Faculty Testimony 1996, Chapel
Galatians 3:11
Defining a Professor
- Two quotes from Webster's Dictionary
- One conspicuous for being quiet and serious
- One of the highest academic rank, dividing time between scholarship and teaching
Personal Description of Prof. Hendricks
- Models the life of Christ
- Passionate about imparting knowledge to students
- Concerned about his students, like a shepherd with sheep
- Ability to motivate and inspire towards excellence
- Personal life above reproach
- Servant leader and team leader
Prof. Hendricks’ Life Story
- Early Life
- Raised in a broken home
- Testified in parents' divorce court
- Mother: Roman Catholic; Father: nominal Protestant
- Raised by paternal grandparents
Influential Individuals in Hendricks’ Life
- Sunday School Teacher
- Evangelical church in a Roman Catholic Jewish neighborhood
- Taught and influenced a class of boys, leading many to Christian work
- Public School Teachers
- Fifth grade teacher had a strict approach
- Sixth grade teacher believed in him and positively influenced his life
High School and Early Career Decisions
- Involvement in teenage dance bands
- Influenced by grandmother’s prayers
- Initial interest in surgery
- Decision to pursue ministry over medicine
Education and Ministry Path
- Attended Wheaton College, influenced by quality education and professors
- Decision to attend Dallas Theological Seminary despite other offers
- Influenced by professors like Dr. Chafer and Dr. Walvoord
Teaching and Pastoral Work
- Started a church in Fort Worth, Texas
- Teaching part-time at the seminary
- Decision to focus on teaching and multiplying ministry efforts
Leadership and Contributions
- Founded the Center for Christian Leadership
- Philosophy of leadership: continuous growth and avoiding becoming static
Health Challenges and Faith
- Major surgery and subsequent health challenges
- Emphasis on God’s sovereignty and grace during difficult times
Conclusion
- Quote from Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of Galatians 3:11
- Embracing what God arranges for one's life
- Testimony of God’s goodness, grace, and sovereignty
*The above summary is AI-generated, so discrepancies may exist. Please refer to the audio or video file to verify accuracy.
About the Contributors
Howard G. Hendricks
Dr. Howard G. Hendricks, known simply as “Prof,” directly or indirectly touched millions of lives in the evangelical community and beyond. For more than sixty years Prof served on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), where he taught more than ten thousand students. He served as the chairman of the Center for Christian Leadership for over twenty years. He also ministered in person in more than eighty countries. Through speaking engagements, radio, tapes, films, the sixteen books he authored and coauthored, countless journal and popular-market articles, his service on numerous boards, and his work as a chaplain to the Dallas Cowboys (1976–1984), his reach was and is worldwide.
His legacy, in partnership with Jeanne, his wife of more than sixty-five years, includes four children and six grandchildren. Holding large audiences enthralled at venues such as Billy Graham’s conference center or Promise Keepers’ stadium rallies, Prof would confide, “It’s wonderful to be here with you, but I have a group of delicious students waiting for me back at the seminary.”
Contributors
