Beneath The Surface, An Editorial Comment: Dr. David Livingston: A Vision, A Legacy And A Calling To Fulfill -- By: Scott Lanser

Journal: Bible and Spade (Second Run)
Volume: BSPADE 27:1 (Winter 2014)
Article: Beneath The Surface, An Editorial Comment: Dr. David Livingston: A Vision, A Legacy And A Calling To Fulfill
Author: Scott Lanser


Beneath The Surface, An Editorial Comment:
Dr. David Livingston: A Vision, A Legacy And A Calling To Fulfill

Scott Lanser

On November 25, 2013, a shining beacon for the cause of Christ passed into the presence of the Lord: ABR’s founder and visionary leader, Dr. David Livingston, was called home. He left behind a mighty legacy as a husband and father, a defender of truth, and a counselor and teacher with a shepherd’s heart. Dave led ABR as its Director for 23 years and then continued on the Board of Directors until his passing. His presence, counsel, passion, and encouragement were felt by all. As ABR’s third Director I especially felt the guiding influence of Dave’s hand, the wisdom of his counsel, and most importantly, the unambiguous clarity of his vision for ABR. He did not vacillate from the calling that God had given him, and that vision guides ABR to this day.

In my conversations with David over the past seven years I was not only taught his vision, but I caught it as well: the vision Dave had for ABR was rooted in his relationship with Christ, and centered in the principles of Scripture. More than anything else, Dave wanted people to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and to live in a vibrant personal relationship with Him. In the background, and equally forceful to Dave, was the reality that God had spoken with absolute authority and truthfulness in the written Scriptures.

Dave’s walk with Christ was anchored in the words of Christ, so it was not surprising to find him getting properly animated over a criticism leveled against God’s Word from something he had read or heard. He especially disliked erroneous statements about biblical history, statements that would undermine the truth of God and the faith of God’s precious and vulnerable sheep. Dave’s heart was always led by his concern for the people of God and the critical responsibility those in spiritual leadership have to shepherd the flock of God. ABR was formed out of Dave’s desire to correct false criticism brought against the Bible, and to present clear evidence that the people, places, and events of the Scripture were utterly truthful and trustworthy, because God Himself was trustworthy. This fueled his desire to gather a team of associates who would use their specialized training in archaeology, creation science, biblical history and systematic theology to counter a myriad of false critiques of Scripture.

The vision that I caught from Dave was not an adversarial dogmatism over non-essential issues. ABR has debated rigorously the location of Sodom, the location of Noah’s Ark, and even the location of Ai (Dave was deeply convinced that Khirbet Nisya was indeed the location of Ai). Deeper than al...

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