Dr. Ed Hindson, 77, died on July 2. As Dean Emeritus of the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity and Distinguished Professor of Religion, he leaves behind a rich legacy at Liberty, having helped to build the foundation for the school in its early years and instilling biblical truth in the hearts and minds of thousands of students, faculty, and staff during his 48 years of service to the university.
Ed Hindson teaches in the old sanctuary of Thomas Road Baptist Church in May, 1976. (Photo by Les Schofer)
Hindson was regarded foremost as a servant of God, a biblical scholar, faithful leader, and guardian of Liberty University’s Christian mission. He first began teaching at Liberty in 1974. In 1985, he videotaped Liberty’s first distance learning course: Old Testament Survey. Over the years, he taught over 100,000 students, residentially and online. He was named Teacher of the Year many times.
Hindson served the School of Divinity in various roles. From 2013-19, he led the merger of the School of Religion and the Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, the move to the Freedom Tower, the acquisition of the Keesee Fund Scholarship, and accreditation of several graduate programs in the School of Divinity by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). He retired from his role as dean in 2019 but continued to teach divinity courses.
Ed Hindson teaches class in the former Brookville High School in January, 1976. (Photo by Les Schofer)
As an author, Hindson released 40 books and edited five major study Bibles, including the bestselling King James Study Bible (Thomas Nelson) and the Gold Medallion award-winning Knowing Jesus Bible (Zondervan). He was a speaker on “The King is Coming” telecast and a visiting lecturer at Oxford University and Harvard Divinity School, as well as numerous evangelical seminaries, including Dallas, Denver, Trinity, Grace, and Westminster.
Dr. Elmer Towns, Liberty University co-founder, shared these sentiments: “Ed Hindson made a great contribution to the building of Liberty University in Training Champions for Christ. His greatest impact was on his students because of his powerful lectures and life-changing principles that he shared. He will be greatly missed but will always be appreciated for his scholarly and godly influence he left with the students during his time at Liberty University.”
