Rob L. Staples died of pneumonia May 19 in Kansas City, Missouri. He is survived by Marcella, his wife of nearly 64 years, two daughters and their spouses, Karen and Louis Gelling and Lynda and Jerry Cohagan, and four grandchildren.

Rob Lyndal Staples was born on a farm near Murray, Kentucky, June 20, 1929. He graduated from Trevecca Nazarene College (A.B.) and Nazarene Theological Seminary (B.D.).  He earned a doctorate (Th.D.) at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, writing his dissertation on John Wesley’s Doctrine of Christian Perfection: a Reinterpretation.

Locust Grove, his boyhood church, was built on land donated by his grandfather. There Staples accepted Christ, was baptized, and made a full commitment of his life to God.  He felt called to preach at 15. He described his call, which came after a hard morning of farm work:  “I had an epiphany, a sublime mystical experience. Never before had I experienced anything like it. I felt in my heart a tug from God and a strange feeling that He was calling me to full-time ministry. It came out of the blue. I had not even been thinking about religious matters.”

At Trevecca, he met a Kentucky girl, Marcella Cain. On June 5, 1951, they received their college degrees and were married that same night in McClurkan Hall.

Northern California District Superintendent George Coulter invited them to pastor a new church in Bakersfield for $50 a week. They accepted. Three years later, they moved to pastor the church in nearby Howard. 

Staples joined the religion faculty at Bethany Nazarene College (now Southern Nazarene University) in 1963, teaching theology. In 1976, through former General Superintendent Emeritus William M. Greathouse’s influence, he joined the faculty of Nazarene Theological Seminary. 

In his second year, and thereafter, he occupied an office in a hallway lined with classrooms along with Alex Deasley (New Testament) and Paul Bassett (Church History). Some students called the hallway “Murderer’s Row.” At NTS, he taught systematic theology and various seminars, including Wesley’s theology. His 22 years of service at NTS to the church and its future pastors, missionaries, and theologians was one of enjoyment for the most part.

His most notable book was Outward Sign and Inward Grace: The Place of Sacraments in Wesleyan Spirituality (1991). It was reviewed by major Christian magazines, including The Christian Century. Staples’ decision to tackle this oft misunderstood area of worship was born from appreciation of John Wesley’s teachings on the subject. His thoughts on the sacraments are available here.

He wrote a popular column in Herald of Holiness  (now Holiness Today) called “Words of Faith,” in which he took a single word and explained its theological meaning in language that laity could understand.  He dealt with words such as atonement, resurrection, salvation, Scripture, sanctification, and similar words that are basic in the vocabulary of faith. Later, the columns were gathered into a book, likewise called Words of Faith.

One of Staples’ most appreciated qualities was his love of humor and his ability to find it in the Church. He liked limericks and often wrote them for special events. Many were published in his book The Church Out on a Limerick, such as this one: 

Pastor Fiddle received a degree

He was thrilled and his heart sang with glee.

He’s so proud of his fame

That he now signs his name

“The Reverend Fiddle, D.D.”

An active member of the Wesleyan Theological Society, he also served as its president, and in 2008, he received its Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual meeting held at Duke University. 

Upon his retirement in 1996, Staples said, “My number one goal is to stay alive as long as I live.” He did that, traveling, teaching classes at home and abroad, preaching, and writing.  A series of essays about his life can be found here.

He preached his last sermon in November 2014. According to his pastor, Philip Hamner, Staples’ final hospital stay was marked by moments of prayer, laughter, and affirmation.

Near the close of his 41 active years of ministry, Staples said: “These have been rewarding years . . . There were a few rough spots, but they pale into insignificance compared to the fellowship with students and faculty that has been mine.”

Staples was a reflective thinker, prolific writer, staunch advocate for the role of the sacraments in the Wesleyan tradition, pacifist, humorist, lifelong Democrat, and a man of humility who never forgot his origins on a southwest Kentucky farm. His lectures were marked by a unique ability to translate complex theological concepts into language and illustrations that made them concrete and understandable even to those with no theological training. His life was an example of Christian love and devotion to God and others.

Here is a sampling of what others have to say:  

“Day by day he lived what the Wesleyan-Holiness movement teaches about the sanctified life” (Wes Tracy, former editor, Herald of Holiness).

“He gently nudged his students to consider, reconsider, to think more deeply and then to practice those Kingdom principles of truth discover. He was a global Christian with Nazarene feet” (Dwight Swanson, NTC-Manchester).

“Dr. Rob Staples was not only a convivial and witty companion and an inspiring teacher, but also a significant and influential theologian. The Church of the Nazarene owes him a great debt of gratitude for standing in strong defense of our Wesleyan heritage at a time of uncertainty, debate, and division. His work on the sacraments was part of that, but his steadfastness also helped to bring us through to a time when we can now creatively restate our understanding of Christian holiness in a positive way” (Tom Noble, NTS).

“As teacher to a generation of Nazarene preachers and theologians, Dr. Rob Staples helped to bring revitalization to holiness theology in the Church of the Nazarene. Based on his deep understanding and appreciation of John Wesley, Staples redirected Nazarene theology away from rigid and programmatic categories toward relational and Christ-centered ways of defining, explaining, preaching and living holiness” (Floyd Cunningham, Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary).

“[From Rob Staples] I got my first taste of theology while also learning the richness of his insights and the kindness of his spirit. . . . He introduced me to the wider world of theological discussion. . . . His graduate seminar on John Wesley opened my mind to the great truths of our tradition in ways I had not known before, and that prodded me to further study and exploration of Wesley… I mourn the loss of a dear teacher and wonderful friend” (Hal Cauthron, SNU).

“Rob Staples taught his students how to think like Wesleyans and live like Christians. He taught systematic theology at Bethany Nazarene College and at Nazarene Theological Seminary. At Bethany, it was the capstone course for senior religion majors. The course functioned differently at NTS, where it was the entrée course into graduate theological studies. In either setting, it was a thorough introduction to Christian theology. His seminars were mainly in Historical Theology—seminars on Luther, Arminius, and other major Christian thinkers. Of these, his signature course was ‘Wesley’s Theology,’ which he taught with great enthusiasm and insight. Many of his students considered it their favorite class and discovered that it grounded their own thinking for a lifetime” (Stan Ingersol, Nazarene Archives).

A service of death and resurrection will be held Sunday, May 24, at 3:30 pm, at Overland Park Church of the Nazarene, where Staples was a longtime member. Phil Hamner will officiate.

Two scholarship funds have been established in his honor. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to either of these: Rob L. Staples Scholarship Fund, Nazarene Theological Seminary, 1700 East Meyer Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64131 (816-333-6254); or Rob L. Staples Scholarship Fund, Trevecca Nazarene University, 333 Murfreesboro Road, Nashville, TN 37210.

As a tribute to the life and ministry of Rob L. Staples, Grace and Peace Magazine has developed a website where persons can leave their thoughts and remembrances. Entries submitted to inremembrance.graceandpeacemagazine.org will be given to the Nazarene Archives for its Rob L. Staples Collection.