Richard Linwood Pratt Jr. (born October 17, 1953) is an American theologian, author, and founder and President of Third Millennium Ministries.[1] Third Millennium was launched in response to the lack of training of Christian leaders around the world. Third Millennium recognizes where the church is growing the fastest, those Christian leaders have the least amount of training. Pratt personally witnessed this in the 1980s as he traveled for missions. Helping the church worldwide has become his passion. He believes that any person that has the desire to learn more about the Bible should be given that opportunity in their own land, in their own language, and at no cost.
Background and education
Pratt is actively involved in all aspects of ministry, including writing, teaching, and global advancement. He has traveled extensively throughout the world to evangelize and lecture, including Argentina, Australia, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Indonesia, Mexico, Mongolia, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine, Cuba, the United Kingdom and throughout the United States. He is best known for his approach to Biblical hermeneutics, which places a heavy emphasis on the Kingdom of God.
Pratt taught Old Testament, Hebrew, and Hermeneutics at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS, and Orlando, FL, for 21 years. He also chaired the Old Testament Department in Orlando and is currently adjunct professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary. He received his B.A. from Roanoke College, studied at Westminster Theological Seminary, and received his M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary. He earned his Th.D. in Old Testament Studies from Harvard University. His thinking was greatly influenced by Cornelius Van Til among others.
Selected publications
Pratt has written and edited numerous books, commentaries and journal articles. He is the general editor of the NIV Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible and a contributing translator for the New Living Translation. Some of his books include: Pray with Your Eyes Open, Designed for Dignity, and He Gave Us Stories. He has written commentaries on both Chronicles and Corinthians and is also a contributor to the Complete Literary Guide to the Bible. His books have been translated into several languages including Chinese (Mandarin), Russian and Spanish.
