Dr. Ronald Cooke at Home in Glory

I learned today of the passing of Dr Ronald Cooke in America, at 93 years old. Dr Cooke was extremely well-read in theology and history, an excellent conversationalist with a tremendous sense of humour and didn’t take himself too seriously. He was also a staunch supporter of Ian Paisley. In December 1981, when Paisley was denied a visa to enter the US, Cooke began writing a series of biographical sketches in Paisley’s defence. The first issue, Ian Paisley: Protestant Protagonist Par Excellence, was a 48-page booklet, and as I understand it, that is as far as he got.

Dr Cooke was brought up in the Ravenhill Presbyterian Church, Belfast, along with his brother S.B. Cooke, who later became a Free Presbyterian minister. Shortly after the formation of the Free Presbyterian Church in 1951, the Cooke family began attending the Free Presbyterian Church, just down the road, where Paisley was the minister. He later went to study in the States and remained there the rest of his life, establishing a long career in theological education.

I met Dr Cooke a few times over the years in Toronto and in the States. He was a prolific writer, specialising in short essays, which he published in booklet form and, from the late 1980s, put out through his ministry, Truth International Ministries. He was also a missionary, travelling to Malawi many times to support the churches there.

I remember, at a conference in Maryland on one occasion, being seated with him in the congregation. He had a naturally loud voice, even in conversation, and it was amplified when singing. Dr Cooke was a strong Calvinist, and during the singing of a hymn, we came to a verse that was too Arminian for him. He stopped singing (this in itself was noticeable), leaned over to me and said with a smile, “Can’t sing that verse, brother.”

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” Psalm 116:15