Benjamin Phillips
Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology, Director of Darrington Extension, and Associate Dean of the J. Dalton Havard School for Theological Studies
713-634-0011 ext.234
Ben Phillips has been teaching at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's J. Dalton Havard School for Theological Studies in Houston, Texas since 2005. He was educated at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he majored in ancient history, and at Southwestern Baptist Theolgoical Seminary. His doctoral dissertation focused on the doctrine of creation (particularly the God-world relationship) and the implications of the doctrine for ecological ethics. His primary areas of research are the doctrine of creation and theology of preaching.
Ben's primary areas of teaching responsibilities are theology and preaching. He is best known among students for his extensive use of secular rock music and movie clips to raise issues and perspectives in his systematic theology courses. He believes that the purpose of theology is not to make people 'Bible-trivia champs,' but to develop wisdom. As a result, he spurs students to think about how the truths of the faith should make a difference in living the Christian life and doing Christian ministry. In his preaching classes, Ben's goal is to help students learn to "say what the text says, the way the text says it"--expository preaching that is anything but dull! To this end, he tries to help students find efficient ways to get the most out of their original language studies in preparing Christian sermons that may be used of God to evangelize the lost and disciple the saved.
Ben and his wife Joelyn have been married since December 23, 1995. They have two children, Robert Reagan (2003) and Caroline Jayne (2005). Outside of his family and ministry, Ben's passions are national politics and the Great American Game. To be sure, Ben is certainly a fan of football (Washington Redskins and whoever is playing the Cowboys) and he is devoted to college basketball (Maryland Terps and the ACC...though he can never remember, when was the last time Virginia Cavaliers won the NCAA?). Yet he knows that these are merely crutches to sustain us in the dark days between the last pitch of the World Series and the first pitch of Opening Day. Ben's baseball creed is that non-retractable dome ballparks, the Wild Card, and the DH should be banned by constitutional amendment, while the high strike and full mound height should be enshrined in the Bill of Rights. He believes in pure baseball, that there are at least 99 reasons why baseball is better than football, that time begins on opening day, and that life imitates the World Series. Ben is a fan of the Houston Astros and the Baltimore Orioles, and his favorite player of all time is Cal Ripken, Jr.
Education
Ph.D., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2003. Dissertation: "The Crisis of Creation: A Critical Analysis of Jurgen Moltmann's Panenteism"
Contributor, The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization (Blackwell, Forthcoming 2008). ARTICLES: Knights of Malta, Nicholai Berdyaev, Doctrine of Creation, Dominion/Ecological Ethics
"The Power of Beauty in an Ugly World: On the Necessity of Discipling for Evangelism." Southwestern Journal of Theology (Forthcoming Dec. 2008/Jan. 2009).
"Tongues in the Prayer Closet." Theology for Ministry 3/1 (May 2008), 93-104.
"Method Mistake: An Analysis of the Charge of Arianism in Complementarian Discussion of Trinity." Journal of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 13/1 (Spring 2008), 42-47.
"The Scholarship of James Leo Garrett: A Bibliography." In Theology in Conversation: Essays in Honor of James Leo Garrett, Edited by William Brackney. Perspectives in Religious Studies 33/1 (Spring 2006), 123-133.
Presentations
“Getting Into Hot Water: Evangelicals and Climate Change." Evangelical Theological Society: National Meeting. Providence, Rhode Island: November 19, 2008.
"Fiat Lux: The Doctrine of Creation as the 'Origin' for a High Theology of Preaching." Evangelical Homiletical Society: National Meeting. Birmingham, Alabama: October 24, 2008.
"Method Mistake: An Analysis of the Charge of Arianism in Complementarian Discussion of Trinity." Evangelical Theological Society: National Meeting. San Diego, California: November 14, 2007.
"Lords of Creation: Biblical Theology and Ecological Ethics in Early Modernity." Evangelical Theological Society: Southwest Regional Meeting. Fort Worth, Texas: March 24, 2007.
"How to Lose Your Religious Liberty." Baptist Distinctives Conference. Fort Worth, Texas: September 9, 2005.
"Finding Truth in Tinseltown: Christian Themes in Film." Christianity and the Arts Conference. Fort Worth, Texas: February 25, 2005.
"Preaching as Truth: Reformation Theologies of Preaching and the Postmodern World." Evangelical Theological Society: National Meeting. San Antonio, Texas: November 18, 2004.
"Moltmann's Panenthism and the Christian Doctrine of Creation." Evangelical Theological Society: Southwest Regional Meeting. Dallas, Texas: March 13, 2004.
"Authority and the Three-fold World of God." Theological Fellowship, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Fort Worth, Texas: March 24, 2000.
Professional Memberships
Evangelical Theological Society, Member 2000-Present
Evangelical Philosophical Society, Member 2003-Present
Evangelical Homiletics Society, Member 2007-Present
