Last Friday, Kenneth W. Taylor entered into heaven, where I expect the line of people waiting to greet him was unfathomably long. Dr. Taylor is probably best known for his Living Bible paraphrase of the King James version, which has some flaws but is still a wonderful tool for reading the Word of God. I remember as a kid in the 70s learning my memory verses out of the KJV, and then checking the Living to make sure I had understood them right. Dr. Taylor spent his life in Christian publishing, explaining the Bible and Evangelical Christianity in terms that even a kid could understand. I didn't know him personally, of course, but he planted and cultivated seeds on paper that gave me a beacon to home in on when I had wandered away from Christ and needed to come back. I'm grateful to him for that.
When Jesus told Peter "Upon this rock I will build my church," He wasn't just giving Peter first place; He was also assuring us that the Church would be more than just one man, or even a collection of men, but that He would use men to build it. Looking back over the centuries, we can identify some of the bricks that God used to build. Some are high-profile, some are remembered today only by God, and some are so strong and so useful that the support they give the whole structure is unmistakeable. Not only through his Living Bible, but also through his work at Moody, Inter-Varsity and Tyndale House, Dr. Taylor was a brick that the Lord used to great effect. I think it may be another generation before we see what-all the Lord will build on him.
May God give Dr. Taylor the rest he deserves, and I hope to meet him someday.
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