# Who is Greg Nichols?



## bookslover (Jan 24, 2018)

Can someone tell me who this person is?

I just saw an ad for Volume 2 of what will be a multi-volume systematic theology. Looks interesting, but I know nothing about him.

Anyone know his denominational affiliation? Whether he's orthodox or not (or might be eccentric in some areas)?

I don't want to spend money without knowing something about him.


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## arapahoepark (Jan 24, 2018)

If I recall correctly, he is a Baptist of the reformed flavor and not a 1689 Federalist. His book on covenant theology has a baptist rendition of the one covenant two administrations view.


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## Von (Jan 25, 2018)

I don't know.


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## py3ak (Jan 25, 2018)

His bio on Sermonaudio:



> Pastor Greg Nichols has over 20 years of pastoral experience. He is a graduate and former professor of Trinity Ministerial Academy, Montville, NJ. He is the author of What Does the Bible Say about God?, The Biblical Doctrine of God (Truth For Eternity). He is a pastor of Grace Immanuel Reformed Baptist Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Greg and his wife Ginger have 4 children.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Tyrese (Jan 25, 2018)

He’s an excellent teacher. I’ve never heard any of his sermons though. Long story short, he has a lot of respect in Reformed Baptist circles.


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## Pilgrim (Feb 1, 2018)

Tyrese said:


> He’s an excellent teacher. I’ve never heard any of his sermons though. Long story short, he has a lot of respect in Reformed Baptist circles.



And some outside of those circles as well. Rev William Shishko (OPC) mentions Pastor Nichols in his lectures on baptism. I think he may have be the main RB that Shishko mentions during the course of that series.


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## Dachaser (Feb 2, 2018)

Tyrese said:


> He’s an excellent teacher. I’ve never heard any of his sermons though. Long story short, he has a lot of respect in Reformed Baptist circles.


His completed Systematic Theology would be a nice series to have and go through.


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## Timotheos (Feb 2, 2018)

arapahoepark said:


> If I recall correctly, he is a Baptist of the reformed flavor and not a 1689 Federalist. His book on covenant theology has a baptist rendition of the one covenant two administrations view.


His book on covenant theology is quite good. And I'm a 1689 federalist!


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## bookslover (Feb 3, 2018)

Well, I've ordered the first two volumes of his _Lectures on Systematic Theology_. I think there will be 7 volumes (!) by the time he's done. He won't convert me into being a Baptist, but it should be good reading. From what I've read in this thread, he appears to be a legit guy with a good reputation.


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## deleteduser99 (Feb 3, 2018)

Greg Nichols was my pastor five years ago. A solid teacher! Back at Trinity Baptist Church He was referred to by a fellow elder as a heat-seeking missile for his ability to set a Biblical subject in the intellectual crosshairs and exhaust the subject thoroughly. Having been in his Sunday School classes, that’s a true statement. That’s how Greg Nichols writes, and that’s what he does in Sunday Schools.


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## Ed Walsh (Feb 3, 2018)

Harley said:


> Greg Nichols was my pastor five years ago.



He preached a number of times in my church many years ago while still a student of Al Martin's. I agree with what you said above. I listened to one of his recent sermons and it seemed to me that he has mellowed a bit (in a good way) with age.


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## Ben Zartman (Feb 3, 2018)

I'm told the books contain the substance of his lectures on various topics at Trinity Ministerial Academy. Having listened to some of those lectures (on very scratchy, ancient recordings), I'm pretty excited to get his books as soon as my budget allows.


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## Timotheos (Feb 3, 2018)

Ben Zartman said:


> I'm told the books contain the substance of his lectures on various topics at Trinity Ministerial Academy. Having listened to some of those lectures (on very scratchy, ancient recordings), I'm pretty excited to get his books as soon as my budget allows.


Is there a link to these books so we can check it out?


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## Dachaser (Feb 3, 2018)

Ben Zartman said:


> I'm told the books contain the substance of his lectures on various topics at Trinity Ministerial Academy. Having listened to some of those lectures (on very scratchy, ancient recordings), I'm pretty excited to get his books as soon as my budget allows.


He is Reformed baptist of which persuasion?


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## Stephen L Smith (Feb 3, 2018)

bookslover said:


> He won't convert me into being a Baptist


Did you read Acts 18:25-26 "This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only infant baptism. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Reformed Baptist Greg Nichols heard him, he took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately".


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## Dachaser (Feb 3, 2018)

Stephen L Smith said:


> Did you read Acts 18:25-26 "This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only infant baptism. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Reformed Baptist Greg Nichols heard him, he took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately".


As Paul harvey would say, " And now you know the rest of the story"


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## Ben Zartman (Feb 3, 2018)

Timotheos said:


> Is there a link to these books so we can check it out?


I don't know if there's links--I only know about them because our pastor is part of the editing, so we get advanced notice when one is coming out. One of our members says she got it on Kindle Prime, whatever that is.


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## Ben Zartman (Feb 3, 2018)

Dachaser said:


> He is Reformed baptist of which persuasion?


Not sure there's very many different persuasions among RBs--we're all kinda similar. But he's not a 1689 Federalist, and I don't think he's part of ARBCA. Just another Vanilla RB, I guess.


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## C. M. Sheffield (Feb 3, 2018)

Dachaser said:


> He is Reformed baptist of which persuasion?



Historically in the Trinity/Albert Martin school of Reformed Baptists.


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## Dachaser (Feb 5, 2018)

C. M. Sheffield said:


> Historically in the Trinity/Albert Martin school of Reformed Baptists.


Which would be what, as not familiar with that group?


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## Timotheos (Feb 5, 2018)

Dachaser said:


> Which would be what, as not familiar with that group?


Confessional RB not a part of ARBCA (or similar), I believe. As I understand it, it came down to a difference between formal associations vs non-formal associations. I know there is more to it than that. 

This interview may help:


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## Dieter Schneider (Feb 5, 2018)

bookslover said:


> Can someone tell me who this person is?
> 
> I just saw an ad for Volume 2 of what will be a multi-volume systematic theology. Looks interesting, but I know nothing about him.
> 
> ...





bookslover said:


> Can someone tell me who this person is?
> 
> I just saw an ad for Volume 2 of what will be a multi-volume systematic theology. Looks interesting, but I know nothing about him.
> 
> ...


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## Dieter Schneider (Feb 5, 2018)

Greg Nichols can be listened to online (links are on my blog)


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## bookslover (Feb 6, 2018)

Well, Volume 1 of his _Lectures in Systematic Theology_ arrived today. Looks very nice. Good typesetting, nice cover. And it's large (676 pp.).

I was surprised to discover, however, that it's self-published (with Reformation Heritage Books acting as distributor, along with Amazon). Kind of surprised that a guy as plugged-in as Nichols couldn't find a publisher to issue his work.

Volume 2 should be arriving soon.


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## Timotheos (Feb 6, 2018)

bookslover said:


> Well, Volume 1 of his _Lectures in Systematic Theology_ arrived today. Looks very nice. Good typesetting, nice cover. And it's large (676 pp.).
> 
> I was surprised to discover, however, that it's self-published (with Reformation Heritage Books acting as distributor, along with Amazon). Kind of surprised that a guy as plugged-in as Nichols couldn't find a publisher to issue his work.
> 
> Volume 2 should be arriving soon.


Actually, this is the easy way to get something published and get much more of the royalties. Amazon is making this very easy too. Having RHB promote only helps to sell more books.


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## KMK (Feb 7, 2018)

Timotheos said:


> Actually, this is the easy way to get something published and get much more of the royalties. Amazon is making this very easy too. Having RHB promote only helps to sell more books.



Who reviews and edits the manuscript in a self-publishing endeavor?


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## bookslover (Feb 7, 2018)

KMK said:


> Who reviews and edits the manuscript in a self-publishing endeavor?



Under Nichols' name on the front cover, it says: "Rob Ventura, General Editor." I assume that Ventura's job is to assist Nichols in getting his manuscripts into publishable shape. Ventura is pastor of a Reformed Baptist church in North Providence, Rhode Island.

Also, I notice that Nichols got saved "in the early 1970s, when he was in his early 20s," per his church's website (which I recently found). I'm 65, so he's perhaps two or three years older than me. Interestingly, he was originally trained as a chemical engineer.

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