Robert Tillman Kendall (born July 13, 1935) is a Christian writer, speaker, and teacher who pastored
Westminster Chapel
Westminster Chapel is an evangelical free church in Westminster, central London. The church is in Buckingham Gate, on the corner of Castle Lane and opposite the junction with Petty France. Buckingham Gate is just off Victoria Street and n ...
for 25 years. He is author of more than 50 books, including ''Total Forgiveness''. Kendall was part of the Word, Spirit, Power team, a non-denominational charismatic ministry.
Early life and family
Kendall was born July 13, 1935, in Ashland, Kentucky and named for
R. T. Williams who was a general superintendent of the
Church of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the 19th-century Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism. It is headquartered in Lenexa within Johnson County, Kansas. With its membe ...
. He married Louise Wallis of Sterling, Illinois on June 28, 1958. They had two children, Robert Tillman II (TR) and Melissa Louise.
He received degrees at
Trevecca Nazarene University
Trevecca Nazarene University (TNU) is a private Nazarene liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1901.
History
TNU was founded in 1901 by Cumberland Presbyterian minister J. O. McClurkan as the "Pentecostal Literary a ...
in Nashville, Tennessee (A.B., 1970), the
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was a ...
(M.Div., 1972) in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana borde ...
and the
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...
(M.A., 1973) and a Doctor of Philosophy at
Regent's Park College, a hall of the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...
. He received a Doctor of Divinity from
Trevecca Nazarene University
Trevecca Nazarene University (TNU) is a private Nazarene liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1901.
History
TNU was founded in 1901 by Cumberland Presbyterian minister J. O. McClurkan as the "Pentecostal Literary a ...
(1988).
Ministry
At Oxford, Kendall was pastor of Calvary Baptist Church (now Brackley Baptist Church) in
Lower Heyford
Lower Heyford is a village and civil parish beside the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, about west of Bicester. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 492.
The parish measures about east–west and about north–south. It is bou ...
from 1974 to 1977 which mainly served USAF families based at
RAF Upper Heyford
RAF Upper Heyford was a Royal Air Force station located north-west of Bicester near the village of Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England. In the Second World War the airfield was used by Bomber Command. During the Cold War, Upper Heyford was ...
and
RAF Croughton
Royal Air Force Croughton or more simply RAF Croughton is a Royal Air Force station which is currently a United States Air Force communications station in Northamptonshire, England. It is southeast of the village of Croughton, Northamptonshire, ...
. From February 1, 1977, to February 1, 2002, he was the Minister at
Westminster Chapel
Westminster Chapel is an evangelical free church in Westminster, central London. The church is in Buckingham Gate, on the corner of Castle Lane and opposite the junction with Petty France. Buckingham Gate is just off Victoria Street and n ...
in London.
Kendall maintains a view that later
Calvinism
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
departed from the teaching of
John Calvin
John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...
on the issues of
assurance and the
extent of the atonement. Kendall expounded his views in his thesis, ''The Nature of Saving Faith, from William Perkins (d. 1602) to the Westminster Assembly (1642–1649)'' and his 1981 work ''Calvin and English Calvinism to 1649''. Kendall's views prompted a response by
Paul Helm
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
* Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chr ...
, who wrote ''Calvin and the Calvinists'' in 1982.
Kendall's 1983 publication of ''Once Saved, Always Saved'' on the nature of Christian perseverance prompted debate of
antinomianism
Antinomianism (Ancient Greek: ἀντί 'anti''"against" and νόμος 'nomos''"law") is any view which rejects laws or legalism and argues against moral, religious or social norms (Latin: mores), or is at least considered to do so. The term h ...
among chapel members and others.
His charismatic beliefs and affirmation of prophecies and association with
Paul Cain and the
Kansas City Prophets
The Apostolic-Prophetic Movement (AP movement) is a Christian movement that believes that they are restoring elements of what they call the Five-Fold Ministry. This movement is rooted in the Charismatic movement, and is seen in Charismatic, Penteco ...
from the early 1990s were controversial.
In 2002, he was introduced by the Archbishop of Canterbury's Envoy to the Middle East to meet the Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini (4 / 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat ( , ; ar, محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني, Mu ...
and discussed the Christian faith with him.
Kendall is retired but continues his work as an author and guest speaker at Christian conferences. He appears on Christian television and is a regular contributor to Christian publications.
He is president of R.T. Kendall Ministries.
Works
Books
Kendall is the author of more than 50 books including:
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* – republication of ''The Complete Guide to the Parables'', 2004.
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Articles and Chapters
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References
External links
Out of the Comfort Zone by RT KendallBook review
Ministry HomepageSecond Chancereview
RT Kendall's thoughtsEvangelism and Arthur Blessitt
Kendall and Lloyd-Jones
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kendall, R. T.
1935 births
Living people
Baptist ministers from the United States
Alumni of Regent's Park College, Oxford
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary alumni
American evangelicals
Trevecca Nazarene University alumni
University of Louisville alumni
People from Ashland, Kentucky
Baptists from Kentucky