Timothy R. Phillips, 50, a Wheaton College theology professor who took his teaching skills and deep belief in Christianity to the Third World, died Wednesday, Sept. 27, in his Wheaton home after a long struggle with cancer.
     Mr. Phillips had taught historical and systematic theology since 1982 and was the co-sponsor of the Wheaton College Theological Conference Series, a program he initiated in 1983.
     Deeply involved with Evangelicals and Catholics Together, Mr. Phillips co-wrote "Welcome to the Family" and edited "The Nature of Confession," "Four Views on Salvation in a Pluralistic World" and "Christian Apologetics in a Post-Modern World."
     He studied philosophy but felt there were more questions about the meaning of life, and that turned him toward theology.
     Mr. Phillips continued his education with a master's degree in theology from Gordon-Conwell College in Massachusetts and followed with a doctorate in theology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
     Known for his critical thinking, his students were introduced to various evangelical positions, all with a goal of helping them articulate their own beliefs, his brother said.
     Mr. Phillips took a great interest in the Third World, especially Africa, where he taught in seminaries in Kenya and Nigeria. He was a sponsor of Wheaton College's Faculty Mission Project, a program that encouraged peers to take their teaching abroad.