Boyer Chair Inauguration

February 18, 2014

Rev. Dr. William Edgar, professor of apologetics, will be inaugurated as the first occupant of the John Boyer Chair of Evangelism and Culture. Dr. Edgar's inaugural lecture is entitiled "A Braver Palace than Before." Dr. Luder Whitlock will give the charge.

The event will be held in Rust Auditorium in Van Til Hall at 10:30am, Wednesday February 19.

It will also be live-streamed here.

To listen to Dr. Edgar's brief remarks at the at the Inaugural Meeting of the Boyer Chair of Evangelism and Culture in June 2013, click here.

John Boyer served for many years as the CEO of Aqua America water company and was on the board of Eastern University (at the time, Eastern College). He was brought to faith by Arthur DeMoss, and lived life with a strong heart for evangelism. Below is an excerpt of Rev. Dr. Peter Lillback's words of thanks to Mr. Boyer, given in June.

Evangelism was uniquely John's calling. John was the one who said "We're going to go into everyone's living room and tell them the gospel. If they visit the church, we're going to visit them." John was the one who said we needed an evangelism outreach to the people here, and the Valley Forge Leadership prayer breakfast was birthed in his mind. It was led by his activity, and it continues as a legacy of long-term faithful leadership.

I don't think all of Art DeMoss's mantle fell on John, but enough of it to give him a courageous spirit of evangelism that I've not seen in any other CEO of any other corporation I've ever met. When he walks in a room, it has always been "How will Jesus be heard here today?" I've seen this in Bible studies, in academic settings, business meetings, golfing events, and I know he brought it to Eastern University board meetings—the gospel was on his heart and mind.

I cannot imagine a better way to say "thank you, John", from the young pastor you helped mentor for many years. I thank him for the lessons he taught me in working with me to help me be a better leader. To the extent I've been a good leader at Westminster, part of that I've learned watching John. So John, I'm thrilled that God has given me a role in saying "thank you for your faithful leadership."