Getting To Know Godfrey: An Unexpected Journey

In today’s show, guest Dr. W. Robert Godfrey takes us back to the beginning of his life, discussing his upbringing, his life as a young man and how his church journey brought him to the Reformed faith and eventually the title of President of Church History at Westminster Seminary. He reflects on his deep, generational roots on Alameda Island in San Francisco Bay and his Methodist background. He recalls his first experiences with people in the Reformed church and how their friendliness and vitality made an impression on him. He and Pastor Chris Gordon discuss how the simple, refreshing act of teaching from the Bible called him to the Christian Reformed Faith.

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
01:20 - Getting To Know Godfrey
02:15 - Godfrey’s Family In Alameda, CA
04:05 - Introduction to Reformed Theology
07:10 - Reformed Theology Made Sense
08:25 - The Scriptures Made The Difference
09:36 - How Do You Join This Church?
10:49 - Immigrant Church
11:47 - Family Ties In The Reformed Church
13:03 - Godfrey’s College Days
14:20 - Godfey’s Education
15:14 - Headed to Seminary
15:45 - Always Felt Christian Reformed
18:00 - Immigrant Experience In America
19:44 - Westminster Philly
20:28 - I’m a shy bookworm
21:42 - Let’s Go Fishing!
22:50 - Returning to Cali
24:00 - How Do I Know What God Wants Me To Do?
25:15 - The Importance of the Psalms

Dr. Godfrey has taught church history at Westminster Seminary California since 1981 and served as the seminary’s third president from 1993 to 2017. He previously taught at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Stanford University, and Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is a minister in the United Reformed Churches in North America, a Ligonier Ministries Teaching Fellow, and has spoken at many conferences including those sponsored by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology, and Ligonier Ministries. He is currently serving as chairman of the Board of Ligonier Ministries, a position he took over from the late Dr. R.C. Sproul.

Dr. Godfrey has taught church history at Westminster Seminary California since 1981 and served as the seminary’s third president from 1993 to 2017. He previously taught at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Stanford University, and Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is a minister in the United Reformed Churches in North America, a Ligonier Ministries Teaching Fellow, and has spoken at many conferences including those sponsored by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology, and Ligonier Ministries. He is currently serving as chairman of the Board of Ligonier Ministries, a position he took over from the late Dr. R.C. Sproul.