Dr. Marshall Neil went to glory this last Tuesday. I just saw the notice on the BJU web-site.
Dr. Neal was one of my favorite professors (did I have any un-favorites? No). The two seminary classes I remember having with him were New Testament Introduction and a theology class on Pneumatology – the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. That Pneumatology class was at 8 am, MWF. Man… Dr. Neal was a fine teacher and a fine man, but his presentation was dry! I remember after that class running into him (in the presence of my future wife) and trying to make some off hand comment about how hard it was for me to stay awake that early in the morning. It was one of those comments that just didn’t come out the way you wanted it to… But Dr Neal just smiled and took it with his usual grace.
Dr. Neal had a wonderful sense of himself. Legend has it that when he was teaching Systematic Theology one time he brought an alarm clock to class and hid it in his desk, set to go off halfway through his lecture. I wish I could have been there!
He is the one who also gave that insight that Paul was a Southern Jew because he always says “you all” in the Greek. I think that one was in a Greek Bible book class, but I can’t remember which one.
I am sure there were other classes I had with him but I’ll have to look them up later. I am on the road picking up youngsters coming home from BJU for Christmas.
But I thought I’d just reminisce a bit about a fine Christian man who simply was faithful and poured his life into hundreds of young men. You have to love guys like that.
I’m sure the Lord does.
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