David Samuel Dockery (born October 28, 1952, Tuscaloosa, Alabama) is the President of the International Alliance for Christian Education. He is also Distinguished Professor of Theology and on April 19, 2023 was elected the 10th President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.[1] Formerly he served as Trinity International University's 15th president.[2] He was elected to that presidency on February 28, 2014.
Prior to his time at Trinity he served as the 15th president of Union University, which U.S. News & World Report has listed among the top tier regional institutions in the South each since 1997.[3] Dockery is author or editor of more than 35 books, including: Renewing Minds, Southern Baptist Consensus and Renewal, Biblical Interpretation Then and Now, Theologians of the Baptist Tradition, and the Holman Bible Handbook. His articles have been published in Touchstone, Books & Culture, Christianity Today, and numerous other publications. In addition, he has contributed chapters or articles to more than 40 other publications.[4]
He was elected to Union's presidency on December 8, 1995, and the university increased in student enrollment from 1,975 in the fall of 1996 to 4,259 in the fall of 2012, representing 15 consecutive years of increased enrollment.[5]
Quotations from Dockery have appeared in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Post, The Dallas Morning News, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Washington Times, The Tennessean, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis), The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Birmingham News, The Courier-Journal (Louisville), The Baltimore Sun, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Religion News Service, Bloomberg.com, Forbes.com, Fox.com, and several denominational publications, among others.[6]
He has been interviewed on several national networks: CNN, NBC, ABC, MSNBC, FOX, and numerous local/regional television channels; along with national radio interviews on ABC, FOX, NPR, Moody, Salem, AFR, and others.[7]
On January 15, 2013, Dockery announced he would begin the transition process from university president to the role of university chancellor.[11]
Dockery was formally installed[12] as president of Trinity International University on October 23, 2014. In his first year at Trinity, Dockery led work on a new strategic plan called "Heritage and Hope: Trinity 2023",[13] which the Board of Regents passed unanimously on February 27, 2015.
Dockery and his wife, Lanese, have three married sons and eight grandchildren. He and Lanese have traveled to the various regions of the United States and Canada, as well as to Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Middle East. [14]
Works
Thesis
Dockery, David S. The Problem of Indwelling Sin in Romans 7:14-25 (M.Div.). Grace Seminary.
———. The Shape of the Pauline Approach to Life in the Spirit (M.A.). Texas Christian University.
——— (1988). An Examination of Hermeneutical Development in Early Christian Thought and Its Contemporary Significance (Ph.D.). University of Texas-Arlington.
Books
——— (1991). The Doctrine of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Convention Press. OCLC24988167.
——— (1992). Biblical Interpretation Then and Now: contemporary hermeneutics in the light of the early church. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker. ISBN9780801030109. OCLC24952889.
——— (1995). Christian Scripture: An Evangelical Perspective on Inspiration, Authority, and Interpretation. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing. ISBN9780805410402. OCLC31132880. - Also translated into Romanian.
———; Guthrie, George H. (2004). Holman Guide to Interpreting the Bible: How do you handle a sharper than sharp two-edged Sword? Very Carefully. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing. ISBN9780805428582. OCLC1026483860.
——— (2007). Renewing Minds: Serving Church and Society Through Christian Higher Education. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing. ISBN9780805444957. OCLC149008139.
——— (2008). Southern Baptist Consensus and Renewal: A Biblical, Historical and Theological Proposal. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing. ISBN9780805447408. OCLC181600407.
——— (2011). The Pursuit: Chasing Answers to Life's Questions. Nashville, TN: Lifeway Press. - bible studies on Ecclesiastes
New Testament Criticism and Interpretation, co-editor and contributor with David Alan Black (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991) chapter on "The History of New Testament Interpretation."
Beyond the Impasse?: Scripture, Interpretation, and Theology in Baptist Life, co-editor with Robison B. James (Nashville: Broadman, 1992) chapter on "A People of the Book: The Crisis of Biblical Authority Today."
Holman Bible Handbook, general editor and contributor (Nashville: Holman, 1992) sections on "Pauline Letters," "History of Biblical Interpretation," "Christian Faith and the Christian Community," and "The Lord's Supper."
The Concise Bible Dictionary, consulting editor (Old Tappan: Fleming H. Revell, 1992).
Holman Book of Biblical Charts, Maps and Reconstructions, contributing editor (Nashville: Holman, 1993).
———, ed. (1993). Southern Baptists and American Evangelicals: The Conversation Continues. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing. ISBN9780805460414. OCLC28585502.
Foundations for Biblical Interpretation, co-editor and contributor with Robert B. Sloan and Kenneth A. Mathews (Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1994) chapter on "The Study and Interpretation of the Bible."
The Challenge of Postmodernism: An Evangelical Engagement, editor and contributor (Grand Rapids: Baker/BridgePoint, 1995, revised edition 2001) chapter on "The Challenge of Postmodernism."
The Best of A. T. Robertson, compiler (Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1996).
New Dimensions in Evangelical Theology: Essays in Honor of Millard J. Erickson, editor (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1998). Chapter on "Millard J. Erickson."
Holman Concise Bible Commentary, general editor (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 1998). Section on the "Pauline Epistles." Translated into Spanish.
The Integration of Faith and Learning: A Basic Bibliography, editor and compiler (1998).
The Future of Christian Higher Education, co-editor with David P. Gushee (B&H Publishing, 1999). Chapters on "The Future of Christian Higher Education: An Introduction," "The Great Commandment As a Paradigm for Christian Higher Education," "The Role of Professional Education in Christian Higher Education," and "The Grandeur of God and Real Education: A Strategy for Integrating Faith in a Post-Christian Culture."
New Testament Interpretation, co-edited with David Alan Black (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2000). Chapter on the History of New Testament Interpretation.
Theologians of the Baptist Tradition, co-edited with Timothy George (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2001). Chapters on John A. Broadus, A.T. Robertson, and Hershel Hobbs.
Shaping a Christian Worldview, co-edited with Greg Thornbury (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2002). Chapter on Shaping a Christian Worldview.
John A. Broadus: A Living Legacy, co-edited with Roger Duke (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2008). Chapter on "Mighty in the Scriptures."
Southern Baptist Identity: An Evangelical Denomination Faces the Future (Wheaton: Crossway, 2009). Chapter on "Southern Baptists in the 21st Century."
Christian Leadership Essentials, editor (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2011)
Southern Baptists, Evangelicals and the Future of Denominationalism, editor (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2011)
Faith and Learning: A Handbook for Christian Higher Education, editor (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2012)
Worship, Tradition, and Engagement: Essays in Honor of Timothy George, co-edited with James Massey and Robert Smith, Jr. (London: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018)
——— (1993). "Introduction to Southern Baptists and American Evangelicals". In ——— (ed.). Southern Baptists and American Evangelicals: The Conversation Continues. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing. ISBN9780805460414. OCLC28585502.
——— (1993). "American Evangelical Responses to Southern Baptists". In ——— (ed.). Southern Baptists and American Evangelicals: The Conversation Continues. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing. pp. 100–. ISBN9780805460414. OCLC28585502.
Journal articles
——— (Fall 1981). "Romans 7:14-25: Pauline tension in the Christian life". Grace Theological Journal. 2 (2): 239–257.
