Bob E. Patterson

Contact Information:
Department of Religion
Baylor University
One Bear Place #97284
Waco, TX 76798-7284

Office: Tidwell 405

Phone: (254) 710-6331
FAX: (254) 710-3740

Email:
Bob_Patterson@baylor.edu

Distinguished Professor of Religion

Education:

• Ph.D. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
• Masters of Divinity, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
• Masters degree in Philosophy, Baylor University
• Bachelor of Arts, Baylor University

Biography:

My home is Charlotte, North Carolina. I have been teaching at Baylor in the Religion department since 1961. My area of interest is Constructive or Systematic Theology. I have taught in Baylor's undergraduate and graduate programs from the beginning. I specialize in the eight traditional theological themes of Revelation, God, Creation, Humanity, Christ, Salvation, Church, and Eschatology. I have directed graduate seminars in all of these areas except the Doctrine of the Church, but I have published a book on the Church entitled The Stirring Giant. I have also taught in Baylor's Philosophy department, Baylor's Honors Program, and Baylor's Interdisciplinary Program. I have lectured in the Anthropology department. I will retire from Baylor in the Spring of 2011.

I graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Arts (a double major in English Literature and Religion and a double minor in Science and Latin). I also graduated from Baylor with a Masters degree in Philosophy (with honors). I received a Masters of Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and a Ph.D from the same institution. I was a Teaching Fellow for Dr. Eric Rust (an Oxford graduate) and worked in Philosophy of Religion and Faith and Science under his tutoring at the Ph.D. level. While teaching at Baylor I worked on a second doctoral degree in Philosophy at the University of Texas in Austin. I have taken courses in eight different educational institutions of higher learning in the United States and abroad.

Academic Interests and Research:

My interests in research have focused primarily on contemporary theology and theologians, although I have taught the History of Doctrine lecture courses for advanced students. I have edited the 18 volume series of books entitled, Makers of the Modern Theological Mind, and I have written two books in that series.

Professional Awards and Activities:

Twice I have received The Outstanding Faculty Member award at Baylor. I am one of three professors to have twice received that award. I have been named as a Distinguished Professor at Baylor and that is now my title. I have also received an Outstanding Educator of America award. I was the first president of the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion, and I continue to serve on committees for that group. I was on the Board of Directors for Word Books Publishers and I continue to be on the Editorial Board of Baylor's Journal of Church and State. I was on the Accrediting Board for the Southern Association of Colleges and Universities. I was director of the Graduate Studies for the department of Religion at Baylor. I was faculty sponsor of Baylor's Student Government for ten years. I was technical consultant for the Old and New Testament commentary series published by Guidepost. I was president of Baylor's Faculty Senate.

Grants and Fellowships:

I received a Lilly Foundation grant to write my doctoral dissertation. After coming to Baylor I received a grant to work on a second Ph.D. in Philosophy. I have received several sabbaticals from Baylor and one of them was to do research at Oxford University in England.

Selected Research Articles:

"Paul Tillich," in Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers, 3 Volumes. John R. Shook, General Editor, Thoemmes Continuum, Bristol, England, 2005. (A 4000 word Essay)

Books:

I have collaborated on 38 books either as author, editor, or contributor of a chapter. I edited and published the 18 volume series Makers of the Modern Theological Mind. I wrote two of the books in that series and my book on Carl F. H. Henry has been translated into the Chinese language. My book entitled Who is Jesus Christ? I use as one of the textbooks in my Biblical Heritage class.

Ph.D. Dissertations:

I have directed 27 doctoral dissertations, and several have been published as books. I am currently directing a Ph.D. dissertation entitled, Ecclesiology and Harmonious Difference: The Church and Secondary Societies in John Milbank and Korean Ecclesiology.

Courses Taught at Baylor:

• REL 1310 The Christian Scriptures
• REL 1350 The Christian Heritage
• REL 3351 Christian Theology
• REL 4351 The Doctrine of Revelation