Gary L. Thomas (born October 24, 1961) is an American

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

minister and writer of

Christian literature Christian literature is the literary aspect of Christian media, and it constitutes a huge body of extremely varied writing. History The Christian genre spans a variety of media and art forms that highlight Christian beliefs, narratives, and m ...

Education

Thomas received a

Bachelor of Arts 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 deg ...

degree in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

from

Western Washington University Western Washington University (WWU or Western) is a public university in Bellingham, Washington, United States. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, s ...

in 1984. He then studied under the Christian theologian J. I. Packer at

Regent College Regent College is an interdenominational evangelical Christian College of Christian studies, and an affiliated college of the University of British Columbia, located next to the university's campus in the University Endowment Lands west of Va ...

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, receiving a master's degree in 1988 with a concentration in

systematic theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topics ...

. He was awarded an honorary

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

degree from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, in 2006 in recognition of his contributions made in the field of

spiritual formation Spiritual formation may refer either to the process and practices by which a person may progress in one's spiritual or religious life or to a movement in Protestant Christianity that emphasizes these processes and practices. The processes may inc ...

. Following from his speaking and published writing, Thomas has been heavily influenced by various other authors. These include Elton Trueblood,

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer (; 4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, neo-orthodox theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the s ...

, J. I. Packer, and the Christian Classics. His first work, ''Thirsting for God'', is primarily a synthesis of material from the Christian Classics.

Career

Pastor, teacher, and speaker

Thomas is a regular teaching pastor at Second Baptist Church Houston, the fourth-largest church in the United States in 2013, with over 21,000 in weekly attendance. He has regularly appeared on Christian television shows and radio programs such as ''

Focus on the Family Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is an American Christian fundamentalism, Evangelical Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of Evangel ...

'', ''100 Huntley Street'', and '' Family Life Today''. Thomas has also spoken at many large Christian conferences such as the AACC (National Christian Counseling) conference,

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...

's Training Center (The Cove), where he is a regular speaker, and at numerous denominational and individual church events. Since 2000, Thomas has been speaking at his own Sacred Marriage Seminars and has now spoken in 49 states and 8 countries. Thomas is an adjunct faculty member teaching at Western Seminary in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. He regularly gives talks on marriage and family issues.

Author

Thomas is the author of 20 published books. His most notable works include ''Sacred Marriage'', ''Sacred Pathways'', and ''Authentic Faith''. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' once said "Thomas himself shows great potential for becoming the

Henri Nouwen Henri Jozef Machiel Nouwen (January 24, 1932 – September 21, 1996) was a Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer and theologian. His interests were rooted primarily in psychology, pastoral ministry, spirituality, social justice and commun ...

of evangelicalism."

''Sacred Marriage''

In ''Sacred Marriage'', Thomas asserts that marriage is an area for spiritual formation, approaching marriage not from a "how to have a better marriage" perspective, but rather as a spiritual discipline, designed to help us grow closer to God and deeper in our faith; he teaches that "marriage is designed to make you holy more than it is to make you happy." Thomas has been quoted as describing marriage as an "arena for discipleship." ''Sacred Marriage'' has been praised by various Christian authors and pastors. John Ortberg, author of ''The Life You've Always Wanted'', said ''Sacred Marriage'' "gives wise, historically informed counsel to help couples not merely enjoy their marriage, but use their relationship to form Christ in one another." Kay Warren, the wife of

Rick Warren Richard Duane Warren (born January 28, 1954) is an American evangelical Christian pastor and author. He is the founder of Saddleback Church, an evangelical Baptists, Baptist megachurch in Lake Forest, California. Since 2022, he serves as execut ...

who is pastor of the 3rd largest church in America, Saddleback Church, and author of ''The Purpose Driven Life'', said "I enthusiastically recommend it to couples contemplating, or who have already entered in marriage, as homasshows is the most powerful tool God has for molding and shaping us into the image of his Son." Sheila Wray Gregoire has criticised the first edition of the book, arguing that it contains "inaccurate information about vaginismus and about neuroscience" and does not cite her book ''The Great Sex Rescue''.

''Sacred Pathways''

In ''Sacred Pathways'', Thomas attacks an asserted "one size fits all spirituality" that he said seeks to turn devotional times into "cookie cutter experiences", and instead explores nine different pathways or "spiritual temperaments" to describe how people relate to God in very different ways.

Publications

*''The Glorious Pursuit: Embracing the Virtues of Christ''. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1998. *''Seeking the Face of God''. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1999. *''Sacred Marriage: What If God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More Than to Make Us Happy''. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000. *''Sacred Pathways: Discover Your Soul's Path to God''. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000. . *''Authentic Faith: The Power of a Fire-Tested Life''. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002. * *''Not the End but the Road: The Journey Toward a Virtuous Life''. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2004. *''Sacred Parenting: How Raising Children Shapes Our Souls''. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004. *''Devotions for Sacred Marriage: A Year of Weekly Devotions for Couples''. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005. *''Devotions for Sacred Parenting: A Year of Weekly Devotions for Parents.'' Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005. *''Sacred influence: How God Uses Wives to Shape the Souls of Their Husbands''. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006. *''The Beautiful Fight: Surrendering to the Transforming Presence of God Every Day of Your Life''. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007. *''Holy Available: What If Holiness Is About More than What We Don't Do?''. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009. *''Pure pleasure : why do Christians feel so bad about feeling good?''. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009. *''Room management in mainstreamed/Integrated classrooms''. Educational Research, CO : David C Cook, 2014. *l. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011. *''Simply Sacred: Daily Readings''. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011. *''Thirsting For God: Spiritual Refreshment for the Sacred Journey''. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2011. *''Sacred Search: What if It's Not About Who You Marry, but Why?''. Colorado Springs, CO : David C Cook, 2013. *''The Sacred Search: Couple's Conversation Guide''. Colorado Springs, CO : David C Cook, 2013. (Co-authored with Steve and Rebecca Wilke) *''A Lifelong Love: What If Marriage is About More Than Just Staying Together?''. Colorado Springs, CO : David C Cook, 2014. *''Cherish: The One Word That Changes Everything For Your Marriage''. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017.

Awards

In 2003, ''Authentic Faith'' won the Gold Medallion Award in the "Christian Living" category.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Gary 1961 births Living people 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century Baptist ministers from the United States 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century Baptist ministers from the United States American evangelicals American male non-fiction writers American motivational speakers American religious writers Baptist writers Clergy from Houston People from Puyallup, Washington Western Washington University alumni Writers from Houston