Please join me in remembering Dr. E. Glenn Hinson, former professor of spirituality at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond (BTSR). Dr. Hinson died on January 29. I became acquainted with Dr. Hinson in 1995 as a first-year seminarian, where all students took Introduction to Christian Spirituality. In fact, BTSR required MDiv students to take several credits with Dr. Hinson. This degree requirement was more than a nod to a daily devotional. It was an intentional part of the overall spiritual formation of students at BTSR, the first Moderate seminary to emerge in the Baptist ecosystem.
I wasn’t sure what to expect at first! Dr. Hinson started each class with ten minutes of silence. When classes started in the fall, ten minutes seemed like an eternity. However, at the end of the semester, I longed for more. Through his courses, Dr. Hinson introduced us to the practices of spiritual mothers and fathers like Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila, Brother Lawrence, Thomas Merton, Douglas Steere and Henri Nouwen. He also introduced us to Richmond Hill, an ecumenical retreat center in Richmond’s Church Hill, a place where I continue to find solace and a deep sense of God’s presence.
If you never met Dr. Hinson, the following words from his daughter, Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty, posted on the BTSR Alumni Facebook page, offer a snapshot of his life . . .
My dad taught me so much about living well and now about dying well. He told Lee and me in his last days that he was ready “to step out into God’s overflowing love.” [On January 29th] at 12:30 am he joined the great force of goodness in the universe that surely grounds and steadies all of us. Over the last few days, he gave thanks for a long and beautiful life, our family, and so many friends and wisdom seekers. His main message, “Keep going. Keep moving. Cherish the good. All I have is love.”
Glenn Hinson was born in St Louis, Missouri on July 27, 1931, to Lloyd Allen Hinson and Docia Frances Crow and grew up on a farm in the Missouri Ozarks near Sullivan. He graduated from Sullivan High School in 1949. He earned a B.A. degree from Washington University in St Louis (1954), B.D. and ThD degrees from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) in Louisville (1957, 1962), and a DPhil from Oxford University in England (1974).
While a student at SBTS, he served as pastor of Eminence Baptist Church in Indiana (1957-59). He taught church history at Southern Seminary from 1962 until 1992, interrupted by sabbaticals and a two-year stint at Wake Forest University (1982-84). While teaching at SBTS, he became friends with the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton. That friendship changed his life and the trajectory of his scholarly career. After fundamentalists took over SBTS, Dad took early retirement and joined the faculty at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond (BTSR). In addition, he served many other institutions as a visiting Professor at St John’s University in Collegeville, MN (1984), Catholic University of America (1987), the University of Notre Dame (1989), the International Baptist Theological Seminary at Rüschlikon, Switzerland (1991, 1994), and Candler School of Theology, Emory University (2000-01).
An active ecumenist throughout his career, he served on the Faith and Order Commissions of the World Council of Churches (1977-92) and National Council of Churches (1981-87) and took part in the Southern Baptist/Roman Catholic Scholars Dialogue (1977-87), the international Baptist/Roman Catholic Conversations (1984-88), and bilateral dialogues with other Christian bodies and with people of other faiths. He frequently lectured in other schools and in churches. He wrote or edited thirty-seven books in church history and spirituality including an autobiography, A Miracle of Grace, and published more than 1,200 articles and book reviews. He was a dedicated teacher and chose to donate his body to the University of Louisville Body Bequeathal program so that students could continue to learn even in his death.
May the life and teaching legacy of Dr. Hinson continue to live on through his family, friends, colleagues and students. We are better on account of this humble teacher, servant and saint.
With thanksgiving,
Thank you for sharing your tribute and the beautiful words of his daughter.