Saturday, June 06, 2020

Steve Hays (1959-2020)

We just learned that Steve Hays has passed away in a hospice. He had cancer and heart disease. Both conditions were initially treatable, but he declined treatment. He was content to let go and die a natural death. What he lived by, he died by. He was preceded in death by both his parents.

He wrote a memoir titled A Backward Providence. An original edition was written many years ago, but he updated it shortly before his death.

All that Steve provided for an obituary was most of what's in the first paragraph above. But a lot more can and ought to be said. This post will remain at the top of the screen for the next three days, then normal posting will resume. Anybody on the Triablogue staff who wants to start another thread about Steve at that point or later is free to do so. Thank you.

123 comments:

  1. Oh man... 😢. At least he is resting with his Lord.

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  2. How was he able to churn out the quality stuff he wrote while so sick?

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  3. Oh no. What an important voice. His writings helped me so much. Brought me out of the Catholic Church. Who was he? Where did he live? What was his job? Was he married? I have followed this blog since I was a teenager and now I’m 35… I know almost nothing about the author

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  4. Shocked, and saddened, but we know we will see him again...I thank the Lord for such an important and influential voice in my life.

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  5. As was said above, I'm shocked to hear this. Thankful for Steve's ministry. For him to live was Christ, and to die is gain.

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  6. I'm shocked. I learned so much and saw how important his thinking was. I've been reading this blog for so long. I can't even put together words right now.

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  7. I am shocked. I will forever be thankful for his work, and oh how I will miss his comments! The skepticutioner has found eternal peace through Jesus Christ. Rejoice

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  8. My father passed away and today's his funeral. So, this year just sucks.Mr. Hays was an inspiration of mine. I'm glad to know that he died in faith and on his terms.

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  9. Shocked and sad. Steve has helped me better understand the Christian faith. We never met personally, but we did exchange some comments. I've been reading this blog for years now, and Steve has been the one I've read the most. He was a great thinker, and I'm sure he was even a better person. We will miss him but I'm sure we'll see him again soon. See you brother.

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  10. I had no idea. Steve has influenced my Christian thinking for the better part of a decade. God used him in many ways. To live is Christ, to die is gain.

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  11. See you again Steve. Thanks for defending the faith delivered once and all for the saints. This blog matters so much to me. I pray for his family and his legacy to continue in taking captive every thought to Christ, and that the other bloggers and commenters continue to train others to think critically and biblically, though we have lost a voice and his razor sharp mind, he was faithful and praying his family would grieve as those who have hope. Man, what a year. Lord have mercy. Jesus come soon.

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  12. Wow. This is incredibly shocking news. I'm a young person in the faith and have been reading Steve's material from this website for a few years now. And even recently he's been making posts I had no idea he was ill in his health. He was a brilliant apologist and the way he articulated everything including philosophy was on a level i've never seen anyone else on. Thank you for inspiring me to defend the Trinity, Steve. You are now cancer-free and in the presence of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ!

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  13. My friend Jonathan McLatchie just told me. His contribution through his writings has been enormous - one of the Faith's unsung servants. I earnestly look forward to meeting him in the sweet by and by.

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  14. Oh no, very sad news. Steve and I corresponded privately here and there, as I'm sure he did with others. His death is a shock, he never mentioned health problems. I never got to meet him in real life.

    And while no one who lives to 61 has been robbed, it does seem a bit young in this age and time.

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    1. I know he held “Pilgrim’s Promise” in very high esteem, and he was very much a forward-looking person.

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    2. John, I did not know that Steve was ill, I do know how much you respected him. I'm so sorry for this loss.

      ~Ali

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  15. Unexpected and sad news, he did great things for God's kingdom and was always very encouraging to me.

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  16. I'm sorry to hear this. Rest in peace Steve.

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  17. Thank you so much, Steve.

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  18. I will miss him. He had a good opinion on things. I appreciate that he cared about the truth of God's Word. He was the same age as my brother.

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  19. Will be much missed for his sharp mind and incisive critiques. His thinking on the problem of evil had a profound impact on my own thinking and is reflected in my forthcoming book on the subject.

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  20. I'm in shock. Reading his blog when I first started getting into theology gave me a near equivalent of a Reformed seminary education. We used to talk shop all the time back when I was a Calvinist. Had a great sense of humour. When I left the Reformed camp he said it was because I'm Canadian and Canadians are too nice to be Calvinists! Rest in peace, Steve. Can't wait to finally meet you in person.

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  21. Thank you, Steve, for inviting us on your journey, for so ably and earnestly contending for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. We are saddened by your passing and inspired by the courage of your convictions. Rest in peace, Christian warrior, victory is yours! Hallelujah!

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  22. Today is the 76th anniversary of D-Day. Perhaps a fitting day to have passed away. He fought the good fight.

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  23. I'm absolutely stunned by this sad news. I had no idea he was unwell, even though we were in fairly regular correspondence -- always matters of theology, philosophy, and apologetics rather than personal. He had a uniquely sharp and creative intellect, and I've learned a great deal from his insights over the years, even when we disagreed (maybe especially in those instances). The critical comments he gave me on draft articles I sent him was invaluable. See you in glory, Steve.

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  24. I've known Steve since 1993. We were classmates at Westminster Seminary in California, and part of the same prayer group with John Frame. Our personal correspondence has continued every month since then. I have a large box of his correspondence, from the days when he would type everything on a manual typewriter. Steve was a deep encouragement to me as a fellow student, always taking an interest in my personal life and aspirations. Frame used to comment that Steve was more well-read than the professors, and that was obvious when he spoke up in class.

    I'm stunned, and I will miss him.

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    1. I'm kind of glad to think that this comment and that of Dr. Frame below probably mean that "Steve Hays" was not a pseudonym. It's not like God wouldn't know whom I was speaking of when I prayed for him in his lifetime, even if it was a pseudonym, but now that he's gone on to glory I'd like to think of him by a name that was really his, trivial though that may seem.

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    2. Correct, Steve Hays was his real name.

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  25. I'm so sad to get this news. Steve was a good friend of mine, often a comfort. Triablogue is the only blog that read "religiously" each day, and that is because Steve's pieces (but not only his) treat each issue carefully, comprehensively, cogently, and with deep biblical understanding and nuance. He was certainly one of the three or four best students I ever taught (Greg Welty was another). I thank God for Steve and for the many blessings of his friendship since the early 1990s.

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    1. I have benefited in different but profound ways from each of yourself (via your books), Greg (in person, during his time in the UK), but especially Steve over the last 15 years (Triablogue is also for me the only blog I read each daily, Monday-Saturday). So familiar has Steve's writing become, and so rare in its combination of depth and profundity whilst still being accessible enough to read at breakfast or whatever time of day (at least, amongst what I've found), that its absence will leave a great hole. The apologetic arguments he presented have been a great help to me personally in the difficult journey of this present life. His ability to get to the heart of an issue has been a great help to me in summarising issues in teaching my family too. May the Lord raise up many to carry on the kind of work he was doing.

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  26. I'll miss his insight and constancy. God bless him.

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  27. I’ve been incredibly blessed by Steve’s ministry for years. Thank God for his life and faith in Christ. I trust that he is now rejoicing before the Lord together with the saints in light.

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  28. You know, I've taken 2020 in stride so far this year, but this is shocking and sad.

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  29. I agree with so much said here. It was Steve Hays who pointed me to the works of people like James Anderson, Lydia McGrew, and so many others. I'm not surprised by John Frame's comment from Steve's seminary days - in reading him for the last 15 years, I've consistently been amazed at the same.

    So thankful for his ministry, and for the promise of Resurrection.

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  30. Steve Hays, a lion in Israel, Num.23:24; Mic.5:7-9.

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  31. Rest in glory, dear brother, and looking forward to joining you in everlasting worship of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

    Sean Choi

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  32. So sad. I loved Steve's work. But at least he is resting in the arms of Jesus.

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  34. I thank God for Steve. Reading him made me a better thinker and, more importantly, a better Christian. I will miss him.

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  35. I am an atheist, but I'd check up on this blog almost daily and read anything that interested me or caught my attention. To check up today, only to find out about Steve's passing surprised me. He will be missed.

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  36. Wow. Rest in glory. Steve was a rare gem. He honestly was the voice of this blog. His wit, humor, and knowledge made him a unique personality. I loved coming here everyday to see the next topic he posted about -- his conversations with unitarians, etc.

    Not seeing his posts anymore will be disheartening. But thank God he made enough content on here for us to always go to and look at.

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  37. I met Steve through Greg Welty out in the San Diego/Escondido area during our WTS-CA days. I think it was around 1995 or 1996. We corresponded on and off over the years since he moved away, even just this past week. I'm grateful to the Lord for his interest in me as a brother, a friend, and a scholar. I've always appreciated his incisive comments on the issues du jour. He was as tenacious as a bulldog on the things he thought were true (and therefore maddening if you were ever on the other side of an issue he cared deeply about!). His love for the Lord and the faith were evident to all; he died well, clinging to his savior to the very end. May you rest in peace, Steve, as you await the glorious day of resurrection!

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  38. Makes me sad, but joyful at the same time knowing he sees his Lord face to face. Steve's ministry was a huge help for me understanding the Bible and becoming a better critical thinker. He will be missed.

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  39. Rest in peace Steve. This blog and his insights were and continue to be a great asset for myself and undoubtedly many others. From 2009 onward, it's helped me weather my crisis of faith more than anything other resource. Steve's commentary , knowledge and insight will be greatly missed. We'll meet again Lord willing.

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  40. I found this blog about 4 years ago, and has constantly been an incredible source or knowledge and insightful commentary. Finding it was actually a very important part of me intellectually moving on from Catholicism.

    Funnily enough, I previously thought 'Steve Hays' was a pseudonym to protect him in secular employment.

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    1. Interesting you should say that. I’ve often felt that he was far more anonymous than even lots of the folks who use pseudonyms.

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    2. Yeah, I tried to find info about him online and came across his Facebook page. I was quite convinced he, for example, worked for a tech company and didn't want his views expressed publicly.

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  41. Very sad. Triablogue was the most important source in my struggles against atheism and Roman Catholicism. Steve's articles helped me a lot. He was a great thinker. it's weird because i never interacted with him, but i read him almost every day. it is as if I have lost someone very close. Thank you Steve. Your legacy will not be forgotten.

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  42. This is such sad news to me. Steve was a brilliant mind and I wish I could have known him personally. His insight on current events and especially Roman Catholicism have been very helpful for me. I don't remember exactly when I discovered Steve, but I believe it was around 10 years ago or so. He will be missed and I am very thankful for his ministry, and am also thankful for his legacy here on Triablogue.

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  43. I'm sorry to hear this. It's shocking because most people (even those who aren't prone to self-pity) would have relayed such personal struggles when nearing death. It would have been normal had he done so, but it's a testament to his fortitude and faith that he did not.

    I didn't always agree with Steve, and I sometimes found him to be a difficult personality, perhaps because he was uncompromising on many things. But he was a brilliant apologist, and his modesty and desire to live a private life was refreshing in this era when most folks can't get enough screen time.

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  44. 2020 sucks in more ways than one. I've been reading Steve Hays since 2006 or 2007. He helped sharpen my mind in Christian apologetics in so many ways. I wish I could have sent him an email thanking him for his help! Darn it all! ...This hurts, man. Steve was awesome. I miss him so much already.

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  45. Wow, what a shock. Steve and I had our disagreements but i always enjoyed his posts.

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  46. Steve has been one of the most influential and helpful people in my life.
    RIP
    I will miss your short fiction.
    I will miss so many things about you.

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  47. Very sad news. He had an eminently sharp mind and could communicate his thinking so clearly and incisively. I learned so much from him. Rest in peace with Jesus, Steve.

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  48. A great shock! I worked with Steve on John Frame's material for use online and on his thesis defense, with Frame as his advisor. Quick wit and dry sense of humor. His mom was a delight. This is such a loss. Rest in peace, dear Brother! - Donn DeHart, RTS, Global

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  49. I think it would be wonderful if Steve's writings on various websites were consolidated into an actual, physical book - extremely lengthy though it would be. As it is, I'm grateful we have the legacy of his available thoughts and testimony.

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  50. Completely shocked. Just the suddenness of it all... But nonetheless I have benefitted incalculably from Steve's work. May he be refreshed in the presence of our Lord and may He grant comfort to those who mourn.

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  51. I discovered Triablogue almost 5 years ago now. I've been reading daily ever since. Steve was a great defender of the faith. I will miss him dearly.

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  52. Sad new for the Church Militant. We still needed him here on earth. But Great news for the Church Triumphant in heaven. If anyone ever rightly deserved the title Fidei Defensor [Defender of the Faith], it was Steve Hays. A Warrior has entered the Halls of Heaven. Why God would take him home early, we'll never fully know on this side of death. God's ways are truly mysterious. It seems tacky to quote the famous lines of Shakespeare, but I'm sure he's receiving his great reward.

    Fear no more the heat o’ the sun,
    Nor the furious winter’s rages;
    Thou thy worldly task hast done,
    Home art gone, and ta’en thy wages:
    Golden lads and girls all must,
    As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.

    Praise God that we had an apologist like Steve to give us ARGUMENTS to strengthen our faith that it doesn't end with dust.

    Lord, please raise up dozens of apologists who will follow in Steve's footsteps.

    With Steve's fascination with light, and having just read his final memoir, I'm reminded of Watts' hymn:

    1 There is a land of pure delight,
    where saints immortal reign;
    infinite day excludes the night,
    and pleasures banish pain.


    2 There everlasting spring abides,
    and never-withering flowers;
    death, like a narrow sea, divides
    that heavenly land from ours.

    Like many of the people who've already commented, I too have been deeply influenced in my thinking and Christian spirituality by Steve and his materials. I'm among probably many who consider themselves his theological and apologetical "students" and "children", so to speak. And feel like Elisha when Elijah was taken away:

    11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
    12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.- 2 Kings 2:11-12 KJV

    We'll miss you Steve. :´^( Thanks for Finishing Strong, setting an example and showing us how it's done!

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  53. "Sunrise lies beyond the setting sun. It cannot be reborn in the east unless it dies in the west. And once it dies, there's nothing to keep us here. Only darkness remains. Unbelievers rage against the dying light. But for the saints, our light must die below to then ascend to the zenith of meridian glory. Before we rise to light everlasting, our sun must set." Steve Hays, A Backwards Providence

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  54. I learned a lot from Steve even when disagreeing with him, though I agreed with him most of the time. He was a very interesting individual. At this stage, he doesn't need to resort to his formidable mental apparatus, nor his library, nor his learning, since he no longer sees through a mirror darkly.

    RIP Steve.

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  55. Rest in peace, dear brother. You will be sorely missed. I have been blessed since around '05 to have stumbled upon this blog and your work.

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  56. I am grateful to the Lord Jesus for the ministry of Steve. I owe a lot to Steve for the defense of the faith and my growth in it.

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  57. I'm very saddened by this news. I knew Steve was quite ill, but I didn't think the last time we corresponded would be the last time.

    I join the people here who've expressed admiration of Steve's mind, and gratitude that he shared so many of his valuable thoughts here. I'm going to miss his insight and encouragement.

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  58. I came across Triablogue in about 2003-2004. I’m an Australian. I have read Triablogue posts most days since then, in large part because of Steve’s posts. I’ve learned an incredible amount from them.

    Pretty much the only context in which I haven’t felt saying “Amen, brother” were articles about gun control. For Australians, we are left scratching our heads when gun control is opposed.

    Steve has not only educated me and enlightened me to new lines of thought, but this will be passed to my three young daughters

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  59. Deeply impacted by his life and ministry. I will miss him very much, tears have been shed. See you in Glory.

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  60. I've been reading Steve here at TB for 15 years and in that time he made an impact on my Christian walk. Though I often disagreed with him, those weren't the defining experience I had. I'm sorry to hear of his death, since death is an unnatural and terrible thing, but I'll quote a hymni sang with some folks from my church for Easter a few years ago.

    Why do we mourn departing friends
    Or shake at death’s alarms?
    ’Tis but the voice that Jesus sends
    To call them to His arms.

    Why should we tremble to convey
    Their bodies to the tomb?
    There the dear flesh of Jesus lay
    And scattered all the gloom.

    Thence He arose, ascending high,
    And showed our feet the way.
    Up to the Lord, we, too, shall fly,
    At the great rising-day.

    May God have mercy on him and pardon all his since He is a merciful God and loves man.

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  61. Really painful news - Steve has been special to me for 15 years, and I’ve only known him through his writing. I’ve always wondered what he was like in person; I’m glad I’ll find out in heaven.

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  62. I don't completely recall how I first "met" Steve. I think he e-mailed me sometime in the early 2000's in regard to something about John Calvin. What I remember about the e-mail is that the content was well-written and more complex than I what I was able at the time to converse on. That sort of summarizes how I've viewed Steve's writing abilities over the years. It's not that everything he wrote was above my academic level, it's that his writing demonstrated to me over and over that he was a much deeper thinker than I am. Bluntly: he was more intelligent and verbally capable than most of us. When someone, friend or enemy, would lump me in with Steve, I felt embarrassed. It's like putting a toddler next to the starting quarterback on the high school football team.

    To his cyber-opponents, watching them squirm at the end of his verbal sword,...well... I enjoyed that probably more than I should have! Yes, it was a guilty pleasure. Steve would show up on my blog from time to time. He typically was able to find the exact spot of weakness that a detractor was fixated on and take them apart. I don't ever recall Steve losing his cool, at least it never came across that way.

    One thing I've discovered over the years is that the people I become friends with or gravitate towards are those who can make me laugh. Steve had a great sense of humor. His wit, in both his planned out written blog posts and his random comments appears to have flowed naturally. Easily, he could have made a living as a satirist!

    Others have mentioned this already: as much as those of us in cyberspace "knew" Steve, I didn't know him at all. I also thought "Steve Hays" may have not been his real name! I never knew anything about him, how old he was, what his job was, if he had family... this never bothered me. Rather, I greatly appreciated that he wasn't a cyber-narcissist. I never recall him looking for any $$ or promoting himself. He easily could have used Triablogue to earn a living. What he did though was allow us to benefit from his insight for free. He gave to us freely.

    As I grow older, death creeps closer and closer. My parents have died. Some of my brothers have died. Close friends have died. My pets have died. Each loss now, however minor, really hits hard. The older we get, the more the words of Lord's Day 1 of the Heidelberg Catechism grow larger and larger on the page. They pulsate: they hit that certain spot each of us has when we consider our lives and all the gifts of family and friends loaned to us from the Lord. It all slowly gets peeled away, until finally, the only real solid thing you have for your comfort, never leaving you, is the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm not sure many of us would ever learn this truth if it were not for being "peeled."

    I find it embarrassing in my own spiritual growth that often it's only by loss, even the loss of a blogger I've never met in-person, that I really take the time to consider the brevity of life and the eternal promises of God fulfilled in the life and death of Jesus Christ. This side of eternity, I will miss Steve. I'm grateful to God to have given him to us for this brief time and being part of my sanctification.

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  63. I was shocked and saddened to learn of Steve's passing late last night. Over nearly two decades, Steve and I spared one line regarding Protestantism and Orthodoxy and a few other issues. Steve was frankly a machine. He could pump out material faster than a swallow could fly south (African or European). Over time, Steve and gained a kind of mutual recognition and respect for each other. We were more like Frenemies, collaborating on areas where we could and where we both saw more serious threats and issues. Steve was a worthy opponent and we are all the poorer for his departure. I had looked forward to someday meeting Steve and I continue to look forward to it, but for now it will have to wait. Someday, but not yet.

    Memory Eternal.

    Perry Robinson

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  64. Sad news. Steve and I met around 1992 and became friends. Life has ups and downs but Steve was a good correspondent. If I wrote him he'd write back and in this day and age that's not a given.

    I was not at all surprised to discover he went on to working with Frame and blogging. I'll miss his posts and miss my friend but am grateful he is with the Lord.

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  65. He could dismantle the arguments of atheists and heretics like few others.

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  66. Frankly, I am saddened by our loss of Steve, and I will miss him and his active mind expressed in his thought-provoking posts. I have learned so much from him over the years, and I grieve his passing, though he is now in a much better place than all of us presently experience.

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  67. This is shocking and sad. Like others have mentioned, I've been coming to this website for a very long time, primarily to read what Steve had to say on the issues of the day regarding philosophy and apologetics. I started reading Triablogue in my late twenties and I am now 42. I can honestly say that Steve's insights always edified me, and there were dark times of doubting when Steve's intellect and uncompromising commitment to Christian truth was a great bulwark against doubts in my mind.

    I also thought 'Steve Hays' might be a pseudonym, and I often wondered who this mysterious man was who so often strengthened my faith. I am genuinely grieved that I will no longer be able to read his insights, but I rejoice that he has passed into glory. Heaven has gained a true soldier for Christ.

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  68. This is beyond shocking. "Triablogue" has been a nearly daily part of my life for years. It's literally the only website I immediately bookmark on every web browser. Though I only comment sporadically (and, sadly, usually in instances of disagreement), I have faithfully read Steve's writing for over a decade. I've consulted his opinion on innumerable topics over the years through this website, always finding him to be at once one of the most original and insightful Christian writers out there while simultaneously being a zealous defender of the orthodox Reformed faith. I did not know Steve personally, but I don't think I can fully describe the enormity of the shock this is. Steve has influenced my own theology more than any other author, living or dead. Life without his continued insights will be a lesser thing. I look forward to meeting him one day in eternity. But I take joy knowing that he is now looking upon the face of the Lord he dedicated his life to and hearing "well done, good and faithful servant."

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  69. Wow . . . Steve was only a couple of years older than me. I was always amazed at the amount of material Steve wrote and also at the logic and Biblical content and also at his vocabulary. I praise God for his faith and writings and testimony he gave for the glory of the Triune God.

    In Steve's posts here, I had to look up many words of his articles (praise God for google and that hovering thingy that gives definitions) and many times I had to read several times to even understand what he was saying, because he was so smart and I am pretty slow in grasping a lot of his material. Many of his articles I would start and give up because of time and they were just over my head intellectually.

    We started emailing a few years ago and he was always gracious and insightful in answering my questions. He also had a warm heart of counsel on some issues that sometimes one may not think he has if they only read some of his articles, especially the way he skewered people in debate - those that he disagreed with. But he was very balanced and wise. As I was asking him more and more questions by email a few months ago (maybe a year ?), he confided in me that had terminal cancer, and asked me not to share that with anyone, and he wrote, "if you have any more questions, ask away because my time on this earth is short"; so I am not shocked at this news, but of course I am very sad, and cried some. I was amazed at how long he kept up and kept writing and was cogent, clear, logical, to the point, and still writing even up until a few days ago. That was really amazing - I think his last post was on June 3 !!!! (Correct me if I am wrong) I was amazed that he kept going these months and I prayed for him and his pain - he never dwelt on himself and wrote something like (by email to me) "we all have to deal with dying"; and "it is the great reality". He seemed really brave to me in dealing with death and pain.

    I told him to make sure all his writings here are preserved. We will will all miss him and his intellect.

    I looked at his Facebook and the tributes there of his closer friends, and this quote of Steve's (shared by Peter Pike, another Triablogue writer) brought me to tears and a few minutes of crying this morning. If you have a lost a loved one, especially a child or a spouse; this was really powerful and ministered to me. Steve's words minister to us even after he is gone on to be with the Lord.

    “The more precious the thing you lose, the more you suffer the loss. But it's better to lose something worthwhile then never having anything worthwhile to lose in the first place. And it's better to suffer the loss of a greater good than to suffer the loss of a lesser good. Even though you suffer less or hardly at all, you miss out on the experience of having had the greater good. Many people lead wretched lives from start to finish. They never had the blessing of something precious to begin with.”

    My tears are flowing more as I read this quote again.

    So wonderful to be "in Christ". I don't see how unbelievers make it mentally and emotionally in this world.

    Steve is enjoying fellowship with the Lord now in heaven.

    "Oh death, where is your sting?"
    "Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ"
    I Corinthians 15
    Ken Temple

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  70. I have learned a great deal from Steve and am thankful for so much of his writings.

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  71. I'm dumbstruck with shock and sadness. Steve was a formidable, dedicated apologist and a profound thinker.

    Thank you, Steve, for all the solid material you have produced.

    Rest with our Lord, dear brother.

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  72. A mighty warrior for Christ has fallen, and then risen, never to fall again. Well, like many here, I have checked for new posts by Steve Hays every day for over 15 years. Good to know I was never alone. When talking about human minds, it's hard for brightness and sharpness to keep a low profile, but Steve Hays has kept it so low that it would have made no difference if he had no profile at all.

    And yet he had one. This he said about himself in his Blogspot profile:

    "I doubled majored in history and Classics. I have an MAR from RTS. In theology, I’m a Calvinist, creationist, inerrantist, semicessationist, classical Christian theist, and amil (with postmil sympathies). I'm a low churchman with a sympathy for a certain amount of high church symbolism. I’m a pragmatist about church polity. On the sacraments, I take them to be symbolic. I regard other issues in sacramentology as secondary to this primary position. In philosophy, I’m an Augustinian exemplarist. I’m a Cartesian dualist. I’m an alethic realist, but scientific antirealist. I believe in innate ideas, sense knowledge (I'm an indirect realist), and the primacy of divine revelation in Scripture. In ethics, I subscribe to traditional Christian morality, rooted [in] God’s revealed law as the source and standard of personal and social ethics. I also subscribe to a supralapsarian theodicy. Although I’m not a Lutheran, a traditional Lutheran service suits my taste in the style of worship."

    Just before last Christmas, he wrote: "I've been blogging nonstop for 15 years. I'll probably take a break for Christmastide." I am just thankful for all this Spirit-driven, unstoppable outpouring of high-quality mindpower for years and years, day after day. Like many here, I think with gratitude of all the times I have spent following his thoughts, striving after them, running after them, trying to anticipate his moves, sometimes even sharply disagreeing, far more often smiling, nodding and taking notes. An inspiration. May his reward be great, and his work for Christ's kingdom be properly preserved for future generations.

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  73. Thank you Steve... Rest in peace

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  74. I just read this... I went numb. I have been reading Steve's work on this blog for probably the entire time it's be in existence. I have too many words, my thoughts are rushing in quick. He was so gracious when I would email him directly with questions, and one time got me in contact with Dr. Frame when I was looking for some answers related to philosophy. He didn't have to do that for a random on the internet. I can say with confidence his writings brought me closer to the Lord, without a doubt my mind and heart are stronger today because of the work Steve did. I did not know about his health problems, but it lends credence to the fact I always felt Steve had a insightful grasp of how fleeting life truly is and to hold this world loosely. I felt that was his wheelhouse, along with of course his apologetic prowess. I learned so much from his writings. I am actually on the verge of tears, I will miss reading him. But, I know he is with the Lord and at rest with his Savior. Thank you Steve.

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    1. I started following Triablogue back in 2013 when I was 16. In 2014, I started messaging Steve directly with questions regarding some of his posts with parts I didn't understand. He was helpful and would respond.
      In retrospect, I feel the same way - with such a genius who has time to answer some 17 year old on the internet? I greatly appreciate this humble feature of his as well.

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  75. Starting later this morning, any further comments submitted to this thread will have to go through moderation before becoming visible to the public. All of our threads are set up that way. Posts start going into moderation after three days. We have it set up that way to avoid problems like having advertisers posting inappropriate material in old threads. You can keep adding comments to the thread, but the process of getting your comment published will take longer.

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  76. Some of the commenters have raised the issue of whether Steve Hays is his real name. It is.

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    1. Was his legal name Stephen? I ask because there have been posts on other websites that I thought might have been our "Steve" but they were posted as Stephen Hays. I imagine that some fans [past and future fans] might want to name their kids after Steve and might wonder whether his legal name was "Steve" or "Stephen" or something else.

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  77. I was always amazed by Steve's output. I have dozens of his articles bookmarked in my "Read later" folder. Can cannot keep up with reading what he wrote.

    I was wondering, I know Steve was a very private man, but did he have family that we could pray for? No names, just yes or no.

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  78. Any way us non facebook people can read some of what others who knew him closely wrote there?

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    1. I'll be re-posting what I wrote there here, probably later today. I imagine others from Triablogue will likewise post their thoughts in the upcoming days as well.

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    2. I'll also be posting about Steve here as well in the next day or so.

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    3. I'd like to link all of their Facebook posts, but I'll let them decide how they want to handle it. Here's mine.

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    4. Wait, he had Fibromyalgia? So he was fighting with one hand tied behind his back this whole time?

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    5. More than only fibromyalgia.

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    6. Oh, I saw the list. But that one makes you fatigued. Hard to think. Maybe the other ones made that worse too.

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    7. Oh yeah, good point.

      Also, I think he shared with some of us several other issues, not all of which made it into the memoir. And of course things became far more difficult as the end approached, but he kept writing without complaint.

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  79. Expanded version of what I wrote above.
    Ken Temple

    https://apologeticsandagape.wordpress.com/2020/06/08/steve-hays-1959-2020/

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  80. You will be missed, Steve. And missed a great deal. Thankfully you had been blogging for a long time so you leave much of your thoughts with us behind. Thank you for that.

    Neil / JM

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  81. My Tribute to Steve. Now He is Free.

    https://youtu.be/pL0bxewHbjo

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  82. "There came to him an image of man's whole life upon the earth. It seemed to him that all man's life was like a tiny spurt of flame that blazed out briefly in an illimitable and terrifying darkness, and that all man's grandeur, tragic dignity, his heroic glory, came from the brevity and smallness of this flame. He knew his life was little and would be extinguished, and that only darkness was immense and everlasting. And he knew that he would die with defiance on his lips, and that the shout of his denial would ring with the last pulsing of his heart into the maw of all-engulfing night."

    Thomas Wolfe, You Can't Go Home Again.

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    1. All of Steve's posts on atheism are still very much relevant. For example, some of these weren't written all that long ago:

      http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2020/05/i-won.html

      http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2020/04/grieving-atheists.html

      http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2020/03/death-is-what-gives-life-meaning.html

      http://triablogue.blogspot.com/search/label/Atheism

      http://triablogue.blogspot.com/search/label/Death

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    2. Moving into hospice isn't very defiant looking to me.

      Good point, Hawk. I know in the beginning I always worried I'd stumble across some new argument against Christianity. After reading here for a few years (starting in 2005, 2006?), I saw that things boiled down to several family of arguments, and that Solomon knew what he was talking about when he said there was nothing new under the sun.

      After seeing Steve's output compared to most Christians, I should really uninstall my games and stick to reading. I'm definitely not going to become a new Steve (heck, some of the insights he had as a kid I haven't had as an adult!), but comparing what I do with my time versus Steve is kinda embarrassing. I beat Crysis 3 again last night. Great. What for?

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    3. Lol, TheFlyingCouch! I have also played way too many video games in my life! Thankfully (I guess?) nothing in recent years, but they used to be huge in my life. I wish I could be more focused and responsible with my time like other Triabloggers are though.

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    4. Video games?

      *closes down Terraria*

      I don't know what you're referring to.

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    5. As a Christian I believe there's no shame in waking up in the morning and sorting through one's nighttime afk loot farming bounty when the i.) the developers are fully aware of the exploit and have done nothing to patch it, ii.) the activity harms no other players, and iii.) there's a significantly good chance of acquiring a god-roll armor piece, weapon, or artifact.

      Not that I personally know anything about such things, but I have "a friend" who has confided in me...*shifty eyes*.

      Ahem...I think steve would have approved of my 3-point list.

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    6. Coram Deo,
      A few problems.

      i.) Your "friend" isn't really a "friend" if he's doing an afk loot farm.

      ii.) As per i.), I mean that YOU are not a real "friend" to your "friend" since you haven't shown him how to use Cheat Engine to hack infinite health and put god-stats on your armor automatically.

      iii.) Three point lists can be improved.
      A. Like this.
      B. And this too.

      iv.) Not withstanding iii.), four point lists have the virtue of being one better than three point lists.

      v.) Additionally, some points don't need to be said.

      xi.) For a further example of v.), this is point eleven. The points in between are self-evident and needless to say.

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    7. Well said, Peter!

      The nostalgia could only have been improved if you'd managed to work in an "apropos the point I just made" usage e.g.:

      "xii.) apropos xi.) stating that unstated points are 'self-evident and needless to say' is a tautology which diminishes the force of the words."

      Or you could have randomly mispeled a cople of words which nevertheless don't lessen the force of the argument.

      Or maybe you could have made an obscure reference to an arcane point in metaphyics.

      Maybe the Cartesian Devil made you do it. Or maybe you're just being intentionally obtuse?

      :0)

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    8. "The nostalgia could only have been improved if you'd managed to work in an "apropos the point I just made"

      i.) I don't have an obligation to provide your argument for you.

      ii.) I engaged with you not because I believe your view has merit, but because your are the best representative of your position. So you are a useful foil.

      "xii.) apropos xi.) stating that unstated points are 'self-evident and needless to say' is a tautology which diminishes the force of the words."

      iii.) I was answering you on your terms, not mine. Try to keep up.

      "Or you could have randomly mispeled a cople of words which nevertheless don't lessen the force of the argument."

      iv.) The appeal to "randomness" is misguided.

      1) There is nothing truly random, since God is in control of all that happens. From a Biblical perspective, it's all known in advance. Foreordained. Foreseen.

      2) Viz. 1), even modern physics understands that seemingly random events can come about from purely deterministic procedures. We just lack the necessary prerequisite knowledge. Ignorance mimicking randomness.

      v.) Apropos iv), asumining arguendo that it is random, the thrust of the sentence undermines itself. Collapses in on itself.

      "Or maybe you could have made an obscure reference to an arcane point in metaphyics."

      vi.) An assertion in search of an argument.

      "Maybe the Cartesian Devil made you do it. Or maybe you're just being intentionally obtuse?"

      vii.) You chose to frame the argument in these terms. I merely responded in kind.

      viii.) D.A. Wilcox wrote: "If one is to adhere to the prototypical structure of the Cartesian Demon, it is imperative to maintain the boundary between the metaphysical and the ontological, irrespective of one's own understanding of the distinction in the milieu. The XVI Century is not to be juxtaposed onto the XX Century as if it had anything more than an ad hoc superficial relationship."

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    9. Welp...what can I say?

      I can sleep well tonight as my friend's avatar afk loot farms knowing T-blogue remains safe and secure in capable hands!

      Hats off to the proprietors of this fine establishment.

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    10. TheFlyingCouch, to say I relate to that would be an understatement!

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  83. My deepest condolences from Singapore. Steve is promoted to glory. It's a far better place than what we have here.

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  84. What a shock! It's less than a month ago that Steve and I were communicating. He was a patient, thoughtful man, filled with a love of Christ. I will miss him and his many helpful insights.

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  85. My deepest condolences from the Czech Republic. Steve, albeit a quite mysterious figure from the blogosphere, has been an encouragement to me through his sharp thinking.

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  86. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  87. I just now found out because I hadn't seen any activity by Steve. Looked at his FB page and found out.

    Steve, you will be missed my friend for a time being. I thank God for introducing us and I look forward to seeing you again. Hope you get to read this.

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  88. I’ve been reading through a lot of Steve’s stuff especially after his passing. Since then, I’ve found myself starting to use Roman numerals as well as the occasional “apropos”, haha. I thought the staff here would find that amusing and can probably relate. :)

    You guys, Steve and his family are in my prayers, still!

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  89. Is this the Steve Hays that wrote the book Musica-Mundana?

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  90. Hays was an incredible Christian thinker and will be missed (but only here and now)....yet he has left such a legacy that his impact still remains--even here. The number of comments on this post is evidence of that incredible impact. No doubt he is enjoying his great reward.

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  91. Doing my devotional reading in Hebrews, this passage made me think of Steve, so I wanted to post it here.

    “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.” Hebrews 6:10

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  92. We'll miss you Hays. You were a fighter, and we wont forget you.
    Love in the Lord Jesus Christ.

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  93. It's been three years now and you are sorely missed. But we will meet again in the sunlight of a new dawn.

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