Beeson Podcast, Episode #562 Dr. Tim Hall Aug. 17, 2021 >>Announcer: Welcome to the Beeson podcast, coming to you from Beeson Divinity School on the campus of Samford University. Now your hosts, Doug Sweeney and Kristen Padilla. >>Doug Sweeney: Welcome to the Beeson Podcast. I am your host, Doug Sweeney, here with my co-host, Kristen Padilla. During the past two weeks we’ve introduced you on this program to our new president and one of the vice presidents of Samford University. And this week we’ll continue our series on leading colleagues in the Samford administration with one of my oldest friends and favorite people at Samford University, Dr. Tim Hall, the Dean of our College of Arts and Sciences. Samford University includes ten different schools. Including Beeson Divinity School, and including Dr. Hall’s Howard College of Arts and Sciences. Howard College has 13 departments and more than 40 majors and concentrations. It provides the foundation for all serious undergraduate work at the university. Before Kristen introduces Dean Hall, let me share just a few announcements. First, our fall semester will begin with an opening convocation on August 31st at 11:00 AM in the Hodges Chapel. You are more than welcome to come. In fact, you’re more than welcome to join us for all our chapel services this fall on Tuesdays at 11:00. Second, if you are a Beeson alum I hope you’ll join us November 4-6 for our first ever Beeson alumni conference. Which will take place concurrently with Samford Homecoming. Our theme for the conference is “Resilient Ministry: Exploring God’s Provision for Sustainable Service.” My friend Dr. Donald Guthrie of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago will be our keynote speaker. The early bird rate of $60 per ticket lasts through August 31. After that the price per ticket will be $75. Spousal tickets are $50. Find more information at www.BeesonDivinity.com/events. Third and finally, our Lay Academy of Theology begins its 20th year of six weeks courses for Christian lay people, taught by our best faculty members this fall. This falls courses include studies of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the bible, the Book of Isaiah, and the Book of Revelation, we’ll also offer a class on the History and Theology of the Westminster Confession. These courses begin at the end of September, but registration is open now. Learn more at www.BeesonDivinity.com/layacademy. All right. Kristen, without any further ado, would you please introduce today’s guest and get our conversation started? >>Kristen Padilla: Thanks Doug. Hello, everyone. We are so pleased to have Dr. Tim Hall with us on the show today. He is Dean of Samford University’s Howard College of Arts and Sciences. Previously, Dr. Hall served as the Associate Dean of the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences at Central Michigan University. He is married to Cherie and they have two adult children. Welcome, Dr. Hall, to the Beeson Podcast. >>Dr. Hall: Thank you. It’s a real pleasure to be here. >>Kristen Padilla: We always like to begin by learning just a little bit more about you personally. So, would you please introduce yourself to our listeners? Where are you from? Any word about your family? And what brought you to Samford? >>Dr. Hall: Sure. I grew up in southeast Kansas in a little town called Gerard, which is about 100 miles south of Kansas City. That’s the easiest way to find it on a map. And I met my wife in college at Grace College of the Bible in Omaha, Nebraska. It’s no longer around, it closed a couple of years ago. But my wife, Cherie, and I have been together 42 years. We’ve been married 42 years. We have two children. Our daughter, Aletheia, lives in Nashville. She’s an artist and a graphic designer there. And our son, Ian, lives right now in Seoul, South Korea, where he’s attending graduate school at Sogang University there. I came to Samford University after that 23 year career at Central Michigan University and what really attracted me to Samford is that Samford advertised for a Dean at about the exact right time for us, Cherie and I, the exact right time in our lives. And the more I learned about Samford as I went through the interview process, the stronger it became a real sense of calling to this place, as a place where I could really live out my faith and follow my academic work, and my leadership in a context of faith and support. >>Doug Sweeney: Dr. Hall, of course at Samford we all know you as a Dean, but I know you for many more years than you’ve been a Dean because you’re also an American historian. You specialize in early American history. You know a lot about early American religion. Would you tell our listeners just a little bit about the scholarship that shaped your life over these years? >>Dr. Hall: Sure. My first book was on itinerancy, not so much itinerants, the traveling preachers of the 18th century or the first great awakening in particular. But as much about the concept and the practice of itinerancy and the intense debate that surrounded it. And what I was able to do by looking at that is exploring how the changes of the modern world, that is the 18th century world, which really is the beginning of modernity, how that created new opportunities that innovative evangelical leaders, such as George Whitfield, were able to seize upon. In particular, new changes in travel, transportation, communication, and commerce that enabled them to spread the gospel on a scale that really was previously not really possible. And I found it fascinating just to continue looking at how that intersection of faith and culture worked together and how each influences the other. It certainly is an intersection that’s full of a lot of pitfalls, because it can distort the gospel or it can blunt our message. But it’s also full of opportunities and people have been able to see that and take advantage of them, especially when they’re attentive to preserving the integrity of the faith and remaining committed to the authority of the Word of God. >>Kristen Padilla: Dr. Hall, I’d love for you to tell our listeners also about your college, Howard College. Some of our listeners will not be familiar with it. So, could you tell us more about its history, its mission, its make up? And give us a little insight into your day to day work as Dean. >>Dr. Hall: Well, Howard College is the historic core of Samford University. The fact is that once ... What’s now Samford University as an entirety was once called Howard College. Really, not that many years ago. I guess, 40, 50 years ago. So, my school carries that name. It carries the historic name of the university and it still preserves those core classes in the humanities and the social sciences and the mathematics and sciences that make up the core of the university education. Our university core, there’s a set of courses that we call the core. Those are staffed by faculty in Howard College and then our distributed general education classes in various academic disciplines are also there. And that’s what makes up the, as Doug said at the beginning, foundation of an undergraduate education here at Samford University – no matter where they complete their major. They all take classes in Howard College of Arts and Sciences. And then we have a good number of majors ... Around 900 or so, every year in the college itself. So, my job as Dean is to ensure that we have the leadership we need to maintain the highest quality Christian education available in each of our programs. It’s to ensure that we have the faculty we need to teach those programs and it’s to ensure that those faculty are equipped, that they get the support they need, and that they’re encouraged to do their jobs and to do them well. So, much of our work here at Samford has been what you might call “under the hood” efforts to get systems and people in place to support work of the college. And really my biggest highlight each year has been the people God has brought here year by year to help that effort. Through our hiring over the past five years we’ve learned that intelligent leading Christian scholars and teachers are looking for a place like Samford where they can find a Christ-centered community of colleagues who can encourage them to pursue their callings with excellence. So, I’m excited about the leadership team that God has brought to the college. My own Dean’s team of two associate deans and an assistant dean and then 13 department chairs, and two program directors, who are excited to be a part of the college and university and help us become even better. So, we’ve launched several innovative programs. I could just give you a few examples. We’ve created new tracks in biblical studies. We’ve created a neuroscience program. We’ve developed certificate programs in graphics information systems. We’ve launched a strategic planning effort for the sciences and mathematics to strengthen the student preparation and to look for new ways to adapt those programs to 21st century needs. We’re particularly exploring ways to ensure that every Samford student graduates with what our Provost terms “digital fluency.” Which is the ability to be at home with digital technology and use it effectively in our careers, whatever those careers are. And we’re exploring similar initiatives in the social sciences and humanities. >>Doug Sweeney: Tim, I’m please to say there’s a lot of synergy these days between Howard College and Beeson Divinity School. We had one of your department chairmen, Roy Ciampa, on the show not too long ago. Along with Scott Guffand. To talk about the accelerated M Div we’re developing, a new pathway from Samford University to Beeson Divinity School. Dr. Roy Ciampa, by the way, will be preaching at chapel for us at Beeson this fall. All kinds of connections we’re making. Would you say a word to our listeners about why, from the undergrad perspective at Samford, that that’s a useful thing? And what you hope for just in terms of connections between Howard College and Beeson Divinity School moving forward? >>Dr. Hall: Sure. I’m happy to talk about that. I’m really glad that we keep finding ways to collaborate and to support each other. That is between our two schools. One of the reasons I found Samford attractive when I first applied for the deanship was because of your predecessor, Timothy George. I knew his reputation very well. I was familiar with his writings. And I held him in such high regard. So, excited to join a university where he was also in leadership. And I was equally delighted when you accepted the deanship a couple of years later. I’m grateful for the ways we’ve been working together and praying together and just exchanging mutual support since you’ve come. I think it’s really important that we be united on the centrality of Jesus Christ and Samford’s mission. I think it’s important for us to really fire the community with a devotion to Christ and to his glory that just suffuses every single endeavor we have here at Samford University. So, you mentioned that accelerated BA to M Div program. And I’m really delighted about that. And we’re also looking for other ways. I know you had some preliminary conversations with the new Chair of Psychology, Dr. Rob Elsner, about collaborating with the Psychology Department here. And then another thing that we’re doing in the college is we’re working towards really strengthening our emphasis on faith and learning and the classroom. And that’s an area where I think there is a lot of opportunity for our faculty to learn from your faculty about ways that we can do that better. So, I think that Beeson has a lot to offer Howard College in this regard. >>Kristen Padilla: You’ve been in your role for about five years now, I believe. And after you arrived your school adopted a new mission statement. What are some highlights of your last five years as dean? And we’d love to hear your plans, your hopes, for the college as you look forward. >>Dr. Hall: I’ll be fairly general here, but I will say that, yeah, in our mission statement what I love about our mission statement is that it stresses the college as the heart of Samford University, because it is the home of our core liberal arts programs, as we’ve already talked about. I like to say it this way: Howard College is the heart of Samford University in two ways. First, it’s the core of every student’s degree program here. It’s what makes their education a university education, as opposed to say simply a professional education. Every undergraduate students earns actually about half their credits within my college. And then secondly, through the university core programs those include our Great Books program, our core writing programs, and our course in biblical foundations. And so those really provide the core of what makes the Samford education a Christian education. It engages them in the scriptures, in the outlines of Christian thought, and in some challenges of Christian thought that have gone on through the centuries. And we try to lead them in these courses in engaging deeply with what they believe and developing a clear more accurate understanding of it and then developing a resilient vital faith that grows and deepens throughout their lives no matter what career path they choose. >>Doug Sweeney: Dr. Hall, I want our listeners to know that you really are a great Christian historian. For many years you have been developing a deep learning, particularly in early American history. You’re a very insightful scholar and you’re really a faithful Christian who thinks carefully about the relationship between your work as a scholar and your Christian faith. Would you tell us just briefly what difference does being a Christian make for you as a historian? And then I’ll follow up with another question about your deanship. As the Dean of Howard College, what bearing do you think Christianity should have on the way we teach across the disciplines of your school. >>Dr. Hall: Well, that first question, Doug. you know that’s a big one. (laughs) A lot of books have been written on that question. So, I have a lot of thoughts and I’ve been around long enough now that I’ve seen faith come to bear on my work in a wide variety of ways. I’ve been stimulated to think about this recently by a book that I’ve just read on God’s providence, on the way 18th century Christians thought about the providence of God. The author actually provides, I think, a very sensitive exploration of how they thought about God’s governance in their daily lives. In particular, regarding sickness and why God brought sickness into their life and what he wants to teach them through it. I think through that it reminds me of yet another book that I’ve read which is Eugene Peterson’s, “Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places,” which is a line drawn from a Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem. In that book, he observes that Christ plays in history. He says history really is a tragic and brutal story, often brutal story of how humans created in the image of God rebel against him in so many variety of ways. They’re endlessly creative at finding ways to do that. A world in which, as he says, sin and death play a major part through suffering and pain. But he observes that one of the lessons we learn from history is that we need help. And another thing we learn from studying history is that we who follow Jesus enter into a story that gets its definitive meaning from Christ’s death and the life of salvation that derives from it. I think I’ve learned to cultivate a chastened view of humans as historical actors to recognize and take into account their hidden motives, their partial perspectives, the ways in which their actions can so quickly spin out of control into a cacophony of unintended consequences. But I’ve also learned to be alert for God’s redemptive actions to appear in the midst of our mess in surprising ways. And from unexpected quarters. And in ways that display for those with eyes to see his amazing glory and grace. The African American experience is one example of this that I can think of. How the brutal experience of slavery, nevertheless, African Americans survived that experience and developed a Christianity that generated the Civil Rights movement. And so, so much good has come out of that in terms of worship. But it’s not that the experience itself was good or one that we would have wanted to have seen happen. It’s that God has reached into that and redeemed it and continues to redeem it for his good. You asked me to speak to how our Christian faith bears on the work at campus here. So, I think Christian faith should inform every aspect of our life on campus. Not just in chapel. Not just during convo hour and the evenings at small group bible studies, but in our teaching, in our learning, in our mentoring, and in our relationships as a community of Christian scholars. It doesn’t necessarily mean praying before each class. Some professors do that. And it doesn’t mean forcing some sort of Christian meaning onto every mathematical operation or every topic of discussion in a psychology or sociology class. It doesn’t mean avoiding challenging questions. It doesn’t mean creating a list of banned books. It does mean pursuing what our Provost, Mike Hardin, calls an ethic of agape love. It means coming alongside students who are struggling with their classes. It means listening carefully to students who have concerns or doubts. It means providing support to walk with them through their struggles and to point them to a deeper faith that can sustain them and can give them hope. It means pointing them toward Jesus Christ as their greatest hope and treasure in life and death. >>Kristen Padilla: Dr. Hall, what gets you excited about Samford, about what God is doing here at Samford these days? >>Dr. Hall: Well, the opportunity that we have right here to even talk about these matters just gives me an example of what I’m really excited about here at Samford. That is the way that leadership and faculty are increasingly pulling together around our vision of Samford as a leading national Christian comprehensive university. I’m really excited about the leadership of our new president, Beck Taylor, and his commitment to the lordship of Christ as the primary, what he calls, “immutable aspect” of our work together as a university. As well as for his commitment to leading us in ways that care for all members of our community, while at the same time exploring innovative new ways of preparing our students for the world that’s changing so rapidly around us. He said he can’t think of a university better positioned to succeed than Samford. And I feel the same way. >>Doug Sweeney: We want to end our time together with you by asking you to edify our listeners with a word about what God’s been teaching out these days. Particularly in your devotional life, your prayer life. We don’t have to set this up too long to remind everybody, this has been a crazy year. A pretty difficult year and a half. And as you struggled through it as a leader of an important school, a central school, at Samford University, what has God been telling you? What has God been showing you? What’s he been teaching you these days? >>Dr. Hall: Well, one thing I can share is that my wife and I pray regularly. We actually go up to the Vulcan trail which is a walking trail here in town. We walk nearly every day and we pray for the university. We pray for the faculty. We pray for searches. We pray for issues that come up. We also read the Bible with this Bible reading program that takes us through the New Testament every year. And recently the readings have been in the Book of John. And it just so happens that yesterday’s was on John 15. Which dovetails nicely with another book I’ve been reading, which is St. Clair Ferguson’s “The Whole Christ.” And one of the major themes of that book is the concept of union with Christ. Union with Christ is a common theme in the Puritan writings. And it’s a concept that I find both alluring and mysterious, frankly – how to experience this. But John 15 happens to be one of the major biblical sources of teaching on the unity of Christ. And Jesus says there, “I am the vine. You are the branches. Abide in my and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine. So, neither can you unless you abide in me.” So, this passage encourages me ... It actually does more. It really urges me to pursue the union with Christ that he gave me when he saved me. I’ve been united with Christ as Paul writes in Colossians 3:3 and my life is hidden with Christ in God. The Holy Spirit is both the agent of that union and he’s the source of my ability to do the works of Christ to which I’m called. So, I really think that my ability to accomplish anything in Christ’s service, whether it’s being at Howard College of Arts and Sciences or as co-leader of my small group church. All of those things depend on my cultivation of a vital relationship with Christ. That happens through reading, meditation on scripture. It happens through prayer. It happens through worshipping with the people in regular communion. It also says, according to Jesus, if you keep my commandments you abide in my love. And of course later he says, “This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.” And so living a life of love, pursuing those spiritual practices, seeking to live into and live out that union with Christ, I think, is something that I’ve ... Well, I think I’ve really been spending my whole life learning how to do that. And some days are better than others. But I continue to strive to seek and pursue and deeper love for Christ and a deeper practice in his presence. >>Doug Sweeney: That’s a great word for all of us. Thank you, Tim. Listeners, you have been listening to Dr. Tim Hall, Dean of the Howard College of Arts and Sciences here at Samford University. We are grateful for his time. We’re grateful to all of you for joining us. And we say goodbye for now. >>Kristen Padilla: You’ve been listening to the Beeson podcast. Our theme music is written and performed by Advent Birmingham of the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama. Our engineer is Rob Willis. Our announcer is Mike Pasquarello. Our co-hosts are Doug Sweeney and, myself, Kristen Padilla. Please subscribe to the Beeson podcast at www.BeesonDivinity.com/podcast or on iTunes.