It is with great sadness that we report that Revd Melvin Tinker, 66, died in the early hours of this morning of pancreatic cancer.
His son Michael wrote: “During the night Dad went to be with his Lord. He was comfortable, listening to David Suchet reading the book of Revelation.
“Mum fell asleep and when she awoke, the book had been finished, and Dad was with the one whom we see so gloriously in those pages, and whom Dad now sees face to face”.
He added: “I know that this is how Dad would want to be remembered – as a sinner saved by so gracious and merciful a King”.
Unafraid
Melvin was unafraid to speak out on a range of moral issues – including frequently challenging his colleagues in the Church of England to uphold biblical truth.
this is how Dad would want to be remembered – as a sinner saved by so gracious and merciful a King
His submission to the authoritative, complete and unchanging word of God gave him the confidence to stand and boldly proclaim Christian values, especially on marriage and the sanctity of human life.
He once declared that to: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ required loving God’s standards in the Bible.
“There are certain things you can’t love if you’re going to love God and that means you can’t affirm immoral actions”.
Tribute
In his tribute to the long-time friend of The Christian Institute, Director Colin Hart said: “Melvin was a courageous Christian leader with a love for people and a strong desire to train up believers to defend the Christian faith.
“He will be greatly missed but his books will remain a great blessing to the Church.”
Watch Revd Melvin Tinker speak to Colin Hart in October 2020 about the impact of cultural Marxism in the Church and the world.
Church and family
From 1994 to 2020, Revd Tinker was Senior Minister at St John’s Church Newland in Hull. But his dissatisfaction with the theological drift in the Church of England eventually led to the planting of a new church, Christ Church, Newland, where he took up the position of Director of Theology. The church is flourishing.
He said: “Leaving the Church of England was necessary to maintain and promote the faith”.
Revd Melvin Tinker was one of the founding members of the conservative evangelical group REFORM. He authored numerous books, including Why do bad things happen to good people, and That Hideous Strength: how the West was lost. His most recent book The First and Last: The comfort of the Triune God in Revelation was published in April.
Our prayers are with his wife Heather and his sons, Christopher, Michael and Philip.