News Of Our Friend Myron
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Louise Houghton expected to give birth to one baby on a hot July day in 1941.
But by the time the sun went down, Louise had two boys — her very own set of surprise twins — named Myron and George.
Since that moment, Myron and George have been, essentially, inseparable. As twins, they were connected on a deep psychological level, often able to feel the pains and joys of one another without saying a word, George said.
In Sunday school, the boys found their shared passion, and, later, they entered the ministry together, “preaching and teaching and telling people what God's word has to say,' George said. In 1966, they were ordained in a special double ceremony.
© Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register Dr. Ken Rathbun holds a picture of Myron Houghton, his teacher and colleague at Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny. Ken met Myron when he was a freshman, and Myron became a mentor for Ken, who is now vice president for academic services and college dean at Faith.After a detour to Denver, Myron joined his brother at Ankeny’s Faith Baptist Bible College. With two Dr. Houghtons on the staff, the brothers chose to go by their first names, becoming Dr. George and Dr. Myron.
And as Myron took his last breath, one hastened by COVID-19, his brother was once again near. In July, the two quarantined in the same facility, Sunny View Care Center in Ankeny. Although living in a separate room, George was closer than most are allowed to be during these pandemic times as his twin died on July 14. Myron was 78.
© Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register Myron James Houghton, 78, died July 14, 2020 due to complications from COVID-19. Colleague Dr. Ken Rathbun, Vice President for Academic Services and College Dean at Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny sits for a photo at outside his office Friday, Oct. 9, 2020.'I will never leave you or forsake you,” George said through tears, recounting his final words to his twin, a quote from the Bible’s Hebrews 13:5.
Born in Schenectady, New York, Myron showed a love of education early in life. As a grade-schooler, he would stand over his baby sister’s crib, teaching her the words that he learned in school that day, George said.
With their special twin connection, Myron and George were known to kick up a little trouble as children. Their penchant for pulling pranks forced teachers to put them in separate classrooms.
© Special to the Register Twins George (left) and Myron Houghton were, essentially, inseparable since birth. Just before Myron passed from COVID-19, George was allowed to see his brother one more time. They prayed together and said their goodbyes.Since he was about 9 years old, Myron knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life studying the Bible, his brother said. While attending the Moody Bible Institute, he developed an interest in Systematic Theology, a specific branch of theological analysis.
In 1983, Myron took a position at Faith, where he chaired the seminary’s theology department for 33 years.
A lifelong learner, Myron accumulated two bachelor's degrees, three master's and three doctorates.
During his studies, Myron sought out all perspectives, taking classes at the Catholic St. Thomas Theological Seminary and the Lutheran Concordia Seminary.
“It wasn't that he had to agree with them or that they had to somehow come to some common ground. It's just that he wanted to understand where they were coming from,' said Dr. Ken Rathbun, a colleague of Myron’s at Faith Baptist.
When Ken was a freshman at Faith, he met Myron when he asked the professor to talk about a class over lunch. Throughout their friendship, Ken saw Myron as a mentor, often asking for and then taking his advice.
Myron understood deeply that education often leads to more questions than answers, and encouraged his pupils to explore their spirituality.
'One of the things that I got from Dr. Houghton (was) to never be afraid of diving into something that you're unfamiliar with,' Ken said.
George and Myron’s personal lives diverged as they aged, with George marrying his wife, Karen, and Myron becoming “comfortable with his own singleness,” as the Baptist Bulletin put it in a story on Myron’s life.
Myron’s devotion to theology was equaled only by his devotion to books. A collector with insatiable hunger for reading, rumors were that Myron used his oven for storage, the Bulletin said.
As a teacher for more than five decades, Myron formed strong relationships with his students, often taking them out for coffee and donuts or a meal at Village Inn. With his grasp of the material and a zest for puns, Dr. Myron’s classes were very popular, Ken said.
'He has the ability to wrestle with and grasp mind-boggling theological concepts and then communicate those challenging topics in terms that his students could understand,' pastor Stan Lightfoot told the Bulletin. 'I remember thinking on more than one occasion after a Houghton lecture, 'Why didn’t I think of that?'
Just before Myron passed, George was allowed to see his brother one more time. They prayed together and said their goodbyes.
George and Myron may be apart for now, but the inseparable theologians know they will see each other again.
Iowa Mourns is a series of remembrances about Iowans who lost their lives to COVID-19 during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. If you've lost a loved one to COVID-19 in Iowa, let us know by filling out this form or emailing Iowa Columnist Courtney Crowder at ccrowder@dmreg.com.
Sierra Porter covers entertainment for the Des Moines Register. You can reach her at sporter@registermedia.com or via Twitter @SierraAPorter95.
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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Myron Houghton was a theological scholar with 8 degrees who loved a good pun
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