Raoul Dederen †
February 25, 1925 – October 24, 2016
Sabbath, October 24, 2026, marked the 10th anniversary of Dr. Raoul Dederen’s passing. It was an opportunity for the church in Verviers—his home church—to honor his memory and reflect on his life’s journey.
Who was he?
Dr. Raoul Dederen was one of the most eminent Adventist professors of theology of modern times. Born on February 25, 1925, in Pepinster near Verviers, he was the eldest son of Theresa and Joseph, one of Belgium’s leading textile industrialists. He also had a brother and a sister, who were one and two years younger than him, respectively.
In the winter of 1942, an event took place that was seemingly insignificant but would prove decisive for the rest of his life. While sledding with his sister, he met a group of young Adventists living in a nearby village. Among them was Louise, who would soon become his wife. A student at one of the region’s most renowned religious schools, the young Raoul was intrigued by these young people, who knew the Bible far better than he did and spoke of Jesus as a lifelong friend.
After a series of Bible studies, Raoul Dederen was baptized in December 1944 during the Battle of the Ardennes. The following year, he left to study theology in Collonges-sous-Salève. Upon his return in 1947, he married Louise, the love of his life, and served as a pastor-in-training in Brussels for two years before being urgently called to Liège to lead a church in crisis. Initially intended as a temporary assignment, he ended up preaching primarily about Christ there and ultimately remained for five years—which, according to him and his wife, were among the most beautiful years of their lives.
In 1954, at the insistent invitation of the Division’s president at the time and Professor Alfred Vaucher, he was invited to teach at Collonges-sous-Salève. He remained there for 10 years while pursuing a doctorate at the University of Geneva. In 1965, he was appointed to Andrews University in the United States. It was there that he continued his teaching career until his retirement, though not without having endured particularly trying times.
In 2002, he was diagnosed with cancer so severe that he admitted to having looked death in the face. He eventually overcame it, though not without great difficulty. Faced with this, he and his wife refused to complain, choosing instead to entrust themselves to God’s grace and will. A few years later, it was Louise, his beloved, who, in turn, had to face illness. Raoul Dederen cared for her until she passed away in February 2016. Eight months later, that same year, Raoul Dederen also passed away in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he was laid to rest.
Dr. Raoul Dederen left a deep impression on his students. He was one of the most beloved professors, known for his gentleness, his depth of thought, and his devotion to Christ. Throughout his teaching career, he devoted his life primarily to three areas of theological study:
- Revelation/inspiration
- Christology
- Ecclesiology
One of his greatest contributions to Adventism was the 2000 publication of the ‘Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology,’ which he edited and for which he wrote two articles—one on Christ, His person, and His work, and the other on the church.
In a sense, having served as a professor of theology for more than 50 years—first at the Adventist Theological Faculty in Collonges-sous-Salève and later at Andrews University—he helped, perhaps even unwittingly, to raise the profile of Verviers and Belgium within the Adventist world and far beyond.
But his greatest achievement was, without a doubt, sharing Christ throughout his teaching ministry. When his students asked him why he spoke so much about Him, he realized that his love for Christ dated back to the time when he was dating Louise and discovering the gospel. She had told him that to grow in his faith, nothing was more essential than his relationship with Jesus Christ.
And perhaps that is the greatest legacy he and his wife leave us: to love one another and to love Christ above all else.
Edouard Ajinca