Doug Kelly Archives - Canon Fodder

Where Are They Now? @RTSCharlotte Alumnus Blair Smith

February 16, 2017

As many of you know, last year our beloved Dr. Doug Kelly retired from RTS Charlotte after 33 years as a professor. He is now Professor of Theology Emeritus.

Upon his retirement many of us wondered who would replace Doug (and how that would even be possible!). In particular, we wondered whether this person could share Doug’s expertise in Trinitarian thought during the patristic period.

Our prayers were answered when we hired one of our own alumni (class of 2003), and former student of Dr. Kelly’s, Blair Smith.

Blair is now our new Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology. He is currently wrapping up his Ph.D. in Historical Theology (Patristics) at Durham University in England under Professor Lewis Ayres, one of the world’s leading patristic scholars. The working title of his dissertation is “The Fatherhood of God in Fourth-Century Pro-Nicene Trinitarian Theology.”

As an alum, Blair is the next installment of our Where Are They Now? series. Blair is married to Lisa, and they have 4 children: Eleanor, Douglas, Lucile, and Graham. [Read more…]

@RTSCharlotte Appoints Blair Smith as New Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology

March 22, 2016

As many of you now know, our beloved Dr. Doug Kelly, Richard Jordan Professor of Theology, will be retiring May 31, 2016.

Although someone like Dr. Kelly can never really be “replaced,” a press release will be going out today announcing our excitement that D. Blair Smith, a RTS Charlotte grad, will be taking up that position in systematic theology.

Since Blair was a student of Dr. Kelly’s, and has specialized in the same field as Dr. Kelly (patristic theology), we cannot imagine a more fitting successor.

Blair earned a B.S. in Marketing Management and Social Studies from Bob Jones University, and a M.Div. from RTS Charlotte. He earned his Th.M. in Theology from Harvard Divinity School, where he wrote his thesis on “Athanasius’s Trinitarian Theology of Redemption, with Special Reference to the Holy Spirit.”

He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Historical Theology (Patristics) at Durham University in England under Professor Lewis Ayres, one of the world’s leading patristic scholars. During a portion of his doctoral studies, Blair has served as a Research Visitor at The University of Notre Dame. The working title of his dissertation is “The Fatherhood of God in Fourth-Century Pro-Nicene Trinitarian Theology.””

The retiring Dr. Doug Kelly commented on Blair’s appointment, “I am thrilled that my successor in the chair of Systematic Theology is Blair Smith! He is thoroughly committed to the inerrancy of Scripture, and to the principles of the Reformed Faith, especially as expressed in the Westminster Standards. Blair will combine in his teaching and preaching a high view of Scripture with illumination from the Church Fathers, Reformers and Puritans. It is a great joy for me, as I retire, to leave this solemn task in Blair’s hands.”

Blair is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and served for more than seven years as the Pastor of Adult Education at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, MD. Currently he is the Associate Pastor at Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church near South Bend, IN, where he regularly teaches and preaches. Blair is married to his wife, Lisa, and they have 4 children: Eleanor, Douglas, Lucile, and Graham.

We are very excited that Blair will be joining our faculty starting June 1st.

Great Review of Doug Kelly’s New Systematic Theology (Vol. 2)

October 21, 2014

Doug Kelly, the Richard Jordan Professor of Theology here at RTS Charlotte, has just released the second volume of his fantastic systematic theology series: Systematic Theology (Vol. 2): The Beauty of Christ–a Trinitarian Vision (Mentor, 2014). Although one might think there are enough systematic theologies out there, this volume (and its predecessor) are genuinely unique. In particular, Dr. Kelly engages the patristic writings with a level of detail that is unmatched by other volumes. Thus, Kelly roots his theological discussion deeply within the context of church history.

This very point was made by Robert Letham in a great view of Kelly’s book that just came out on The Gospel Coalition. He observes:

The eagerly awaited second volume of Douglas Kelly’s Systematic Theology does not disappoint. Carrying on from his earlier volume on the Trinity, the professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte approaches the person of Christ from an explicitly trinitarian foundation, focusing on the beauty of God and of Christ. This is a rich and wonderful perspective that is rooted in Scripture yet often overlooked.
Kelly’s overall approach in his project is hugely welcome. He follows the Reformers and Puritans in recognizing the Bible to be the supreme authority but also the past work of the church—in its creeds and confessions, and in its leading and recognized representatives—to be the grid through which Scripture is to be interpreted. This is greatly needed. While Rome has held tradition in equal reverence with the Bible, evangelicalism has largely ignored or rejected tradition. . . By assuming that all truth is limited to a narrow strand of evangelicalism beginning in 1517 or restricted to a small cadre of biblical scholars, evangelical theology has been at best greatly impoverished. Kelly focuses on this point in an important appendix (491–99).

In addition, Letham notes:

Reading this book is stimulating theologically and enriching spiritually. Preachers, teachers, and students alike—besides the proverbial intelligent layperson—cannot fail to benefit from it. Kelly is not only committed to biblical exegesis and an appreciative attitude to the theology of the church in all ages and across denominational barriers—Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox—but he also brings to his task a vast range of reading across disciplinary boundaries. Above all, he writes as a disciple of Christ.

You can check out the whole review here. Also, don’t forget about Kelly’s prior volume: Systematic Theology (vol. 1): The God Who Is: The Holy Trinity (Mentor, 2008).