About Me

I am Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Th.D., a retired conservative Presbyterian pastor, theological writer, and conference speaker. Allow me to introduce myself.

Gentry 5 teaching 2011 09I was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Though raised in a Christian home, I was not converted to Christ until I attended a youth ranch in Florida in 1966. There on the first night of meetings, I heard the gospel clearly presented (from Ephesians 2) for the first time and the Lord opened my heart to believe in Christ.

I hold the B.A. degree in Biblical Studies from Tennessee Temple College; an M.Div. in Pastoral Ministry from Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson, Miss.); and the Th.M. and Th.D. degrees in New Testament from Whitefield Theological Seminary (Lakeland, Fla.), with my dissertation readers being Dr. Jay E. Adams, Dr. George Knight III, and Dr. C. Gregg Singer.

I am married (since 1971) and have three children and six grandchildren. I am a retired (as of March 31, 2016) ordained minister in the Reformed Presbyterian Church, General Assembly (www.rpcga.us).

After graduating from Tennessee Temple College I attended Grace Theological Seminary (Winona Lake, Ind.) for two years. While studying there I became convinced that dispensationalism was in error and that I should leave it and change seminaries. With two other GTS students I transferred to Reformed Theological Seminary.

While at Reformed Theological Seminary I studied under Greg L. Bahnsen (1948–95), the leading presuppositional apologist of his day, and an important Reformed theologian. Though I initially resisted Bahnsen’s distinctive ethical and eschatological views, I was eventually persuaded of Bahnsen and me croppedboth theonomic ethics and postmillennial eschatology and became a staunch co-defender of them with Bahnsen.

Over the years I developed a close friendship with Bahnsen, often lecturing with him in conferences, co-writing a book with him (House Divided: The Break-up of Dispensational Theology), eventually joining the staff of Bahnsen’s Southern California Center for Christian Studies,  contributing to the festschrift in honor of Bahnsen (titled The Standard Bearer), and finally pastoring Bahnsen’s church after Bahnsen’s untimely death.

BOOKS

I have written or contributed to over twenty-five books on a wide variety of theological, biblical, and ethical issues. I am best known for my views on eschatology and have written a major presentation and defense of postmillennialism: the 600+ page He Shall Have Dominion: A Postmillennial Eschatology. It has become a standard and widely-cited text on postmillenialism, and is now in its third edition and has been in print for almost thirty years.

Besides my large work, He Shall Have Dominion, I have also written other presentations and defenses of postmillennialism, including:

My postmillennialism is wedded to an evangelical preterism, a view which I explain and defend in several works:

Books KLG 1

VIDEO LECTURES (DVD)

I have several lecture series and debates that have been recorded in video and are available at my webstore, KennethGentry.com:

RESEARCH MINISTRY

Goodbirth logo colorI am the Director of GoodBirth Ministries, a non-profit religious educational ministry, “committed to sponsoring, subsidizing, and advancing serious Christian scholarship and education” (GoodBirth website: www.GoodBirthMinistries.com). Donations made to GoodBirth Ministries are tax-deductible and help subsidize my research, especially on the Book of Revelation (my current major focus).

Past donations have not only funded my large, academic commentary on Revelation (forthcoming 2018), but also my Navigating the Book of Revelation and my DVD lecture series Keys to the Book of Revelation and Survey of the Book of Revelation.

As I work with the editor of my commentary to bring it to completion, I am at work on another large-scale project. This project will basically be a survey of the Bible from a Calvinist, covenantal, theonomic, postmillennial, preterist perspective. I began research on this project in April 2016.

I am also anticipating completing a DVD teaching series on the Olivet Discourse from an orthodox preterist perspective. This material will be presented in 30-35 minute lessons suitable for use in a Sunday school program. I hope to have this completed by the end of 2018.

PASTORAL MINISTRY

I was ordained as a Presbyterian in September 1977. I pastored several churches in three denominations (the Presbyterian Church in America, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and the Reformed Presbyterian Church, General Assembly).

RRPCI pastored for over fifteen years at the historic Reedy River Presbyterian Church just outside of Greenville, SC (in Conestee, SC). This church was founded in 1887 and worships in the same building (with fellowship and educational wing additions!), which was built in 1889. My children grew up in this church, and I grew in pastoral ministry due to the dedication and kindness of its officers and members.

If you are ever in the Greenville, SC, I invite you to come and worship in this small, friendly, traditional Reformed church. You can read about the church on their website:  Reedy River Presbyterian Church.

FACEBOOK

I gladly welcome new Facebook friends, and invite you to look me up on Facebook. Be forewarned though, I see Facebook as an opportunity to pass along my favorite jokes.

In fact, while we are at it, did you hear about the little girl drawing a picture in school? The teacher asked what she was drawing. The girl answered: “Jonah getting swallowed by the whale.” The teacher replied: “That did not happen, or Jonah would have been killed.” The little girl was perturbed and responded: “I know it happened. And when I get to heaven, I’m going to ask Jonah if he got swallowed by a whale.” To this the teacher challenged: “But what if Jonah didn’t go to heaven.” The little girl quickly replied: “Then you ask him.”

I’d better stop now because I am busy. Besides a friend of mine, Mr. Caw, just said he thought the birds were calling his name. I need to check it out.

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