Retirement Brunch of Dr. Bruce Demarest
- Jessica Henthorne
- Apr 19, 2011
On Saturday April 2nd, friends, colleagues, students and the family of Dr. Bruce Demarest celebrated his 36 years of teaching at Denver Seminary. His wife Elsie and his three children (Scott, Star and Sharon) shared memories of their father and husband. Dr. Craig Blomberg, Professor of New Testament spoke about Dr. Demarest's diverse career accomplishments.
There was a surprise visit from three people that have most influenced Dr. Demarest's spiritual formation; St. Augustine, St. Teresa of Avila and John Calvin. Each of them spoke on how their writings and life impacted Dr. Demarest. Then other friends and students shared about how Dr. Demarest impacted their lives.
To listen to this event, click here to download the audio.
Brief Biography of Dr. Demarests Life and Career
Dr. Bruce Demarest was raised in the 'Big Apple' and with his family attended First Baptist Church in Flushing, New York. He graduated from Wheaton College (B.S.), Adelphi University (M.S.), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (M.A.) andthe University of Manchester, England (Ph.D.) under the tutelage of renowned biblical scholar, Professor F. F. Bruce. For three years Bruce served as a naval officer in Key West, Florida.
Early in their marriage, Bruce and Elsie taught for four years at Titcombe College, Nigeria, where their children Starr and Scott were born. Returning to Africa after seminary, they were assigned to Liberia where Bruce served on the faculty at the University of Liberia, worked with the Pan African Fellowship of Evangelical Students, and provided a weekly broadcast with missionary radio station ELWA. Daughter, now Dr. Sharon Macner, was added to their family in Liberia.
Following political instabilities in West Africa, the Demarestswere reassigned to Manchester, England, to minister to international students across Europe. Shortly thereafter, Bruce was invited to serve as Theological Secretary of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES), traveling in fifty countries across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. During summers he served as program director at the IFES international conference center, Schloss Mittersill, Austria.
In 1975, Dr. Vernon Grounds invited Bruce to join the faculty at Denver Seminary in systematic theology. During the 1980s, Bruce intersected with the spiritual formation movement and began to offer seminary courses in formation and soul care. A Certificate in Formation was birthed, later joined by an M.A. in the field and teaching in the seminary's Doctor of Ministry track—Leadership in Community Spiritual Formation.
He has served as adjunct professor of theology and spiritual formation at several colleges and seminaries at home and overseas. From 2003-2010, Bruce served as resident theologian of the TACT Group, a national research and ministry strategy group in spiritual formation, leading to publication of the book, The Kingdom Life (NavPress, 2010).
He has written or co-authored fifteen books and numerous articles on theology and spiritual formation in dictionaries, encyclopedias, and scholarly journals. His latest book, co-edited with Keith Matthews, is Dictionary of Everyday Theology and Culture (NavPress, 2010). He is currently editing a volume in the Zondervan CounterPoints series: Four Views on Christian Spirituality: Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic,Progressive Protestant and Evangelical.
Together with Elsie, Bruce is an avid outdoor enthusiast, enjoying hiking, canoeing, fly fishing, andcross-country skiing. They plan to spend more time with their three children (Starr, Scott and Sharon) and six grandchildren (Rachel, Kate, Lauren, Mark, Sophie and Matthew) who reside in Louisiana, Arizona and upstate New York, as well as with Bruce's sister, Carol, a recently retired college professor in Georgia.
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DELANO PALMER
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