Interview
Jerry Bridges
by Art Azurdia
(Continued from Page 2)
AA: Well, doing it the way you talked about reinforces in the minds of people that our theology is not the consequence of a system as much as it is the expression of the text itself; the authority is in the text.
JB: Yes; that is right.
AA: Which theologians and authors from the past have most significantly shaped your convictions?
JB: John Owens, for sure, and Stephen Charnock, another great puritan. My all-time favorite book is George Smeaton’s The Apostles’ Doctrine of the Atonement and then James Buchanan’s Doctrine of the Holy Spirit. I would say I was shaped by those men.
AA: John Owen certainly comes out strongly in The Pursuit of Holiness.
JB: Oh yes. Well, you see, I had embraced Keswick theology earlier and it just about ruined my Christian life. I can identify with J. I. Packer as he says, “Owen saved my sanity; he saved my Christianity.” So John Owen helped me on that. Another one that shaped my thinking was A. W. Pink. His book on the sovereignty of God was extremely important to me, even though I don’t believe everything he says. Stephen Charnock on the holiness of God and A. W. Pink on the sovereignty of God are the only two books that have ever brought me to my knees.
AA: Who are the contemporaries that challenge your thinking?
JB: Well, John Piper comes close to that, as does J. I. Packer, to a lesser degree. You know, Bryan Chapell’s book, Christ-Centered Preaching and his book Holiness By Grace are both very good and very readable.
AA: Have you read much of Sinclair Ferguson’s writings?
JB: Yes; he’s good.
AA: His book on the Holy Spirit is magnificent.
JB: Yes; in fact, I have in my briefcase his book on the beatitudes. Two other authors I would read are John Blanchard and Brian Edwards.
AA: You do a fair bit of teaching at the Bible College and Seminary level. What have you observed as some of the common characteristics that distinguish the men currently preparing for pastoral ministry? Have you noticed a shift over against those who prepared for ministry twenty years ago?
JB: Most of what I teach now is at the D.Min. level so I am getting pastors who have been in the ministry 15-30 years. It’s great because I feel like I can interact with them and am not teaching down to them. They are very receptive. Over the span of time I have been teaching, which is probably over 20 years, I don’t think I have observed a noticeable change.
AA: So not more doctrinal or less doctrinal, not more pragmatic or less pragmatic?
JB: No, but here again my class is always an elective. Students come having read my books and they know where I am.
AA: If you knew that you had one final book to write what would be the theme and why?
JB: I would write on the beatitudes and I would take a very specific approach. For years I have been interested in the subject of humility. I don’t know that I have made much progress in my own life. Years ago I went through the New Testament and identified all the Christian character traits listed by references. When I got to the end, of course, I could count them all and love was the first either directly or by example. Humility was a close second, and yet there is almost nothing written on that. Of course, no one wants to say, “I am an authority on humility.” That’s an oxymoron, so we shy away from it. But I was given an assignment to write a brief article on the beatitudes which caused me to study them in-depth for the first time. As I did that it occurred to me that each one of those eight character traits is a description of humility in action: poor in spirit, morning over sin, meek, merciful, and so forth. I realized that in order to write on humility I don’t have to say I am a humble person, but I can explain what humility looks like and call people to pursue it with me. So I don’t have to be shy about teaching on it. I don’t have to leave people with the impression that I am the authority on humility. In fact, that is why I am reading Sinclair Ferguson’s book right now, but I am also reading one by an old Puritan. It’s a Banner paperback called The Beatitudes by Thomas Watson. But again I would like to present it in a simple understandable fashion. When I get this book written I’ll say, “Okay, Lord, I am ready to be promoted.”
AA: I think C.J. Mahaney has just written a book on humility.
JB: He has one on humility but it is a different thing. It’s a more practical book. I am reading everything I can find – even bigger books like Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ on the beatitudes. I am excited about this because in 1 Corinthians 13 we have descriptions of love in action. But there is no place where we find a description of humility in action. I feel that these two – which are really first cousins or brothers – are the foundation stone of all the other Christian traits.
AA: Well, it sounds great. We will pray God gives you grace to finish this work.
JB: Thank you. I am really motivated to do it.
AA: Jerry, thank you very much for your time.
