Lewis B. Smedes

Lewis Benedictus Smedes (August 20, 1921 — December 19, 2002) was a renowned Christian author, ethicist, and theologian in the Reformed tradition. He was a professor of theology and ethics for twenty-five years at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. His 15 books, including the popular Forgive and Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve, covered some important issues including sexuality and forgiveness. 2Personal Lewis Benedictus Smedes was born in 1921, the youngest of five children. His father, Melle Smedes, and mother, Rena, emigrated to the United States from Oostermeer, Friesland in the Netherlands (Rena's name before being changed by the officials at Ellis Island was Renske.) When he was two months old, his father died in the partially completed house he built in Muskegon, Michigan. Smedes married Doris Dekker. He died after falling from a ladder at his home in Sierra Madre, California on December 19, 2002. He was survived by his wife, three children, two grandchildren and one brother. 2Education Smedes graduated from Calvin College (B.A.), Calvin Theological Seminary (B.D.), and the Free University of Amsterdam (Th.D). He pursued other graduate studies at Oxford University in England and the University of Basel in Switzerlan