Faculty Q and A with Chip Hardy

Q: Tell us about yourself.

A: My wife and I have been married for 10 years. We don’t have any kids, but we have a small dog. In June, we moved to Wake Forest from Louisiana where I taught Hebrew and Old Testament at Louisiana College.

Q: How did you come to SEBTS?

A: From the day I left Southern, I wanted to be back in a seminary context. Teaching students at Louisiana College was great preparation to come back to the seminary context.

Q: On what are you currently working?

A: I recently finished my dissertation on Hebrew linguistics, and I am in the process of writing several articles related to ancient languages. I’m also working on starting new classes and offering additional language options for Southeastern students.

Q: What have you been reading recently?

A: I try to keep up what’s going on in academia and in the studies of the Ancient Near East. On a more popular level, I am a huge C.S. Lewis fan. I find myself reading his works again and again with new insights each time. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve read “Mere Christianity,” but that is one of my favorites.

Q: When you get home from work, what do you look forward to doing?

A: My wife and I are huge University of Oklahoma fans. We met in the marching band and we try to watch as much Sooner football as we can. Also, we both enjoy traveling and spending time with students through church or school activities.

Q: Who are your role models?

A: My dad has a PhD in physics, so there was never a question of who was the smartest person in my house. He taught me what it means to be a disciple of Christ and how to lead a godly family.

Academically, Peter Gentry and Daniel Block at Southern were huge influences on how I read the Old Testament. Though the three of us may not agree on everything, they taught me the importance of the Old Testament for the life of the believer and the church today.

Q: What has God been teaching you lately?

A: Patience and trust. He’s been teaching me to wait for his timing, prayerfully call out to him, and have faith in him. In that, my focus needs to be accomplishing his goals for my life, and not just my goals.

Q: Where are some of your former students?

A: Some of my students are serving churches and in the mission field. Others are continuing their education at several institutions such as Southwestern, Southern and Bethlehem Seminary preparing for a wide range of ministries including teaching, pastoring and church planting.

Q: When a student completes your class, what do you want him or her to walk away with at the end of the semester?

A: To walk away with a greater love for the Lord and the Scriptures. They’ll probably walk away thinking, “Wow, that was difficult, but worth the effort!” But even more, I hope their love for the Lord will grow, and that they’ll love learning even when it is a challenging subject to master.

Q: We always say that every classroom at SEBTS is a Great Commission classroom. What does that look like for your class?

A: Making disciples is a far-reaching mission and touches every aspect of life. This is not simply a “religious” exercise. Like Dan Block would say, “all of life is worship.” The question is not whether you are a worshipper, we all worship, the question is who or what we worship. In the classroom, my goal is not just to teach people but also to lead people to worship God, and in turn, accomplish the Great Commission.