Called To Communion welcomes David Anders
Sep 17th, 2010 | By Bryan Cross | Category: Blog PostsWe at Called To Communion are delighted to welcome David Anders, who is joining our team as a regular contributor.
Dr. David Anders
In the Spring of this year I read David’s story in the May issue of The Journey Home. I contacted him and invited him to contribute something to Called To Communion. He sent me an article which we posted here on June 1, titled “How John Calvin Made me a Catholic.” This article drew thousands of hits and has generated almost four hundred comments to date. In handling questions and objections, David showed himself to be both gracious and erudite, so we knew he would fit well with what we do here and how we do it. We recently invited him to join us, and were delighted when he accepted. We think he will be a perfect fit with our team, with our mission, and with the commitment to charity that we believe is vital to bringing Christians to agreement concerning the truth.
David was raised in the PCA. He and his wife Jill completed their undergraduate degrees at Wheaton College in 1992. He subsequently earned an M.A. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 1995, and a Ph.D. from The University of Iowa in 2002, in Reformation history and historical theology. He wrote his dissertation on John Calvin. His dissertation is titled “Prophets from the ranks of shepherds: John Calvin and the challenge of popular religion (1532–1555).” He was received into the Catholic Church in 2003. He has taught history and religion in Iowa and Alabama. He currently reside in Birmingham, Alabama with his wife and five home-schooled children (ages 1-14).
On June 23 of this year, David was on EWTN Live, interviewed by Fr. Mitch Pacwa S.J. That interview can be watched in the video directly below.
More recently, David gave two interviews with Barbara McGuigan on the Good Fight Radio program. The first interview took place on August 28, and the subject was David and Jill’s story, how they came into the Catholic Church. The second interview took place on September 11, and the subject was St. Augustine. Listen to those interviews here.
David, welcome to Called To Communion! We’re very grateful to have you with us.
David, from a former fellow resident of the state of Alabama (born and raised there) and a former Reformed Baptist, welcome! Great to have you here! :-) I loved hearing your story on EWTN!
Welcome Dr. Anders!
Dr. Anders,
You are like the Ken Griffey Jr. of CtC. That is to say, quite intelligent, conscientious, and very good at what you do. Also, assuming you don’t use performance-enhancing steroids, that would be another relevant similarity between you and Ken Griffey Jr. ;-)
Glad you’re onboard and I’ll look forward to reading your contributions to the site. =)
~Benjamin Keil
Welcome Dr. Anders –
Benjamin: I am a die-hard Seattle Seattle Mariners fan, and I hope that for Dr. Anders sake he is more like Ken Griffey Jr. 15 years ago rather than Ken Griffey Jr. at the present moment. ;-)
So thankful you have joined the team at Called to Communion! I know your contributions here will be a great blessing.
I just finished watching the embedded video of Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J. with Dr. David Anders – what an excellent interview! Welcome to CTC, Dr. Anders.
Watching the video made me wish that I had been in the audience that night so that I might have had the chance to address my own questions to Dr. Anders. Now I will have the opportunity to speak to Dr. Anders via the CTC website, and for that I am grateful.
Here is just one of my questions raised by the embedded video interview. At 14:44 minutes into the video, Fr. Pacwa makes this comment to Dr. Anders:
I certainly agree with Fr. Pacwa’s statement that the idea that human beings cannot say yes to God’s grace is “striking”. Which leads me to a question. If a human being cannot do anything that is good because his will is totally depraved (even when he is regenerated by grace!), then how can a human being ever make an act of repentance? Sincere repentance is certainly a good and holy action by any human being. God can’t repent of sin because God is sinless; but the act of repenting of sin is certainly something that God expects: From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt 4:17)
Who does the act of repenting in Calvinist theology – God or man?
My question about repentance-freewill-grace is really a question about synergism and God’s grace; and I don’t expect any answer to my question in a combox in this thread. I also know that CTC is planning an article about synergism and monergism – my question could be addressed in that article. And that is more than enough about my wish list!
Dr. Anders answers Fr. Pacwa’s question by opening with this comment:
Dr. Anders, if you write that book, I will buy it.
May God bless you abundantly and bring forth good fruit from your contributions to CTC!
I’m looking forward to your contributions, Dr. Anders. Your testimony, interview with Fr. Mitch Pacwa, and article here have been tremendous helps for me in my journey home. I’m in RCIA now (with my husband and two-year-old…long story), and I’m so excited to be part of this community of faith known as the Catholic Church!
Oh snap! (thats a technical phrase btw)
Welcome Dr. Anders!
Welcome, Dr Anders!
Dr. Anders,
Several times I shared this website and quoted you on my facebook . Thanks for being a scholar.
Welcome home.
Rey
Hello Mr. Anders,
I would so like to send you a complimentary copy of the book: “That We Be One’.
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Written with sincere humility, I would respectfully categorize ‘That We Be One’ is a down-to-earth explanation of the tenets of the Christian faith, without the frills often found in academic descriptions.
Indeed, I have read numerous books on these subjects, but this is by far the most interesting and compelling.
Mr. Bianco, being a novice in the field of apologetics, without scholarly degrees of any kind in theology or history, presents an off-the-cuff, and so unusual, a man-on-the-street comparison of various Christian denominations. In doing so, Ron writes in a way that is pretty candid, sometimes brazenly challenging, and always from the heart.
Insightful and easy to read: ‘That We Be ONE’ is his first book (and as he says, may be his only one).
Forest St.Pierre
(Confirmation Instructor and Eucharistic Minister; Sts. John & Paul Parish, Coventry, RI)
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If you will, please do provide me with an address to do so.
ron bianco