Bradford loves, leads SWBTS students in evangelism
By Elizabeth Bennett/SWBTS
FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) – Students at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary say Carl Bradford’s “pastor’s heart” and passion for evangelism are evident in the classroom and influences their own zeal to share the Gospel.
Bradford has served as assistant professor of evangelism at Southwestern Seminary since 2018. Effective Jan. 1, Bradford will occupy the newly established Malcolm R. and Melba McDow Chair of Evangelism in the Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions at Southwestern. Through his academic role, he teaches several evangelism-related classes, including Contemporary Evangelism, Theology of Evangelism and Missions, and the Historical Development of the Kerygma and the Gospel, in the Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions.
“Among those classes, I most enjoy Contemporary Evangelism,” Bradford said, noting one of the core classes for master’s students. The course results in the “greatest transformation of an individual’s passion for evangelism. The students must study evangelism concerning areas such as God’s and man’s role in evangelism, evangelism in the Old and New Testaments, what constitutes the Gospel, and other areas of evangelism study.”
Students enrolled in the class “are challenged to practice sharing their faith a minimum of 12 times throughout the semester,” he added, noting “The class is a favorite of mine because it has the perfect mixture of biblical theology and practice.”
Chloe Ward, a Master of Music in Worship Leadership student from Dallas, Texas, is in Bradford’s Contemporary Evangelism class. She said she is “thankful that God used the content and candor of Dr. Bradford’s Contemporary Evangelism course to transform my beliefs and practice of sharing my faith.”
“Dr. Bradford skillfully facilitated class discussions that challenged students to boldly share the Gospel and live according to a biblical, counter-cultural view,” Ward said. “We cannot keep our faith to ourselves out of fear that we may offend. God is a holy King who does not need us, yet He compassionately provided hope for the world through Jesus. His invitation to repent and believe needs to be shared.”
Ward says since taking the course with Bradford she now “eagerly” prays the Lord would “heighten my awareness of opportunities to bring up Jesus in any setting. The Lord used Contemporary Evangelism to give me a biblical sense of urgency for the Gospel.”
Bradford not only teaches evangelism as an academic discipline, but he lives it out with his students too. He also spearheads the group of Southwestern students each year at Crossover, which precedes the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting each June, and he leads a group of students in Everyday Evangelism, which is a ministry opportunity where Southwestern and TBC students go out into various places each week in the Fort Worth community to share the Gospel.
While Bradford grew up loving the culture and food in his native New Orleans, he came to Fort Worth to evacuate from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Having earned both his Master of Divinity (2011) and Doctor of Philosophy (2018) degrees from Southwestern, he explained there are three reasons he teaches at the seminary, including his own education at the institution.
NOBTS mourns with ‘gratitude’ beloved professor Jeanine Bozeman
By Marilyn Stewart/NOBTS
NEW ORLEANS (BP) – Jeanine Cannon Bozeman, a beloved New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary professor whose life and teaching impacted the lives of countless students preparing for ministry, passed away Oct. 18 at the age of 93.
“Dr. Bozeman was one of the seminary’s favorite teachers,” said Norris Grubbs, provost. “Everywhere I go, students talk about the difference she made in their lives.”
Bozeman, emeritus professor of social work, was first elected to the NOBTS faculty in 1987 as assistant professor of social work after earning her Ed. D.—later changed to a Ph.D.—at the age of 55. During her tenure, she served many years as the chairperson of the Christian Education Ministries Division, making her the first woman to hold a division chair position at a Southern Baptist seminary.
Prior to joining the NOBTS faculty, Bozeman devoted years to family therapy and to marriage and family counseling through her work as a social worker and counselor both in the public school system and in private practice.
Known for her love for students and keen sense of humor, Bozeman often spent time with students over a meal or coffee. The seminary magazine “Vision” once dubbed her the “driving force” behind the development of the NOBTS master of social work degree program.
One class Bozeman taught stood out above all others. Her popular course “Death, Loss and Grief” was “legendary,” Grubbs said, and drew students from across many disciplines.
“Dr. Bozeman was not only excellent in the classroom and in her field of study, she demonstrated a Christ-like care and compassion to everyone she met,” Grubbs said.
Along with her doctoral degree, Bozeman earned the master of religious education degree (psychology and counseling) from NOBTS, master of social work degree (clinical social work) from Tulane University, and a bachelor’s from the University of Montevello in Alabama. Bozeman held multiple counseling and social work licenses and certifications including the BCD, LPC, Clinical AAMFT, BAS, ACSW, and LCSW.
Bozeman, co-author of “Interpersonal Relationship Skills for Ministers,” was awarded the Marvin Jones Faculty Award for Outstanding Classroom Teacher in 2003, and was a sought-after speaker for conferences and events.
“The seminary family mourns the passing of Dr. Bozeman, but rejoices that she is now with her Savior,” said Jamie Dew, president. “We as a seminary family are grateful for the decades of service that Dr. Bozeman gave to NOBTS and her students. Jeanine has had a long-lasting impact on the ministry of so many who knew her and were taught by her.”
Bozeman is preceded in death by her husband, Welby Bozeman, a pastor who served numerous churches in Alabama and Louisiana and a long-time professor of New Testament and Religious Education at Louisiana College (now Louisiana Christian University) in Pineville, La. Interment will be in Dozier, Ala., beside her husband.