In Pursuit of His Glory: My 25 years at Westminster Chapel

RT in retrospect

IN PURSUIT OF HIS GLORY
My 25 years at Westminster Chapel
R.T. Kendall
Hodder and Stoughton
286 pages including index. £15.99 (hb)
ISBN 0 340 78647 7

I write this review as a warm admirer, sad observer, vigorous critic and sincere friend of R.T. Kendall - and this autobiography enhances all of that!

RT traces briefly his upbringing in the Church of the Nazarene in Kentucky in 1935 through his first pastorate at the age of 20, his radical spiritual experience that in a moment transformed both his life and his theology, his arrival at Oxford in pursuit of a doctorate, to his call to the pastorate of Westminster Chapel in the heart of London. From here he describes his close association with Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and, following the death of his mentor, the influence on his life and ministry of Arthur Blessitt ('the best decision I made during our 25 years'), Paul Cain ('the most profound influence on me') and Rodney Howard-Browne ('I probably became Rodney's number one apologist'). As he edged closer to the charismatic fold, RT describes, but without bitterness, the opposition he drew from within and outside the Chapel. None who opposed him are mentioned by name, though referred to with affection and respect.

It is an honest and irenic story of a pilgrimage in which he does not spare himself in exposing his convictions and his weaknesses - and the mistakes he would avoid if he were to start his ministry again. RT's admiration of his predecessor and his awe - even to the point of obsession - of the pulpit he occupied are repeated often. At times the narrative becomes tedious with name dropping (a particular charismatic weakness) and a whole chapter entitled 'Sweet Moments' might have been better omitted since it reads more like a Who's Who of the famous and influential. But the whole story is scattered with valuable insights, especially his helpful comments about sermon preparation and preaching.

When the story is told, RT concludes with three chapters in which he outlines first his 'Theological Principles'. His is generally a robust evangelical theology and although he offers us a snapshot of a few of his novel - though not entirely convincing - interpretations, he is certainly no heretic! There follows a chapter on 'Practical Principles' which includes his commitment to personal prayer, tithing, evangelism, forgiveness and never grieving the Spirit. A final chapter reveals his double sadness and burden throughout those 25 years: the relatively small congregations - 300 to 400 maximum in the 2,500-seat Chapel, and the absence of his longed-for revival - in spite of many prophetic assurances that he would experience the day of God's power at Westminster. RT admits that he can truthfully claim that he did everything possible to bring revival; its absence at least proved Finney's theology wrong, that if you do the right things you get the right results!

The Prayer Covenant of the Chapel for 1994 read: 'We pray for the manifestation of the glory of God in our midst along with an ever-increasing openness in us to the manner in which God chooses to turn up'. A commendable heart-prayer, but the key is to discern when in reality God has chosen to 'turn up'. That prayer covenant probably reveals both the strength and the weakness of the pastor of Westminster Chapel who, for a quarter of a century, maintained a passion for God even at the expense of friends and church members. His 'openness' was at times considered by many to be either naivete or biblical amnesia.

Though he is often remembered for his controversial views (his attitude to the Law, his rejection of limited atonement, his espousal of 'prophetic' words, his understanding of Christians and the Judgment, his 'altar call', and his acceptance of the Toronto experience) it should never be overlooked that he consistently followed a programme of expository preaching, worked hard to turn the Chapel into more of a family church and that evangelism, evidenced by his total commitment to the Saturday morning Pilot Lights, was written large in his personal mandate; in addition, his concern to bring an emphasis upon both the Word and the Spirit had to be, in principle at least, absolutely correct.

I would encourage every Christian leader to read this book. You will understand R.T. Kendall much better by the end. But before you begin to read, put aside your prejudice and - just for a moment - your theological check-list. Then you will find that whatever mistakes and failings this man may have, here is the story of a preacher with a mind for evangelism, a longing for the Spirit of God to work freely in his life, the courage to do just what he felt God wanted him to do, and with a warm heart. It would be no bad thing for us all to learn some of this from RT.

In Pursuit of His Glory: My 25 years at Westminster Chapel

RT in retrospect

Brian H. Edwards

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