| More on Ralph E Bass |
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| Written by Damian Hons | |||||||||||||||||||
| Thursday, 06 November 2008 01:57 | |||||||||||||||||||
A little more about Ralph Bass…Dr. Bass has worn many hats, and has managed to put much of this knowledge, hard work and experience to print. However, we can read a book and still not understand what motivates the person behind all the words. Now, this is okay when sitting down with a science fiction novel or marching along through a textbook. But Ralph’s books are meant to do more, they were written to help us connect with God and improve the relationship that we have with the world around us.
Here is just a little more on the man behind all the books, Dr. Ralph E. Bass…
Well Ralph, for starters, how long have you been married?
Ralph: 46 years! My wife and I have 5 children and 17 grandchildren. On holidays and birthdays we all get together with my parents and others to rejoice and enjoy ourselves. These are happy times in our life. We all live in the same county and therefore get to see each other often.
We started our family (2 children) while in the military (82nd Airborne Division). We had 2 more children at Bob Jones University. Our last child was after we left BJU.
Did you and your family have to relocate in relation to your studies?
We did when we went to BJU, after that I just took advantage of what schools were available in my community.
Do have any hobbies?
Well I believe that writing would be the closest activity that I would call a hobby!
What insights did you learn from being a teacher and an administrator in the schools that you worked?
It might be that the biggest problem a teacher/administrator faces is worldly, foolish parents. Most kids will get a considerable benefit from a Christian education if the parents will make it clear that they fully support the school in their efforts to impact the lives of their children for God. Watching families, you often wonder why some parents even bother to send their children to a Christian school. I remember one pastor telling me he thought Christian schools were fine for kids with “problems” but the rest need to go to public schools. In other words, a Christian school to him was a reform school for bad kids.
When were you most active with the Christian schools?
That would be ‘71 – ’79 which was in the early years of the fledgling Christian school movement.
What were the hot button issues at that time?
Haircuts (too long), dress codes (too short), home work (too much). We were often rather superficial.
What do you mean by We were often rather superficial?
We were looking more at the outward person than the inward one. I can only hope that the inner man and the fruits of the spirit are the primary focus of our efforts today.
Have those hot button issues changed?
I’ve been out so long; I have no firsthand experience with what teachers face today. I do hope, however, that we have moved beyond the superficial to more substantive issues.
Has your attitude toward these issues changed?
My attitude toward many things has changed over the years but I think modesty and homework still are critical issues in a good school. And as I said many times, true spiritual growths as measured by fruits of the Spirit are our real goals.
Giving your experience in this area, what is your view on the state of world affairs?
Well, the state of the world is much like it has been since the fall. It is in sin and with that sin comes all the pain, worry, failure and death one would expect. There is no doubt that in the last 100 years we have jettisoned much of the Christian heritage our founding fathers left us. With that loss of faith, there has been an increasing loss of freedom. This is not the first time the Church has found itself in such peril. However, I do not doubt that in God's time we will experience another Reformation and turning to God. The story of the Church is much like the story of Israel in the Book of Judges - blessings, spiritual indifference, judgment and revival.
What do you think pastors can do to “shepherd” their flock in such times?
A shepherd of God's flock does much the same thing as a shepherd of sheep. He watches, intervenes, feeds, waters, protects and disciplines.
One main problem with Christianity today is that sheep don't want to be shepherded and pastors like it that way! In other words, people don't want the pastor or church to "stick their nose" in their personal business. And pastors don't want to involve themselves in these messes either. So, both are content with the status quo. What pastors and churches "can do" to shepherd the flock is inject themselves and the Christian faith in the lives and families of the church. Not a few will find this unacceptable and find another church that will "leave them alone." However, the call of the Church to shepherd will not allow sheep to be "left alone."
Your degrees are not from secular schools, why is that? What I mean is this: did you miss out on anything by attending religious universities?
My MA in counseling is from Webster University, a secular school. I also attended other undergraduate and graduate "state" schools that I did not get a degree in while there.
By comparing these secular schools with my Christian school studies, I don’t believe I missed much beyond liberal bias. I’ve often said that my undergraduate work at BJU was generally harder than most of my graduate school studies in the secular universities I studied at.
M.Div. in divinity studies from Erskine Theological Seminary, what does this mean to those not familiar to this type of degree?
A Master of Divinity is the foundational degree or education required by many denominations for entry into the ministry. It is three years of graduate school beyond the undergraduate BA degree.
The Th.M. in theological studies from Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary; how is this degree different from the previous degree?
It is simply an additional one or two years of education for those that want more academic exposure.
Th.D. in theological studies from Reformation International Theological Seminary; please elaborates more on this degree and how it differs from your other degrees.
Well the doctor’s degree is the culmination of your academic work. In doing this degree, you do a Thesis; in short a book if you think it is worth publishing. My book Back to the Future was my doctoral thesis.
What might separate your works from others in the same field?
Hope for Today’s Problems: This book is a product of my counseling methods put down on paper. What would later become chapters in the book started out as hand-outs to those that came to see me for help. At first, I wanted to make sure they didn’t forget what I was saying because during times of stress, it can be difficult to remember what was discussed a few days ago or even earlier that day! Second, I found that it was an opportunity to add material that I actually didn’t have time to cover in the counseling session. Third, in time it became homework, to insure they were getting the message and putting it into practice. For these very reasons I believe this is a very practical “how to” book, as many readers have discovered.
Back to the Future: This is a commentary on the Book of Revelation. I was reared in dispensational premillennialism. But I had doubts. This book is the result of my efforts to sort out that issue.
Note: Classical Dispensationalism, (as distinguished from Progressive Dispensationalism), believes that we 1) have a pre-tribulation rapture at the beginning of chapter 4 of the book of Revelation; 2) they believe the Church is a mystery wholly unknown and unmentioned in the Old Testament Scriptures; 3) they see the millennium as a period in which Israel picks up its favored people status with God after a parenthesis in which the Church age occurred. In addition, 4) they believe that in a future Millennium, there will be a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and a return to the Jewish sacrificial system as memorials to the death of Christ. I came to question these points; my study in Revelation suggested other options.
Tell Me About Presbyterians: After I became a Presbyterian, I felt a need to systematize exactly what I now believed. In addition, I found many Presbyterians, and many that moved from other theological backgrounds into the Presbyterian Church, were almost always somewhat confused as to what Presbyterian believed. I wanted to clarify the range of doctrines that historically characterized Presbyterianism for this audience. In time, I began to realize that it was a great training tool for deacon/elder courses as well as a great source for a Sunday school course on the subject of Presbyterianism.
What About Baptism?: Well as many know, I started out in life as a Baptist; but in time I found myself in theological transition, I took a new look at baptism, among other parts of my beliefs and faith. This book records my conclusions.
Baptidzo: This continues my pursuit of learning on the subject of baptism, in this case my study was on the Greek word for baptism. I was amazed by what my research turned up. For example:in Classic Greek baptidzo means “to merse” that is—to put under and leave under—but it did not mean to dip. In other words a mersing was a long term, generally a permanent condition of envelopment. This of course is not what modern day Baptist do, instead they dip. But dipping is a different Greek word entirely, bapto, and is never used of a Christian baptism. I’m sure readers will find the book an interesting journey back into ancient Greek literature.
What are some personal beliefs or philosophies you have, but readers may not be aware of, even after reading your books?
I would define my faith as historic Christianity. By historic, I'm addressing the 2000 year history of the Church as addressed in its creeds. And by this I am rejecting modern day liberalism as a legitimate expression of Christianity, as well as the various cults that spring up from generation to generation.
A philosophy always springs from a theology, mine is Christianity. Christianity addresses every area of life: 1) where did "we" come from, 2) where are we going, 3) what do we do in the points in between. 1) We are the direct creation of God, 2) believers are destined for heaven, the lost for hell. 3) We are to live by faith and for the praise of his name in the life given us by God.
I grant you, there is much that is confusing in the world in which we live. Yet, we live by faith and look forward to His eternal solution to the world’s problems and our eternal reward with Him.
Since you are a Presbyterian, how well would those of other denominations relate to your books in general?
That is a good question. My book Hope for Today's Problems is not at all denominational and would be acceptable to anyone who believes in the Bible. My book on Revelation is also non-denominational. It is written from the point of view that most of the material in Revelation saw fulfillment in the first century. I find minorities in Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Anglican and Church of Christ denominations that are very interested in this approach. My books on baptism support a view of baptism common to the Church as a whole--the sprinkling of children. So, many denominations would find it helpful. Obviously, for a Baptist to look seriously at these books on baptism, he/she would probably be a serious student of the Bible that goes out of his/her way to study a broad range of orthodox theology for the purpose of growth in knowledge.
What are some future books that you may be considering or are already in the works?
I do consider future projects. One project in my mind is "All the Prophetic Passages in the New Testament." This would be an extension of my book: Back to the Future. Another project I would like to find time to do would be "Tell Me About Jesus - Just What Did He Teach." These are just two of many books that would be fun to work on.
Well that's it for now, thank you so much for letting me talk to you so candidly about your life and your books!
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