SEBTS establishes Bruce Little Chair of Christian Philosophy
By Mary Asta Mountain/SEBTS
WAKE FOREST, N.C. – During chapel on March 31, 2026, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Judson College announced the creation and installation of the Bruce Little Chair of Christian Philosophy in honor of Southeastern Emeritus Professor of Philosophy Bruce Little.
The Southeastern community also celebrated Associate Professor of Missiology Scott Hildreth’s installation to the pre-existing Bailey Smith Chair of Evangelism. Hildreth has taught at Southeastern since 2009.
Endowed chairs play a crucial role in the operation of the institution and the funding of its faculty. These endowments provide perpetual funding in essential disciplines, allowing Southeastern to recruit, retain, and recognize Great Commission faculty who pour their lives into generations of students.
Today, there are 11 endowed chairs at Southeastern, 10 of which were established during President Danny Akin’s tenure.
Little began teaching at Southeastern in 2001 and retired in 2018. During his 17-year tenure, he invested in and mentored countless students. He also served as associate dean of theological studies, director of the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture, and director of the Francis A. Schaeffer Collection.
In addition to serving faithfully in academia, Little’s ministry is marked by a deep love for the local church, where he has served for over 30 years.
“These years in the pastorate profoundly shaped his theological vision,” said Provost Scott Pace, “grounding his later academic work not merely in abstraction but in the lived realities of people wrestling with suffering, doubt, and the deepest questions of existence.”
Pace shared further about Little’s scholarly contributions, which include the two books “God, Why This Evil?” and “A Creation-Order Theodicy: God and Gratuitous Evil.”
“Yet perhaps his greatest legacy is not found merely in his writings or positions, but in his example – a life marked by humility, intellectual integrity, pastoral sensitivity, and a steadfast commitment to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Pace.
“It is fitting, therefore, that this endowed chair bears his name – so that future generations might continue the work to which he gave his life: loving God with heart, soul and mind.”
During the ceremony, Akin and Little presented the title of the Bruce Little Chair of Christian Philosophy to its inaugural recipient, Assistant Professor of Philosophy Ben Holloway. Holloway has faithfully taught at Southeastern since 2018, investing in its student body and whole-heartedly committing himself to the work of equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission.
“Dr. Holloway has demonstrated a passion for the local church and for theological education that serves the church,” said Pace. “His teaching is marked by clarity, accessibility, and a pastoral concern for students as they prepare for ministry. In many ways, his calling reflects the very model embodied by Dr. Little – a commitment to serious intellectual engagement that is always in service to the gospel and the mission of Christ’s church.”
Following the installments of the Bruce Little Chair and the Bailey Smith Chair, attendees heard from today’s chapel speaker, Jamie Dew, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and professor of Christian philosophy.
Dew, a graduate of Southeastern, took a moment to express his own appreciation for Little, his long-time mentor.
“You taught me how to pastor. You taught me how to love God with my mind and with my heart and my hands,” Dew said. “I couldn’t be more excited to know that your name will live here, because there are generations of students, people just like me, that you poured your life into. And while it is true that institutions will fade from history and things like chairs will one day fade from history, the impact you made in a generation of us will not.”
46 years of sharing Arizona Southern Baptist stories
By Johanna Moore/Arizona Baptists
PHOENIX – When Elizabeth Young first began telling the stories of God’s work among Arizona Southern Baptists as a newswriter and journalistic consultant, she was a new college grad grateful the post allowed her an electric typewriter.
Now, after almost 46 years and plenty of changes, Young, currently director of communications for the Arizona Mission Network, plans to retire at the end of June.
“In a way, I can’t believe it,” Young said. “In some ways, it seems like time has gone very fast. … I’m just grateful to have had this opportunity.”
About eight years after starting the job, Young became the editor of the convention’s newspaper, the Baptist Beacon, making her the first female editor of a state Southern Baptist newspaper that published more than monthly.
Since then, she has overseen the transition from the Baptist Beacon to Portraits magazine and finally Connect last January. Along the way, she also launched Network News, the convention’s e-newsletter.
“One of the things that’s so commendable about Elizabeth is how she has adapted,” said David Johnson, executive director of the Arizona Mission Network from 2013 to 2025.
Beyond the shift from newspaper to magazine, Young also incorporated digital platforms into the convention’s storytelling, he added.
“Communication has changed dramatically in these years,” he said.
When Portraits started in 1997, Arizona was one of the first state conventions to pivot from a traditional newspaper format to a feature-style magazine, Young said.
Jennifer Rash, president and editor-in-chief of TAB Media Group, recalled how Young has supported her since they met in the late 1990s when Rash was a newswriter for The Alabama Baptist.
Over the years, the women connected through national SBC events and through professional organizations such as the Baptist Communicators Association and the Association of State Baptist Publications, of which Young was the first female president.
“She always reached out to me and fit that older sister role for me,” Rash said. “She’s such a nurturer and cares about her peers and people … but she also isn’t fearful of asking enough questions until she is satisfied with whatever the situation might be.”
From her kindness toward others to her commitment to furthering the Gospel in Arizona, Monty Patton, executive director of the Arizona Mission Network, said Young has served well.
“She has been so faithful to the Lord and Arizona Southern Baptists and the tasks before her,” Patton said. “She put her hands to the plow and never looked back. I’m so proud of her 46 years.”
For Young, the work has been fulfilling.
“It has been meaningful to see the stories of God at work close up,” she said. “It has also been meaningful to work with freelance writers and give them the opportunity to use their talents in service to God.”
With retirement, Young looks forward to catching her breath and having more time to spend with her 96-year-old father – a retired minister and seminary professor who also served as editor of The California Southern Baptist during Young’s elementary school years.
“I’m waiting to see where God leads,” she said.
Thankfully, after 46 years of storytelling, she’s seen God lead time and again.
“There are stories where it’s just obvious that God has worked in someone’s life or has pieced things together,” she said. “Those kinds of stories still amaze me. We have such a personal God who cares for us, and it’s nice to be reminded of that and to see how He is working in other people’s lives as well as my own.”
The AZMN Executive Team has approved Johanna Moore, communications coordinator at Mountain View Baptist Church in Tucson, as the next director of communications and editor of Connect.
Moore, a frequent freelance writer and photographer for the Arizona Mission Network’s Portraits and Connect magazines, holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona, where she double majored in journalism and history. After graduation, she was a features reporter for the Arizona Daily Star. She will begin June 1, serving alongside Young for one month.
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