Ronald L. Dart recently died. Dart was a minister in the Worldwide
Church of God (WCG). When Garner Ted Armstrong left the WCG and founded
the Church of God International (CGI), Dart became a minister at the
CGI. Later, Dart left CGI and founded his own ministry, Christian
Educational Ministries (CEM). Dart had a radio program entitled “Born
to Win.”
I grew up in the Church of God International, so I got to listen to a
lot of Ron Dart’s sermons and teaching. We had cassette tapes of his
messages, and I would listen to them often (including in art class at
school). Years later, I would listen occasionally to his radio program.
Mr. Dart was a good speaker. There was an inviting, storytelling
quality to his sermons. There was an intellectual rigor to them, too. I
was recently reading a blog post about Dart’s passing, and a commenter
said that he actually continued to listen to Dart even after becoming an
agnostic! I can identify with that! I do not exactly put myself in
the agnostic category, but I do know that I appreciated listening to
Dart’s teaching, even after I stopped adhering to Armstrongite faith and
practice.
Mr. Dart had a stroke, and that was sad. Here was a man who loved to
speak and to write, and he got to the point where he could no longer do
that.
What follows are blog posts that I wrote over the years that engage
Mr. Dart’s thought. In some cases, I disagree with Dart. In some
cases, I agree. Sometimes, I just reminisce. Mr. Dart was a key
influence on me in terms of my theology and knowledge of the Bible.
Even when I was in graduate school wrestling with academic biblical
scholarship, Mr. Dart’s thought was still somewhere in my mind.
The posts are in chronological order. If you are interested in listening to some of Dart’s sermons on YouTube, see here.
Meditating on the Law
Reflections on Malachi
More on Religious Pluralism: Clark Pinnock
How Many Times Was I Saved?
A Chance to Be Lost
John MacArthur on the American Revolution, Voting
Sabbatarian “Paul Would Have” Arguments
Are Gentiles Under the Law?
Eschatological Sabbath: The Literal Interpretation
The Pre-Sinai Argument
FOT 2008, Day 2
FOT 2008, Day 5
Samuele Bacchiocchi Has Passed Away
This Coming Week
Born Again, Immortal Soul
Ex-WCG Individualism
The Two Witnesses of Revelation 11
Hard-Headed Practical Wisdom
Pentecost 2009
Does “Sabbath” Mean Week?
Is Venting Effective?
What to Do with Agnosticism
Union with God
Respecting Other Gods, Philo on Inspiration
Criticism
and Flattery, So THAT’S the Covenant Formula, Adam’s Naming of the
Animals, Newness of Spirit and Oldness of Letter, Testimonia
II Kings 13
Van Seters on the Flood Doublet and the Pre-Sinaitic Law
Laws for the Ger
Community
Torah or Moral Freedom?; Davies on I Corinthians 9
Speaking with Authority: Delivery
A Powerful Sermon Series
Animal Sacrifice and Substitutionary Atonement
Going Out on Your Own
Book Write-Up: Can Evangelicals Learn from World Religions, by Gerald R. McDermott