Email: [email protected]
First Year at Gordon-Conwell: 1997
Expertise: Church History, Martin Luther, Reformation Era Spirituality, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Second Great Awakening, Eschatology/End Times
Biography:
Dr. Isaac brings a diverse theological background to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has studied at a holiness seminary, a Lutheran seminary, and a Jesuit university. This experience in a number of different Christian traditions has given him an appreciation of the rich expressions found within the Church.
Teaching in the area of Christian Thought has allowed Dr. Isaac’s wide interests to be expressed through courses on Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Reformation Era Spirituality, Great Confessions of the Faith, Popular Religion in Nineteenth-Century America, the Anabaptists, and other courses that regularly appear in the Church History sequence.
Dr. Isaac has lectured both nationally and internationally on Luther and other topics before audiences as diverse as the Society of the Holy Trinity, Lutheran Theological Seminary in Kobe Japan, the Annual Convocation of the North American Lutheran Church, a Reformation gathering at UMass Lowell, and Boston’s Park Street Church. He has served as pastor or interim pastor in churches in the Advent Christian denomination from Portland, Oregon to Goodwin’s Mills, Maine.
A regular participant and seminar leader in the International Congress on Luther Research, Dr. Isaac is the author of Prayer, Meditation, and Spiritual Trial: Luther’s Account of Life in the Spirit. This book seeks to show the dynamic and powerful spirituality of Luther in the context of his theological vision. The book incorporates Luther’s comments on the Holy Spirit—a topic that is often neglected in Luther studies—and highlights Luther’s recognition that true spirituality must speak about reversal, struggle, and trial, which are inevitable wherever spiritual growth is taking place.
His hobbies include traveling, gardening, and international cooking. Dr. Isaac is an admirer of the paintings of Lucas Cranach (the Elder as well as the Younger) and has a growing collection of paintings by Sadao Watanabe (1913 – 1996). He and his wife, Beth, have two grown children and live in Wenham, MA.
Degrees
- BA (Seattle Pacific University)
- MDiv (Western Evangelical Theological Seminary)
- MTh (Luther-Northwestern Theological Seminary)
- PhD (Marquette University)
Featured Publications
Select List of Publications
- Reformation Celebration: The Significance of Scripture, Grace, Faith, and Christ. Edited with Eckhard J. Schnabel. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2018.
- “Thinking in the Manner of Scripture: Luther on Sola Scriptura” in Reformation Celebration: The Significance of Scripture, Grace, Faith, and Christ. Edited by Gordon L. Isaac and Eckhard J. Schnabel. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2018.
- Prayer, Meditation, Spiritual Trial: Luther’s Account of Life in the Spirit. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2017.
- “Cajetan, Thomas” and “The Leipzig Debate.” Pages 99-100 and 427-28 in Encyclopedia of Martin Luther and the Reformation. Edited by Mark Lamport. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017.
- Great Awakenings: Historical Perspectives for Today. Edited with David Horn. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2016.
- “Advent Christian Church,” “Ballou, Hosea,” “Colporteur,” “Himes, Joshua V.,” and “Primitive Advent Christian Church.” Pages 20-21, 178, 614, 1090-91, and 1856-57 in Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States. Edited by Mark Lamport. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2016.
- “The Extinction of Evil: The Biblical Prerequisite for New Heavens, New Earth.” Pages 65-79 in A Consuming Passion: Essays on Hell and Immortality in Honor of Edward Fudge. Edited by Christopher M. Date and Ron Highfield. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2015.
- “The Finnish School of Luther Interpretation on Justification: Response and Trajectories,” CTQ 76 (2012): 251-268.
- Left Behind or Left Befuddled: The Subtle Dangers of Popularizing the End Times. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2008.
- “Abelard, Peter,” “Anselm,”and “Eriugena.” Pages 55, 78-79, and 242 in New Dictionary of Christian Apologetics. Edited by W.C. Campbell-Jack and Gavin McGrath. Downers Grove, IL; Leicester, England: InterVarsity Press, 2006.