Carter - Glory road: the journeys of 10 African-Americans into Reformed Christianity

This book is a wonderful encouragement to those who love the doctrines of grace. The ten men described are African-Americansbut quite frankly, what their ethnicity is does not matter nearly as much as their common delight in Christ and his gospel. Their stories are sufficiently diverse that they cannot be reduced to a simplistic mold; they have enough similarity that together they bring us back to Gods sovereign goodness in the cross of his Son. Read this book and rejoice.

D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament,
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Here we have readable, compelling personal histories that, at the same time, teach us more about God, Christ, and the Bible and give accounts of these men coming to Christ. I love reading peoples testimonies of conversion! What more do we want in a book? To be encouraged, instructed, and edified, read these stories.

Mark Dever, Senior Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, DC

A reading of Glory Road is a journey of sober rejoicing. The joy is in the taste of future glory where men and women from every tribe and language and people and nation will together worship the Lamb. We rejoice in the first fruits of that glory evident in the testimonies of these gifted African-Americans now in Reformed churches. We also weep that their testimonies are so few due to these churches long blindness to gospel priorities despite their historic commitment to doctrinal orthodoxy. May Glory Road lead to a new dawn, greeted with tears but leading to songs of joy before the day is done.

Bryan Chapell, President, Covenant Theological Seminary

Im very grateful for Anthony Carters passion for writing. I bought a case of his first bookOn Being Black and Reformed, to distribute at conferences and events. My plan is to do the same thing with Glory Road, an amazing collection of testimonies. The consistent message from all the contributors is the paucity of Reformed teaching in the black community. I share with Carl Ellis the vision of seeing an indigenous Reformed movement in the African-American community. Books like Glory Road will help to facilitate this movement.

Wy Plummer, African-American Ministries Coordinator,
Mission to North America, Presbyterian Church in America

History is good for us all, but when you see it occurring right before your eyes, well thats just about as good as it gets. To the chorus of Dead White Men, we now add these voices of Living Color. Together well all be singing praises to our sovereign God and all-sufficient Savior.

Stephen J. Nichols, Research Professor of Christianity and Culture,
Lancaster Bible College

As a first-generation preacher of Reformed Theology in Antigua and Barbuda and the eastern Caribbean, I am confident and encouraged that these personal testimonies from our African-American brothers will work for a wider propagation of the message of the supremacy of God in all things throughout the global African Diaspora. The common themes of being disillusioned with the religious status quo, struggling with the inadequacy of man-centered views that were strongly defended for years, facing the loneliness and ostracism of taking a stand on an island of truth in a sea of pluralism, and the surprising discovery that the Lord had all along reserved... seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal, are all compelling and refreshing in the narrative of each experience.

Hensworth W. C. Jonas, Executive Director,
East Caribbean Baptist Mission, St. Johns, Antigua & Barbuda

Glory to God for the things he has done! I too join in the celebration of the lives of these wonderful men. Their journeys of faith speak to Gods redemption, power, providence, and sovereignty. As I read through this book, I reflected on my own life which includes spending twelve years as a Pentecostal pastor and then entering Covenant Seminary in 1992. I never gave Calvinism too much thought before then, but God had a marvelous plan for me. I really appreciate Reformed theology and the impact that it is having on the African American PCA congregation that I serve today. God bless you Brother Carter for your vision to create this precious book. Lord, send us more black leadership!

Mike Higgins, Senior Pastor,
Redemption Fellowship Presbyterian Church in America, Atlanta

Also edited by Anthony J. Carter:

Experiencing the Truth:
Bringing the Reformation to the African-American Church

Glory Road: The Journeys of 10 African-Americans into Reformed Christianity
Copyright 2009 by Anthony J. Carter

Published by Crossway Books
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers
1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

Cover design: Josh Dennis
Illustrations by: Dave Hopkins
Interior design and typesetting by: Lakeside Design Plus
First printing 2009
Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible,English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added.

Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-0584-3
PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-0585-0
Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-0586-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Glory road : the journeys of 10 African-Americans into Reformed Christianity / edited by Anthony J. Carter.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4335-0584-3 (tpb)
1. African American Reformed (Reformed Church)Biography. 2. Reformed Church convertsUnited StatesBiography. I. Carter, Anthony J., 1967 II. Title.

BX9498.A37G56 2009
284'.273092396073dc22
[B]

2008054454

VP 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09
14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To R. C. Sproul.
When God inspired 1 Corinthians 15:58,
we believe he had men like you in mind.

Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is;
and walk in it, and find rest for your souls... (Jer. 6:16).

Contents

Ken Jones

Reddit Andrews III

Thabiti Anyabwile

Anthony B. Bradley

Anthony J. Carter

Ken Jones

Michael Leach

Lance Lewis

Louis C. Love Jr.

Eric C. Redmond

Roger Skepple

Anthony J. Carter

Reddit Andrews III (MDiv, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) serves as senior pastor of Soaring Oaks Presbyterian Church in Elk Grove, CA.

Thabiti Anyabwile (MS, North Carolina State University) serves as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands.