of his students. Ladd was known by his students as a demanding and driven instructor. He made his students work hard because he desired that they would excel in their own theological pursuits. Ladd knew that without diligence, students would never be able to crack the bubble of modern scholarship. As D’Elia notes in an address at North American Baptist Theological Seminary, Ladd, “argued that evangelicals had surrendered their intellectual and spiritual leadership in American life. The conservative response to the academy’s threats to faith, according to Ladd, was to dismiss rather than engage them; the result was the ‘impression that evangelical Christianity is for the illiterate’ (D’Elia, 91). Ladd knew that the only way for Christianity to overcome this stereotype was for Christians to be serious in their study of the Scriptures as well as modern scholars. It takes more effort and time to thoughtfully engage an opponent rather than merely characterize their position, but that was exactly what Ladd was encouraging his students and colleagues to pursue.
Ladd’s desire for his students to have a robust intellectual faith is still needed today. We live in a world of clichés and pithy sayings where people struggle with thinking through the nuances of doctrines and faith. I have heard pastors say that theology and doctrine are for the pulpit and not for the people. This mentality can be seen the wise words of D.A. Carson, of the hiding of lazy pastors that, “may put in long hours, but they will be ineffective hours because they diddle away their time in lazy reading, endless visits to blogs, last-minute preparation, and sloppy work habits. A seminary education must never be viewed as a ticket to a job. It is the beginning of a lifetime of study and reflection, worked out in the hurly-burly of ministry. Thus the very posts that may feed the workaholic may be safe-havens for the lazy or ill-disciplined.” (Kostenberg, 98)
Our culture is saturated with distractions. Social Media and blogs pose an ever-present danger for pastors and theologians to waste their time on lesser pursuits. This quest for sustained diligence is essential for us to heed the Apostle Paul’s words to the church at Ephesus, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16) Reading through Ladd’s life was a helpful reminder that one must always doggedly pursuit diligence, if one desires to be a service to the academic theological community.
Although Ladd fought had for a place at the table for evangelical scholarship, he never wavered in his commitment to the Bible. Ladd protected himself from liberal leanings by resting his argument on the text of the sacred writings. As D’Elia quotes Ladd in saying, “My authority is not scholarship but the Word of God.” (D’Elia , 72) Ladd wanted his detractors to see that his fight against the “anti-intellectual dispensational views” did not have anything to do with this scholarship, but rather he could not find the dispensational argument in the Bible. D’Elia further quotes Ladd, “My own position is one which satisfies no one neither dispensationalists nor the so-called reformed theologians. However, our responsibility is to the Word, not to men “(D’Elia 72)
It is very instructive to a young theologian to base their conclusions on the Bible rather than on a particular school of thought. There are various schools of thought that can be helpful in understanding and framing systematic theology, but students should always follow the text rather than one group’s particular reading of the text. I have seen this danger in my own thinking of theological issues as well as in others. It is healthy reminder to always base our theology and methodology on the truth revealed in God’s Word. We have a responsibility to God to explain His Word, for indeed we are preaching God’s Word in front of Him as 2 Timothy 4:1-2 states.
Ladd used the Bible to level the playing field of academic discourse by giving people the freedom to disagree with the dominant perspective. At the beginning of Ladd’s ministry, dispensationalist thought dominated the training of future pastors and lay people. The Scholfield Study Bible was used to train thousands of pastors and Sunday School teachers during post-war America. As a pastor of an older congregation, many of the people I am responsible to teach were trained by these same men. My highest allegiance cannot be to dispensationalist or reformed theology, but to the Word of God. I have had to train my people to judge arguments based on their truthfulness in God’s Word. If the truth is not found in the Bible, then it is not God’s Word. Ladd’s opening of the table for discourse on sensitive issues by appealing to God’s Word as the highest authority is paramount in academic circles as well as the local church.
One of the most interesting and encouraging things discovered through Ladd’s life was how his teaching changed people’s view of the Kingdom of God. In 21st century America, most scholars would hold to the “already, but not yet” view of the kingdom. It is common to hear this view of the kingdom taught in seminary classes and from pulpits all across America. I found it very interesting that Ladd’s careful study of the kingdom was the reason that this view became the dominant one in evangelicalism. And yet when he first proposed it, he was in a very small minority. It took time for others to adopt his views as it often takes time for people to digest new ideas.
Ladd was committed to teach a theology based on the Bible rather than on an agenda. He was not afraid to challenge the status quo in academic circles. In Ladd’s challenging of the dispensational view of the kingdom, Ladd demonstrated a tremendous amount of courage. Scholarship takes courage. It takes courage to present ideas that will be critically analyzed. Kostenberg highlights how important courage is in today’s academic landscape. He writes, “Christians in academia today are often tempted to sacrifice their integrity for academic responsibility. Pressures abound to go with the flow of scholarly consensus, and the academy often marginalizes those who buck the system.” (Kostenberger 103)
Ladd knew the dangers of being marginalized because of his theological convictions and yet he pressed on in courage. It was truly courageous for Ladd to buck the theological consensus of dispensationalist thought because he hated conflict. He did not want to challenge the system, but his conscience constrained him and the Holy Spirit gave him courage to present his ideas. Kostenberger also challenged the status quo in his Johannine studies in the view of authorship. He writes, “During my doctoral studies, the Johannine community hypothesis had been elevated to the position of a paradigm that was ‘virtually established’ and was ‘what students imbibe from standard works, such as commentaries and textbooks, as knowledge generally received and held to be valid.”(104) Kostenberger did not waver in his conviction of the evidence, but boldly challenged the academic consensus in favor of John’s authorship.
We live in a society that is intolerant of tolerance. It has become very difficult for Christian scholars to disagree with the academic consensus regarding homosexuality and same-sex marriage. As soon as a scholar disagrees with the academic consensus, they are shunned and marginalized in their circles. This is a complete reversal of the views held only 40 years ago. Kostenberger notes, “The scholarly consensus of today will not necessarily represent the scholarly consensus of tomorrow. Paradigms shift and change in both the physical sciences and in biblical interpretation.” (Kostenberger, 104)
Young theologians have to be resolved to speak the truth in season and out of season always being ready to give a defense for what they believe. Ideas and opinions will shift and sway with the popular culture, but the Word of God remains the same forever. And because God does not change, it again is important to ground our ideas in the Bible. If scholars resolve to hold fast to the Scriptures which are able to make men wise unto salvation, then we will provide the anchor for the courage necessary for the turbulent challenges of academic consensus. Ladd and Kostenberger both demonstrated courage by holding fast to the text over and against the popular ideas of the day. I was both encouraged and challenged by their boldness and see the need to resolve in my own heart the absolute necessity to choose the text over the opinions of the day. It may be hard to share covenantal theology in a church of dispensationalists, but as Martin Luther so eloquently said, “I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen.”
Although George Ladd was tremendously bold in his pursuit of success, he did not possess a proper perspective on true biblical success. Ladd struggled to receive criticism from his colleagues as well as from his opponents. He was very easily discouraged and frustrated with his own work and reputation was not embraced by the theological elite. As I read Ladd’s consistent struggles with receiving criticism, it became clear that Ladd struggled with his identity in Christ. His theology of the kingdom did help him endure the trials of his disabled son and his perceived failure of his seminal work, but he did not allow his theology of who he was in Christ to penetrate his view of success. In my opinion, at the core of Ladd’s struggle was a manifestation of pride. His pride blinded him from seeing how God used him in his pursuit of his goals and also blinded him from seeing his true identity in Christ.
Ladd was eventually let go from his position as a professor because there was a disconnect between this theology and his life. He never was able to accept personal responsibility with his drinking and with the problems he created in his own family. D’Elia notes, “He simply denied that his problems were actually problems and allowed them to fester. Worse, he blamed others for situations he clearly helped to create: His wife was frigid, his children were disappointing, and other theologians were too critical. He would never fully accept responsibility for his own problematic behavior, nor would he allow it to alter or even inform his doctrinal beliefs.” (D’Elia 165) Ladd was unable to admit failure or weakness, because he was blinded by his pride.
Kostenberger notes that as humility is essential for the Christian life, it is also imperative in the pursuit of academic excellence. He writes, “Scholarly excellence demands humility. Without humility, you will be blind to your own weaknesses, unaware of the obvious hole in your arguments, and unable to be corrected or guided by others…Humility will also enable a scholar to realize how much he or she needs other people, both scholarly colleagues and nonacademic friends…Scholarly excellence requires a healthy recognition of our own dependence on other people and a commitment to a genuine involvement in the communities of which we are a part.” (Köstenberger, 207-298) Ladd never truly saw the importance of others and was unable to listen to their critique about his scholarship or his personal life.
It is very easy to be blind to our weaknesses and failures. Pride is a common besetting sin for leaders. Most pastors and especially trained theologians are leaders in every area of their lives. They are leaders in their homes, their churches, their communities and their denominations. Humility will escape many scholars because of the perceived benefits that are due them because of their scholarly knowledge and reputation. Köstenberger wisely and humbly reveals his own struggle with pride in responding in his heart to an innocent question at church, “Doesn’t this person know who I am?” He was promptly convicted by the Spirit who made him ask, “Who do I think I am?” (Köstenberger, 204) The cure to this pride is at the heart of the gospel of Christ.
God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble, while He is against the stiff-necked and obstinate, He delights in the contrite and broken spirit. We have to remember who we were when we were called and why we were called. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:26-30a, “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus.” We were saved because of God’s grace and mercy. We deserve nothing, but condemnation for our sin. And although we deserve nothing, we gain everything because of Jesus Christ. It is because of Him that we are redeemed.
As evangelical scholars have said in recent years, “We never outgrow our need of the gospel.” Ladd knew the gospel, but did not allow the full implications to impact his identity. The gospel allows people to admit their failures and weaknesses for, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8) Ladd never allowed the gospel to impact his personal life and to give him the freedom to admit his sin. Instead of humbly confessing his sin, in his pride he covered it.
As a pastor I have struggled with my identity in Christ. I have struggled with living up to the expectations of others and the opinions of what a pastor should be and do. While seeing Ladd’s psyche becoming undone when others did not affirm him, I saw flashes of my own life when the same things (albeit to a smaller degree) happened to me. My identity must be rooted in Christ. Scholars and pastors must never ultimately rejoice in our successes, but in our salvation. Jesus warned his disciples, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” We are servants and it is a privilege to serve our King. We must always remember that whether we are a world-renown scholar or a little known small town pastor, we are still servants placed in our positions by God’s sovereign plan. He deserves all the glory.
Ladd’s inability to confess his sin and admit his shortcomings blinded him to see his true success. Ladd’s goal of academic respectability was accomplished through the lives of his students. One of Ladd’s students, Eldon Epp, wrote this of Ladd’s influence on his life: “Yet, it was Professor Ladd’s infectious enjoyment of both the grand themes and the intricate components of biblical research, his insistence on philological precision, on thoroughness and objectivity, and on fairness in the evaluation of the work of others, and his sincere interest in those who might be inclined to follow a similar scholarly career that were so keenly felt and are so profoundly appreciated.” (D’Elia 172)
Ladd’s true success may not have been realized through his own work, but through the works he inspired in the lives of his students. D’Elia writes, “Thus his influence on a generation of scholars remains his most enduring legacy. We have seen this in the careers of diverse scholars such as Daniel Fuller, Robet Guelick, and Eldon Epp, but there are dozens more whom Ladd’s tutelage inspired directly, and hundreds more whose horizons were broadened through his published work. This is the essence of legacy and lasting appeal. Tragically—and typically—he would never fully know it.” (D’Elia 180)
It has been a helpful reminder that we never truly understand how God is using our lives. Although our academic careers may only be a footnote, our lives will continue to ripple out for generations through the lives of the people we influence. God is ultimately the Judge of how our lives will be counted in eternity. I may feel like a failure because my congregation never grows above one hundred and fifty people. I may feel like a failure because I never write a book used by seminarians or because I am never invited to the conference stage. And yet, my feeling of failure does not mean that I am a failure. God does not always allow us to see the full impact of our lives so that in His grace we may stay humble, continuing to lean on Him.
Several years ago one of my pastors did a workshop on men of faith. He taught on the impact of John Wesley. Wesley was tremendously influential during his day and made a big impact on the kingdom of God, but at the end of the workshop, my pastor asked a simple question, “Was he faithful?” Although Wesley was tremendously faithful in his service of God, he did not always demonstrate the same level of faithfulness to his family. I have never forgotten that question, “Was he faithful?” I could not help but think through that question in regards to George Ladd. Was he faithful?
Ladd was faithful to the Scripture. He was faithful to academic excellence. He was faithful to Fuller Seminary. And yet, he was not faithful to his own family. The most tragic and difficult aspect of Ladd’s life is the dysfunction and bitterness in his own family. It was clear that his own cold, bitter upbringing played out into the lives of his children. Relationships are complex and interpersonal dynamics are never easy. Ladd was a gifted scholar, but a poor father. It is hard to provide a blanket statement that one is a poor father, because he was not a poor father in every regard. He worked diligently to provide financial comfort and sustenance for his family. His work allowed his wife to focus her primary energies on to the children instead of being divided with working outside of the home. He exposed his children to sound theology and doctrine through the church and his own Bible instruction. He did instill positive traits into his children, but the real issue was that his family was never his primary focus.
He was so driven in his academic pursuit that he was willing to sacrifice his family on the altar of success. His faulty view of success drastically impacted the well-being of his wife and children so much so that his own daughter would end up estranged from her theologically renowned father. Ladd’s life should serve as a warning to all theologians and pastors to not neglect one’s primary responsibilities. I have seen this warning play out in my own life as I have neglected my own family to pursue the “things of God.” The Lord was gracious to me by providing elders in my local church to challenge my care for my own family so that my family would not end up like George Ladd’s. At the end of our lives, our career successes will pale in comparison to our personal failures.
Scholars do not have to choose between relational and academic excellence. Kosternberger challenges aspiring scholars and theologians at the very outset of his book: “You won’t want to be a fine scholar but a terrible, or even a mediocre, husband and father. You won’t want to excel in scholarship but fail as a wife and mother. Neither should your calling as a mother or father, and wife or husband, necessarily induce you to engage in mediocre scholarship if you are called to an academic career. If God is excellent—which he is—and if he has called you to pursue excellence in everything you do, then you should strive to excel both as a husband and father, or wife and mother, and as a scholar.” The demands of family and scholarship can be a very difficult to balance, but excellence should not be sacrificed in either area.
Ladd sacrificed family relational excellence for scholarly acclaim. The warning of his life should ring loud in lives of aspiring scholars. In my pursuit of academic excellence, I have worked diligently to minimize the sacrifice required by my studies on my family. I chose to wake up earlier to complete my studying so I do not miss an event with my children in the afternoon. At the end of my life, I want my wife and my children to be able to answer the question, “Was he faithful?” with a resounding yes. For if those closest to me cannot answer that question with integrity, then my entire academic and professional success will not be worth it.
The best way to protect one’s family is to protect one’s own relationship with God. If God is the foundation for moral, relational and vocational excellence, then a healthy and vibrant relationship with God is the foundation for all of life. Everything flows from a right relationship with God. Kosternberger writes, “Since excellence, then, is an all-encompassing attribute of God, and since we are exhorted in Scripture to imitate God, having been made in his likeness, excellence should mark our lives as his children, extending both to who we are (our character and our relationships) and what we do (our work or vocation). Excellence should characterize every thought we have, every paper we write, every relationship we pursue, every assignment we undertake, and every word we speak. Excellence should describe our lives in their totality and encompass every area of our lives, no matter how large or small.” (Kosternberger, 38)
The goal of excellence describing the totality of our lives and encompassing every detail can be daunting. Jesus says, “Be perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) And Paul says, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14).
There are several areas that have served my own life as I have reflected on George Ladd’s life and my own pursuit of moral, relational, and vocational excellence. I need to pay greater attention to details. I have always struggled with paying close attention to details. I believe I have grown in this area, but as I read both Excellence and A Place at the Table, I am even more convinced of the importance of growing in concern for the smallest details. God demands excellence in everything, even in the small details. He who is faithful in little, God will entrust with much. It is very important to honor God in even the smallest details of life. I was challenged when Kostenberger said, “Develop the habit of guarding your integrity by rejecting compromise, particularly with the “small sins” that are easy to rationalize. Small sins rarely stay small.” (Kostenberger, 166).
I also have to be more intentional in reading a wider array of scholars, particularly those who may not agree with my conclusions. In the business of pastoral ministry, there are times that I only consult the authors that will provide a conservative reading of a particular passage, rather than reading those who may view it from a different perspective. Ladd was often criticized for ignoring scholars who did not agree with his position. I have to continue to press on in my scholarship by understanding the positions of opposing viewpoints or perspectives so that I can expose my blind spots and sharpen my own academic work. The scholars one reads and cites are those with whom he too often finds his allegiance. Well-rounded scholarship happens when scholars challenge their own conclusions through the writing of their opponents.
One of the reasons I love to read biographies is that one can trace God’s sovereignty. Ladd submitted his first work not because he wanted to, but rather he believed it was God’s will for him to write it. God raised up George Ladd to influence a generation of scholars to engage liberal modern scholarship preparing them to have a place at the table. The theological climate of the 1950s and 1960s was developed under the backdrop of the Cold War. The Communist scare hindered people from open dialogue about theological issues and encouraged conservatives to retreat to the hills. God uses Ladd to restart the conservation. There is no doubt that God used one of his servant’s unique gifting in gracious debate to open a door for future scholars.
Ladd trusted in God to determine the course of his academic research. Kostenberger notes, “As scholars, likewise, we need to be still before God and await his direction. What are the topics he wants us to research? What is the contribution he wants us to make to the academy and to the church in light of the natural and spiritual gifts and abilities he has bestowed on us?” (Kostenberger, 39) As I begin the process of choosing a dissertation and where to focus my research, it is important to listen to God and allow him to guide the direction of study. He gives gifts to the church to equip them for the work of the ministry, so it is important to ask the question: how has God gifted me and created me to be a blessing to his church?
Theological studies can be very dangerous. They are full of challenges and obstacles that can hinder one’s spiritual life. George Ladd was able to overcome several of the dangers of a lifetime of academic scholarship, but was overtaken by others. The pursuit of excellence in scholarship should be pursued with diligence and fidelity while maintaining those same virtues in one’s family. George Ladd pursued his work with passion and thoughtfulness, but neglected to apply these same qualities to his family. George Eldon Ladd was a gift to Christ’s church by creating a place for them at the table of modern scholars. I am thankful for his diligence and his passion for excellent scholarship. I pray that I will learn from his example to find my identity in Christ and my joy in my salvation rather than my vocational success. Excellence must be the goal for the academia and the home, for scholarship and for spirituality, for the glory of Christ and the good of his church.
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