In Honor of F. Leroy Forlines: Man of God and Integrity

Today marks the day of the funeral of Mr. F. Leroy Forlines (1926–2020). Like so many across the Free Will Baptist and Arminian landscape, we lament his passing. To say that he influenced generations of people through his writings is an understatement. Many of our members contributed to a festschrift in his honor, The Promise of Arminian Theology, published in 2016; that same year the Free Will Baptist Commission for Theological Integrity highlighted the theological legacy of F. Leroy Forlines at their annual symposium. Through the years we have published articles about his theology, such as “F. Leroy Forlines: Theology for All of Life,” and posted reviews of his books, including The Apologetics of Leroy Forlines and Classical Arminianism. Additionally, his theological contributions regularly factor into our posts.

In addition to thinking about Forlines and his writing, we think also about Forlines the man. He loved God, and he loved people. He gave more than a half-century to ministering to people. He did not care simply about their minds but also about their “total personalities.” As this post demonstrates, he cared about the contributors on this forum; undoubtedly, he cared also for many of our readers. Below we offer our reflections on the life and legacy of F. Leroy Forlines.

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“I think of his profound work in the study of secularism and the excellent framework that he provides for Biblical ethics.”

I last spoke with Mr. Forlines on November 14, 2020, the day of his ninety-fourth birthday. I asked him how he was feeling, and he said that he was tired but grateful. Struggling these last couple of years with old age and sickness, surely he was tired. But through it all, he was grateful. More than anything, he was grateful to God. He once told me that he wanted the following statement to appear as his epitaph at his funeral: “A man of God and integrity walked among us.”

Unlike some of these other testimonies, my relationship with Mr. Forlines did not begin in the classroom. It began in 2010 with my reading The Quest for Truth and watching DVDs of his classroom lectures. Little did I know that, just three years later, he would invite me to help with editing the manuscript of his final research project. Those who have talked with Mr. Forlines over the past couple of decades have noted that the topic of secularism filled his imagination. Over the past seven-plus years, we talked at length about secularism, as well as history, politics, and theology. Sometimes we talked on the phone, but often we would talk at his house in the Florida room. Those were such precious times. Ms. Fay would often make a root beer float (or something akin to it)—it was always delicious!

Over these last several years, I noted urgency in Mr. Forlines’s disposition. He was understandably, deeply concerned about the state of American culture, and he believed that his work on secularism could contribute positively to the discussion in the public square. He believed in the significance of his work, and I, too, believe in its significance. I am proud to say that it will result in at least two different publications, with the first, entitled Secularism and the American Republic, to release in 2021.

Others rightly point to the importance of his theology. Owing to my experience with him, as well as my teaching career, I think also of his profound work in the study of secularism and the excellent framework that he provides for Biblical ethics. Suffice to say that I am grateful to Mr. Forlines, and I, like so many others, will miss him greatly.

– Matthew Steven Bracey

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“He took a personal interest in me and in my life.”

I remember the course in eschatology that I took with Mr. Forlines during my final semester at Welch College in 2012, which incidentally was also his final semester of teaching. Certainly the study of eschatology includes consideration of the varying views on the millennium (amillennialism, premillennialism, and postmillennialism), but his focus on and explanation of the historical development of eschatology from Genesis 3:15 onward has always stayed with me. His developed view of eschatology shows the importance of Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Moses, and David as part of the story of redemption.

By extension of this course, I remember meeting with Mr. Forlines during the semester. He took a personal interest in me and in my life. I was set to graduate that semester, not knowing where I would go after college, and he wanted to know my story and goals. Mr. Forlines helped me process feelings of uncertainty. He took time to pray with me, and I have never forgotten his show of empathy. I am grateful for the life of Mr. Forlines and his pursuit to maintain honesty and integrity for truth. 

– Zachery Maloney

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“I will always be grateful for how his writing changed my life.”

My adolescent years were difficult spiritually, and I came out of them with many doubts and concerns. Thankfully, I attended Welch College from 2004 to 2008, where I found answers to many of my questions and developed good friends to support my spiritual growth. Yet even after college, I was periodically wracked with doubt about my spiritual estate.

In 2010 I began reading Quest for Truth to develop my understanding of theology. While reading his chapters on the condition of salvation and perseverance, I finally realized that my salvation was dependent on faith and not on works. I had obviously heard this truth preached before, but no one had articulated it in the manner that Forlines did in those chapters. I remember shedding many tears of relief as I read those chapters.

When I came back to this book and Forlines’s other writings in 2015 as I did research for my chapter in The Promise of Arminian Theology, my appreciation for Forlines only deepened. By this time I was in the midst of graduate studies and had broadened my philosophical understanding. I was astounded at how prescient and deep yet also accessible Forlines’s writing was. I did not have the opportunity to build a deep relationship with Mr. Forlines like others, but I will always be grateful for how his writing changed my life.

– Phillip T. Morgan

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Depth and warmth, I think, are accurate words for describing F. Leroy Forlines as a professor and theologian.”

I’ll never forget the time that I spent studying under Mr. Forlines in his systematic theology course. By the time I had him as a professor, he was in his 80s, but he still maintained a high level of theological depth and warmth. Depth and warmth, I think, are accurate words for describing F. Leroy Forlines as a professor and theologian. He exegeted the Biblical text with faithfulness and engaged the Christian tradition on pertinent points. Under Forlines’s guidance in the classroom, I began to realize that Calvinism and Wesleyanism were not the only viable soteriological systems. His drawing on the Reformed tradition, particularly Reformed theologians from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, opened a doorway for further theological reflection on what we often call Reformed Arminianism.

Warmth was also an indispensable component of Mr. Forlines’s theology. He made it clear that theology was for life. I often tell my theology students that one of the most important things I learned from Mr. Forlines is that whenever we engage another person with the gospel message, we are interacting with someone whom God created in His image. No matter how hardened and resistant a person might be to the gospel of Jesus Christ, they are first and foremost an image-bearer and loved by God. I hope never to forget that good theology has both depth and warmth.

– Jesse F. Owens

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“He was patient and engaging. He was also kind and humorous.”

Leroy Forlines leaves an incredibly rich legacy. It is hard to overstate his influence on my life, as well as the influence he had on others. C. S. Lewis said of George MacDonald: “I have never written a book in which I did not quote from him.” The same is true of me and Mr. Forlines. He has influenced everything I write, and even my way of thinking. Whether it was his ethical framework, his understanding of man’s four basic relationships, or his conceptualization of Reformed Arminianism, I find myself constantly (whether conscious or not) emulating Mr. Forlines in my writing and academic work.

Yet what may have influenced me the most was his way of ministering to and helping people. When I went to meet with Mr. Forlines as a student, just to chat, I remember him simply wanting to hear what I had been thinking about. He even offered me some V8 Fusion out of his mini-fridge, which he believed was amazing! He was patient and engaging. He was also kind and humorous. My prayer is that I can model that same kind of ministry to my students, in which I can encourage intellectual curiosity and demonstrate genuine care for others.

– Christopher Talbot

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“Mr. Forlines helped me understand that Christianity impacts the total personality.”

Before I went to Welch College and encountered Mr. Forlines’s work, I had such a limited perspective on how Christianity should affect a person. However, Mr. Forlines helped me understand that Christianity impacts the total personality. As humans made in God’s image, we are thinking, feeling, and acting beings, and God’s sanctifying work influences each facet of our persons.

Wrapping my head around this truth has had a significant impact on my life as a pastor and an academic. As an academic, I know that what I teach should not be understood as mere facts for our minds but also should stir our hearts and impact our lives. As a pastor, I know that when I preach, I should do so in a way that challenges the mind, moves the heart, and manifests itself in application. I will always be grateful to Mr. Forlines for his clear and concise teachings on this concept.

– Zach Vickery

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“Mr. Leroy’s generous and hospitable spirit will always color the way I read his theological contributions to our denomination.”

I heard lots about Mr. Forlines while attending Welch College, even though he had stopped teaching classes (though remained professor emeritus) before I arrived. I heard how he could drink water while standing on his head! But mostly, I heard pride in my fellow classmates’ voices as they discussed the work of our very own, Free Will Baptist, classical Arminian theologian.

During my first year of marriage, I got to know Mr. Leroy as my landlord while my husband and I rented the apartment that he and Mrs. Fay kept above their house. About once a month I would hear Mr. Leroy climbing the stairs to our apartment, and when I opened the door he would hand me a container of soup, cake, or some other foodstuffs, saying simply, “My wife sent you this.” Whether he was paying my husband to shovel snow off the driveway, or hosting his children, grandchildren, or the other friends and guests that frequented their home, Mr. Leroy’s generous and hospitable spirit will always color the way I read his theological contributions to our denomination.

– Rebekah Zuñiga

Author: The Helwys Society

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2 Comments

  1. I think all of these are simply marvelous. You left out one of my favorites. Go to “ONE” magazine and get permission to print the one by Bill and Brenda Evans about how Leroy’s mind works–written several years ago.

    C. Fay Forlines

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  2. Mr. Leroy Forlines…there are more books waiting to be written.

    The direction of my life, too, was changed by him–personally–as he took time to invite students in to ask “the hard questions”–and because of one 3-week summer class in the mid-80’s, he simply called: “How to Understand and Help People.” Yes really.

    I think it was designed for ministerial students, to help lay a foundation for the counseling they would do. I recall feeling odd, sitting next to the wall in that green classroom, as the other 20 or so members consisted of older off-campus pastors or pastoral students, eager to find answers (or share their opinions)! I may have been the only female. But after 2-3 days, I got over my reluctance to respond to questions and ask them. For, as I believe God arranged it, I ran into an old friend at home who was suicidal, and Mr. Forlines not only addressed this precarious topic candidly, he invited me to meet with him after class, any day.
    I did. And I followed his simple advice in interacting with this friend. Although she had been bullied for various reasons most of her life, she lived to tell me later, when her life felt livable–“You know, you were the first person that I ever told that I felt like ending it all, who ever came around again.” What was Mr. Forlines’ advice ? “Don’t be afraid to talk about what she has said (i.e., don’t change the subject)–and keep being her friend.”

    Although I completed my degree in Education the following year, the things he discussed in that class–and the way in which he helped us see that even though all our personal and philosophical questions will never be completely answered this side of heaven– “there ARE answers to life’s problems”– and they may come in many ways. This experience encouraged me to later enroll in a Masters program in Psychology, which gave me opportunities to work in mental health for a number of years, and to learn Psycho-educational testing, which became a skill I still enjoy using today, especially with families who have kids who are struggling with some type of disability.

    Mr. Forlines: one who’s words are like silver– treasures to keep close to your heart; and who’s life was like gold–imperishable and precious, parceled out to all who came his way.

    Kam (Vestal) Congleton

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