Hello and welcome to the website of the Rev. Dr. Robert J. Sanders (1942-2017), an Anglican priest, theologian, mathematician, and writer, but more than these a wonderful husband and father.
My Father wrote the content of this website over the course of his life time, going back to his conversion to Christ in the early Seventies and the topics are just as extensive. In it, you will find Dad’s novel, Face to Face, about an Anglican Priest in rural Honduras in the 1980s. There is a section, entitled God’s Mighty Acts, with the curated testimonies of Dad’s Christian friends throughout his lifetime. Dad wrote a great deal about the Anglican Church, from its tradition, teaching, Sacraments, and why he left the Episcopal Church to help form the Anglican Communion at the start of the millennium and perhaps, most importantly, the theology at stake in such a decision. Dad said much about the world and times in which he lived, always viewing his culture through the primacy of his faith. Dad was an enthusiastic teacher, so you will find many of his lectures, small group classes, and video teachings here too. If you would like a starting place, I suggest reading a New Heart and Soul or the testimony of Oscar-Lopez to get a feel for Dad’s work. Although the topics vary, the undercurrent of all Dad’s theology is as simple as it awesome: God is true and may be directly experienced.
Robert in Jacksonville, FL.
Robert and his daughters, Sara and Lilly.Dad’s primary goal in life was to love the Lord Jesus in thought, word, and deed. He had a rigorous academic life. He was constantly writing, thinking, studying, and dreaming. Dad always prayed. I can truthfully say, I heard him pray as much as he regularly talked. This was particularly true in the twilight of his life. During my engagement to my now husband, I spent the summer living with Dad in our family home. I woke every morning to the sound of his rocking chair on the back porch, while he prayed earnestly to the Lord in the dawning light. I have been acquainted with few people who had such sincere faith and love for the Lord as Dad.
Dad was loyal, true, and faithful to his loved ones. To my mind, his intellectual and theological achievements are great, but they pale in comparison to his personal ones. Although, Dad would argue the two can never be separated. And it’s that integration of experience and doctrine that is at the heart of his theology - how to live a life of beauty, honor, and truth, a life connected to the Living God. Theology was no mere intellectual pursuit; it involved the entire person, loving God with the mind, heart, and soul. Dad did that. He did it as best as any of us ever can. This is all to say, he was the best of dads, a soul friend to many, and I am forever grateful for him. There is so much to be said to honor Dad, but truly, Dad is most honored when, through his words or deeds, the Lord Jesus himself is given all the praise and Glory.
In these pages, you will find a portion of Dad’s writing and thought. I hope it blesses you, as it has blessed me. Dad would want to encourage and strengthen your faith.
Thank you so much for reading. My family and I are thankful to be stewards of Dad’s dynamic body of writing. If you have any questions about Dad’s life or theology, please leave me a note. We always love to hear from our fellow readers of Dad’s work. As Dad would say, “to God be all the glory.”
Yours in Christ, Lilly Sanders-Ubbens [email protected]
