Who is kent dobson

Rather, it is for the gospel of Jesus Christ and it is against the principalities and powers Eph. It leads us to pray: Lord, as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, a ministry which has been entrusted to us and to which we seek to steward well 1 Thess.

Skip to main content. Evangelical Free Church of America Blog. Understanding Scripture. Greg Strand. Blog Resources Contact. Read our privacy policy and copyright policy. This gut punch propelled Kent even deeper into the abyss of finding his true self. In a long and winding conversation, Kent and I discuss the death of his father, how he became a pastor in part to please his dad, certainty and doubt, death of ego and the soul, wishing things were easier to understand, the thirst for ultimate meaning, coin slot Christianity and ultimately how Kent feels grateful for his own hangups with religion.

Kent also leads retreats and wilderness programs designed to cultivate human wholeness and pursue the perennial questions of the soul, as well as guides pilgrimage adventures to Israel and speaks and lectures.

Dobson lived and studied in Israel, speaks Hebrew and is the guy the History Channel went to when they needed a Bible scholar who could rappel down cliffs where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. He reads the Bible and Rolling Stone. Hip and earnest, Dobson has an obvious connection with young people. They laugh at his jokes and listen to his messages.

They want to feel like life is a gift. They say, 'I want to do something meaningful. He's there to encourage volunteerism, plan spiritual retreats, offer messages at weekly chapel.

This summer, he'll lead students on a day trip to Israel. I hear that over and over again. He's made a home for himself. Dobson loves kids' questions. Especially the tough ones. Knowing that helps push them on their journey. If I can join them in that, I'm doing my job.

Dobson's dad, now vice president for spiritual formation at Cornerstone University, says Kent always has questioned, always challenged. It's gotten me in trouble, but it's also pushed me to good things.

Early years. Dobson started out in Virginia, with parents Lorna and Ed, younger sister Heather and younger brother Daniel. The outside world was something to fear, to avoid. I didn't feel that my parents were super narrow, but the rest of my world was. Life was about things you couldn't do. He did them anyway. He was 12 when the family moved to Grand Rapids for his dad's job at Calvary.

Especially in math. I did the bare minimum. I remember once in high school my parents were so happy -- because I didn't fail a class. Dobson graduated from Rockford High in without much of a plan. I wanted to ski. I wanted a life of very little responsibility. I had had enough. I didn't want to hear any more sermons.

I wanted to enjoy life. He stops for a minute, to think about this. And I know that your life at 17 isn't necessarily your life at His parents insisted he go to a Christian college. He went to Liberty University, where things started to turn around for him, he says. He met inspiring friends and professors as he pursued a degree in English.

He joined an Evangelical Free Church. I had never had that," he says. Never a small local body of believers. That was really good for me. Dobson's volunteer work at Mars Hill turned into a job as worship leader. He left there in for Jerusalem, to study religion, archeology and the Old Testament and work as a tour guide. He and his family spent three years there. It's a very difficult place to live, especially as a Westerner. Are you Christian? Are you a Westerner? Are you a journalist?

The violence shook him.