More Endorsements and Testimonials
Kimberly Ervin Alexander, Regent University School of Divinity:
“Tom can theologize with the best of them, but he is really addressing the most critical questions asked today by people of faith.”
Paul Allen, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada:
“We invited Tom to speak at an event in Alberta, Canada where he captivated 700 college students with a fulsome, rigorous yet accessible talk on the love of God in an evolutionary universe. Highly recommended!”
Gregory Boyd, Pastor of Woodland Hills Church, St. Paul, Minnesota:
“Thomas Jay Oord is one of those rare speakers who are as effective at engaging his audiences’ hearts as he is their minds.”
James Bradley, Calvin College:
“Tom is an engaging speaker with a lot to say – and it’s worth hearing.”
John B. Cobb, Jr., Co-director of the Center for Process Studies:
“Tom communicates big ideas in easily digestible bite-size portions that are fun to hear.”
Ron Cole-Turner, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary: “A theologian who seeks to know the heart of God for this troubled world, Tom Oord speaks with poetic grace about life and love and loss and all the other things that matter most.”
Robert Cornwall, Pastor of Central Woodward Christian Church, Troy, MI:
Tom brought his message of “God Can’t” to our congregation’s annual Perry Gresham Lectures. The participants found the message and the messenger to be engaging, thought-provoking, and encouraging.
Scott Daniels, College Church of the Nazarene: “I know few people who can so passionately, imaginatively and insightfully reflect on the intersection of faith and science, the life of faith and the life of the mind, like Tom Oord.”
Karl Giberson, Stonehill College:
“Tom Oord is an exceptionally engaging speaker: he engages his ideas, he engages his critics, and he engages his audience–and all with grace and humility.”
Doug Gilmore, Sr. Pastor, Wiley Church, Marlton, NJ: “Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian is an engaging academic who can effectively communicate big concepts to the layperson and has a pastor’s heart. When he came to our church for a seminar last fall, Dr. Oord listened to the questions and responded with such an openness and sincerity. Everyone was challenged, enriched, and had those moments of “Aha! That makes sense!”
Rabbi Shai Held, The Hadar Institute:
“Tom Oord is everything you’d want in a visiting teacher and speaker: he is very smart and extremely learned; he is a gifted teacher and a great listener; and he always remembers that his teaching is intended for the service and the greater of glory of God.”
Nancy R. Howell, Saint Paul School of Theology:
“Dr. Oord has established himself as a recognized authority on the meaning of love, and he serves both the Christian community and the scholarly community well by blending the depth of the Christian tradition with insights from science to interpret divine love, as well as the bond of love in Christian life.”
J. R. Hustwit, Methodist University: “Tom Oord is an exceptional speaker, presenting complex theology in concrete and engaging terms. Our students and faculty liked him so much we asked him back to give two lectures in the same year!”
Catherine Keller, Drew University:
“Thomas Oord is one of the most brilliant bridge-builders between prophetic and confessional Christianity on the planet. He asks the questions that really matter. He conveys–indeed he enacts–the uncontrolling power, the engaging lucidity, the courageous witness of an indomitable grace.”
Allen Knight, Spring Arbor University: “Dr. Oord’s genuine and sincere ability to present his thesis and communicate with students and faculty encouraged a genuine discussion in new ideas in the great university tradition.”
Mark A. Maddix, Point Loma Nazarene University:
“Dr. Oord is a thoughtful, innovative, and provocative speaker who makes complex theological concepts engaging and accessible to his audience.”
Kevin Mannoia, President of the International Council for Higher Education:
“In a day when thoughtful engagement that makes a difference is the heart-cry of a new generation, Tom Oord’s probing mind invites you to explore tough questions with Christ-like passion that points to God.”
Jon Middendorf, Pastor of Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene:
“While Dr. Thomas Oord has long been an innovative and trusted voice in the Academy, his care and compassion comes shining through when he’s communicating with believers (and/or non-believers) who don’t yet know or believe what Dr. Oord stands up to say.”
Liam Miller, Macquarie University: “After interviewing Thomas for a young adult event, the audience was buzzing – filled with the excitement of having heard something new but yearned for – the follow up discussions lasted for weeks.”
Stephen G. Post, President of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love: “Dr. Tom Oord is certainly among the top several best thinkers worldwide on the topic of love – the kind of love that finds meaning in the well-being and security of others as well as of self. Dr. Oord delivers a dynamic, uplifting, and transformative presentation. Tom is simply the finest speaker of his generation on this topic, and he could not be easier to work with.”
Joerg Rieger, Vanderbilt University:
“I’ve gotten to know Tom Oord as an engaging speaker who makes people think outside the boxes in which they find themselves.”
Eric A Seibert, Messiah College: “Dr. Tom Oord is a first-rate theologian and an excellent communicator. He is deeply committed to helping people understand the loving nature of God. He presents his ideas graciously and in an engaging style that invites listeners to consider life’s most important questions. If Tom is speaking near you, don’t miss it!”
Ignacio Silva, University Professor, Argentina:
“Tom Oord is an engaging, sincere, and thought provoking speaker, reaching his audiences with profound theological ideas in simple and accessible ways.”
Susie C. Stanley, Messiah College:
“Tom Oord is a stimulating speaker who effectively challenges his hearers to rethink important topics such as the nature of God and relational holiness.”
Bryan Stone, Boston University School of Theology:
“Oord is one of the leading Christian thinkers of our time, with an ability to address challenging questions in ways that provoke thoughtful conversation and reflection. He is an engaging speaker, a vivid painter of words, and is equally at home whether addressing more conservative or more progressive audiences.”
Brad D. Strawn, Fuller Theological Seminary:
“Tom can adapt his work to a particular audience, which makes his ideas ‘usable’ in specific settings. He is sensitive to his listeners and responds hospitably. Thanks Tom for challenging my students!”
Josh Sweeden, Dean of Nazarene Theological Seminary:
“Tom is incredibly gifted at engaging complex issues with grace, humility, and concern for the other. With courage and nuance, he invites his listeners to embrace the vital task of ‘holy wrestling’.”
Kevin Timpe, Calvin College:
“Tom is a gifted and engaging speaker across a wide range of audiences—academic, ecclesial, public.”
Ekaputra Tupamahu, Vanderbilt University:
“Tom Oord is an innovative theologian incredibly gifted with an ability to communicate his complex ideas in a simple and engaging way.”
Donald Wayne Viney, Pittsburg State University:
“Tom Oord has a gift for translating difficult ideas in theology and philosophy into simpler terms without making them simplistic, never flinching from the conundrums and contradictions that serious theological reflection reveals.”
Keith Ward, University of Oxford:
“Tom is one of the most exciting and innovative theologians at work today!”
Jim Waters, Loma Linda University:
“Oord’s illustrated, extemporaneous presentation on limited free will at my institution was amazingly clear and engaging , without sacrificing significant content.”
Karen Strand Winslow, Azusa Pacific Seminary:
“Tom Oord communicates his deep and wide reflections on God, the world–in all its nuances, and God’s ways in the world kindly, clearly, and with humor. He thus explores new theological territory with his audiences, inviting their insights and help in adventures that matter.”
Amos Yong, Fuller Theological Seminary:
“Most of us can’t see into tomorrow, but Tom Oord is at the forefront of discussions bridging into the next quarter of the 21st century: hear him!”
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