Entrusted Legacy

Many of you reading this may not be familiar with Lewis Sperry Chafer. Yet, he has had a profound influence at CBC. You won’t find him in CBC history in the old directories, but what you do see are references to Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), of which he was the founder and first president from 1924-1952. Through Dr. Chafer, God was preparing the pastors and teachers that would influence other pastors and teachers, just as Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:2, “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”

C.I. Scofield mentored Dr. Chafer, who then mentored influential pastors and teachers such as Howard Hendricks, J. Dwight Pentecost, Charles Ryrie, J. Vernon McGee, and John Walvoord, who succeeded him as president of DTS.  The next generation from DTS included Charles Swindoll, David Jeremiah, Tony Evans (Father of Priscilla Shirer), Robert Jeffress, Chip Ingram (father of Jason Ingram, who co-wrote songs “Goodness of God” and “Holy Forever”), and the list goes on. Growing up in Dallas, I was greatly influenced by the teachings of DTS pastors in local churches and on radio. My parents were married at Scofield Memorial Church where both Scofield and Chafer were once pastors.  Every senior pastor in CBC’s history attended DTS including our current pastor, Chance Sumner. 

In 1947, after ten years, Dr. Chafer completed his Systematic Theology in eight volumes. This was the first time that a premillennial, dispensational framework of Christian theology had been systematized into a single format. Dr. Chafer is one of the founders of modern Dispensationalism and was a champion of the inductive Bible study method and expositional approach to preaching and teaching.

If one’s legacy is measured by the influence you have on future generations, then Dr. Chafer’s legacy is vast. Yet, Chafer would be the first to say that it is not about him, but about Christ. Dr. Chafer is quoted, “Nothing could be more misdirected than a self-directed life.” Another quote of Dr. Chafer, “Salvation is the transforming work of God for man, and not the result of the work of man for God.”  We need to know and appreciate Lewis Sperry Chafer and all those who have defended the faith before us, for our legacy is to pass on the faith that has been entrusted to us.

Pastor Phil