Footsteps of the Saints is presented by a prologue inspired by W. T. Conner," whose enduring legacy lies in his thirty-nine year teaching career at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, as described by Peter Lumpkins of peterlumkins.com, and Peter Lumpkin states that Dr. Conner distinguished himself as preeminent Southern Baptist theologian during the 1930's and 1940's and that this was because he was more aligned with biblical teachings "than other systematic approaches to God's Word, such as Calvinism." Some systems lie heavily on passages of Scripture whose interpretations are uncertain, but Dr. Conner's approach was based on some very clear teachings of the Apostle Paul. The prologue follows the Apostle Paul as he tells how the grace of god is the theme that runs throughout the Old Testament and on through the New. He relates the story of God's call to Abraham in the midst of an ancient and pagan land: God said, "I want you to get out of this country and I will show you where I want you to go and do what I want you to do" (rephrased). God promised him a new land and generations of descendants as numerous as the sands of the sea, who would receive it. When the Apostle had finished the story, he is then heard to say, "These things are an allegory." He, then, gave the meaning of the allegory, the two women, two covenants, two mountains, and two cities. Bondage to the law would serve to provide lessons for learning and preparing the way to a higher and a better way of life. The prophet Jeremiah spoke of the Lord as saying, "Behold, the days will come when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel...I will put my law in the hearts." The old covenant (of the Old Testament) was to prepare the way of for the new, giving meaning to the call of John, the Baptist, "Prepare, ye, the way of the Lord." Parts I-IV is the story of the Christan saints, all those who were redeemed by the grace of God, whose law was implanted in their hearts. They were the Children of the Promise, not by natural birth, but by the spirit, "for if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise." The Saints of God received their commission at Pentecost to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth, but without the firm guidance of the apostles, the early simplicity of the faith disappeared and the influence of pagan customs and the greed of the leadership, and growth in political power became too great to overcome. They chose to interpret, literally, the words of the admonition to obey the bishop, and they chose to enforce it. Scriptures were ignored, or interpretations were changed to suite the purposes of unscrupulous and greedy-for-power leaders, and soon, it was left, only, for those who did not yield to their misguided demands, to suffer martyrdom or to flee to the caves of the mountains. Europe suffered centuries of what can be called a long dark night. Protesting parties occasionally arose, but could overthrow oppression only when, at last, they too, become political powers, and through warfare brough some relief to long years of oppression. Footsteps of the Saints is based on A Manual of Church History, by A. H. Newman, late professor of church history. More about Professor Newman can be found on page viii in the image of the book.
About the Author: Almon Teel was born in the cattle, farming, and oil country near Electra, Texas on August 24, 1923. He completed elementary and high school there, then enlisted in the Navy on September 28, 1942. After boot camp and six weeks in sonar school, he was sent to New City, where he waited about nine weeks for further transfer. In early March, he received orders to board a troopship bound for Casablanca, French Moracco, for transfer to USS PC 482. He served there for about 14 months, before being returned to the States to attend college under the Navy V-12 officer training program. He was in that program for two years, when the war came to an end and the program was disbanded. Year-round classes allowed three years of school to be completed in two years, making it possible to earn his A. B. degree in one more year under the GI Bill of Rights, following his discharge, and to complete three years of study at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and thereby earn a Master of Divinity degree. In bi-vocational fashion, or doing secular work for support while working in the ministry, he led in the organization of a new church and served two years as pastor before moving with his family to Orangevale, Ca, near Sacramento, where they lived while serving in churches in and around the Sierra Nevada foothills. He tried to take seriously what someone has said about the graduation exercise: Commencement does not refer to the end of school, but the beginning of the rest of life. He felt that his college and seminary work had only lightly touched the subject matter of the curriculum, and held on to his textbooks so that in the coming years he could glean the contents between the covers. The findings of his studies revealed and pressed home the certainty that study is not just an academic process, but that things learned are things to be shared and can make a difference in the world in which we live. To him, some of the most valuable of all lessons can be learned from church history and that we make mistakes if we are not informed. As A. H. Newman said, some modern denominations would never have been formed if the the founders had known some church history. Science, he believes tells us of all of God's creation: how he made it, and how he sustains it. Al felt that to study his old textbooks was to walk in the vast garden of God, and there, he would see things that ought to be remembered and to be shared.