Dr. Russell Spittler, who spent several years as a seminary educator and authored several books on the Pentecostal movement, died last Friday morning at 1:43 a.m, at the age of 91. His children, Cheryl Azlin, Heidi Morgan and Russell W. Spittler, said he died “peacefully.”
Spittler was ordained as a minister in the Assemblies of God in 1961 as earned his PhD from Harvard University.
He served as Provost Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of New Testament School of Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary, holding those various positions from 1976 to 2002. He also held the positions of associate dean of the School of Theology and provost and vice president of academic affairs at Fuller. Among his many publications while at Fuller are “Perspectives in Neo- Pentecostalism”, “The Corinthian Correspondence” and “God the Father.”
Spittler was a veteran of the U.S. Naval Reserve, serving from 1963 to 1991. He was a member of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, serving as secretary from 1983 to 1988. He was also a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the International Organization Septuagint and Cognate Studies, as well as the founding Director of the David J. DePlessis Center for Christian Spirituality.
Spittler authored several books during his career, including “The Church”; “Perspectives of the New Pentecostalism”; “Pentecostal Currents in American Protestantism”: “The Corinthian Correspondence”; “First and Second Corinthians: Student’s Manual”; “The Cults Teacher’s Manual”; “The Church—Student’s Manual; God the Father”; “Biblical Doctrines You Should Know About God”; “Cults and isms: Twenty Alternatives to Evangelical Christianity”; and The Cults: Great Themes of the Christian Faith”.
He was also a contributing author of “Christian Spirituality: 5 Views of Sanctification”, giving the Pentecostal view.
A Celebration of Life Service for Dr. Spittler will be held in the William Seymour Sanctuary at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California, on Feb. 9 from 3-4 p.m.
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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.
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