It is thus, if there is any rule, that we ought to die--neither as victim nor as fanatic, but as the seafarer who can greet with an equal eye the deep that he is entering, and the shore that he must leave." • E. M. Forster
Dennis Michael Spencer of Oneida, Kentucky died at home on April 5, 2010 after a four-month struggle with cancer. He was 53.
Spencer was born September 16, 1956 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. He graduated from Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, Kentucky and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. Spencer served as youth minister and pastor in several Kentucky Baptist churches before becoming the Campus Minister at Oneida Baptist Institute in 1992, where he ministered the past 17 years.
Spencer was also widely known in evangelical Christian circles for his web site, “Internet Monk: Dispatches From the Post Evangelical Wilderness” (www.internetmonk.com). The site was also home to his podcast, Internet Monk Radio. His book, Mere Churchianity: Finding Your Way Back to Jesus-Shaped Spirituality, will be published in September by WaterBrook Multnomah.
Spencer was preceded in death by his parents, S.L. and Dorothy Atherton Spencer of Owensboro and a sister, Peggy Spencer Head, also of Owensboro. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Denise Day Spencer; his children, Noel Spencer Cordle of Oneida and Clay Spencer of Lexington; and a brother, Dr. B.E. Spencer of Louisville.
A memorial service will be held at the Oneida Baptist Institute chapel on Saturday, April 10 at 2:30 p.m. with visitation beginning at 12:30 p.m. the same day. The family asks that expressions of sympathy be in the form of contributions to Oneida Baptist Institute, P.O. Box 67, Oneida, Kentucky 40972, (606) 847-4111.
Prayers, and deepest sympathies, to Michael’s family and friends. He will be greatly missed.
Praying that Michael’s family feels God’s presence as never before.
Prayers for grace and hope to all who grieve. God is sufficient. His promises are true. His faithfulness will shine through.
Deepest sympathies and condolences to his family. He will be missed
Michael,
You will be missed! Prayers to the family.
For there we shall see and pray, pray and love, love and praise for this is what will be in the end without end.
St. Augustine.
Eternal rest grant unto Michael, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.
Rest in peace dear brother…..
Pax.
Rest in peace, Michael.
Thank you, Michael, for your life and ministry
So sorry to hear this. I hope his passing was peaceful. He and his family are in my thoughts and prayers.
My deepest sympathy and respect to his family. You will never know what this web site and his writing has meant to me. Even though I never met him, I feel I knew him and now I miss him, even while being thankful he is free of his illness and going to the Lord who meant so much to him. Peace to you all.
This is so hard. I feel like our sadness is for us and Denise, Clay, Noel, and all of Michael’s family and friends. We certainly don’t have to cry for him now.
He didn’t want life to be over just yet, but I imagine him being ready. The Lord used him, and we’re here to give testimony to that fact.
It is very important to me that Michael and Denise knew, and know, how much we love them. I think they do.
Father’s peace to the Spencer family. You’re in our thoughts and prayers.
I am so so sad to hear of Michael’s passing. I didn’t know Michael personally, but felt like I did because of reading here for so long. The internet is wonderful (and sad) that way.
The family is in my thoughts and prayers.
Michael, I will miss your voice in the Post-Evangelical Wilderness.
Denise and family, our prayers and tears are with you. I find it difficult to write that without tearing up myself.
Michael meant alot to us.
Chaplain Mike, thanks for your voice the last few months as well.
Enjoy the peace of Christ, Michael. I blogged today about your impact on my life and theology. Denise I am praying for you and for your children.
I give thanks to God for Michael Spencer, for his ministry here as the iMonk.and I look forward to his book as one more gift to enjoy after his passing. My heartfelt condolences to his family. Michael, I look forward to meeting you on the other side.
I cannot say how much I appreciated his writings. I never knew him in person, but knew him in his blog. I pray for peace for his family.
My sympathy to Michael’s family at this time of their loss. And my thanks to Michael himself for the work that I have enjoyed and learned from.
“Well done, good and faithful servant.” Unbelievable how much Michael accomplished for the cause of Christ from a little town in Kentucky no one has heard of. Makes me feel small. I am so grateful for his work and words and wisdom, and I shall treasure the book immensely. I pray nightly for the Spencer family.
“Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.”
Hebrews 13:7 (NASB)
Saddened by the news of the great loss of a prophetic voice, a true brother in Christ, an encourager, peace-maker and dedicated servant of Christ and His church,
but also rejoicing in his ultimate healing, his glorious homecoming, the inspirational example he has left us to follow -
we will miss you Michael!
Rest in Peace, Michael. May your reunion with Your Lord be a joyful, joyful one. My sympathy to Michael’s family and friends now, and my gratitude for the work he has done to share his struggles and insights and wrestlings with faith and grace and being human. The light he shone on his own humanity helped me many times find my own.
MIchael’s wisdom and transparency on the blog and podcast have meant so much to me. I really miss his voice of reason. I’m happy for the worship he must be experiencing now. My deepest sympathy and prayers to Denise, Noel and Clay. What a huge loss. I’m so sorry.
I feel like I’ve lost a good friend. Come quickly, Jesus.
Memory Eternal!
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (2Tim4)
Prayers for Michael’s family.
Memory Eternal!
Death is not the victor, because Christ has risen.
Peace to the Spencer family.
God of grace and glory, we remember before you this day our brother Michael.
We thank you for giving him to us to know and to love as a companion on our earthly pilgrimage.
In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn.
Give us faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth, until, by your call, we are reunited with those who have gone before.
Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Michael.
We humbly ask you to look on him as a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming.
Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light.
Amen.
Ahh… the power of the Communion of Saints.
These past months, so many of us were in prayer for you Michael.
And now you are in glory praying for us.
I smile at the thought.
I thank Michael for giving us this blog as a place for people to meet to be encouraged and inspired. I have spent the last couple years reading a number of blogs, but Michael’s was my favorite due to his excellent, challenging writing and due to his commitment to keeping this blog free from all-out attacks on others. Without watering-down the Gospel message, he welcomed Christians from various traditions and encouraged us to do the same. He asked us to look at the behavior of Christians that sometimes drove non-Christians far from taking a step toward faith in Jesus. He was not perfect and he welcomed inperfect people here. I will miss him.
Thank YOU, Chaplain Mike, for keeping us going and keeping us updated on what was happening with Michael. Some commenter said many months ago that reading Michael’s writings was like watching a reality show and many readers were interested in what Michael was going to do or say next. We didn’t want the story to end this quickly.
God bless, may God’s peace blanket you.
My deepest sympathies for the Spencer family. Even though I never even met Michael, I will truly miss him. His ministry meant a lot to me.
Thanks Michael, someday I hope to tell you in person. Condolences and prayers for your family…..
Our sometimes irascible iMonk was the first blogger (and the best) to articulate for me why the gospel is good news. No one in the blogosphere has written more beautifully about the grace of God. I will always be thankful for Michael Spencer.
My husband and I pray for comfort and peace for Denise and all his family.
SusanF and EvanF
” For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; ”
Book of Job:19
We must not grieve as those who have no hope.
Praying so much for the famly! May the Lord be more real than ever, and carry you through each day with His comfort and strength. So many of us will miss Michael, but none quite like family.
Our loss is his gain. I miss you Michael. Grace and peace to Denise and family.
It was truly a blessing to know Michael Spencer, to be able to listen to his sermons many times a week for eight years, and to sit across the lunch table from him and get his perspective on everything from world news to my own personal challenges. God gave him a Gift and he used it for God’s glory. Now, he is reaping his reward in heaven. I remember one particular sermon where he talked of how we know that Christians go immediately to be with the Lord when they die. One of the scriptures he quoted was Hebrews 12:1, which says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” He is now in that great cloud of witnesses watching us “run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Thank you, Michael Spencer, for heeding God’s call and for cheering us on now as we mourn your loss. Denise, Noel, and Clay, you are in my prayers.
We will dearly miss you Michael. Thank you for all you taught us. I’m looking forward to meeting you in person on the other side. May God grant His grace to the Spencer family.
I never had the chance to meet Michael here on earth, but he’s had a big impact on my life and I thank the Lord I found his voice in the wilderness in which I was wandering. His writings and podcast (I especially miss that) encouraged me and challenged me to look past my disullisionment with evangelicalism/american christianity. This blog is one of numerous sources which have turned my focus back to Jesus, God incarnate; HIs example, His death and resurrection, His calling on my life to build His kingdom, the living and breathing family of Jesus followers making the Kingdom of God real on earth and beyond, into eternity. Michael reintroduced some much needed crititcal thinking to the american evangelical landscape and affirmed others of like minds that we were not alone. Thank you Michael for allowing God to use you so richly. I can’t wait to meet you on the other side. May God’s peace, comfort, and grace fall like sweet manna upon your family and friends in this time of sadness.
The world seems a little emptier and a little sadder today. My life, however, and the lives of so many readers at this site will always be blessed by the words and wisdom Michael imparted. Thank you, Denise, for sharing him with us. May God bless you all now in your time of need.
I think Michael’s impact is revealed by the fact that this feels like such a loss. Rarely do I have such a strong sense that someone like the Imonk comes along very rarely. I didn’t always agree with Michael, but I learned a lot from his willingness to share his heart.
When I say he will be missed…i mean it.
It tears me up that Michael had to go so soon. Much love to his family. Death may have lost its sting in heaven, but it sure hurts a hell of a lot here. Until we meet face to face, brother, peace.
Matt,
Just had to write and say I feel the same way. Yesterday morning after receiving an email from Denise on Michael’s condition – a description that left me knowing it was over even that day…… I went by a church where I fill in on organ on occasion and as I played through some music I was thinking about Michael and his family and what he has ment to them and to all of us here that read and followed I-Monk and I one point my question was….. Why God?…… Why Michael? We need this voice in our world today…… Why him? Why Michael?…..
You are so right….. death has lost its sting from heaven’s perspective – God’s perspective but for those of us – family and friends – it hurts a hell of a lot as you said. Hang in there my brother we will see Michael and many others gone before but until then we still have hope through Christ even when it hurts the worst. Dear God, we are hurting….. comfort us and the family.
Peace.
The Guy from Knoxville
I still have saved Michael’s reply to my silly email from a year ago. He was obviously busy, but took a period of time to answer my questions and direct me to resources for those questions he could not answer. His writings were truly inspirational. Condolences to his loved ones.
Me too, I still have his reply from 2007
I will miss iMonk. I only knew Michael as a writer, and we conversed from time time but always greatly appreciated his thoughtfulness, and continued to looked forward to his innovative blogging posts. My deepest sympathies to the Spencer Family. He will be sadly missed
Peace.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.