One of my favorite college professors has passed away, Dr. Jim Reinhard.
There is a saying attributed to Mark Twain, "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." Dr. Reinhard's "Christianity and Culture" class at Greenville College (now University) in the fall of 1975 was certainly one of the most influential events in my life! The class set me on a dual quest to deepen my faith and to seek a career with a significant religious component.
I always told Jim this. I liked to send him the Bible study books that I wrote over the years, telling him that they really did result from his class. I also thanked him in my (religion) doctoral dissertation. My enjoyment of teaching undergrads began with him, too, as I saw in him such a great example of positive influence for students. ALSO, my initial lessons in world religions, interfaith, and social justice came from his class.
When I last saw him and his wife in November 2019, I had an intuition that we might not meet again in person, so I sent them flowers on holidays. Please pray for his wife and their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and the many former GC/GU students and staff that they both touched over the years.
"His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant... enter into the joy of your master'" (Matt. 25:23).
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| (Photo from the Greenville University Alumni Association Facebook page) |
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