Richard Linwood Pratt Jr. (born October 17, 1953) is an American

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

, and founder and President of Third Millennium Ministries. Third Millennium was launched in response to the lack of training of Christian leaders around the world. Third Millennium recognizes where the church is growing the fastest, those Christian leaders have the least amount of training. Pratt personally witnessed this in the 1980s as he traveled for missions. Helping the church worldwide has become his passion. He believes that any person that has the desire to learn more about the Bible should be given that opportunity in their own land, in their own language, and at no cost.

Background and education

Pratt is actively involved in all aspects of ministry, including writing, teaching, and global advancement. He has traveled extensively throughout the world to evangelize and lecture, including Argentina, Australia, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Indonesia, Mexico, Mongolia, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine, Cuba, the United Kingdom and throughout the United States. He is best known for his approach to Biblical

hermeneutics Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. As necessary, hermeneutics may include the art of understanding and communication. ...

, which places a heavy emphasis on the

Kingdom of God The concept of the kingship of God appears in all Abrahamic religions, where in some cases the terms kingdom of God and kingdom of Heaven are also used. The notion of God's kingship goes back to the Hebrew Bible, which refers to "his kingdom" ...

. Pratt taught Old Testament, Hebrew, and Hermeneutics at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS, and Orlando, FL, for 21 years. He also chaired the Old Testament Department in Orlando and is currently adjunct professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary. He received his

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

from

Roanoke College Roanoke College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Salem, Virginia. It has approximately 2,000 students who represent approximately 40 states and 30 countries. The college offers ...

, studied at

Westminster Theological Seminary Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian theology, theological seminary in the Reformed theology, Reformed theological tradition in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It was founded by members of the faculty of Prince ...

, and received his M.Div. from

Union Theological Seminary Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (shortened to UTS or Union) is a Private college, private ecumenical liberal Christian seminary in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, affiliated with Columbia University since 1928. Presently, Co ...

. He earned his

Th.D. Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor of ...

Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

Studies from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. His thinking was greatly influenced by

Cornelius Van Til Cornelius Van Til (May 3, 1895 – April 17, 1987) was a Dutch-American Reformed theologian, who is credited as being the originator of modern presuppositional apologetics. A graduate of Calvin College, Van Til later received his PhD from Pr ...

among others.

Selected publications

Pratt has written and edited numerous books, commentaries and journal articles. He is the general editor of the NIV Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible and a contributing translator for the New Living Translation. Some of his books include: Pray with Your Eyes Open, Designed for Dignity, and He Gave Us Stories. He has written commentaries on both Chronicles and Corinthians and is also a contributor to the Complete Literary Guide to the Bible. His books have been translated into several languages including Chinese (Mandarin), Russian and Spanish. In 2014, a ''

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

'' was published in his honor. ''For the World: Essays in Honor of Richard L. Pratt Jr.'' included contributions from Bruce K. Waltke, William Edgar, and John M. Frame.

Books

*''Every Thought Captive: A Study Manual For The Defense Of Christian Truth'', 1979 *''Pray With Your Eyes Open: Looking At God, Ourselves, And Our Prayers'', 1988 *''He Gave Us Stories: The Bible Student's Guide To Interpreting Old Testament Narratives'', 1990 *''Holy Bible: New Living Translation'', 1996 (translator) *''1 and 2 Chronicles: A Mentor Commentary'', 1998 (also availabl
online
for free) *''Holman New Testament Commentary: 1 and 2 Corinthians'' with Ra McLaughlin, 2000 (also availabl
online
for free) *''Designed For Dignity: What God Has Made It Possible For You To Be'', 1993 *''NIV Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible'', 2003 (general editor)

Articles and book chapters

"Historical Contingencies and Biblical Predictions"

"Does God Observe the Law of Contradiction? . . . Should We?"

"Hyper-Preterism and Unfolding Biblical Eschatology"

"To The Jew First: A Reformed Perspective"
on evangelizing the

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

s
"I Want to Walk Free, but I Still Hear the Chains Rattling"

"Relevance without Irreverence (How to Become All Things to All Men)"

"Baptism as a Sacrament of the Covenant"

"Jeremiah 31: Infant Baptism in the New Covenant"

"The Regulative Principle"
* "Common Misunderstandings of Van Til’s Apologetics"

an

Lectures and sermons

Pratt has published a number of his sermons and lecture
online
Some of them are listed here, all in

MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany under the lead of Karlheinz Brandenburg. It was designed to greatly reduce the amount ...

format:
"A sermon on 2 Chronicles 30"

"The Vision of Christ in the Lord’s Prayer, (Matthew 6:9-13) "

References

External links

Third Millennium MinistriesReformed Theological Seminary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, Richard L. Living people American Presbyterians Harvard Divinity School alumni American Calvinist and Reformed theologians Writers from Orlando, Florida Roanoke College alumni Union Theological Seminary alumni Westminster Theological Seminary alumni 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians 21st-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians 21st-century American Protestant theologians Presbyterian Church in America ministers 1953 births Bible commentators Writers from Roanoke, Virginia Reformed Theological Seminary faculty