About J. Kenneth Grider
Lived 1921 – 2006 (aged 85). J. Kenneth Grider was a theologian and university teacher.
J. Kenneth Grider (October 22, 1921 – December 6, 2006) was a Nazarene Christian theologian and former seminary professor primarily associated with the followers of John Wesley who are part of the Holiness movement.
Biography Early life J. Kenneth Grider was born October 22, 1921, in Madison, IL to William Sanford and Elizabeth (Krone) Grider. In 1948, he got a M.A. from the Drew University, Madison, New Jersey in 1950. In 1947, he graduated from the Nazarene Theological Seminary. He received his PhD from the University of Glasgow in 1952.
Career Grider was a distinguished visiting professor of theology at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL, and professor of theology emeritus at Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas City. He taught courses in Hurlet Nazarene College (Scotland), Point Loma Nazarene University, Olivet Nazarene University, Southern Nazarene University, Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary, and extension courses in Mexico and the Philippines.
He was an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene.
He was one of the translators of the New International Version of the Bible, working at two committee levels on six New Testament books. His "magnum opus" is the systematic theology A Wesleyan-Holiness Theology (1994). He also wrote over 2,000 poems, articles, commentaries, essays, and lessons and contributed to numerous symposia. He was the editor of The Seminary Tower for 36 years.
Theology Grider had Arminian soteriological views in the Wesleyan tradition, and was a supporter of the governmental theory of atonement view.
Death Grider died December 6, 2006, in Chandler, AZ.
Awards In 1966, Grider received the Olivet Nazarene University's Clergy Alumnus of the Year award. In 1991, he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the Olivet Nazarene University. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Wesleyan Theological Society.
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Frequently asked questions
Who was J. Kenneth Grider?
American theologian
When was J. Kenneth Grider born?
J. Kenneth Grider was born on 22 October 1921 in Madison.
When did J. Kenneth Grider die?
J. Kenneth Grider died on 6 December 2006 in Chandler.
What was J. Kenneth Grider's occupation?
J. Kenneth Grider was a theologian and university teacher.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: J. Kenneth Grider
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). J. Kenneth Grider. https://biography.guide/j-kenneth-grider/
MLA: "J. Kenneth Grider." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/j-kenneth-grider/.
Chicago: "J. Kenneth Grider." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/j-kenneth-grider/.
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