Dr. Howard Giddens is my mentor, teacher, and, for all intents and purposes since my real father, the late and much beloved Champ Ruffin, died in 1979, my father.
Dr. Giddens is one of the last of a breed of outstanding pastor-theologians. He received the B.A. and M.A. degrees from Mercer University and the Th.M. and Th.D. degrees from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as pastor of the First Baptist Churches of West Point, Bainbridge, and Athens, Georgia. In 1967 he became a professor at Mercer. That was where I met him, during the summer before I began my freshman year in 1975. He has served as mentor and friend to countless numbers of students like me.
Dr. Giddens is now 95 years old and resides in a retirement home in Macon.
I am so pleased to announce the release of a book of some of Dr. Giddens greatest sermons. It was my privilege to compile and edit the collection. The book is entitled Why Be a Christian? The Sermons of Howard P. Giddens. It is available from Mercer University Press. (I have also posted a permanent link to the book's page on the Press's web site in the right hand column of the blog.) If you want to read some great sermons by a true preacher-scholar whose words reflect his deep love for the Lord, for the Church, for the Bible, and for people, I encourage you to acquire a copy.
They also make great gifts!
We had the privilege on Friday, July 6, of presenting Dr. Giddens with the first copy of the book. The photograph above is of that presentation. Those pictured are (standing, left to right) Dr. Marc Jolley, Publisher of MUP, me, and Dr. Edd Rowell, Senior Editor at MUP, and (seated) Dr. Giddens.
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