“He must be a Lutheran; he sure sounds like one.” These were some of the first words out of my mouth when I first read the writings of Pr. Tullian Tchividjian. However, upon further investigation I discovered that Pr. Tchividjian is not a Lutheran pastor, but the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, the church founded by Dr. D. James Kennedy. Furthermore, I learned that Pr. Tchividjian is the grandson of the evangelist Billy Graham and the visiting professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary. Even though I was able to put together a loose biography of Pr. Tchividjian, I still found myself wondering why a lot of his writings, sermons, and vocabulary sounded so much like my preaching/teaching, my colleagues preaching/teaching, and many of the Lutheran theologians that I had read.
To answer these questions and many more, I approached Pr. Tchividjian several weeks ago about doing an interview for Brothers of John the Steadfast. I have had the privilege of exchanging several emails with Pr. Tchividjian over the last several years, since I first was exposed to his writings. Furthermore, about a year ago I had a chance to visit with him briefly while I attended a Reformation Conference in Florida. However, I have never been able to ask him about this ‘Lutheran connection’ that I and so many others have recognized.
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