Weber, Timothy P. 1947- (Timothy Preston Weber)

PERSONAL:

Born May 25, 1947, in Los Angeles, CA; married Linda Lee Gryde, July 20, 1968; children: Jonathan Mark, Michael David. Education: University of California, Los Angeles, B.A., 1969; Fuller Theological Seminary, M.Div., 1972; University of Chicago, M.A., 1974, Ph.D., 1976. Religion: Christian.

ADDRESSES:

Office—7951 E. Maplewood Ave., Ste. 280, Greenwood Village, CO 80111. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer and educator. Denver Seminary, Denver, CO, 1976-92, began as assistant professor, became associate professor, then professor; Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, David T. Porter professor of church history, 1992-96; Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Lombard, IL, began as professor, became dean and vice president of academic affairs; Memphis Theological Seminary, Memphis, TN, president; EFL Associates, Denver, senior consultant for higher education practice, 2007—.

WRITINGS:

The Future Explored, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1978.

Living in the Shadow of the Second Coming: American Premillennialism, 1875-1925, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 1979, new edition published as Living in the Shadow of theSecond Coming: American Premillennialism, 1875-1982, with a new preface, University of Chicago Press (Chicago, IL), 1987.

On the Road to Armageddon: How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend, Baker Academic (Grand Rapids, MI), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS:

Timothy P. Weber has over twenty years of experience in higher education having taught courses at Denver Seminary from 1976 to 1992 and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1992 to 1996. Weber acted as vice president of academic affairs at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary and president of Memphis Theological Seminary before accepting the position of senior consultant for higher education practice at EFL Associates in Denver, Colorado, in 2007.

Weber's Living in the Shadow of the Second Coming: American Premillennialism, 1875-1925 was published in 1979 by Oxford University Press and, in 1987, an updated edition with a new preface was published by the University of Chicago Press. The text addresses the complex theological tenet of dispensationalism, which includes the beliefs that God has dispensed certain knowledge to man throughout history, that the Christian Second Coming may occur at any point in time, and that the Bible predicts specific events that will occur in succession prior to judgment day. Weber uses this theory as the foundation for an explanation of "the conservative evangelical movement in America, with particular attention to the behavioral consequences of strict literalism in interpreting biblical prophecy," according to Robert T. Handy's review in the Journal of the American Academy of Religion. Weber also explains how evangelical dispensationalism includes a special relationship between Christians and Jews due to the conviction that specific events involving the Jews will be fulfilled before the second coming.

Further developing his thesis, On the Road to Armageddon: How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend, published in 2004 by Baker Academic, provides a historical narrative of supporting events that illustrate how and why Christians supported the Jewish independent state of Israel. George Westerlund's Library Journal article stated that Weber supplies "a valuable history of dispensational teaching that attempts to match predictions with changing world events." Moreover, reviewer Yaakov Ariel, in an essay for the Christian Century, observed, "Weber begins the book with an analysis of dispensational premillennialist theology and the manner in which the Jews fit into the dispensationalist biblical exegesis and messianic faith." On the Road to Armageddon connects this particular evangelical Christian belief with developments in American foreign policy that support the Israeli agenda concerning Palestine. Ariel called Weber's research "phenomenal" and commented, "Weber expertly explores the dispensationalist faith, showing how the newly acquired messianic hope motivated conservative evangelicals to take interest in the Jews and stirred a passion to evangelize them and to support the Zionist movement." In other words, Weber specifically addresses the degree to which followers of this tenet act upon their faith in politics and lists modern events that serve to parallel biblical prophecy. American Jewish History contributor Shalom L. Goldman explained, "Weber's discussion of World War I and prophecy is quite illuminating, as it helps the reader understand the present evangelical preoccupation with Israel. For many evangelical Christians, Israel's modern history proves that God acts in history and fulfills the promises made in the Bible. This had led evangelical leaders to attempt to influence current events and hasten the end time." Goldman also added, "the introduction to Weber's On the Road to Armageddon is concise and clear," and Weber "states his thesis directly and succinctly."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Historical Review, February 1, 1980, James F. Findlay, review of Living in the Shadow of the Second Coming: American Premillennialism, 1875-1925, p. 223.

American Jewish History, June 1, 2007, Shalom L. Goldman, "Christians and Zionism," p. 245.

Choice, February 1, 2005, L.H. Hoyle, review of On the Road to Armageddon: How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend, p. 1040.

Christian Century, March 14, 1984, review of Living in the Shadow of the Second Coming, p. 284; July 26, 2005, Yaakov Ariel, review of On the Road to Armageddon, p. 37.

Christianity Today, May 2, 1980, Joel A. Carpenter, review of Living in the Shadow of the SecondComing, p. 40; October 5, 1998, Timothy P. Weber, "How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend," p. 38.

Church History, March 1, 1980, Grant Wacker, review of Living in the Shadow of the Second Coming, p. 95; December 1, 1989, Jonathan M. Butler, review of Living in the Shadow of the Second Coming, p. 546.

Interpretation, April 1, 2006, Rick Ostrander, review of On the Road to Armageddon, p. 232.

Journal of American History, June 1, 1980, Charles Edwin Jones, review of Living in the Shadow of the Second Coming, p. 165.

Journal of the American Academy of Religion, March 1, 1980, Robert T. Handy, review of Living in the Shadow of the Second Coming, p. 120.

Library Journal, May 1, 2004, George Westerlund, review of On the Road to Armageddon, p. 114.

ONLINE

America: The National Catholic Weekly Online,http://www.americamagazine.org/ (November 29, 2004), Jeffrey Gros, review of On the Road to Armageddon.

EFL Associates Web site,http://www.eflassociates.com/ (May 14, 2008), employee profile.