The Other Side of Abbey Road: The Secret Life of Dr. Reginald Barnard

Note: This article contains excerpts from the book: That One Face: The Doctrine of Christ in the First Six Centuries of Christianity. by Lawrence Reginald Barnard. Edited and Revised by Michael R. Spradlin. Collierville, TN: Innovo Publishing, 2023. (Click on the title to purchase the book).

The Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary Years

Beloved by his seminary students, Dr. Reginald Barnard combined reserved English dignity with an occasional burst of frivolous humor. Though I have forgotten quite a bit throughout the years, many of his sayings have stayed with me, his student, for a long time. To understand fully his personality, you had to see Dr. Barnard switch from erudite lecturer to animated actor on a dime. Some of my favorite sayings were:

People ask me why I do not become an American citizen. It is because I do not chew gum.

In England we have a dignified worship service where the organist nods their head to the congregation and the singing begins. Here you have a man who stands in the front waving his arms, saying, “Look at me, I’m the star, look at me, I’m the star. Don’t sing, listen to me. Don’t sing, listen to me.”

You Americans are always trying to make steps and principles of grace. There are not four steps to God’s grace; it simply is.

Of his past, we students knew very little. We knew that he was originally from Australia after his parents emigrated there. We knew that he was a graduate of Spurgeon’s College in London, England. And, finally, we knew that he had served as a military chaplain in His Majesty’s Armed Forces in World War Two. But he had a secret which he never shared. A secret which would have dramatically changed our perception of him.

The Book

For forty years, an unpublished manuscript by Dr. Barnard lay unnoticed in the Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary library. One day, the Director of the Library, Terrence Neal Brown, brought this document to my attention. Overcoming my surprise, I decided publishing this work would introduce Dr. Barnard to our next generation of Mid-America Seminary students. This manuscript was a detailed historical-theological work. The book was a depiction of the development of the doctrine of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Early Christianity had a daunting task as they fought internal heresy about the nature of the Trinity. While struggling with doctrinal challenges, early Christians also suffered persecution from the outside world. And with all of this, the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus commanded that they seek to evangelize in a polytheistic culture. Dr. Barnard told this incredible saga of the development of the Doctrine of Christ but, more importantly, explained its significance.

The Secret

While preparing a biographical sketch to open the book, I discovered that Dr. Barnard had pastored in London during the 1960s. In fact, it was not just any London church but the Abbey Road Baptist Church (click on the name of the church for more details). Located on Abbey Road. Yes, that Abbey Road. You know, Abbey Road studios. Where the Beatles recorded many of their albums.

A quick search revealed that the Abbey Road Baptist Church stands across the street from the Abby Road recording studio. Imagine John, Paul, George, Ringo, and Reginald all walking to work together one fine, sunny, English day.

I asked one of Dr. Barnard’s fellow professors if he ever mentioned his near connection to the Beatles. The professor, Dr. Steve Miller, said Dr. Barnard made one humorous reference to the musical icons, but never spoke of them again.

Why Dr. Barnard never told us of his near famous connection, I do not know. I do know this, however. if he had told us, we would have continued to think of him as dignified and distinguished. But we would have added one more word to his description . . . cool.