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MESSAGES, TRIBUTES AND COMMENTS
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| Tom and Jan Courtney, Madrid, Spain |
One of the greatest privileges and honors of my life was being able to study at WTS while Dr. Clowney was professor and president. Who can forget the compelling way in which he encouraged, mentored, counseled and instructed the first year students in his class Ministry of the Word? And today, his strong teaching on the doctrine of the church, Christology, and preaching Christ from the entire Bible continue as the underpinnings of our own ministry outside the US since graduating from WTS. Whenever I comment to those I am training, "That could have been preached in a Synagogue!", I am remembering again the privilege of having Dr. Clowney as my professor.
But he was more than just a professor and president. He was a friend, an encourager, a mentor; one who poured his life into many; one who always had time to talk, to laugh, to encourage and to pray. Even though our paths rarely crossed after graduation, I knew he prayed for us and had an active interest in our ministry. Thank you, Dr. Clowney, for your scholarship, your world wide ministry and especially your example as a servant of our Lord.
| William H. Smith, Jackson, MS |
It was my privilege, as a son of McIlwain Church, to hear Dr. Clowney many times at the Pensacola Theogical Institute. Of the many sermons he preached, two made a particularly powerful impression on me, to such a degree that, as a young minister 30 years ago, I tried on several occasions, without success, to preach them. That was one of the things his preaching - one could learn much from him, but so unique were his gifts, his method, his insights, and his construction that any attempts to imitate him were doomed to fail. The two sermoms that stuck with me were: his preaching the grace of election from the the Gloria of the Christmas angels and his preaching of the missionary heart of Father and missionary example of the elder Brother from the parable of the prodigal. More of us than will ever be counted in this world are in his debt and the debt of the Christ who gave him to the Church.
God used Dr. Clowney to have a major impact on my life and ministry. The main reason I am in France today is because of a study trip that I along with my wife took with Dr. Clowney in my 2nd year at WTS. It was during that trip that God spoke to our hearts of the great spiritual need of Europe and particularly of France. I had the privilege of studying under Dr. Clowney and continue to share with others many of the insights that he taught us. But I think more than anything else, it was his daily commitment to read and study the Scriptures that ministered to me and spoke to my heart. He was a learned scholar, but his love for the Lord and his insights into the Word came, I think, more from that daily time with His Father. I saw a man committed to scholarship and yet equally committed to His Savior through those simple spiritual disciplines. My family and I want to share our heartfelt sadness at this loss and pray that His Word and His promises will be a great comfort and assurance at this time. In His grace, David & Becky Riddell
| Erick and Deborah Birkett, Keswick, VA |
Thinking deeply just now, it is clearer than ever how much Ed became a part of the fabric of our lives; a man marked in our minds by unassuming personableness and wisdom gained by pursuing the right goal over decades. We have appreciated his sermons, too, the chuckles that carry through and wrap 'round fine insights and expositions and a very comfortable narrative style that invited you into what he said. That wasn't a mere presentation device so much, but the man himself. He was winsome. In the world of hotrods, I think the word used for this having heaps of power and performance in a unpretentious body, is to say the car is a "sleeper." So was Ed-a whole lot of whollop in a modest bit of coachwork. So was Jesus, Ed's great model, come to think of it: The Maker of all wrapped in a modest middle-eastern country boy from Nazareth body.
We are grateful for the chance to have known him and learned from listening and also from looking at his model as he looked to his. In the setting of continuing weekly meetings of our Covenant Group, we will especially cherish his example and memory. We are very, very grateful for his intersection with us. And now in recent weeks, we appreciate his children and the legacy of his progeny; it is our pleasure to now know them too and see Ed in them.
| Jane Hammond McKinney , Barboursville, VA |
Dear Jean and all the family,
What a privilege it was to have known Ed as a humble servant of God till his last breath. Retirement was not an option for Ed as he viewed his contributions of teaching, writing and encouraging as a lifelong pursuit in the service of His Lord. He was such a model for us all in his humility and devotion to His Lord. The world is certainly a richer place for all of his contributions. He had a unique ability to share the bible with both the learned and the simple. We will really miss him and our thoughts and prayers are with you all in this time of great loss. All our love, Jane and Chuck Mckinney and Harry Hammond
| Helen Koury, Charlottesville |
The service was simply beautiful and my sincere prayers are with you Jean and your beautiful family. How lovely are the feet of them that bring good news "our God reigns". Today we said good bye to a man who truly had lovely feet and he will be sorely missed by all who knew him.
Helen Koury
| Bernard and Irene Szto Bakker, Whitby, ON |
We are just two of the many students who were ministered to by the Clowneys. There are numerous fond memories of our time as part of the Westminster Seminary community from 1972-75. Irene was in the first class of women to receive the MA in Religion degree and lived in the small apartment in the Clowney's Willow Grove home. Dr. Clowney's passion for opening the Word of God and his vision for the church still impacts Bernie's preaching and vision for the body of Christ. It is the hope of the world.
The Clowney's provided wisdom when we sought marriage. By God's grace we celebrated 30 years of marriage and friendship last year. His Spirit enables us to persevere in the greater Toronto area as God builds His kingdom. Praise be to God for Dr. Clowney's legacy and the profound impact the Westminster community had on our lives.
I came to work at Westminster (Philadelphia) in 1979 and I came because of Ed Clowney. In late January of that year, I had received a telephone call from Ed asking if I would consider a position at the seminary as Dean of Students. I had not a clue what a Dean of Students did (as, unfortunately, many Westminster students later discovered), but to work with Ed at Westminster, I would have agreed to almost anything. During my first two years on the job, Ed came into my office for coffee almost every single morning. We talked and he discipled for close to an hour each day. I saw him struggle with theological and personnel issues. I heard him agonize over trying to determine what course of action would best glorify the Lord. He laughed and he wept and, in all of this, he showed me Jesus. Yes, of course, I will remember his "Doctrine of the Church," and I will always, when preparing a sermon, try as best I can to present the text from a redemptive-historical perspective. These are universal legacies to the church which I treasure as much as anyone. But most of all, I will remember the friend, the mentor, the Christ-centered man who took hours and hours and hours of his precious time just to show me Jesus in the everyday workings of life and of seminary administration. It is a gift for which I will be thankful to Ed - and to his Lord - for all eternity.
| Dick and Janet Pearson, Charlottesville, Virginia |
My husband and I have had the wonderful pleasure of being in a small covenant group with Ed and Jean since their return to Charlottesville. At the beginning some of us wondered what it would be like to have Trinity’s theologian-in-residence in our group of 13. Would anyone else feel they could contribute? Would Dr. Clowney dominate the discussion? The answer of course was no; he participated very naturally though we did always consider him our ace-in-the-hole if we got stuck on a passage. And he quickly became “Ed.” We will never forget one December evening when we went to the Clowney’s house to pick them up for our meeting. Jean walked out the front door and then came Ed, 85 years old.....decked out in a bright red Santa costume with white cotton stuck on his face for hair and eyebrows. He enjoyed making others laugh and laughing himself.
Dr. Clowney also taught in our Sunday School class. He had a marvelous command of Scripture as well as an amazing way of slipping in amusing stories of his past. One of our favorite memories of Ed’s teaching was the day people were invited to write down questions concerning the Bible or theology and put them into a basket. Ed stood in front of the class, pulled out pieces of paper, and with no hesitation, gave answers from the Scriptures with the focus on Jesus. That exceptional command of the Bible never wavered. And Ed was always so welcoming at church during the week. If you stepped in his office to ask a serious question or just say hi, he always gave such a warm greeting that you felt like he had been waiting for you to show up. Important as his writing was to him; people were even more important.
In the hospital over his last few weeks he continued to be gracious and warm, thanking the staff who came in to care for him or clean his room. His love for his Savior and the Word was constant. Once when I was reading the Bible out loud, he appeared to be tired so I asked if he wanted to rest. His response was, “I think a little discussion would be good.” His devotion to prayer was also a constant. At the end of praying for Ed one morning, my husband was surprised to feel a strong hand take hold of his as Ed became the first hospital patient to ever pray for him. One of the many songs sung to Ed in the hospital is entitled, “Vast the Immensity, Mirror of Majesty.” The last verse reads, “Triune your majesty, triune your love to me, fixed from eternity in heav’n above. Father, what mystery, in your infinity you gave your Son for me, infinite love!” Praise God that the author of these words, Edmund Clowney, now knows even more clearly that infinite love.
| Mort Whitman, Campina, Romania |
Dear Jean and family,
I was very touched and moved at the news of Ed's homegoing. I am sure this is a time of sadness and joy. May the Lord richly be close to you at this time. It is a comfort to know that he is rejoicing in His Lord's presence. The Lord used Ed in my life both while I was at the seminary and beyond. His teaching and preaching based on Biblical Theology has deeply affected my preaching and teaching. Also his passion to pass on this rich teaching to the next generation has affected me as Jenny and I seek to reach and train the next generation of leaders here in Eastern Europe. Our prayers are with you all, In Christ's Love, Mort
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