Timothy George was honored tonight (Nov. 17) by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with the seminary’s Lifetime Academic Achievement Award.
The prolific author, theologian and founding dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, was one of three honorees who was presented inaugural academic awards during the Alumni and Friends Reception at the Omni Hotel in Fort Worth. The event was held in conjunction with the Evangelical Theological Society meetings, Nov. 16–18, in Fort Worth.
“While there are other people far more worthy of this award than I, I gladly receive it with gratitude,” he said after receiving the award. “Over the years Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has been a great beacon of evangelical faith and evangelism among Southern Baptists and beyond.”
George is the author of more than 20 books, including “Galatians,” “Reading Scripture with Reformers,” “Amazing Grace: God’s Pursuit, Our Response” and co-author of “Theologians of the Baptist Tradition.” Currently serving as a distinguished professor of divinity at Beeson, George earned a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and both the master of divinity and doctor of theology degrees at Harvard University. George transitioned from dean of Beeson to research professor of history and doctrine in 2019. In 2020, he was named distinguished professor by Samford’s board of trustees.
“For the past four decades few Baptist scholars have made the impact that Timothy George has made as a faculty member at Southern Seminary (1978–1988) and as founding dean and distinguished professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School,” said David S. Dockery, who led in creating the honors and is interim provost and vice president for academic administration at SWBTS.
Dockery continued, “Recognized primarily for his work in historical theology and church history through his publications on The Theology of the Reformers, Reading Scripture with the Reformers and his key role as general editor of The Reformation Commentary Series, among many other works addressing Baptist and evangelical thought, Dr. George has been an exemplar of the best of what it means to be a scholar and churchman, a true ecclesial theologian.”
Vaughan and Garrett awards
The two other award recipients included professors George H. Guthrie and Thomas S. Kidd.
Guthrie, who taught for 28 years at Union University and now teaches at Regent College in British Columbia, received the W. Curtis Vaughan Award. Named in honor of the late distinguished professor of New Testament at Southwestern Seminary, the award honors the individual who has displayed excellence in research, scholarship, teaching and service for the church in Christian Scripture.
Kidd, a distinguished history professor at Baylor University, received the James Leo Garrett Jr. Award, which honors the individual who has excelled in contributions for the church in Christian thought in the areas of research, scholarship, teaching and service. Kidd also is a distinguished visiting professor at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. MBTS announced on Tuesday, Nov. 16, that Kidd will transition to full-time, residential faculty as research professor of church history in fall 2022, the Missouri Pathway reported.
Award honorees were nominated by the Southwestern Seminary and Texas Baptist College faculties.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This article was compiled by TAB Media, with reporting from Ashley Allen at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
