Westmont Magazine A Passion for the Bible

After spending the majority of his life studying and teaching about the Bible, Dr. Robert Saucy ’53 has watched as many in the church have begun to treat it as humanly authored instead of divinely inspired. He has written a new book, “Scripture: Its Power, Authority and Relevance” as part of the Swindoll Leadership Library series to address this basic question. It is the seventh book he has either authored or co-authored.

Charles Swindoll, chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary and the general editor of the series, invited Robert to author the book. Undertaking this project meant more to Robert than just completing another text.

“Part of my reason for accepting the invitation was my conviction of the significant place that the Scriptures play in the work of God in this world,” Robert explains. “It is a marvelous treasure for which God’s people at times were willing to give up their lives rather than their copies of Scripture, but which today we too often take for granted and ignore its authority.”

The Swindoll Leadership series is primarily designed for pastors and lay leaders, but Robert believes anyone who desires to know the nature of the Bible and how it came to be will find it understandable.

Robert hopes to encourage his readers as they consider the authority of the Bible. During the process of studying and writing the text, he gained great personal encouragement. “It was a reassurance of what the church has held throughout history — the uniqueness of the Bible and the preciousness of it to Christians,” he notes. “My study in relation to writing this work only increased my belief in the supernatural character of the Scriptures as the very word of God through which He manifests His personal presence and power.”

Teaching at Talbot School of Theology since 1961 has given him a special joy,“learning about our God and things of eternal value that are the foundations of human life.” He has cherished his interactions with colleagues and students who have enriched his life through their simple walks with the Lord.

Even though he transferred to Westmont as a junior, Robert  credits his two years as the foundational educational experience that shaped the direction of his life. He now looks back on his life as an educator and realizes that much of what he hopes to pass on to his students he got from his years at Westmont.

Robert and his wife, Nancy, reside in Anaheim, Calif.