Dr. Daniel Holcomb -- By: Charles S. Kelley, Jr.

Journal: Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry
Volume: JBTM 08:2 (Fall 2011)
Article: Dr. Daniel Holcomb
Author: Charles S. Kelley, Jr.


Dr. Daniel Holcomb

Charles S. Kelley, Jr.

Dr. Kelley is President of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

When you plant your life in a Southern Baptist seminary for more than 35 years, you have the privilege of getting to know some extraordinary people. Of the many such people I have known through my years at NOBTS, Dr. Daniel Holcomb will forever stand as one of the most excellent faculty members to have ever graced the campus of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. If you had any of his classes as a student, worked alongside him as a colleague, or heard him preach and teach in churches and other venues, you understand why I would make such a statement. For those who have not experienced the touch of his life and ministry, allow me to briefly explain why his ministry here has been so significant.

Dr. Holcomb is a professor of church history, a subject he studied avidly throughout his adult life. To an expert’s knowledge of the field, he added passion, creative insight, and applications relevant to every generation of students who took his classes. He made the subject come alive for the non-expert, a characteristic of all great teachers. A reputation as a professor who demanded the best from his students and would challenge them on every test and assignment did not keep students away from his classes. As far as they were concerned, it was a price worth paying in order to learn and experience what this man would teach you when you walked in the door of his classroom.

Being an outstanding church history scholar and excellent teacher is only part of what makes Dr. Holcomb so special in the annals of NOBTS. His deep personal interest in personal piety and the devotional classics led him to create an elective class exploring the inner life of the believer. In this “how to” age of pragmatism and a relentless focus on results, Dr. Holcomb began to explain why the formation of the soul was at the core of the Christian experience and an essential foundation for fruitful ministry. As he exposed students to writers of whom they had never heard, explored the meaning of a life devoted to God, and emphasized the difference intentionality makes in truly cultivating a walk with God, something special happened. The class became so popular he had to create doctoral versions of it to complement the MDiv course. This does not happen with elective courses, but it does happen when a gifted teacher is able to bring students with him into the disciplines that ignited his own passions. It is one thing to teach well a course that the curriculum demands students to take. It is another thing to offer such an excellent class that students demand that you teach it. As I said, Dr. Dan Holcomb is one of the most outstanding teachers to have ever graced the campus o...

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