EDMUND P. CLOWNEY 1917-2005

Edmund P. Clowney (b. August 30, 1917) met his Lord face to face on Sunday, March 20, 2005 at the age of 87. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Jean Wright Clowney; by his five children: David Clowney, Deborah Clowney, Paul Clowney, Rebecca Jones, and Anne Foreman; by his twenty-one grandchildren; and by his eleven great grandchildren.

Ed was 20 years old when J.Gresham Machen died. He was born in Philadelphia where Westminster Seminary commenced, and though he was almost twenty years younger than the other members of the faculty (who had taught him 1939-1942), he stood in solidarity with them as Machen’s boys; Van Til, Edward J. Young, John Murray, John Skilton, Paul Woolley and Arthur Kushke the beloved librarian. He taught Practical Theology and the Doctrine of the Church. There was no kinder nor more incisive an analyser of sermons than Ed Clowney. His own emphasis was on the value of the insights of the history of redemption and applying them to the text under consideration. This approach tended to be absolutised by his students. Some of his own sermons on Luke’s gospel were outstanding in their freshness and piety, as was also one which many spoke about concerning David’s men entering Bethlehem and filling a pitcher of water and bringing it to DavidThere was no one more approachable on the faculty for helpful advice than Ed Clowney. Modest and encouraging, one conversation I had with him during the last months of studies in Philadelphia in 1964 was the decisive point in my determination to become a gospel preacher. I will always be greatly in his debt for that. A few years ago I was at Westminster Seminary Escondido and he wanted to see me. “Geoff, I have prayed for you every day since you graduated from Westminster. It does get a bit demoralising saying, ‘Lord, bless Geoff Thomas.’ Is there anything in particular I can pray for in these days?” He had prayed for me each day for 35 years.

He had known a number of divisions in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and at Westminster Seminary and one of his last words to the faculty in Escondido before he left was to beseech them movingly not to polarise and raise issues which would set them at loggerheads with one another.

GEOFF THOMAS

Born in Philadelphia, Ed received his B.A. from Wheaton College in 1939, a Th. B. from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1942, an S.T.M from Yale University Divinity School in 1944, and a D.D. from Wheaton College in 1966. Ordained in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, he served as pastor of several churches from 1942 to1946 and was then invited to become assistant professor of practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in 1952. He became that institution’s first president in 1966, and remained there until 1984, when he took a post as theologian-in-residence at Trinity Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Charlottesville, Virginia. In 1990 Ed and Jean moved to Escondido, California, where Ed was adjunct professor at Westminster Seminary California. In 2001, he took a full-time position as associate pastor at Christ the King Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Houston, Texas. After two years, he moved back to Charlottesville, where he once again became part-time theologian-in-residence at Trinity Presbyterian Church. He remained in this role until his death.

Ed was a compassionate counselor; a devoted servant of Jesus Christ, his Word, and his church; a peacemaker; and a true visionary. He dreamed for Christ’s kingdom and was instrumental in the birth or furtherance of such ministries as the Reformed Theological Seminary in Aix-en-Provence, France; Westminster Seminary California; Trinity Church, Charlottesville; the Lausanne Conference; InterVarsity ministries, both in the United States and in England; and “The Westminster Ministerial Institute,” an inner-city training program for pastors in Philadelphia, out of which the Lord developed the Center for Urban Theological Studies. He also had a life-long interest in children’s Christian education materials.

Ed will be supremely remembered by many as a preacher, perhaps the most gifted proponent and practitioner of redemptive-historical preaching of this generation. He was unique in his ability to pick up the threads of redemptive history and to weave a rich expositional tapestry that brought Christ in all his perfections and glory before God’s people so that they were drawn to love and worship the Redeemer.

His writing displays the great theme of his life, namely Christ’s presence in the whole of Scripture and his present work in the church. His books include Preaching and Biblical Theology, Called to the Ministry, Christian Meditation, Doctrine of the Church, The Message of I Peter, The Unfolding Mystery, and Preaching Christ in all of Scripture. Some of these titles have been translated for the benefit of the worldwide church. His last book, How Christ Transforms the Ten Commandments, was accepted by his publisher only days before his death.

Ed left behind a legacy not only of written books and articles, but a great number of sermons and lectures, as well as magazine columns such as the humor column “Eutychus and His Kin” for Christianity Today and Bible studies for Tabletalk. His sense of humor and his love for people left a mark wherever he went. In the last week of his life, one attending nurse, laughing as she left his room, exclaimed, “What a sweet man!” Those who knew and loved him would agree. His tender-hearted encouragement and wisdom will be greatly missed, but his work will be established by his Master who has now welcomed him with those reassuring words: “Well-done, good and faithful servant, enter now into the joy of your Lord!”

Ed’s grand-daughter Myriam writes, “Andy and I were with the family over the week-end in Charlottesville, VA. We spent the time with singing, praying and witnessing to all within the sound of our voices. A funeral will be held next week in Charlottesville and a memorial service at Westminster Seminary. Please be in prayer for the family and in particular my grandmother Jean, who has also been sick. If there was ever a man who exemplified the verse ‘To live is Christ, to die is gain,’ it was my grandfather, who served the Lord with all his might until his last breath. We know that he is with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in heaven, and for this we can rejoice. Thank you.”

Myriam and Andrew Hertzog

Messages can be left on the tribute site which can be found at www.edmundclowney.com