DENNIS KINLAW, 1922-2017

The Wesleyan world has lost two great theologians and spiritual giants in the past few months. Thomas Oden passed away shortly before Christmas. And now Dennis Kinlaw, former President of Asbury College, former professor of Old Testament Language and Literature at Asbury Theological Seminary, founder of the Francis Asbury Society, died earlier this month. I met Dr. Kinlaw only once, during a speaking engagement he gave at Wesley Biblical Seminary (WBS) that lasted a few days. I found him to be a person who was interested in talking to whoever came across his path. His love of God was evident to all who spent time with him. While my contact with him was limited to this one encounter, I have known many who have been influenced by him. That influence will continue to have a positive impact on the ministry for many decades to come. I had hoped to post a series of tributes to Kinlaw such as I did when Oden passed away. However, little has appeared on the internet concerning Kinlaw's life and legacy. Asbury College and Asbury Seminary posted tributes to him, as did WBS. The Francis Asbury Society also has a short biography of him on their site. I can only find three individuals who published tributes to Kinlaw. WBS graduate Matt O'Reilly published one on his blog, Orthodoxy For Everyone, and Joe Henderson did the same on the Scriptorium Daily website. One Mission Society (OMS) posted a tribute by OMS president Bob Fetherlin as well.