The Evangelical Universalist Forum

Introducing Bob Wilson!

Bob Wilson is a founding member of our forum (and father-in-law to one of our other founding members, Gene Pineda, aka “Auggybendoggy”), and I’m honored to introduce him for his new “Corner” here in the Featured Hosts category!

Bob holds a B.A. in psychology from the University of California (Los Angeles), and earned a Masters of Divinity and Doctorate of Pastoral Theology at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena. (His dissertation was A Critique of John Wesley’s Doctrine of Sanctification.)

Bob grew up in a conservative Baptist home in Los Angeles (there are conservative Baptists in LA??? :mrgreen: Well, I guess we go where the mission field is… :smiley: ) and was ordained as a minister into the American Baptist Churches in 1972. After serving a few years as youth minister, he became pastor of First Baptist Church of Chino, California; and remained pastor there for 25 years, through the 70s, 80s and 90s (ordaining 6 other men and women to full time ABC ministry along the way). He retired in 1998, from the stress of active pastoral duty–and (he suspects) from anxiety over tensions within beliefs about the character of God that he was expected to endorse; but he still worships and teaches Sunday School there. After retirement, Bob came to support universalism after feeling freer to re-evaluate what he personally believed.

It’s probably best to just quote him next, from his own introduction to the forum as a whole, a couple of years ago (autumn of 2008).

Husband of a wonderful wife, Carol; father of two daughters in their mid-thirties, grandfather of 4 grandchildren; son-in-law of Auggy: I present Bob Wilson!

If Bob Wilson, is a founding member, then I would like to take my cap off and thank him, for allowing a diversity of opinion. I am not against a more closed format, when founders decide to go that route, but I admire the fact, that though Bob and I disagree on many topics, He has allowed me to be annoying.

Your stand for universalism, would not have been easy for someone in your shoes

Grace to you sir!
Puddy

Thanks, Puddy! I gotta be in favor of allowing diverse views, since mine are pretty diverse themselves :wink:

Grace be with you too,
Bob

I add my thanks. I love the diversity of this group. Thanks, Bob (and all the founding members) for giving us a place to explore freely and with the help of others.

Kelli

I’d like to say thanks too Bob :slight_smile: You are a mensch (and I don’t even speak Yiddish :laughing: )

Aw, you all are so sweet! It’s nice to see my dad appreciated. He’s taken such a hard hit with former church members, that say they must’ve never known him, feel so betrayed, but he’s the same, stand up guy he’s always been. He’s my dad, so I can’t brag, but I’ve really realized what a rarity it is to have someone that isn’t threatened when questions are asked and allows diversity. I feel so fortunate to have him as my dad. :slight_smile: