What in the world is Ross doing?
Ministry Overview
In 1983 I had an experience that culminated in 1985 in what is called regeneration. Ordained at First Congregational Church, Berkeley, California, after earning a Master of Divinity degree at Pacific School of Religion, I was confronted by the reality of the Bible as I taught the Bethel Series Bible Study Program at a church I was serving in St. Louis, Missouri. I had read and studied the Bible for many years, but the Bethel Series opened it up to me in a new way. It became real, and it changed me.
I began preaching differently from that time forward, as if the Bible was real history about real people. My preaching disturbed some of the people in various liberal churches that I served. Others in those same churches came to life, much as I had. I decided to preserve my preaching for later reflection and evaluation. That effort turned into a two-volume book, The Work at Zion—A Reckoning, 2 vols. (1996), which provides a kind of record of my changing theological perspective.
At the same time, the simple-minded, pie-in-the-sky, other-worldly, wishful-thinking of some of my new conservative friends disturbed me. It seemed to me that people from both ends of the political spectrum had misunderstood the Bible, albeit in different ways. So, I set out to see if the kind of biblical misunderstanding that I observed among various people I knew was new. Were the contemporary churches involved in something new? I discovered that they were not. There is a long history of misunderstanding the Bible.
I turned to the book of James which provided a corrective to the early church. Already in the First Century the church had veered from the truth of the gospel. James saw it and spoke to it. I brought James’ corrective to light in Practically Christian—Applying James Today (2006).
Looking for the original source of the problem of biblical misunderstanding, I began studying the story of Jesus’ ministry. If the doctrines of grace were true, then Jesus would have preached them. He did. And sure enough, almost everyone had misunderstood Jesus during his earthly ministry. So I detailed this story about Jesus and His friends in Marking God’s Word—Understanding Jesus (2006.
Seeking some practical advice about the right way to live as a Christian, I then turned to a study of the Book of Proverbs for some practical advice. The difficulty for many Christians is that Proverbs predates the ministry of Jesus. But it does not predate the reality of Christ. Historic theology teaches that the Christian faith is founded on the eternal consistency of God. God does not change, nor does God’s wisdom. So I began looking for Christ in Proverbs and found Him on every page. That study became The Wisdom of Jesus Christ in the Book of Proverbs (2006).
I then picked up the continuing story of the gospel in the Book of Acts, only to find that people misunderstood Paul in the same ways that they had misunderstood Jesus — until the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. Paul took up the gospel of Jesus Christ, teaching and preaching as Jesus did, and all hell was rallied against him. That story is found in Acts of Faith—Kingdom Advancement (2007).
Arsy Varsy—Reclaiming the Gospel in First Corinthians (2008) was begun at Covenant PCA in Vienna, WV (now defunct), in order to provide a deeper understanding of the American church situation and its current similarity with the ancient church at Corinth, and the reality of contemporary backwardness. Covenant was a PCA new church start, and was struggling with how to be a successful church. Paul spoke to these same concerns in the large, influential and successful church at Corinth.
Varsy Arsy—Proclaiming the Gospel in Second Corinthians (2009) followed as Covenant PCA in Vienna, WV, dissolved and/or morphed into the Mid-Ohio Valley Reformed Fellowship (also defunct). The issues that Paul spoke to in Second Corinthians have proven to be as applicable as those in First Corinthians. Many of the Corinthians had difficulty understanding Paul. Will we never learn?!
In 2009 I decided to revisit an earlier, unfinished work then titled, Nothing But Christ—Another Look at Colossians. This book had been a test case for Wipf & Stock to sample the quality of their publishing. The manuscript needed to be finished, so I completed it in 2009 it and published it in 2010 under the title: Colossians—Christos Singularis (2010).
Thinking that people might appreciate a practical guide to Christian living, I decided to work through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which resulted in Rock Mountain Creed—Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (2011).
Once Pilgrim Platform Books was up and running, I decided to resurrect some of my sermon series from Putnam Congregational Church in Marietta. It’s About Time (2008), Engagement (2008), and The Big Ten (2008) are sermon series preached in the late 1990s, but dusted off and reworked for a broader audience.
Along the way I discovered John Williamson Nevin, and in my enthusiasm to understand him I reworked and republished his 1846 book, The Mystical Presence–A Vindication of the Reformed and Calvinistic Doctrine of the Holy Eucharist, as The True Mystery of the Mystical Presence (2011).
In my research of the history of Marietta, Ohio (The Religious History of Marietta in the Nineteenth Century (1903, 2012), I discovered the first recipient of an honorary degree by Marietta College: Edward Beecher, son of Lyman Beecher and brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe. I was so enthralled by his treatment of Christian history, and his maltreatment by his peers, that I republished his main works from the mid-1800s: Conflict Of Ages–The Great Debate of the Moral Relations of God and Man (1853, 2012) and Concord of Ages–The Individual And Organic Harmony Of God And Man (1860, 2013).
In response to a friend who had a question about the end times references in the book of 2nd Peter, came Peter’s Vision of Christ’s Purpose in First Peter (2011) and Peter’s Vision of The End in Second Peter (2012). Several books are currently in process, and others envisioned.
I have written poetry since my adolescence. My mother was a poet. And I have continued to write sporadically. The appreciation of poetry lies in the eye of the reader. So if you have an eye for poetry, you might look at my collection: Poet Tree—Root, Branch, and Sap (2013). But definitely check out my mother’s poetry: Inside Out woman—Collected Poetry, Doris M. Ross (2014).
For years I have been frustrated with smart people who dismiss Jesus, many who embrace the modern idea of sustainability. It occurred to me that the goal of the sustainability concern is a lot like what the Bible calls eternal life. So, I worked through Ephesians with this in mind: Ephesians—Recovering the Vision of a Sustainable Church in Christ (2013).
About this same time I read through the Chronological Bible, which I highly recommend. It helps us see the big story of the Bible and to keep from getting lost in the details. That then led to a re-reading of Galatians from Paul’s perspective, which provided, for me, a new understanding of Paul. I titled it Galatians—Backstory/Christstory (2015).
John Saggio, whom I have never met, sent me an unsolicited copy of his gargantuan, self-published book, The Destiny of Israel and the Twilight of Christianity, subtitled: “In Quest of the Meaning and Significance of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures.” Saggio taught philosophy at Mesa Community College.
Saggio’s book is a thorough defense of Preterism, making the case from both the Old and New Testaments that all biblical prophecy has been completely fulfilled. I agree with Saggio’s conclusion that the advent of Christ fulfilled the Old Testament, but I take exception with his idea that the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in A.D. 70 completely fulfilled the New Testament. So I answered his argument with God’s Great Plan for the Whole World (2019).
A decade or more ago I preached a series on the miracles of Jesus in John’s gospel. The idea was that John, who wrote much later than Matthew, Mark, and Luke, provided a correction or a different perspective on Jesus’ miracles. I knew that it would be challenging for many people, but I decided to publish it: John’s Miracles—Seeing Beyond Our Expectations (2019).
I’ve had a ministry website for a very long time, and have written many articles about the church and the contemporary culture. I knew that people would not take the time and effort to read my blog online, so I decided to make it easier by publishing the articles in a single volume: Essays on Church—Ordinary Christianity for the World (2020).
A friend asked me about the idea of the rapture found in First and Second Thessalonians. So I addressed his concern in Thessalonians—Thorn, Thistle, and Throne (2021).
When I became the pastor of St. Paul’s Evangelical Church, Marietta, Ohio, I began reading up on the history of the church, which involves Mercersberg Seminary in Pennsylvania, where John Williamson Nevin was the President. I discovered another professor: Emmanuel V. Gerhart, who wrote The Institutes of the Christian Relition (18xx). I decided to update an annotate them in several smaller volumes: Institutes Of The Christian Religion, Vols. 1&2, Vol. 3 (2023, to be continued, God willing).
As the 45th pastor of St. Paul’s I thought it was time to write a history of the church. However, I could not find much information on most of the previous pastors. So I tied the history to the major church events of her history, which involved several denominations and their histories. The result is The Heritage of St. Paul’s Evangelical Church (2024).
As companion volumes I have included my sermons at St. Paul’s in two volumes (so far). Not knowing where to begin preaching at St. Paul’s I turned to the Lectionary, which I had not done for a long time: GoodNews—Evangel 2022, GoodNews Evangel 2023, and GoodNews—Evangel 2024 (forthcoming).
I have labored to teach people how to read Scripture with the eyes of faith, to see the richness and depth of the biblical perspective. And it often involves disabusing people of some wrong (unbiblical) assumptions and expectations about the Bible, about ministry, about the church, about the world, etc. I’m convinced that those wrong assumptions and expectations are the very things that have gutted the churches, bled into the larger society, and continue wreaking havoc. Thus, the condition of the Christian church is at the center of our the world’s current and eternal problems.
The solution is not to bring more lost people into the pews. As needed as that is, it won’t help until the churches get faithfulness right. People are to be saved into the churches, but the culture of the churches is no different than the culture of the world. Few churches have any idea of what a biblically faithful Christian life would look like. Most churches just slap Bible study and prayer onto their existing worldly lifestyles and call it Christian. Consequently, the need of the hour is not evangelism, but sanctification—growth and maturity in the faith.
The churches are, in part, institutions of religious education. But they are failing to adequately educate people. So, given this failure, they don’t need more students to reproduce their faulty understanding. They need to get the Story right. It doesn’t help to get the wrong story out. More students learning poor theology will only make things worse.
What Can You Do?
If you appreciate what this ministry is about, you can help. If you “see” the concern, if you “get it,” you not only can help but you must! This sin-soaked world needs you to help.
The first thing to do is to grow stronger yourself. If you understand what I’m talking about, please read more of my books. Get some people together and read them as a study group. Talk about the issues I raise, you won’t be disappointed. There is much grist for the mill in my work. Even if (when) people disagree — and they will! — it will only make the conversation more valuable.
Link
The perspective that is reflected in this ministry, which is really nothing other than the historic, Protestant, Reformed, born again perspective, needs to be more widely promoted. It has been and is being eclipsed by the dominant marketing perspective that has captured Western Christianity. Promotion takes resources — time, talent, and treasure. So, link to this ministry as a way to promote it. Link to various individual pages and the articles/essays. That will help get the message out.
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Then share the links to this site with your family members and friends. Help get it into circulation. Interact with me on my Substack. Quote my articles in other blogs. Help spread the word.
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Donations are always welcome. They are not tax deductible. All donations will be used for advertising and marketing for this ministry and books. Thank you in advance.