An Interview with Roger Weil
Grace Publications is proud to publish Roger Weil’s volume Foundations of the Christian Faith. It is a theological primer that has proven its worth across the world, often providing a doctrinal basis for pastors and churches where resources are slim. Recently our CEO, Andrew King, spent some time in conversation with Roger and the following interview has been born out of that exchange. There are fascinating and encouraging insights here into the capacity of Christian writing and publishing to serve as a force for good in the global church.
Roger, could you tell us a little about your background? Where were you born, what was your training, and what did you do during your life?
I was born into a very close Jewish family. One day, when I was a student and had just started college, I was 18. One of the fellow students in my class, whom I did not like very much, suddenly said to me, “Would you like to come to Westminster Chapel with me, old chap?” And I heard a voice saying, “Yes, I would.” The voice was mine!
So I went, and I heard the gospel for the first time. It was an absolutely wonderful moment. I do not think my conversion was like that of the Philippian jailer, but more like Zacchaeus. Old writers call it being swallowed up with joy. That was my experience. I then joined the Christian Union.
So you were in London?
Yes, I was living in Kensington at the time. Of course, it was a terrible shock for my family. They were not orthodox. I would say they were not observant apart from Yom Kippur. But being Jewish means more than religion – it is an ethnicity. Throughout history after AD 70, the church frequently persecuted Jewish people. The cross became a symbol of terror. So for me to join them was a slap in the face. The Jewish community in those days—I am speaking of the 1950s and 60s—tried to assimilate as much as possible. We changed our names. Many, for example, instead of Cohen became Clayton; instead of Steinberg, Stanbury. Assimilation, public school, and so forth. That was my background.
The amazing thing was that I was only a teenager, yet I had a definite conviction. I did not know fully what it meant, but there was an amazing certainty. I had been changed. I was now a follower of Jesus.
My family knew I was young. My mother was divorced, and her three brothers, who were affluent and very kind, counselled her and said, “When we were 18, we knew everything. Do not put him on the street and push him into the arms of the missionaries. Be kind to him. Humour him. It will pass.” So that became the family policy. We were a very close family, and at Jewish festivals we all met together with cousins and relatives. It was extremely embarrassing for me, because I could see I had hurt them. My temptation was to compromise in various ways, which I sometimes did, to my shame.
I finished my studies, then went into national service and later architecture. Looking back, I can only say how kind my family were. When I came out of national service, they rented a flat for me so that I could get established and make some savings. In every way, they were very kind. Then in 1965, when I was invited to visit behind the Iron Curtain at Christmas, that became a very large part of my life. In fact, last year, after 60 years, I stood down as a trustee of Slavlands Christian Fellowship.
And that was the genesis of Foundations of the Christian Faith, was it not? Tell us how the book came about.
I was travelling in the Soviet Union several times. Of course, the Soviet Union was the leading communist country in the world and sponsored communism worldwide. To travel behind the Iron Curtain – to the Soviet Union – you really felt that this was where the main opposition lay.
Then suddenly, with Mikhail Gorbachev and the collapse in 1989, the door opened after 70 years. Then came the domino effect in Eastern Europe: Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and others. Communism collapsed because it had been dependent on the Soviet system. So there were huge opportunities.
My burden was to provide something for Russian people. The difficulty was that once it had been translated, checked, and published there, there were no Christian bookshops. So we had to distribute it through churches.
What were you particularly hoping Foundations would achieve for Christians there?
It was aimed at young pastors. Pastors provide the teaching ministry of the church, and if they have no materials they are thrown back on their own resources and tend to be shallow. Russian Christians had not been exposed to the Reformed faith at all. So in some cases the chapter on election and predestination was anathema and shocking. But you have to face these things. You have to face Romans.
So it was really a fairly simple Bible study manual. But the challenge was not to dumb things down.
To condense it, but not oversimplify it?
Absolutely. Some attempts to summarise large theological works into little paperbacks become oversimplified. It is a difficult thing to do.
WIthout a word of false modesty, I am a person of slow uptake, I need things put simply before I can grasp them. So I had sympathy for explaining truth in that way. I have noticed that very clever people, when they teach, assume everyone is on their level. They rush through things, cover blackboards with figures, and I am left asking if we can go back to point number two.
That was one of the gifts of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. He could present the truth clearly. It was not “feed my giraffes,” but feed my lambs.
Yes, I have heard that phrase. In your architectural work you must have enjoyed the fulfilment of seeing something completed. Every author likes feedback. What encouragement have you had from the book?
Through Christian Books Worldwide, which helps pastors across the globe, I received reports particularly from Africa and Malaysia. Occasionally I would see comments about Foundations of the Christian Faith and how helpful it had been.
In China, after years of severe communism under Chairman Mao, they thought they had buried the church. No churches, no Bibles. What they did not realise was that the church was underground. They could not see it, but it was there. When the restrictions eased, they were thrilled to have this book. They had never seen anything like it. To my surprise, other missions working in China and Europe asked permission to republish it. In one case, 150,000 copies. In the end, I think nearly half a million copies were published in different places.
That is amazing. Why should theological reflection and formation still matter for Christians today?
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s ministry was centred on teaching and preaching. True preaching exposes the main doctrines of the faith: sin, regeneration, justification, sanctification, perseverance, and so on. Little books like mine – systematic theologies in miniature – set out all the flowers of God’s garden in their proper plots. But Foundations of the Christian Faith is not a book to be read like a novel. It is a study book.
My concern in China was that people might simply possess the book without anyone to teach it. They were literate, perhaps, but it still needed a teacher. When people are taught doctrine properly, their appetite grows. They want more. That is the point. It is really a teaching manual.
Are there any doctrinal areas under particular pressure today?
When it was written in 1993, the Toronto Blessing and similar movements were having a major effect. People falling on the ground and so forth. So in the chapter on the Holy Spirit, I found J. I. Packer’s book Keeping in Step with the Spirit helpful. I included a section on modern interpretations of the Holy Spirit: Pentecostal, charismatic, and restorationist. These issues were disrupting churches, splitting congregations, and creating attitudes of spiritual superiority. So it needed to be addressed.
As I mentioned in the Russian context, the chapter on election and predestination also comes as a shock to many who have never heard such teaching. So it had to be handled gently, sympathetically, and always with Scripture clearly quoted so people could see it for themselves.
One final question. How important is it for gifted thinkers and writers to use their abilities to help ordinary Christians grow through accessible, ministry-focused books?
When I first became a Christian in 1953, there were very few books in Christian bookshops. Now there is an enormous range for people at every level. It is very helpful when pastors introduce good material to their congregations, knowing what level people are at – not giving John Owen on the Holy Spirit to a new Christian.
I have noticed that pastors exposed to good Reformed literature often minister in the same spirit to their congregations, and the opposite is also true. Good reading shapes ministry.
I know one younger pastor with a vigorous ministry. I asked what books had helped him most. He said Stephen Charnock on the attributes, Calvin’s Institutes in modern translation, and John Owen on Communion with God. I could see where his ministry was coming from.
Writing is not everybody’s gift. Erroll Hulse began writing rather awkwardly, but eventually had help. It is not everyone’s calling. As for myself, I have a simple mind and am slow on the uptake. I deliberately wrote for people like myself.
Your book has been well received. I was in Nigeria last year preaching at an induction service for a friend in Abuja. I asked what books I could send him, and he said, “Send me more of these.” He said he could give it to ordinary members of the church, and they could work through it together. He was echoing exactly your ambition.
Andrew King is the CEO of Grace Publications. He was born and raised in Bedfordshire and worked as a university lecturer in engineering design for over 10 years at the University of Bristol. He then retrained and served as a pastor at Highbury Baptist Church in Islington, north London for just over 10 years. He is now an unpaid co-pastor there alongside Phil Heaps who serves in a paid role. Andrew also serves as Managing Director of Grace Baptist Association.
