Smith, Gordon T. 1953-

views updated

SMITH, Gordon T. 1953-

PERSONAL: Born 1953; married Joella Smith; children: two sons. Education: Canadian Theological Seminary, M. Div.; Loyola School of Theology, Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines, Ph.D.

ADDRESSES: Offıce—Overseas Council, 1440 West 12th Ave., Vancouver, British Columbia V6H 1M8, Canada. E-mail—GordonTSmith1@compuserve.com.

CAREER: Pastor, professor of religion, and writer. Pastor in Ontario, Canada, and Union Church of Manila, Philippines; Alliance Biblical Seminary, Manila, Philippines, academic dean; Canadian Bible College and Theological Seminary, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, dean and instructor of theology; Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, associate professor of spiritual theology and dean, beginning 1998; Overseas Council Canada, Vancouver, president.

WRITINGS:

Essential Spirituality, T. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1994.

Listening to God in Times of Choice: The Art ofDiscerning God's Will, InterVarsity Press (Downers Grove, IL), 1997.

Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-GivenPotential, InterVarsity Press (Downers Grove, IL), 1999.

Beginning Well: Christian Conversion and AuthenticTransformation, InterVarsity Press (Downers Grove, IL), 2001.

On the Way: A Guide to Christian Spirituality, Nav-Press (Colorado Springs, CO), 2001.

The Voice of Jesus: Discernment, Prayer, and the Witness of the Spirit, InterVarsity Press (Downers Grove, IL), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS: Gordon T. Smith is the author of numerous books dealing with spiritual theology and the spiritual life. Smith, raised in Ecuador, received his doctorate in the Philippines, and has taught at universities both in the Philippines and in Canada, where he is the president of Overseas Council Canada, an organization that promotes religious training in the developing world.

Smith's 1999 title Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential deals with the subject of vocation, and according to a Publishers Weekly critic, Smith "simplifies the process" of making such decisions. The author postulates three ways a Christian can express vocation: by following Jesus, by following an individual Christian mission, and by pursuing one's daily duties in the world. Smith then examines the individual's response proclivity to such vocations by asking specific questions about character and personality. The Publishers Weekly contributor found the text in Smith's book "thoroughly engaging."

In his 2001 book On the Way: A Guide to Christian Spirituality, Smith presents "a thorough overview of some basic components of Christian spirituality," according to Jana Riess for Publishers Weekly. Smith discusses a method for spiritual development on the individual level, from the role of vocation and being accountable to the importance of recreation as a means of growth in spirituality. Riess also thought Smith's approach, with its "rich" language and "comprehensive" coverage, might be "overwhelming" to those new to the faith, but would still "serve as a valuable resource." A writer for Christian Retailing Online felt Smith's book would be useful for Christians and non-Christians alike. For the former, it could be a "guide to [those] who need coaching in spiritual fundamentals," while for the latter, it would be "helpful to . . . understand Christian spirituality."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Publishers Weekly, January 10, 2000, review of Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential, p. 62; July 23, 2001, Jana Riess, review of On the Way: A Guide to Christian Spirituality, p. 73.