Moore, T. M. 1949-

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MOORE, T. M. 1949-

PERSONAL: Born 1949; married, wife's name Susie; children: four. Religion: Christian.

ADDRESSES: Home—Phillipi, WV. Office—c/o Inter-Varsity Press, P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515.

CAREER: Poet, writer, and theologian. President, Chesapeake Theological Seminary, Baltimore, MD; consultant, Prison Fellowship, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Scripture Union.

WRITINGS:

(With D. James Kennedy) Chain Reaction!: Changing the World from Where You Are, Word Books (Waco, TX), 1985.

Celtic Flame: The Burden of Patrick, XLibris (Philadelphia, PA), 2000.

Disciplines of Grace: From Spiritual Routine to Spiritual Renewal, InterVarsity Press (Downers Grove, IL), 2001.

Ecclesiastes: Ancient Wisdom When All Else Fails, InterVarsity Press (Downers Grove, IL), 2001.

Preparing Your Church for Revival, Christian Focus Publications (Geanies House, Fearn, Scotland), 2001

The Psalms for Prayer, Baker Book House (Grand Rapids, MI), 2002

I Will Be Your God: How God's Covenant Enriches Our Lives, Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing Company (Phillipsburg, NJ), 2002.

SIDELIGHTS: A former teacher, T. M. Moore has turned to full-time writing to explore and express his views on Christian theology. One of his earliest books in wide distribution is Celtic Flame: The Burden of Patrick, a study of St. Patrick that includes Moore's renderings of Patrick's ancient manuscripts. Moore portrays a Patrick free from the mythology and legend that dominates modern knowledge of the Irish icon, linking him back to his history as one of the first Celtic Fathers.

Moore made another foray into translation with Ecclesiastes: Ancient Wisdom When All Else Fails. rewriting the Hebrew text of Qoheleth in rhymed iambic pentameter and accompanying it with annotations from other early wise men. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly, quoted on the InterVarsity Press Web site, said about the book, "Biblical studies so rarely produces something totally new that when it does happen, it's a revelation." Several theologians commented on the relevance of Ecclesiastes in Moore's rendering. David S. Castle, a religion teacher, wrote of the book, "Moore gives us what the Teacher gave his generation: a broken heart with an open mind....For what was true in ancient Israel is likewise the same in our postmodern culture, and Moore deftly pleads for the sanctity of that simple message not to go unguarded."

With 2001's Disciplines of Grace: From Spiritual Routines to Spiritual Renewal, Moore offers readers a guidebook to living a Christian spiritual life, advocating familiar practices like fasting, prayer, and Bible study in tandem with meditation and chanting. Moore draws from Christian thinkers including the Celtic church of St. Patrick, Tertullian, and Jonathan Edwards. He also provides questions for further study. Many readers commented on the practical value of the book. Several theologians endorsed the book on the InterVarsity Press Web site: Luder G. Whitlock, Jr., president of the Reformed Theological Seminary, wrote, "If you want to grow spiritually, this is as helpful a guide as you will find." A reviewer for Publishers Weekly suggested that Moore's "to-do list" of spiritual exercises would likely overwhelm the average reader, adding that "his long list of shoulds sounds a bit too much like a works-based theology." Others, including Whitney T. Kuniholm, found the book helpful and clear: Whitney said of Disciplines of Grace, "This is a practical guide for catching a fresh wind in your walk with God."