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Hi, I'm C. Berry Driver, Jr., Dean of Libraries at SWBTS.
I was born in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1951, reared in a Southern Baptist home, and became an evangelical Christian in
1972. I have served as a senior pastor for over 10 years.
I received a religious studies degree at the University of Alabama, and a graduate degree in theological librarainship
from the University of Kentucky. A second graduate degree was received from SWBTS, with a terminal degree in ecclesiastical
history and theology from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, Germantown, Tennessee. I was previously Associate Professor
of Church History and Theology and Director of Library Services at the MABTS NE Branch in Albany, New York, before assuming
my present post in 1996.
I am husband to a godly wife, Mrs. Kathy T. Driver, a father of three young adults; and I love Puritan theology. (Be sure
to ask me why!) Yours truly is a bibliophile in faith and practice. Amateur Radio provides unique socialization and respite
during leisure moments. I also enjoy a quest toward marksmanship.
My life goal: "For my detemined purpose is that I may know Him [my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ] -- that I may progressively
become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person
more strongly and more clearly. And that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection, which
it exerts over believers; and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually conformed in spirit into His likeness,
even to His death" (Philippians 3:10-11).
I look forward to getting to know each of you this semester. We will have a great time of study together, and I promise
to make this study (which is a passion of mine) meaningful and foundatinally informative for each of you.
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MY GOAL AS A DISCIPLESHIP EQUIPPER AT SWBTS:
Let me assert here the fact that I see spiritual formation as our primary calling as theologians. By spiritual formation
I mean that apostolic content that our Lord Christ authorized, which we possess in the Holy Scriptures. This content is summarized
in a number of orthodox confessions of faith. (This does not involve creedalism; rather, this is a biblically informed and
accountable confessional heritage that reflects accurately what our ancient prophets, our Lord Jesus Christ, and His apostles
taught.) I do not believe that I should merely set forth information in the classroom from which students may develop their
own belief system. Rather, I must with great care, prayer, study, and with the Holy Spirit's help, form for them the theological
structure that makes for the saving of souls and growth in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. In a word, I
am constrained to prepare a mould or casting, into which I must deliver them. That form/content of teaching, which serves
as the mould or pattern is the apostolic gospel which our fathers, the holy apostles, delivered to us, and into which I must
"pour" our students, if I am to succeed in making the strong cohort of Christian workers for our Lord's Kingdom
(Romans 6:17). It is also my conviction that not until the Protestant Reformation did we recover in any clear, cohesive fashion
this "apostolic mould" or body of teaching. In a word, we recovered the gospel; and with great joy and clarity I
proclaim these vital truths to my students. Of course, we must be aware of all relevant theological issues facing us as contemporary
Christian workers; so, I will objectify learning in the classroom, through reading, and research, so that students will have
access to theological perspectives from historical and contemporary issues in our world.
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