Remembering Ben Arbour

As many of you have likely heard, one of our members and his wife, Ben and Meg Arbour, were tragically killed in an automobile accident on November 6.

When I first heard the news, I was, of course shocked and saddened. I was also reminded of the brevity of life, and that each of our days is a gift from God. James 4:14 immediately came to my mind, a hard truth, but a truth nonetheless: “Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” This reminds me of the importance of being faithful today, and each day we are given. This is the sort of faithfulness that Ben demonstrated in his own life as a follower of Jesus, husband, father, and philosopher.

Ben was a very active and devoted member of the EPS. He was involved in our annual and regional meetings, contributed to Philosophia Christi and EPS web projects, and produced several publications, including the recent edited volume, Philosophical Essays Against Open Theism (Routledge, 2018). He worked as a finance manager in Fort Worth, and also taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His devotion to philosophy done in Christ and for the sake of Christ was exemplary.

On a more personal note, I had several great conversations with Ben over the past few years, both in person at our annual meetings and over the phone. We discussed the EPS, politics, and some of the controversial issues in contemporary America. We had talked about writing something together on some of these issues. I wish we had done so. Ben stands out to me as a tough-minded, tender-hearted man who loves God, his family, and philosophy. He will be missed by so many.

For those who are interested in helping out Ben and Meg’s four children, there is a GoFundMe set up that will be administered by the grandparents.

There are several forthcoming tributes to Ben that will be available at the EPS website and in other EPS venues from several of his friends. In the meantime, please keep Ben and Meg’s family and friends in your prayers.

In Christ,

Mike Austin

EPS President

* Photo credit: Dusty Deevers.