In Memoriam: Dr Kenneth Dix

On Thursday May 12^th Dr Kenneth Dix passed into the presence of his Saviour. The interment and Thanksgiving Service is to be held on the coming Monday, May 23^rd. The following remarks are what I remember of him and I cannot be sure that my memory is accurate in every detail; I add this now rather than pepper what I say with ‘I believe’ or words to that effect. He was brought up in Ivinghoe, Bucks, in the shadow of the Chilterns and Ivinghoe Beacon. His father was deacon at the Strict Baptist Chapel in the village, and visiting preachers often spent the Lord’s Day in the Dix home. In spite of that he did not understand the proper meaning of ‘Strict and Particular’ until he became an adult. He was a great lover of classical music and J.S. Bach’s ‘St John Passion’ was a determining factor in his conversion. He had a rather whimsical sense of humour and he enjoyed telling me that just before his wedding he received a postcard from a pastor with the cryptic message: ‘Take courage, brother, and don’t be late’! His wife, Jane, was a proficient artist and when he began to give slide presentations of important figures of Christian history it was she who provided the art work. Sadly, she has been an invalid for some years.

He attended evening classes at London Bible College and received the Religious Knowledge Diploma in 1961. He greatly appreciated the lectures of Dr Ernest Kevan and still kept the notes he had taken, at least until a year or two ago. For some years he worked for the Trinitarian Bible Society. He had three pastorates, the last of 14 years at Dunstable Baptist Church. There were 12 members when he was called, but 2 left on his arrival. By the time he retired, by the grace of God membership was in the 60’s. I remember hearing his name quite often during his TBS days, but he seemed to drop off the map when he went to Dunstable. He gave himself to the work of the local church.

He was always interested in history and few others have such a knowledge of the Strict Baptists; he was involved in the Strict Baptist Historical Society right up to his death. However, he also read a great deal by secular historians so that he could place his Christian history in the wider ethos of the times. His PhD, gained in retirement, came from Keele University, though he started out with the intention of doing an MPhil. It was published as ‘Strict and Particular’ by the Baptist Historical Society. He was a quiet, gracious man of God and I thank the Lord for memory of him.