George Braswell Reflects on Southeastern History in “Seven Presidents and One Professor”
Mary Asta Mountain | December 20, 2024
Over the past nearly 75 years, Southeastern Seminary has cemented its identity as the Great Commission seminary — an identity shaped, in part, by the vision and leadership of seven men. In his recent book “Seven Presidents and One Professor,” emeritus professor George Braswell offers a first-person account of six Southeastern presidencies and one interim presidency, highlighting stories of God’s faithfulness to the institution and its mission.
As the subtitle of the book states, “Seven Presidents and One Professor” shares “An Account of 72 Years at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary” told through the personal memories of Braswell who began teaching at Southeastern in 1974. His presence on Southeastern’s campus, however, goes back to his studies at Wake Forest College in 1954 when Sydnor L. Stealey served as president of Southeastern. Braswell would later go on to earn a degree, his Doctor of Ministry, from the seminary itself and would teach on Southeastern’s faculty for 30 years. 
Over the course of that time, Braswell had the opportunity to know and be impacted by each of Southeastern’s presidents. He watched them lead the institution through the good times and the difficult ones. He observed the many differences between them, their quirks, their personalities, and their varying leadership styles. But most of all, he observed their united mission to equip students for the work of God, specifically for the service of the Great Commission so that the good news of the gospel would be known, not only at home but also across the world.
“Each president whom I served with helped me to be the best professor in the classroom I could be,” Braswell explained. He added, “Each president helped me be the best writer I could be.” Third, he said, “Each president helped me travel the world to teach students.” Over the course of his life, Braswell would visit a total of 32 countries as he sought to equip students to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Braswell chose to write “Seven Presidents and One Professor” when he realized that he provided a unique link between each of Southeastern’s six presidents and one interim president as well as a unique perspective on their presidencies, having known several of them particularly well.
Through his proximity to these leaders and his front-row seat to Southeastern’s history, Braswell was able to watch God at work. He saw how God used imperfect people in positions of leadership for the purposes of his kingdom and through their leadership equipped countless men and women for the work of ministry. His desire now is to share that collective story in this personal recounting of Southeastern’s history.
Seven Presidents and One Professor: An Account of 72 Years at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, founded in 1951 on the campus of Wake Forest College, has had seven presidents throughout its history. One Southeastern professor has known them all. This book is the story of that one professor and his public and private interactions with all seven presidents. This story could only be told by Dr. George Braswell.
Raised in Emporia, Virginia, George Braswell has traveled the world, served as a pastor, demonstrated serious scholarship, been recognized as an expert in world religions, served as the first Southern Baptist Missionary to Iran, authored numerous books, and emphasized the Great Commission at home and abroad as a professor at Southeastern for more than 30 years.
September 30, 2024
Paperback, 186 pages
