Trajectories in the Book of Acts: Essays in Honor of John Wesley Wyckoff

Trajectories in the Book of Acts

Essays in Honor of John Wesley Wyckoff

Paul Alexander

Jordan Daniel May

Robert G. Reid

Editors

Trajectories in the Book of Acts

Essays in Honor of John Wesley Wyckoff

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Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge, 1769.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked NET are taken from New English Translation [computer file]: NET Bible. Electronic edition. Dallas, TX: Biblical Studies Press, 1998. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™  Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NAB are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms © 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Contributors

Paul Alexander (PhD, Baylor University)—Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program/Professor of Theology and Ethics, Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA. (Assemblies of God)

Rachel Schutte Baird (PhD student, Michigan State University)—Graduate Assistant in Political Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. (Reformed Church in America)

LeRoy R. Bartel (DMin, MDiv, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary)—Dean of the College of Bible and Church Ministries, Southwestern Assemblies of God University, Waxahachie, TX. (Assemblies of God)

Roger D. Cotton (ThD, STM, Concordia Seminary)—Professor of Old Testament, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Springfield, MO. (Assemblies of God)

Mario Escobedo II (PhD candidate, Baylor University)—Instructor in Old Testament, Southwestern Assemblies of God University, Waxahachie, TX. (Assemblies of God)

Janet Meyer Everts (PhD, Duke University)—Associate Professor of Religion, Hope College, Holland, MI. (Non-Denominational)

James D. Hernando (PhD, MPhil, Drew University)—Professor of New Testament, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Springfield, MO. (Assemblies of God)

Craig S. Keener (PhD, Duke University)—Professor of New Testament, Palmer Theological Seminary, Wynnewood, PA. (National Baptist)

Byron D. Klaus (DMin, Fuller Theological Seminary)—President and Professor of Intercultural Leadership Studies, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Springfield, MO. (Assemblies of God)

Jeff C. Magruder (DMin, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary)—Assistant Professor of Bible and Practical Theology, Southwestern Assemblies of God University Waxahachie, TX. (Assemblies of God)

Jordan Daniel May (ThM, MDiv, Princeton Theological Seminary)—Adjunct Instructor, Trinity Bible College, Ellendale, ND. (Assemblies of God)

Robert P. Menzies (PhD, Aberdeen University)—Director of Synergy, a rural service organization located in Kunming, China. (Assemblies of God)

Robert G. Reid (PhD student, Brite Divinity School, TCU)—Associate Pastor, RockPointe Church, Flower Mound, TX. (Non-Denominational)

Bruce E. Rosdahl (PhD, Dallas Theological Seminary)—Department Chair of Bible and Theology/Professor of Bible and Theology, Southwestern Assemblies of God University, Waxahachie, TX. (Assemblies of God)

James B. Shelton (PhD, University of Stirling)—Professor of New Testament and Early Christian Literature, Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, OK. (Roman Catholic)

Rob Starner (PhD, Baylor University)—Professor of Bible and Theology, Southwestern Assemblies of God University, Waxahachie, TX. (Assemblies of God)

Roger Stronstad (DD, Christian Bible College)—Director of Biblical Theology/Associate Professor of Bible and Theology, Summit Pacific College, Abbotsford, BC. (Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada)

Abbreviations

General Abbreviations

AB Anchor Bible

ABRL Anchor Bible Reference Library

ACCS Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture

AEG Abingdon Essential Guides

A/G Assemblies of God

AGTS Assemblies of God Theological Seminary

AJPS Books Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies Books

AnBib Analecta biblica

ANRW H. Temporini and W. Haase, eds. Aufstieg und

Niedergang der römischen Welt:

Geschichte und Kultur Roms im Spiegel

der neueren Forschung.

ANTC Abingdon New Testament Commentary

APTS Press Asia Pacific Theological Seminary Press

ARM Ancient Religion and Mythology

BAFCS The Book of Acts in its First Century Setting

BBR Bulletin of Biblical Research

B.C.E. Before Common (or Christian) Era

BDAG W. Bauer, F. W. Danker, W. F. Arndt, and F. W.

Gingrich, eds. Greek-English Lexicon

of the New Testament and other Early

Christian Literature, 3rd ed.

BECNT Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New

Testament

Bib Biblica

BIS Biblical Interpretation Series

BJRL Bulletin of John Rylands University Library of

Manchester

BSac Biblica Sacra

BSL Biblical Studies Library

BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin

BZ Biblische Zeitschrift

BZNW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche

Wissenschaft

ca. circa (approximately)

CBET Contributions to Biblical Exegesis & Theology

CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly

CD B Cairo Genizah copy of the Damascus Document

(MS. B)

C.E. Common (or Christian) Era

cf. confer (compare or consult)

ch./chs. chapter/chapters

ChrCent Christian Century

CHSHMC Center for Hermeneutical Studies in Hellenistic

& Modern Culture

cod. codex

CSL Cambridge Studies in Linguistics

diss. dissertation

DJG Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels

DNTB Dictionary of New Testament Backgrounds

DPCM Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic

Movements

DPL Dictionary of Paul and his Letters

ed(s) editor(s); edition

e.g. exempli gratia (for example)

EpCom Epworth Commentaries

esp. especially

ESV English Standard Version

et al. et alii (and others)

etc. et cetera (and the rest)

ETL Ephemerides theologicae lovanienses

EuntDoc Euntes Docete

EvQ Evangelical Quarterly

ex. example

FCNTECW Feminist Companion to the New Testament

& Early Christian Writings

f./ff. and the following ones

Gk. Greek

GPH Gospel Publishing House

GTJ Grace Theological Journal

HTR Harvard Theological Review

HTS Harvard Theological Studies

IBC Interpretation: A Bible Commentary

for Teaching and Preaching

Ibid. in the same place

IBS Irish Biblical Studies

ICC International Critical Commentary

idem the same

i.e. id est (that is)

ISBE International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

IVP InterVarsity Press

IVPNTC InterVarsity Press New Testament Commentary

Series

JAAR Journal of the American Academy of Religion

JBL Journal of Biblical Literature

JETS Journal of Evangelical Theological Society

JGRCJ Journal of Graeco-Roman Christianity and

Judaism

JPT Journal of Pentecostal Theology

JPTSup Journal of Pentecostal Theology: Supplement

Series

JRH Journal of Religious History

JRT Journal of Religious Thought

JOTT Journal of Translation and Textlinguistics

JSJ Journal for the Study of Judaism: In the Persian,

Hellenistic, and Roman Periods

JSJSup Journal for the Study of Judaism: Supplement

Series

JSNT Journal for the Study of the New Testament

JSNTSup Journal for the Study of the New Testament:

Supplement Series

JSOT Press Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

Press

KJV King James Version

LCBI Literary Currents in Biblical Interpretation

LEC Library of Early Christianity

LNTS Library of New Testament Studies (formally

JSNTSup)

loc. cit. loco citato (in the place cited)

LPS Library of Pauline Studies

LXX Septuagint

MAAR Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome

MBPS Mellen Biblical Press Series

MS(S) Manuscript(s)

MT Masoretic Text

n./nn. note/notes

NA27 Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland,

27th edition

NAC New American Commentary

NACSBT New American Commentary Studies in Bible

and Theology Series

NASB New American Standard Bible

NCBC New Cambridge Bible Commentary

NCBCom New Century Bible Commentary

NET New English Translation

NIB New Interpreter’s Bible

NIBC New International Biblical Commentary

NICNT New International Commentary on the

New Testament

NICOT New International Commentary on the

Old Testament

NIDNTT C. Brown, New International Dictionary of New

Testament Theology

NIGTC New International Greek Testament Commentary

NIV New International Version

NIVABC NIV Application Bible Commentary

NovT Novum Testamentum

NovTSup Supplements to Novum Testamentum

n.p. no pages

NRSV New Revised Standard Version

NT New Testament

NTM New Testament Monographs

NTOA Novum Testamentum et Orbis Antiquus

NTS New Testament Studies

OT Old Testament

OTG Old Testament Guides

p./pp. page/pages

passim here and there

PAST Pauline Studies

Pneuma Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal

Studies

ProEccl Pro ecclesia

Q Qumran

‘Q’ ‘Q,’ hypothetical source material of Jesuanic

sayings used by Matthew and Luke

RB Revue biblique

repr. reprint

rev. revised

RSV Revised Standard Version

SAGU Southwestern Assemblies of God University

SBL Society of Biblical Literature

SBLDS Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series

SBLMS Society of Biblical Literature Monograph Series

SBLSBS Society of Biblical Literature Sources for Biblical

Study

SBLSemS Society of Biblical Literature

SBLSymS Society of Biblical Literature Symposium Series

SBTS Sources for Biblical and Theological Study

SHS Scripture and Hermeneutic Series

SJT Scottish Journal of Theology

SNTA Studiorum Novi Testamenti Auxilia

SNTSMS Society of New Testament Studies Monograph

Series

SO.S Symbolae Osloenses, Fasciculi Suppletor

SP Sacra Pagina

SUNT Studien zur Umwelt des Neuen Testaments

StMkRev St. Mark’s Review

SwJT Southwestern Journal of Theology

TDNT Kittel and Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of

the New Testament

TGl Theologie und Glaube

TLZ Theologische Literaturzeitung

TNTC Tyndale New Testament Commentary

trans. translator, translated by

TUGAL Texte und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der

altchristlichennLiteratur

TynBul Tyndale Bulletin

UBS United Bible Society

UBSHHT United Bible Society Handbooks: Helps for

Translators

v./vv. verse/verses

VC Vigiliae christianae

vol./vols. volume/volumes

VSpir Vie spirituelle

VT Vetus Testamentum

VTSup Supplements to Vetus Testamentum

WBC Word Biblical Commentary

WJKP Westminster John Knox Press

WTJ Westminster Theological Journal

WUNT Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen

Testament

YCS Yale Classical Studies

ZAW Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft

ZZ Der Zeichen der Zeit

Old Testament/Hebrew Bible

Gen Genesis

Exod Exodus

Lev Leviticus

Num Numbers

Deut Deuteronomy

Josh Joshua

1–2 Sam 1–2 Samuel

1 –2 Kgs 1–2 Kings

Ezra Ezra

Neh Nehemiah

Job Job

Ps/Pss Psalm(s)

Prov Proverbs

Isa Isaiah

Jer Jeremiah

Ezek Ezekiel

Dan Daniel

Hos Hosea

Joel Joel

Mic Micah

Hab Habakkuk

Mal Malachi

New Testament

Matt Matthew

Mark Mark

Luke Luke

John John

Acts Acts

Rom Romans

1–2 Cor 1–2 Corinthians

Gal Galatians

Eph Ephesians

Phil Philippians

Col Colossians

1–2 Thess 1–2 Thessalonians

1–2 Tim 1–2 Timothy

Titus Titus

Phlm Philemon

Heb Hebrews

Jas James

1–2 Pet 1–2 Peter

1 John 1 John

Rev Revelation

LXX/Deuterocanonical Books

2 Esd 2 Esdras

3–4 Kgdms 3–4 Kingdoms

1–4 Macc 1–4 Maccabees

Sir Sirach

Tob Tobit

Wis Wisdom of Solomon

Old Testament Pseudepigrapha

2 Bar. 2 Baruch

1 En. 1 Enoch

3 En. 3 Enoch

4 Ezra 4 Ezra

Pss. Sol. Psalms of Solomon

Sib. Or. Sibylline Oracles

Other Jewish Writings

Ant. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities

b. Abod. Zar. Abodah Zarah (Babylonian tractate)

Heir. Philo, Who is the Heir?

Hom. Jer. Origin, Homily on Jeremiah

J.W. Josephus, Jewish Wars

Tg. Isa. Targum Isaiah

T. Reu. Testament of Reuben

Other Christian Writings

Acts Thom. Acts of Thomas

Heir. Irenaeus, Adversus haereses

Hist. eccl. Eusebius, Historia ecclesiastica

Marc. Tertullian, Adversus Marcionem

P. Oxy. Oxyrhynchus Papyri

Strom. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata

Other Ancient Literature

Aen. Virgil, Aeneid

Aeth. Heliodorus, Aethiopica

Alex. Lucian, Alexander (Pseudomantis)

Ann. Tacitus, Annales

Aug. Suetonius, De vita Caesarum: Divus Augustus

Bib. Hist. Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica

Cam. Plutarch, Camillus

Carm. Horace, Carmina (Odes)

Chaer. Chariton, De Chaerea et Callirhoe

Demon. Isocrates, Ad Demonicum (Or. 1)

Eloc. Demetrius, De elocutione (Peri hermēneias)

Ep. Pliny the Younger, Epistulae

Ep. Lucil. Seneca, Epistles to Lucilius

Eph. Xenophon, Ephesiaca

Epitaph. Demosthenes, Epitaphius

Flacc. Cicero, Pro Flacco

Fort. Alex. Plutarch, De fortuna of Alexander

Fort. Rom. Plutarch, De fortuna of Romanorum

Glor. Ath. Plutarch, De gloria Atheniensium

Geogr. Strabo, Geographica

Gorg. Plato, Gorgias

Gramm. Suetonius, De grammaticis

Hdn Herodian, History of the Empire

Hermot. Lucian, Hermotimus (De sectis)

Hist. Herodutus, Historiae

Hist. Polybius, The Histories

Hist. Tacitus, Historiae

Hist. Rom. Cassius Dio, Historia Romano

Hrk. Philostratus, Heroikos

Lives Eunapius, Lives of the Sophists

Mem. Xenophone, Memorabilia

Mor. Plutarch, Moralia

Nat. Pliny the Elder, Naturalis historia

Nem. Pinder, Nemeonikai

Or. Dio Chrysostom, Oration

Pelop. Hist. Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian Wars

Princ. iner. Plutarch, Ad principem ineruditum

Quint. fratr. Cicero, Epistulae ad Quintum fratrem

Res Gestae Octavian, Res Gestae Divi Augusti

Symp. Plato, Symposium

Theb. Statius, Thebaid

Them. Plutarch, Themistocles

Tim. Lucian, Timon

Vit. Apoll. Philostratus, Vitae Apollonii

Vit. soph. Philostratus, Vitae sophistarum

V.P. Iamblichus, Vita Pythagorica

Foreword

Festschriften are a viable way to honor the impact of a Christian leader. This effort, in honor of John W. Wyckoff, PhD, takes on more than a personal recognition of him. This initiative to honor Dr. Wyckoff acknowledges the unique contributions of Pentecostal educators who labor in contexts that do not have the long academic traditions of other Christian traditions. Much of Pentecostal educational history flows from the Bible Institute tradition that has been shaped by an urgent eschatology and historic commitment to work while it is day for the night cometh when no may can work (John 9.4). The development of laborers for the harvest is an enduring legacy of Pentecostal academic life.

John Wyckoff represents the type of pioneer that has labored in the initial maturing years of Pentecostal academic life. Contradictory experiences have been the lot of these pioneers; never quite accepted into the academic union because they did not publish with the regularity expected of that guild, yet equally marginalized by the pastoral publics they sought to enrich. In spite of these frustrating realities, pioneers, like John Wyckoff, forged a new benchmark. They have had deep commitment to the local church. John’s pastoral experience and his deep commitment to the ongoing ministry of University Church (A/G) in Waxahachie, Texas have proven their moorings are solid. Additionally, they have sacrificed personally and professionally to make sure they attained the academic union card and certainly, Dr. Wyckoff’s pursuit of a terminal degree at Baylor University demonstrates his commitment to professional excellence.

But during these maturing years of Pentecostal educational life, there is a dimension of the educational enterprise that John Wyckoff has been committed to that shines in the Pentecostal context and could use some recognition from the academic guild. The commitment to students, as vessels of destiny for God’s purposes, shines through in the teaching ministries of people like John Wyckoff. Long before mentoring and coaching became professions needing certificates, the like of John Wyckoff poured their lives into countless students. They taught classes that were regularly too large for optimum effectiveness and they taught more courses than should have been asked them to teach. However, the results of the teacher student relationships that shine forth as measures of learning outcomes that have kingdom impact, are seen clearly, over a protracted period of time, because of gifted teachers like John Wyckoff. Long after a student graduated, the connection between teacher and learner remains and these teachers, who have coached and mentored just because God gave them a passion for students, have created learning that rarely gets measured by the statisticians and all too infrequently recognized by the guilds.

So like Paul’s self defense to the anonymous bloggers of the first century, who questioned Paul’s effectiveness and authority for ministry, I think it would be appropriate to characterize Dr. John Wyckoff’s ministry in the apostle’s words . . . Do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with Spirit of the living God, not on tables of stone, but on tables of human hearts (2 Cor 3.1–3 NIV).

From the halls of Southwestern Assemblies of God University, over the last 30 plus years, have flowed students whose lives served as the ultimate letter of recommendation for John Wyckoff. Around the world, these students’ passion for Christ and for the word of God speaks to the effectiveness of the pioneer unsung heroes in Pentecostal academic life. The kingdom impact of these heroes, called and gifted to teach, needs to be recognized and heralded as ministry models worth emulating. Their sacrifice and commitment has received too little recognition, though their global impact, through the lives of their students, has been huge.

These essays in honor of Dr. John Wyckoff make a valiant attempt to demonstrate that a Pentecostal scholar is not an anomaly—it is a growing reality. The bridge to a vibrant scholarly future for Pentecostals must not forget the foundational sacrifices of teachers like John Wyckoff who made bricks without enough straw, but did so gladly because they had been called by the Lord of the harvest to express the gift of teaching and they did so obediently and powerfully.

Byron D. Klaus, DMin

President

Assemblies of God Theological Seminary

Springfield, Missouri

The Ministry of John Wesley Wyckoff

Changing the Trajectory of an Institution

Bruce E. Rosdahl

Jo hn Wyckoff is a good friend and colleague. I joined the faculty at Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, Texas nine years ago and quickly recognized his influence on the university. John represents a host of educators throughout the history of the church who work in relative anonymity, but whose influence on their institutions and students is immeasurable. They are legends on their campuses; alumni could not imagine their institutions apart from the long shadow these figures cast across their schools. Move outside of the institution, however, and they are relatively unknown. Their legacy is not found so much in the written page, but in the countless students they mentored through the years. In pulpits, classrooms, and mission fields across the globe, ministry takes place on a daily basis that bears the imprint of these educators. John Wesley Wyckoff is one such educator. This Festschrift in his honor is most fitting for a man who without exaggeration helped to chart the biblical and theological trajectory of his university. I am honored to tell the story of John’s life and the impact he continues to make at Southwestern Assemblies of God University and the lives of students around the world.

The Influence of a Godly Mother

John Wesley Wyckoff was born on March 8, 1944 in Mooreland, Oklahoma to John Wayne and Loretta (Kelso) Wyckoff. John’s father worked for the railroad and, like most in the region, he also farmed and ranched his land. The history of Mooreland is the classic American story of a pioneer town settled during the westward expansion of the nation. Mooreland is an agricultural community located in northwest Oklahoma at the intersection of highways 412 and 50 in Woodward County. Founded in 1901, the town ran along the Santa Fe Railroad line to meet the needs for supplies and markets as the pioneer population increased.¹ The initial influx into the region came with the Cherokee Outlet Land Rush of 1893, just six years after the completion of the railroad.

Interwoven with the founding of communities around Mooreland is the Wyckoff name. John’s grandfather, Jesse Almon Wyckoff, opened the first general store in Mooreland in 1902.² Jesse’s first move was from Iowa to Kansas; but, with the opening of the Oklahoma territory, he traveled in a covered wagon to homestead in Curtis, Oklahoma in 1899. A few years later, he moved four miles west to Mooreland and opened his general store and the first farmers’ co-op along with his brother Henry M. Wyckoff.

The Wyckoff brothers, Jesse and Henry, also have strong ties to the founding of two churches in Mooreland. Listed as charter members of the First United Methodist Church, which organized in 1904, are Henry and his wife.³ While there is no record of Jesse’s church involvement, his wife’s parents, Theobolt and Mary Bouquot, were devout Roman Catholics whose home facilitated the area’s first Mass. For a number of years families celebrated Mass whenever a circuit-riding priest made his way to the region. Eventually, in 1904, the Bouquots and a few other families formed Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Mooreland.⁴

By the time of John’s father, John Wayne Wyckoff, there was some waning of religious devotion. John describes his father as a nominal Catholic who never attended church except for family funerals.⁵ John attributes his own faith to the influence of his godly mother, Loretta (Kelso) Wyckoff. He describes with fondness her diligence to raise her children in the faith despite opposition from her husband:

My father strongly opposed us going to church, but he never prevented mother from taking my older brother, my younger sister, and myself. When I was an infant, mother carried me while my brother held her skirt as they walked over a mile through the weeds on a soft, sandy trail to a dirt road to catch a ride into town for Sunday School and church. This faith commitment formed the foundation of my life.

One can sense John’s affection and gratitude for his mother’s spiritual legacy on the whole family. The same respect is evident in reflections made by Myrna Wyckoff, John’s wife, of her mother-in-law.

John’s mother was an influence on John and his older brother going to Southwestern and entering the ministry. . . . She was very missions minded. I dubbed my mom-in-law’s bathroom décor as ‘international’ as she had a bulletin board next to her bathroom mirror with thumbtacks and prayer cards noting the places for all of the missionaries she prayed for every day. She wrote most of these missionaries, sending birthday cards and Christmas greetings, and just staying in touch.

The influence of a godly mother can be seen not only in John’s life, but also in the life of his siblings. John’s older brother, Jesse Wayne Wyckoff, and his wife served as missionaries in Africa and they now pastor in Oklahoma. John’s younger sister, Judy Colleen (Wyckoff) Crozier, and her husband served as home missionaries in California.

Loretta’s spiritual heritage traces back to the beginning days of Pentecostalism in Mooreland. Her great, great grandfather, Ed Tanner, was one of the early members of Mooreland Assembly of God. The church was founded in June 1920 when two brothers, Glenn Millard, age sixteen, and Gordon Millard, age eighteen, came to Mooreland from Enid to proclaim the Pentecostal message. The Millard family was instrumental in the spread of Pentecostalism throughout this quadrant of Oklahoma. Bob Burke notes that it was their practice not only to hold revival services in cities, but also to establish a church with proper leadership.⁶ Such was the case in Mooreland. By the time John was born in 1944, Mooreland Assembly of God was well established and it was here that John’s Pentecostal faith was nurtured.

John graduated from Mooreland High School in the spring of 1962 in a class of thirty-four students. The next fall he left Mooreland and headed south to study chemistry and math at Southwestern State College in Weatherford (now Southwestern Oklahoma State University). It is here that John sensed God’s new direction for his life.

The Call to Ministry

Around John’s junior year of college, he sensed God calling him into fulltime ministry. The stirring of this call was evident earlier as John established a local chapter of Chi Alpha, an Assemblies of God campus ministry, at Southwestern State in 1964. After forty-five years, the ministry continues to flourish with an established chapter house on campus. When John sensed God’s call to vocational ministry, his initial impulse was to quit his studies in chemistry and move immediately into ministerial studies at Southwestern Assemblies of God College (SAGC⁷) in Texas. It was the counsel of his pastor, however, that encouraged John to complete his current studies before pursuing ministerial training. The advice of his pastor proved providential, as will be seen, once John arrived at SAGC’s campus in Texas. In spring of 1966, John graduated with a degree in Chemistry with minors in math and physics. With degree in hand, he packed his bags and moved south to the north Texas town of Waxahachie.

John arrived on the campus of SAGC in the fall of 1966 to pursue ministerial studies. At the time, SAGC consisted of a ministerial training college and a two-year junior college.⁸ These initial years at SAGC provided direction to John’s future life and ministry in two ways: they clarified his calling to teach and it was during this time he met his wife Myrna (Green) Wyckoff.

When John arrived on campus, the wise counsel of his pastor to complete his degree in math becomes evident. SAGC was in need of a math and chemistry teacher and the college hired John. The teaching position not only helped to pay for school, but also provided John with invaluable teaching experience. At one level, the teaching position was a blessing; however, with the teaching position came the expectation that John would pursue an advanced degree in math to satisfy accreditation demands. The result was that John had to balance teaching a full load of college courses, taking graduate courses in math at the University of Texas in Arlington, and taking ministerial courses, which was the reason he came to SAGC. By his own admission, his graduate courses in math began to suffer under the unbearable strain of competing demands. For two years (1967–1968), he taught math and science at the college. The experience confirmed his love of teaching, but it also confirmed that his desire was to teach the Bible and theology. John informed the administrators that he would not continue to pursue an advanced degree in math, which meant he could no longer teach for the college. He secured a new job working for an airplane manufacturer and focused on completing his degree in Church Ministries.

The second major event for John during these years was his marriage to Myrna Green in the summer of 1969. Myrna was the middle child in a family of three girls born to Basil and Rema Green. Both of her parents came from a holiness background and met at a Bible school in Oklahoma. A number of years later they were introduced to Pentecostalism and the Assemblies of God from Rema’s older brother. Myrna has fond memories of her early childhood and church years in Oklahoma. When she was only six, however, her mother became ill while pregnant and passed away after giving birth. A year later, her father married Juanita Sexton, who was attending Southwestern Bible Institute (what would later become SAGU). Together they would have four more children bringing the family total to six girls and one boy.

John and Myrna Wyckoff’s wedding, 1969.

When Myrna was ten the family moved to Lafayette, Louisiana where her father, Basil, could find construction work. The family continued to be active in their church. Basil used his construction skills to help build churches in the United States, as well as on the mission field in Mexico and Africa. Her stepmother, Juanita, was active in children’s ministry and Sunday School. This rich heritage was instrumental in Myrna’s desire to attend SAGC to prepare for ministry. While on campus, she was very active as a leader in the Missions Association and elected Homecoming Queen in 1967.

John and Myrna met during John’s first year at SAGC. Both were assigned to assist students in registering for classes in math and science. John was the new faculty member and Myrna was the work-study for Josephine Williams, the biology instructor. Their relationship blossomed about a year later after this first meeting. Myrna tells the story: We began dating during my junior year and were engaged the summer before my senior year. I wanted to finish school so we decided to wait until I graduated to get married. A year’s engagement was long but we were both going to school with me working night shift at Texas Instruments and John working night shift at LTV [an airplane manufacturer]; so the time passed quickly. On June 7, 1969, John and Myrna married and began a lifetime of ministry together. John completed his studies at SAGC in December of the same year; and after graduation, they loaded up the trailer to move to Oklahoma City for graduate studies.

Graduate Studies and a Pastorate

Upon completion of his studies, John knew he needed a graduate degree to teach Bible and theology. He chose Bethany Nazarene College (now Southern Nazarene University) in Oklahoma City. The recommendation of a former SAGC professor influenced his decision, along with the desire to be closer to home. Consequently, John began his studies in January 1970 towards a MA in religion. John worked part-time while he attended school and Myrna worked building computers at Honeywell to pay for schooling. John describes his course work at Bethany as foundational for developing his understanding of Pentecostal history and theology. Bethany, as a Nazarene institution, adhered to a Wesleyan expression of theology. John’s studies expanded his knowledge of the historical and theological link of Pentecostalism and the Holiness Movement of the nineteenth century. He explored this connection further when he wrote his thesis on the Assemblies of God view of sanctification.⁹ He proposed that both Calvinistic and Wesleyan theologies influenced the Assemblies of God position; however, he concluded that the Assemblies of God position was more Calvinistic due to its rejection of a second work of grace.¹⁰ John completed his graduate studies at Bethany in spring 1972.

With no immediate teaching position available, John and Myrna accepted the call to pastor Humboldt Assembly of God. Humboldt is a small community in southeast Kansas, located on the railroad line and the Neosho River. In many ways, Humboldt mirrors John’s hometown of Mooreland, Oklahoma. Humboldt Assembly of God was the sole Pentecostal church in the community. Myrna reminisces with fondness concerning those years.

We had a wonderful four years pastoring Humboldt Assembly of God church. The congregation dearly loved Bible study, so that was a good fit for John as he also loved Bible study. . . . We learned so much during those four years. We rejoiced with those who rejoiced at the salvation of a loved one, the birth of a new baby, or the joining of a young couple in marriage. We mourned with those who mourned, holding the hand of a dear saint as their loved one slipped out into a better world. We laughed with those who laughed with a bunch of sleepy youth in rocking chairs at an all night rock-a-thon for Speed-the-Light.

John described his years at Humboldt as a wonderful experience, but he realized that pastoring was not the real desire of [his] heart. His real desire was for teaching Bible and theology at a college, but that passion would have to wait a few more years.

Pastoring at Humboldt Assembly of God,Humboldt, KS.

A significant blessing came to the Wyckoff family during their ministry in Humboldt. In 1971, John and Myrna discovered they could not have children and made application to adopt a child while they were in Oklahoma City. The good news finally came in November 1974 that their new adopted son Ryan would join the family. Thanksgiving would be extra special that year for the Wyckoff family. After four years of ministry in Humboldt, the call John prayed for came in August 1976. John’s alma mater, SAGC, needed a Bible and theology professor. The invitation came from Jesse K. Moon, who headed the Division of Bible and Church Ministries. John accepted the invitation and the family returned to Waxahachie, Texas in August 1976.

Ministry at SAGU

John’s desire to teach Bible and theology was realized in fall 1976 when he joined the faculty of SAGC. He was excited about the new ministry opportunity and, according to Myrna, really loved what he was doing. During this time, John and Myrna made application to adopt another child. The answer to their prayers came in February 1977 when a second blessing was added to their family. They adopted an infant girl and named her Bethany Dawn. For a number of years Myrna stayed home to care for the children while John taught at SAGC. Around 1978, however, SAGC needed help in the Financial Aid Office and E. W. Moore asked Myrna to join the team. Myrna accepted the invitation and served a number of years under Moore until his retirement. In 1981, Myrna became the Director of Financial Aid and served in this capacity for twenty years.

By the late 70s, John began to feel the need to return to school to earn a doctorate. He decided on Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he worked towards a PhD in Religion focusing on theology and minoring in educational psychology. He began his course work in January 1981. The years at Baylor were rewarding, but also challenging for a number of reasons. First, John continued to teach fulltime while completing his studies at Baylor. His studies required him to balance teaching, raising a family with young children, and the normal rigors of doctoral work. Yet he was granted a one-year sabbatical from SAGC to complete the required residency of his doctoral program.

A second challenge was the content of his course work. By his own admission, John found his doctoral studies challenging as he confronted new theological concepts. One of the greatest challenges was issues raised in my heart and mind by the new theological ideas that I had to face, he states. A third challenge related to the unforeseen difficulties of writing a dissertation in the area of hermeneutics. John had received no formal training in the field, which required a considerable amount of study to provide the foundational knowledge necessary to the discipline. In addition, he chose the topic of the role of the Holy Spirit in hermeneutics, which proved more difficult than he anticipated.¹¹ The topic, by its very nature, could be subjective and created challenges in writing a dissertation. Nonetheless, by 1990 John completed and successfully defended his dissertation under Bob Patterson and took his PhD from Baylor.

John Wyckoff graduates with the PhD from Baylor University, 1990.

Throughout his tenure at SAGU, John has served the university not only as a professor of Bible and theology, but also in a variety of leadership positions. From 1984 to 1994, he was the Chair for the Division for Church Ministries. In 1996, SAGU added a graduate program and John became one of the inaugural graduate faculty. The Harrison School of Graduate Studies named John the first Graduate Chair of Theological Studies, where he continues to serve today.

The long tenure of service by John to SAGU makes it impossible to measure all the areas where John affected the university. It is possible, however, to highlight three areas where his influence is most pronounced: the reinstitution of hermeneutics, the priority given to Biblical Theology, and the defense of Pentecostal doctrine.

Making Hermeneutics a Priority

The importance assigned to the study of hermeneutics at SAGU varies throughout the school’s history. In the early years in Enid, P. C. Nelson, founder and president, taught hermeneutics. His training at Rochester Theological Seminary equipped Nelson for the task, as well as his own personal interest in the topic.¹² When Southwestern Bible Institute, as it was then called, moved to Fort Worth, William Burt McCafferty also taught the hermeneutics course. Southwestern continued to offer a hermeneutics course into the 1950s. During the 50s, the course was never a requirement, but offered as an elective to ministerial students. The fact that the course was not a requirement for ministerial preparation reflected a devalued appreciation for the necessity of hermeneutics. This philosophy became more apparent in the ensuing years. In 1959, the institute dropped hermeneutics from its course offerings.¹³ Whatever the rationale for the changes, hermeneutics dropped from the course offerings and would not be reinstituted for another nineteen years.

John confirms that his ministerial preparation during this season at SAGC (1966–69) included no courses in interpreting the Scriptures. This void spurred a hunger in him that would be eventually met throughout his graduate studies and his own personal research. John’s conviction of the necessity of hermeneutics in SAGC’s curriculum became apparent upon his return to the faculty as a professor of Bible and theology in 1976. When John returned, SAGC still offered no course in hermeneutics. For a number of years there was a course entitled Bibliology, yet biblical interpretation was not its focus. John’s concern for hermeneutics found expression when Jesse Moon, dean of the college, assigned him to teach the Bibliology course. In 1978, John secured permission to add a hermeneutics section and the course title changed to Bibliology and Hermeneutics.¹⁴ The course was still an elective course, but it was the first time SAGC listed a hermeneutics course since 1959. From the very beginning of his teaching ministry, John’s passion for faithful biblical exegesis affected SAGC.

John’s concern to see hermeneutics made a priority at SAGC continued into the next decade. In 1982, SAGC moved hermeneutics from an elective to a required course for all ministry degrees; however, the most significant changes came during the process of a total curriculum revision during the mid-1980s. Another part of the story was the addition of a new faculty member in 1984, LeRoy R. Bartel, who carried the same passion and burden for quality exegesis of the Scriptures as John. With John serving as the Chair of the division, LeRoy as a faculty member, and the support of Jimmie Brewer as Academic Dean, SAGC’s ministerial degrees established a new trajectory that continues to the present course structure.

The collaboration of John and LeRoy resulted in a curriculum firmly rooted in developing skills in biblical exegesis. More than simply strengthening the single existing hermeneutics course, they added additional courses that built upon and reinforced the new hermeneutical philosophy of the school. The net result was a four-step process that reflected the philosophy of these two men; it was a philosophy committed to faithful exegesis and effective exposition of the Scriptures.

A course titled Bible Study was the first step in four-part process. The course was designed to be the first introduction to basic hermeneutical principles along with the development of skills in Bible study methodology. The second step was a more advanced course in hermeneutics, which corresponded to the typical hermeneutics course in most colleges and seminaries. Together Bible Study and Interpreting the Bible, as the second course came to be called, provided students with the philosophy and practical skills necessary for faithful biblical exegesis.

The third and fourth steps built upon the foundation laid in steps one and two. Introduction to Biblical Preaching and Teaching the Scriptures mentored students in the specialized training of expository preaching and teaching for the classroom and the pulpit. John and LeRoy wrote course descriptions and objectives to ensure that the homiletic philosophy and teaching methodology were directly derived from the hermeneutical philosophy established in the earlier courses. Thus, for John and LeRoy, Bible Study, Interpreting the Bible, Introduction to Biblical Preaching, and Teaching the Scriptures were four parts to one singular goal of preparing ministers to faithfully teach and preach the word of God. Furthermore, for students not heading into vocational ministry, Bible Study, which is required of all students at SAGU, provides every student with basic knowledge and skills of biblical exegesis.

Finally, it should be noted that John’s interest in hermeneutics influenced his choice of a dissertation topic while a doctoral student at Baylor University. In 1990, he successfully defended his dissertation on The Relationship of the Holy Spirit to Biblical Hermeneutics. His concern was that while many texts acknowledge the role of the Holy Spirit in the interpretive process through illumination, the topic only receives a cursory discussion in most works. The consequence, in terms of the role of the Holy Spirit, is to minimize the significance of illumination in the process. John reasserts the necessity of illumination in hermeneutics and proposes that the best model for understanding the role of the Holy Spirit is that of a Teacher who helps facilitates understanding in a cooperative role with the reader.

Biblical Theology

The second major influence John had on SAGU’s curriculum is the emphasis given to Biblical Theology. This passion for Biblical Theology, like hermeneutics, developed from a void he experienced in his early studies. John’s first exposure to formal theological training occurred at SAGC from 1966–69. His course of study included one class in Pentecostal history and doctrine and four courses in Systematic Theology, each course covering one-fourth of the typical Systematic Theology categories. When John went to Baylor University, his very first course of his doctoral program was New Testament Theology. He describes this course as key in transforming his approach to theology. New Testament Theology was the very first course I took at Baylor, so it really made an impression on me. You know the idea of what’s the theology of the writers? What’s their theology? I think it was like something that was always there. It was just a discovery to think of that approach. John recognized a contrast in the way he was taught Biblical Theology versus the Systematic Theology courses he took during his undergraduate days.

John’s studies in New Testament Theology caused him not only to question some theological positions he was taught, but also the method of theological instruction that is not adequately derived from the biblical text. John expresses frustration over his earlier instruction when he describes it as so much extrapolation, so much philosophy that it lacks a solid base in the theology of the Old and New Testaments. One of the areas of theology that became most emblematic to John of the problem was the study of eschatology. In his studies at SAGC, John was taught eschatology from a classic Dispensational approach. His studies in Biblical Theology caused him to question many of the charts and presuppositions, which undergirded Dispensationalism. In particular, John saw Dispensationalism as a hermeneutical philosophy presumed before one came to the biblical text; the result was the misinterpretation of certain passages without regard to biblical context. He concluded, You really begin to realize that what you’re looking at here is an interpretive grid in contrast to it all being really solidly biblically based. Dispensationalism was not John’s only concern, but it became a target in his teaching. In contrast, he emphasized more covenantal themes and the unity of the Bible.

John’s newfound allegiance to Biblical Theology found an ally in LeRoy Bartel. When they orchestrated the curriculum revision in the late 1980s, they constructed a program strong in hermeneutics and Biblical Theology. They reduced the Systematic Theology courses from four to two and added courses in New and Old Testament Theology. The revisions reflected their philosophy that preaching, teaching, and theology should derive from good exegesis of the Scriptures. John championed the Biblical Theology courses and his name became synonymous with Biblical Theology at SAGU. When the university added a graduate school in 1994, John ensured that the graduate curriculum retained the commitments to hermeneutics and Biblical Theology established years earlier.

There are times when John’s comments concerning the dangers of Systematic Theology could be understood as dismissive of its importance; but, this would be a misunderstanding of his position. His commentary must be kept within the context of his expressed concerns and past experiences. His concern is that when Systematic Theology, or any theological method for that matter, becomes divorced from the biblical text, it results in theological assertions without biblical warrant. In essence, theology loses its divine authority. There is a consistency in John’s concern for hermeneutics and theology; they are two disciplines, which he views as complementary.

Pentecostal Theology

No biography of John’s life and ministry would be complete without mentioning his commitment to Pentecostal theology. One of the courses he enjoys teaching the most is Pentecostal Doctrine and History, which provides a historical analysis of the Pentecostal movement and an introduction to the