Confessions of an Ex-Pentecostal by Phil Stairs carefully recounts his long and agonizing quest to find his home in the evangelical world. Raised in the United Pentecostal Church by his godly father with very strong friendships therein, Phil, being a reflective thinker, began to have doubts and ambivalent feelings about the UPC. This book is well-written, self-effacing, humorous at times and irenic, in the spirit of Proverbs 27:6: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” Throughout the book Phil remains a friend of Pentecostals while exposing their weaknesses and praising their strengths, seeking always to base his perspective on Scripture. May God be pleased to use it to promote unity in the family of God.
Rick Cryder
Chaplain and retired pastor, Hamilton, Ohio, USA
Confessions of an Ex-Pentecostal is a fascinating story of the personal and theological struggles of a pastor brought up in one of the more extreme representations of Pentecostalism. It is a story filled with love toward those from whom he eventually separated. This book is devoid of anger and bitterness but filled with thoughtfulness and a desire to follow God wherever that would lead. While the title would not seem to endear itself to Pentecostals, the struggles and his charitable heart will likely be an encouragement to such. Phil takes us on a journey of the soul that is intriguing and thought provoking. I expect godly people of a number of different persuasions will find this short book long on blessing and encouragement.
Doug Blair
Retired pastor, former chair of Heritage College & Seminary and former chair of the Fellowship National Council
I enjoyed reading my friend and brother Phil Stairs’ story of his personal, theological and pastoral journey. Phil writes as he was in person: brief, blunt, astute, with a wonderfully dry sense of humour. In our age of unquestioned and unabashed partisanship, it was truly refreshing to see how Phil tried to get each side of the aisle to learn from the other—something sorely lacking in most debates today. I commend Confessions of an Ex-Pentecostal to charismatics and non-charismatics alike.
Wayne Baxter
Professor of New Testament and Greek, Heritage College & Seminary
Mentored into pastoral ministry by Phil Stairs and remaining close friends for nearly another thirty years, I noted that there were two things that were the construct of his life—he never took himself seriously and always took his Lord and Saviour, Jesus, very seriously. In so many ways Confessions of an Ex-Pentecostal is the fruit of that reality. Phil was a man who lived to demythologize pretense and ministered from a platform of earthy spirituality. Thirty-five years ago, Phil entrusted me with the deeper realities of his life when he handed me the manuscript to this book. He never published it for reasons that remain his own. I am glad his family is choosing to publish this page-turner—it is a journey worth sharing. It is no small thing to offramp a generational belief system.
Rick Baker
Retired pastor, Fellowship National Council Member and ABWE Board Member
Though Phil is no longer physically with us, he still has much to teach us all through this book’s humble wisdom and vulnerable transparency concerning his own personal experience and eventual departure from his traditional Pentecostal upbringing.
Tim Roddick
Pastor, Trailhead Baptist Church, Petawawa, Ontario, Canada
Phil’s struggle in his life and ministry was caused by his commitment to “a real exegetical base” for his beliefs and his unwavering duty to doctrinal integrity. How we pray that every pastor would be driven by these same convictions, for then they would experience what Phil did: a life spent well for God’s gospel glory.
This story will bless Christians, and certainly pastors, as in it you will learn from one whose sole authority was the Word of God for all of life and ministry. Calling you to be men and women of the Book, guided, directed and constrained by the Word. This was true for Phil to such a degree that it demanded significant change in his life and ministry—at great personal and relational cost. However, this was a cost he was willing to pay, to be faithful to the Word of Christ and the Christ of the Word.
Norm Millar
Senior pastor, Redemption Bible Chapel, London, Ontario, Canada
I first met Phil as a new youth pastor near the beginning of my pastoral vocation. I ventured out to our Fellowship Baptist Association meeting in London, Ontario, and knew no one. Seasoned senior pastors were enjoying one another’s company, with very few leaders in attendance who looked like me. After a few visits, I thought of not returning—except for Pastor Stairs. He searched me out at each gathering and spent time talking and praying with me. We had lost our lead pastor, and I needed help and wisdom; I needed a sounding board. Phil wonderfully provided that for me, with much grace and encouragement. I deeply appreciated him.
I knew nothing of Pastor Stair’s background until many years later. What I experienced in my early days of ministry was his immense shepherding heart and his generous spirit. In his book, Confessions of an Ex-Pentecostal, amid the struggles he faced and the burden of deciding to exit his faith family, I was wonderfully reminded of his generous and gracious spirit toward all people, even those he strongly disagreed with on matters of doctrine. A true gentle-man.
Steven Jones
National president, The Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada
One of my favourite memories of Phil Stairs is when I tried to imitate Eugene Peterson’s “Kittel Among the Coffee Cups.” For a number of months, on Tuesday mornings, a group of six to eight of us would gather to translate from the Greek New Testament (the Gospel of Mark) and exchange ideas and reflections. Phil was a leader in this group who always came with a precise translation, a researched interpretation and thoughtful reflections on implication and impact. This was very much rooted in his high view of Scripture, his passion for biblical preaching and his commitment to the ministry and mission of Christ’s church. These values are very much reflected in his very personal story recounted in this book. The values that Phil embraced are a reminder of how important such values are when any of us seek to do well in our callings as pastors and teachers.
David G. Barker
Professor emeritus of biblical studies, Heritage College & Seminary, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
Philip D. Stairs (1941–2019) was a faithful pastor for over fifty years in churches in both Canada and the United States. He was a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, North Central College (BA), Winona Lake School of Theology (MA), Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (MTS) and Westminster Theological Seminary (DMin).
