The year 2010 has been a busy one for my household - we had three graduations! My son graduated from college, one daughter from high school, and I finally finished my PhD in Theology!  Although the attention in our home is rightly focused on the accomplishments of our children, my wife and I occasionally exchange a look that says, “Yes! We are finally finished the PhD!”

It took me nine years of official work and even longer if you count some preliminary studies. It started when we lived in Africa and spanned the first eight years of our time back in the U.S. I never was able to devote my sole attention to it - I was working full-time and squeezing the studies into the “cracks” of time between work and family responsibilities. More than once I questioned whether I would actually succeed. In those times I asked myself again, “Why are you doing this?” For those in the church which I pastor you may be interested in the answer to that question. So here goes…

Actually the question could be broken down into three questions: Why did I begin the PhD work? Why did I continue it once I was about half way through? And why did I finish it?

Why did I begin the PhD work?

We were living in the bush of East Africa. We lived in an area where there were no paved roads, no public running water, no electricity. There were lots of wild animals which roamed through our village at night - and poisonous snakes. No one in the village held meetings at night. No one moved at night. It was too dangerous. So my work with other people was over when the sun set.

I found myself reading for hours in the evenings (at first by the light of kerosene lanterns, later by solar and battery powered lights). When the kids were in bed, I would study. I read book after book. Eventually I realized, “I’m a student!” I am a study-er. I love to study. So I began asking myself this question: “If I study all the time anyway, why not enroll in a formal program that would hone and shape me?” Eventually I enrolled in a PhD program overseen by a cooperation of Highland Theological College and University of Wales.

When I enrolled I did so for a few reasons that were foremost in my mind: I wanted to become a better student and researcher, I wanted to become a more precise theological thinker, I enjoyed the writings of John Flavel and looked forward to studying him in more depth, and I loved both theology and history and saw this as a way to get guidance in the study of both.

You’ll note that nowhere in my thinking was I motivated to pursue a doctorate because of career goals or professional necessity. I didn’t need a PhD for any career goals that I had or envisioned having. I wanted to study for the sheer joy of studying and the opportunity to become a better theological student and writer.

Why did I continue it once I was about half way through?

After several years of research and writing and interaction with my advisers the process of actually pursuing and succeeding at a PhD became daunting. It was too difficult to do the work necessary while being a full-time pastor of a large and growing church, plus being a husband, plus being a father to three children. The demands were coming at me from all directions and yet, I decided to keep going. Why?

Well, by this time I had become very interested in what I was doing. The actual topic I was researching and about which I was writing was fascinating. I was becoming convinced that I was seeing something that no-one else had observed about the intersection of Puritan theology and the practice of preaching. I wanted to keep going, to discover if what I thought I was observing was really true.

I also was sensing a practical application of my studies. I was looking at the writings and sermons of John Flavel. Flavel lived in the late seventeenth century in England.  He was a minister whom God used significantly in preaching.  I was seeing that he had made a deliberate decision to plan and carry out his preaching (especially his preaching aimed at nonbelievers) according to what he believed about how God draws people to Himself. In short, Flavel let his theology shape the way he preached.

This stood out to me as being extremely significant. Preachers today are being told how to preach, and the advice is based upon communication theories, opinions about postmodern audiences, survey results - anything except theology! Preachers are preaching - formulating and delivering sermons - often without consciously relating the task of preaching to their own beliefs about how God works in people. This is deplorable, but true.  But in contrast to all of this I was being coached through the writings of John Flavel on how to preach. And his coaching was being informed by truths in the Scriptures which spoke of God and how God works in the hearts of people.

So, in short, I was becoming convinced that the issue I was studying was not only undiscovered, but extremely important. And that motivated me to keep going.

Why did I finish it?

But, a few more years of work on it went by and the PhD was not yet attained. I had learned a lot - a massive amount! I had already become a more objective and discerning student, a more aware and careful theological thinker, a more exacting writer, enormously more informed about church history…but I wasn’t finished yet and was wondering if I should. I decided to keep pressing forward. Why?

It may not seem exceedingly noble, but one motivation had to do with money and time. By this point I had invested a lot of resources into the process. To be honest, that motivated me to keep moving forward. Although I had personally already benefited tremendously I felt compelled to press forward and bring everything to a conclusion. I’d spent too much time and money on this not to finish.

I was also keenly aware that my children were watching me. I wanted to set a good example for them. I didn’t want them to have a dad who quit. They too are, and will be, faced with big challenges. They’ll be tempted to quit. I wanted them to have seen their dad face this challenge and persevere. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard other doctoral candidates speak of this motivation, but to me it was important. It loomed large in my mind.

But something else was happening. The further on in the process I got the more convinced I was that my thesis was correct and it was important. I prayerfully pressed on, asking God to help me finish. As I labored in the work I also prayed over the whole venture. Over and over again I found myself praying Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.” God gave me the strength to go on, and inner confidence that He was with me in the process.

I would be amiss here if I did not mention the encouragement of others. At this point in the process the support that others gave me was a major factor in my pressing on. That support came from the elders of the church in which I pastor, some significant friends, and my wife. The church elders always knew of my work, but it became obvious that I needed to use some of my study time at the church to finish the thesis. The elders graciously supported me.  Without their support I probably would not have finished. Also, some friends of mine - people who know me and whose counsel I value - gave me encouraging words along the way and promised me their prayers. And then there is my wife. Not everyone realizes the sacrifice that the spouse feels when the other spouse undertakes something of this magnitude. My dear wife kept encouraging me, cheering for me, supporting me, and willingly suffering through the sacrifice of time with her husband that always was there because of the studying and writing. I truly could not have finished without her support. So part of the answer to the question “Why did you finish?” has to do with other people - the important people in my life all supported me!

But I must add this: as I neared the end of the process, prepared for the oral defense of my dissertation, traveled to Wales, successfully defended it, made revisions, and then waited for the official determination, all of my previous reasons for beginning and continuing the pursuit of the degree were confirmed in my heart and mind.  Then the day came when I held the diploma declaring me the recipient of a PhD in Theology. I looked at the piece of paper and thought, “It’s not the piece of paper that is important, it is what it represents.”

This is what it represents to me: I am enormously more informed about church history. I am a much more unprejudiced and discerning student. I am now a skilled researcher. I have improved as a writer. I am a more precise theological thinker. I have reached the place where one of my advisers called me “The world’s expert on John Flavel.” I have discovered and shown a heretofore unexplained connection between what the Puritans believed and how the Puritans preached.  That explanation has the potential of helping other scholars and preachers. I myself am becoming a better preacher. I have had the joy of immersing myself in deep study. I have not wasted the resources I invested in this process. I have modeled perseverance for my children. My relationships with my church elders, significant friends, and my wife have deepened. And I’ve experienced the help and nearness of God in new and special ways.

That’s what my PhD means to me, and that’s why I did it!