Dr. Karen Bullock to Present T.B. Maston Lecture

Dr. Karen Bullock, fellow and professor of Christian heritage at the B.H. Carroll Theological Institute, will deliver Carson-Newman’s annual T.B. Maston Lecture on Monday, April 2. The free event is open to the public and will be held at 7 p.m. in Thomas Recital Hall, part of Tarr Music Center.

Bullock, C-N’s visiting professor for the School of Religion’s Master of Arts in Applied Theology program, is teaching “Ideas and Kairos Moments of Church History.” The course begins with the founding of the faith in first century Jerusalem and magnifies points in time from then to the present, closing with expectations for the future.

A graduate of the University of North Texas, Bullock earned both the MDiv and PhD from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The director of the Carroll Institute’s PhD program says she is “fascinated about all areas of Christian heritage… (and) especially passionate about missions, the persecuted church, Baptist heritage, and justice.”

Before joining the Carroll Institute faculty, Bullock taught theology for 10 years at SWBTS; as associate dean, she led the school’s PhD program. She oversaw the PhD in Leadership Studies at Dallas Baptist University when she taught there. Other service has included being a guest professor at the Uganda Baptist Seminary and Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary.

Bullock’s service includes chairing the Baptist World Alliance’s Identity Commission, and membership in the American Association of Church History, the Texas State Historical Association, the Southern Baptist Historical Association and the Texas Baptist Historical Society. A sought-after speaker who has written several articles, books, chapters and documentaries, she is also the historian and archivist for Buckner Baptist Benevolences. She and husband John have two married children and five grandchildren.

The lecture series is an annual event that honors Jefferson County native T.B. Maston. Following his 1920 Carson-Newman graduation, he attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, receiving both the MRE and Doctorate in Religious Education in 1925. Further study produced the MA degree from Texas Christian University and a PhD from Yale University. He later studied at both the University of North Carolina and the University of Chicago.

As professor at Southwestern for over 40 years, he influenced deeply the lives of thousands of ministers. His mentorship is directly traceable in the lives of broadcast journalist Bill Moyers, former SBC leaders Foy Valentine and Jimmy Allen, as well as college and seminary professors across the country. He produced scores of articles and 23 books in the area of Christian ethics and spiritual development.