Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Th.D., is a theological writer, conference speaker, and a retired conservative Presbyterian pastor. Allow me to introduce myself.
I 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 (Chattanooga, Tenn.); 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 both 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.
I have written, co-written, or edited over 35 books on various theological themes. My main focus has been on eschatology, where I argue for postmillennialism from an orthodox preterist perspective.
