Dr. Nat Tracy
"One of the most influential persons in my life. Came to HPU somewhat confused. Dr. Tracy provoked my mind and challenged me to think. I cannot express how profound upon me has been his continuing influence."
- Robert Craig
"I remember his eyes twinkling with excitement as he led me and many others to understand the true nature of the Church and how to create community as the Body of Christ. This inspiration and insight gave me direction regarding how to live my life and helped shape the choice of my life work and service."
- James (Jim) Layman
"Dr. Nat Tracy was, and will remain, a hero in my heart and mind with many memories of him."
- Ron and Susan Deal
"Although I loved every professor I had during my university days at Howard Payne from 1958-1962, I especially cherished Dr. Nat Tracy, who taught there for twenty-five years beginning in 1950. He left a lasting influence on my life. My great love and respect for him was for a life well-lived, a teaching ministry fully acclaimed, and a theology of sentiment and soundness of truth. He made such an impact on my life that, after his death, I spent several years researching and writing a book on his life, which was published in 2018 by Clovercroft Publishing, entitled Nat Tracy--Spiritual Genius: His Life, Ministry, Philosophy and an Introduction to His Theology. 1 That title was derived from a definition of "genius" that Dr. Tracy once gave, stated as "one who can see the pattern of things in his field of endeavor." He certainly was of this ingenious sort, as he saw the pattern of things in his realm of spiritual religion and biblical faith.
As a teacher, Dr. Tracy was scrupulously devoted to his task. He often refused speaking engagements throughout the Texas region in deference to his students. He even skipped chapel services on a few occasions to prepare for his upcoming classes. He loved challenging his students to think through the propositions of life, and not to settle for second-hand information---even his own. He once said that a person did not have full knowledge of an idea or subject unless he could explain it clearly in his own words to another person.
Dr. Tracy's prayers beginning each class period glowed with personal warmth and magnetism, usually presented in two-sentence appeals, such as: "Our Father, we were made for purposes higher than we may have found. Help us to be Thy kind of people, and that will be enough," or "Our Father, when you have shown us the loveliness and beauty of real life in Jesus of Nazareth, why can't we respond to Him with our whole being? And yet we want to; we want to!"
The great man was always affirming and generous toward his students. He practiced the general art of loving as God loves. His "Christian Worldview" enamored his students, who never tired of hearing it repeated. His general presentation, though of necessity always serious in nature, often came across with a rare sense of humor. His remarks were with depth but of a simplistic nature that students could understand, sometimes however only by their asking him to repeat his remarks. He did so hopefully to their satisfaction but repeating the original remarks conclusively with entirely different words and sentences. Personal note-taking often got confusing as a result. To the delight of everyone, his insights into Scripture were never trite, hackneyed, nor shopworn interpretations. Whatever the students gained in the class, his main appeal was that they always hold a sense of “divine oughtness," with the incessant pursuit of “godlikeness." Part of the tribute I wrote about him in the book included the following paragraph that represents the intensity with which he pursued everything in life: On an occasion, I asked the great man how he had come to such unconventional insights into spiritual matters as he had. Obviously, he did not tell me that he was a more spiritual person, a greater thinker, or a more receptive student of the Holy Spirit than some of us underlings. Even if it these were true, as undoubtedly, they must have been, one would not have sensed it in his attitude. Instead, he made another remarkable observation that, ever since, has been a motivating factor in my own spiritual journey. He said: "We must go afield in every way with our lives." I came to learn that what he meant by this declaration was that we must always be going beyond any given field of endeavor; be interested in all areas of life; discover the complementary value in every small fragment of spiritual knowledge; put the dove-tail joints of truth together, piece by piece, and always be going beyond ourselves, beginning at our growing edge.
Dr. Tracy had much to say about the church. Though he felt that the modern-day church needed to adopt certain principles of spiritual renewal that did not seem currently apparent, he expressed his feelings out of total respect, because he loved the church intensely. He wrote a manuscript entitled A Search for Authentic Christianity, that was not ever published in its original form but was later revised by Dr. Gary Manning, one of his students, which was published by Trafford Publishing in 2009. In that book Dr. Tracy expressed his indebtedness to the church and wrote: "I love the church and seek to share with the congregation the glory God has for her."
Dr. Tracy was a man of great ideas, proving that such ideas come from men of vision. He was not merely contemporary in his thought but was always years ahead of his time. For example, what he propounded for the church in the sixties is just now becoming a feature of its conversation. In brief, one of the features of Tracy's teaching was God's call to greatness, with servanthood as the leading motif of his ethical system. Part of that greatness included the calling that all Christians should be connected to Christ in a "divine partnership" that also makes them "partial architects" of their life and destiny. Added to this was his incessant mediation of the concepts of the "priesthood of believers" and the "equipping ministry" that combined to form the servant church. Forthright, the unassuming greatness of Nat Tracy, whether in character or idea, won the hearts of all who observed genuinely his life and faith.
After his retirement, in December of 1978 he learned that he had cancer that later took his life. While in the hospital, letters of encouragement came from everywhere. One letter was from a lady student. On several days she happened by as he went for his daily mail at the Student Center Post Office. In the letter, she said in part, "You always made my day by how you treated me and by what you had to say. I just wanted to let you know of the contribution you made to my student days." He showed me the letter, then replied, "You know, when we get to heaven, the ones we are going to look up are those whom we have been able to serve!" He went on to say, "If we could only practice the gentle art of loving as God loves, in just the little things, then the big things will follow." He mused a moment, then concluded, "I think that God would say, 'Joy, real joy, is the kind of reward I get through servanthood."'
Throughout my book I tried to augment his "spiritual genius," a tribute to one who contributed to education in general, Christian education specifically, and especially his genius with respect to his philosophical and theological worldviews. I tried to convey his life, marking his childhood, education, early adulthood and vocation, first as pastor and ultimately as university professor. These included commendation and promotion from Lieutenant to Captain as chaplain in the United States Armed Forces during World War II, his successful pastorates, his remarkable teaching tenure of twenty-five years, and his founding and directing of his Conference on Spiritual Renewal. His theological thought smacks very much in character to that of theologians such as Barth, Bruner, Kraemer, Niebuhr, Trueblood, and in his own denominational camp as a Baptist, E. Y. Mullins. Still, little has been found of his unique perspective in any theological work. These accomplishments depict the life and legend of a truly great man."
As a teacher, Dr. Tracy was scrupulously devoted to his task. He often refused speaking engagements throughout the Texas region in deference to his students. He even skipped chapel services on a few occasions to prepare for his upcoming classes. He loved challenging his students to think through the propositions of life, and not to settle for second-hand information---even his own. He once said that a person did not have full knowledge of an idea or subject unless he could explain it clearly in his own words to another person.
Dr. Tracy's prayers beginning each class period glowed with personal warmth and magnetism, usually presented in two-sentence appeals, such as: "Our Father, we were made for purposes higher than we may have found. Help us to be Thy kind of people, and that will be enough," or "Our Father, when you have shown us the loveliness and beauty of real life in Jesus of Nazareth, why can't we respond to Him with our whole being? And yet we want to; we want to!"
The great man was always affirming and generous toward his students. He practiced the general art of loving as God loves. His "Christian Worldview" enamored his students, who never tired of hearing it repeated. His general presentation, though of necessity always serious in nature, often came across with a rare sense of humor. His remarks were with depth but of a simplistic nature that students could understand, sometimes however only by their asking him to repeat his remarks. He did so hopefully to their satisfaction but repeating the original remarks conclusively with entirely different words and sentences. Personal note-taking often got confusing as a result. To the delight of everyone, his insights into Scripture were never trite, hackneyed, nor shopworn interpretations. Whatever the students gained in the class, his main appeal was that they always hold a sense of “divine oughtness," with the incessant pursuit of “godlikeness." Part of the tribute I wrote about him in the book included the following paragraph that represents the intensity with which he pursued everything in life: On an occasion, I asked the great man how he had come to such unconventional insights into spiritual matters as he had. Obviously, he did not tell me that he was a more spiritual person, a greater thinker, or a more receptive student of the Holy Spirit than some of us underlings. Even if it these were true, as undoubtedly, they must have been, one would not have sensed it in his attitude. Instead, he made another remarkable observation that, ever since, has been a motivating factor in my own spiritual journey. He said: "We must go afield in every way with our lives." I came to learn that what he meant by this declaration was that we must always be going beyond any given field of endeavor; be interested in all areas of life; discover the complementary value in every small fragment of spiritual knowledge; put the dove-tail joints of truth together, piece by piece, and always be going beyond ourselves, beginning at our growing edge.
Dr. Tracy had much to say about the church. Though he felt that the modern-day church needed to adopt certain principles of spiritual renewal that did not seem currently apparent, he expressed his feelings out of total respect, because he loved the church intensely. He wrote a manuscript entitled A Search for Authentic Christianity, that was not ever published in its original form but was later revised by Dr. Gary Manning, one of his students, which was published by Trafford Publishing in 2009. In that book Dr. Tracy expressed his indebtedness to the church and wrote: "I love the church and seek to share with the congregation the glory God has for her."
Dr. Tracy was a man of great ideas, proving that such ideas come from men of vision. He was not merely contemporary in his thought but was always years ahead of his time. For example, what he propounded for the church in the sixties is just now becoming a feature of its conversation. In brief, one of the features of Tracy's teaching was God's call to greatness, with servanthood as the leading motif of his ethical system. Part of that greatness included the calling that all Christians should be connected to Christ in a "divine partnership" that also makes them "partial architects" of their life and destiny. Added to this was his incessant mediation of the concepts of the "priesthood of believers" and the "equipping ministry" that combined to form the servant church. Forthright, the unassuming greatness of Nat Tracy, whether in character or idea, won the hearts of all who observed genuinely his life and faith.
After his retirement, in December of 1978 he learned that he had cancer that later took his life. While in the hospital, letters of encouragement came from everywhere. One letter was from a lady student. On several days she happened by as he went for his daily mail at the Student Center Post Office. In the letter, she said in part, "You always made my day by how you treated me and by what you had to say. I just wanted to let you know of the contribution you made to my student days." He showed me the letter, then replied, "You know, when we get to heaven, the ones we are going to look up are those whom we have been able to serve!" He went on to say, "If we could only practice the gentle art of loving as God loves, in just the little things, then the big things will follow." He mused a moment, then concluded, "I think that God would say, 'Joy, real joy, is the kind of reward I get through servanthood."'
Throughout my book I tried to augment his "spiritual genius," a tribute to one who contributed to education in general, Christian education specifically, and especially his genius with respect to his philosophical and theological worldviews. I tried to convey his life, marking his childhood, education, early adulthood and vocation, first as pastor and ultimately as university professor. These included commendation and promotion from Lieutenant to Captain as chaplain in the United States Armed Forces during World War II, his successful pastorates, his remarkable teaching tenure of twenty-five years, and his founding and directing of his Conference on Spiritual Renewal. His theological thought smacks very much in character to that of theologians such as Barth, Bruner, Kraemer, Niebuhr, Trueblood, and in his own denominational camp as a Baptist, E. Y. Mullins. Still, little has been found of his unique perspective in any theological work. These accomplishments depict the life and legend of a truly great man."
- Robert A. Williams
"As a freshman in 1971 I signed up for my first Bible class, Introduction to the Old Testament, with Dr. Nat Tracy. As I think back on the significance of that class for the rest of my life, I can easily become overcome with emotion to this day. It introduced me to Tracy, and Tracy would open my eyes to Jesus in ways no one else ever had (or has since). He became for me the single most influential person in my life in regard to understanding the character of God, the person of Jesus Christ, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the nature of the Christian life, and the purpose of the Christian church. I would sit in class at times struggling to understand the depth of meaning that his words sought to convey. Even when bewildered by concepts that my mind was still too small to comprehend, I knew I was listening to Truth, Truth that was powerfully formative, profoundly liberating, dynamic, foundational, real!
I would go on to take 21 hours of course work with Dr. Tracy as well as his “Preparation for Christian Marriage” workshop (though not for credit). I would eventually change my minor to Philosophy, his primary discipline, so as to get more of him. His teaching became the bedrock of my theology and my ministry. And his example of humility, servanthood, love, and kindness was just as important. He modeled well what he taught. You could see in his character the character of Christ. You could taste Jesus by spending time with him. Some days I was almost certain that the closet door at the back of his office was really a secret door between worlds, like the wardrobe in the Chronicles of Narnia, through which he went to spend personal time with Jesus, and from which he emerged to share the results of that fellowship with us. He would talk about Jesus with such a twinkle in his eye that I believed he could actually see Jesus right there with us. Being a Christian, according to Tracy, is simple; not easy, but simple. You begin by recognizing how totally broken and bankrupt you are spiritually. You grieve this brokenness, but you do not stoically determine to try harder, instead you surrender yourself, as fully as you know how, to Jesus. And in this surrender, you desperately long to become all that God created you to be; you hunger and thirst for your life to be conformed to the image of Christ. In this state of surrender and longing, you begin to reach out to others in their brokenness with the mercy that you have experienced in Jesus. You give up pretense, play-acting, ulterior motives, hidden agendas, and the desire to manipulate or control others. You seek to overcome the barriers that separate you from others. You make peace as you can. And you live love as best you can, opening your heart to Jesus so that he can love others through you. You live servanthood. You live transparency. You live vulnerability. You do this in a community of mutual trust in Christ and genuine fellowship. And, over time, Christ, who transformed you in an instant at the core of your being when you first trusted your life to him, then transforms the rest of your character to reflect that of his own. You are transformed into the image of Christ. This is the Christian life! And Christian community is to incarnate Jesus’ life in our world. The church is the Body of Christ present and ministering in a broken world.
The prayers of Nat Tracy were profound as well. Often there was a sense of listening in on one side of a private, personal, intimate conversation between a disciple and his master. The wording of these prayers is harder to remember. We did not take notes on the prayers. We just listened and longed to understand. And there were prayers that he challenged us to pray. Two such prayers became key petitions at pivotal points in my life. The first was, “Lord, if you have a job that no one else wants to do, and it can be your will for me, then I volunteer to do that job.” I mulled that prayer over for a couple of weeks before I ever offered it up to God, knowing that he might take me up on it. Over the years I have prayed it many times. What I have discovered is that those places that no one else wants to go, when we go there at his direction to do his bidding, they become holy ground like no other. There is a sweetness there, a sense of his presence there, a communion with him there, that is rare and precious. It is not always easy, but it is always good! The other prayer that Tracy shared was for those days when life got difficult, when following Jesus was hard, when obedience became costly, when pain and suffering grew with every breath, was this: “Lord, this hurts. This is so hard to bear. But I trust you Lord. I trust that what you are creating in me right now as a result of this pain, someday I will come to recognize it, and when I do, I will see that this pain is a small price to pay for what you were able to do in me through it.” And that prayer, the more difficult of the two to pray, has become the more special treasure in my life.
In short, it is hard for me to imagine a life in Christ so rich and meaningful as the one that Dr. Nat Tracy prepared me to live. Without his guidance and influence, my life would have been profoundly different, and significantly impoverished. Thank you, Jesus, for your servant Nat Tracy!!!"
I would go on to take 21 hours of course work with Dr. Tracy as well as his “Preparation for Christian Marriage” workshop (though not for credit). I would eventually change my minor to Philosophy, his primary discipline, so as to get more of him. His teaching became the bedrock of my theology and my ministry. And his example of humility, servanthood, love, and kindness was just as important. He modeled well what he taught. You could see in his character the character of Christ. You could taste Jesus by spending time with him. Some days I was almost certain that the closet door at the back of his office was really a secret door between worlds, like the wardrobe in the Chronicles of Narnia, through which he went to spend personal time with Jesus, and from which he emerged to share the results of that fellowship with us. He would talk about Jesus with such a twinkle in his eye that I believed he could actually see Jesus right there with us. Being a Christian, according to Tracy, is simple; not easy, but simple. You begin by recognizing how totally broken and bankrupt you are spiritually. You grieve this brokenness, but you do not stoically determine to try harder, instead you surrender yourself, as fully as you know how, to Jesus. And in this surrender, you desperately long to become all that God created you to be; you hunger and thirst for your life to be conformed to the image of Christ. In this state of surrender and longing, you begin to reach out to others in their brokenness with the mercy that you have experienced in Jesus. You give up pretense, play-acting, ulterior motives, hidden agendas, and the desire to manipulate or control others. You seek to overcome the barriers that separate you from others. You make peace as you can. And you live love as best you can, opening your heart to Jesus so that he can love others through you. You live servanthood. You live transparency. You live vulnerability. You do this in a community of mutual trust in Christ and genuine fellowship. And, over time, Christ, who transformed you in an instant at the core of your being when you first trusted your life to him, then transforms the rest of your character to reflect that of his own. You are transformed into the image of Christ. This is the Christian life! And Christian community is to incarnate Jesus’ life in our world. The church is the Body of Christ present and ministering in a broken world.
The prayers of Nat Tracy were profound as well. Often there was a sense of listening in on one side of a private, personal, intimate conversation between a disciple and his master. The wording of these prayers is harder to remember. We did not take notes on the prayers. We just listened and longed to understand. And there were prayers that he challenged us to pray. Two such prayers became key petitions at pivotal points in my life. The first was, “Lord, if you have a job that no one else wants to do, and it can be your will for me, then I volunteer to do that job.” I mulled that prayer over for a couple of weeks before I ever offered it up to God, knowing that he might take me up on it. Over the years I have prayed it many times. What I have discovered is that those places that no one else wants to go, when we go there at his direction to do his bidding, they become holy ground like no other. There is a sweetness there, a sense of his presence there, a communion with him there, that is rare and precious. It is not always easy, but it is always good! The other prayer that Tracy shared was for those days when life got difficult, when following Jesus was hard, when obedience became costly, when pain and suffering grew with every breath, was this: “Lord, this hurts. This is so hard to bear. But I trust you Lord. I trust that what you are creating in me right now as a result of this pain, someday I will come to recognize it, and when I do, I will see that this pain is a small price to pay for what you were able to do in me through it.” And that prayer, the more difficult of the two to pray, has become the more special treasure in my life.
In short, it is hard for me to imagine a life in Christ so rich and meaningful as the one that Dr. Nat Tracy prepared me to live. Without his guidance and influence, my life would have been profoundly different, and significantly impoverished. Thank you, Jesus, for your servant Nat Tracy!!!"
- Dr. Bill Fowler