Dave Saxon

Professor of Bible

Ph.D. in Church History, Bob Jones University
M.A. in Church History, Bob Jones University
B.S. in Mathematics, Bob Jones University

Office: Old Main 224
Contact Dr. Saxon
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About Dr. Saxon

I was saved at the age of six in a Christian school chapel in San Diego, California, in March, 1970, while being reared in a godly, Christian home. My wife, Jamie Asbury, and I met in sixth grade when her parents moved to Virginia from Delaware to take ministry positions at the church that managed the Christian school I attended. We were friends for a while; then we began dating in high school and became good friends; we dated in college and became close friends; we got engaged during our senior year at Bob Jones University and became best friends; we married during the summer after our graduation and became one. We’d known each other 11 years and had already had most of our big fights before we married. We had very few adjustments after marrying in 1984, and we’ve had over two decades of honeymoon since (with a few minor tussles). That my wife knows me like she does and still loves me like she does is a wonderful daily reminder of God’s undeserved grace to me. Jamie and I have since had four children: Lance, born August 3, 1988; Shane, born June 18, 1992; Clint, born May 27, 1994; and Bethany, born March 16, 1998; all four children have professed faith in Jesus Christ. I greatly enjoy music and sports of all kinds.

When we arrived in Watertown to become a part of the Maranatha family in 1999, we were life-long Southerners who did not know how we would fit here. Since then, Maranatha has become home for us. New Testament Baptist Church has become our church family, and we even love Watertown! My children are attending the outstanding schools here (Calvary Baptist Christian School and Maranatha Baptist Academy), my wife has an excellent teaching ministry in Maranatha Baptist Academy, and … we have learned how to drive in the snow (mostly).

My kids are my hobby. Fortunately, my three boys love sports of all kinds, so I get to enjoy shooting baskets, throwing the football or baseball, or even tossing a Frisbee with them. I play games with my daughter and am teaching her how to play the piano. During leisure times, when I’m not spending time with my wife and kids, I read. We also enjoy watching movies together.

What Dr. Saxon Loves about Teaching at Maranatha

Teaching at Maranatha has been an incredible blessing for me and my family. The main reasons are the following:

            1) The Lord has made it clear to me that this is exactly where He wants us. There is great joy and comfort in serving with confidence that you are in the center of His will.

            2) Many of the students the Lord brings each year to Maranatha come from wonderful homes and churches and bring a sweet, godly spirit that challenges and encourages me in my own walk with the Lord. Interacting with the students is the best part of college teaching.

            3) The administration and my fellow faculty are a collection of wise, godly leaders who continually challenge me to grow in my walk with the Lord. Maranatha is a greenhouse for cultivating spiritual leaders and then sending them out to prosper in other environments. As a teacher in this context, I find my own spiritual life nurtured daily.

            4) I believe the Lord has been pleased to use me to some degree in impacting students and colleagues for Christ. To the extent that He has done so, I pray that all will be “to the praise of His glory.”

Dr. Saxon's Training and Ministry

My principal training came from Bob Jones University, where I studied under Dr. David Beale and Dr. Edward Panosian. If I can influence students to love God and church history the way these gentlemen inspired me, I will consider myself very successful. My specialty was Fundamentalist history, and my dissertation addressed key individuals of the Niagara Conference generation. I minored in Bible (primarily NT) and theology and have a strong interest in Pauline studies and prophecy. While working on the graduate degrees, I worked alongside Pastor David Whitcomb of Community Baptist Church in Greer, SC. Serving on the leadership board of that great church and teaching adult Sunday School were extremely significant factors in shaping me for future ministry. Since coming to Wisconsin, I’ve served as a deacon and am currently the adult Sunday School teacher, Sunday School Superintendent, and choir director at New Testament Baptist Church in Columbus. I have taught in the Bible department of Maranatha Baptist Bible College since August of 1999.  

Dr. Saxon's Professional and Academic Interests

I love reading about the history of theology. Analyzing how saints of the past thought through theological and exegetical problems challenges me to humbly but boldly address the issues believers face today. In my teaching, I try to get the students to think historically rather than bringing a merely local perspective to issues. My writing includes:

• "Francis Wayland and the Ideal of Autonomous Baptist Churches," Frontline, May 2009
• Articles for Ministry Memos and Sunesis, a semiannual publication of the Bible faculty of Maranatha Baptist Bible College
• Book reviews for Biblical Viewpoint, previously a semiannual publication of the Bible faculty of Bob Jones University, Greenville, SC
• Dissertation: “Fundamentalist Bibliology 1870-1900: An Analysis of the Early Fundamentalist Views of Inspiration, Bible Translations, and Bible Criticism from the Writings of James H. Brookes, A. J. Gordon, and A. T. Pierson,” Bob Jones University, 1998

Workshops and Seminar Addresses:

• "Divergent Trajectories:  Tracing the Paths of a Fundamentalist and a Baptist Apostate," Conference for the Church on God's Glory, First Baptist Church, Rockford, IL, May 2009
• "Responding to a New Translation of the Bible: Lessons from the Niagara Fundamentalists (1875-1900)."  Mid-America Conference on Preaching, Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, October 2008
• “The Downgrade in North America: The Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy 1873-1930,” T. T. Shields Memorial Conference, Jarvis Street Baptist Church, Toronto, Canada, March 2005
• “The Scofield Reference Bible and Fundamentalism,” MBBC Conference on Baptist Fundamentalism, March 2004
• “A. T. Pierson and the Effect of the Keswick Conference on Early Fundamentalism,” MBBC Conference on Baptist Fundamentalism, March 2003
• “‘Precious Fellowship in the Truth’: The Niagara Bible Conference and Early Fundamentalists,” MBBC Conference on Baptist Fundamentalism, March 2002
• “Ministering to Families in the Local Church,” MBBC Church Ministries Conference, April 2001

Seminary Teaching Experience:

• Taught Reformation Theology course at Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary, June 2004, as visiting professor

Dr. Saxon's Description of his Classes

 Undergraduate courses:

• Baptist Heritage: In Baptist Heritage, a required three-hour course of all Maranatha students, we survey church history, noting in particular the Baptist distinctives as they have appeared throughout church history. We then discuss the origin and development of the modern Baptist denomination, and we conclude with a discussion of Baptist fundamentalism. A student accused me a couple of years ago of trying to "make all the students Baptists and Fundamentalists." While I want each student to arrive at his or her own convictions in these matters, that does express pretty well my overall aspiration for the course.
• Theology II: This three-hour course deals with the doctrines of man, sin, and salvation and is intended for students in the Biblical Studies department. The doctrines of man and sin lay a foundation upon which the wonderful doctrine of salvation can be built biblically. We successively deal with ten components of salvation--grace, election, atonement, calling, conversion, regeneration, justification, sanctification, preservation, and glorification. 
• Bible Prophecy: Bible prophecy is a huge subject, but this two-hour elective introduces the students to many key themes and passages. After a brief treatment of hermeneutics, we discuss the great historic covenants, messianic prophecy, and key texts in NT eschatology. Hopefully, the course inspires students to make prophecy a life-long study.
• Galatians: Galatians' explanation of justification by faith, the heart of the Christian faith, makes this book an invaluable resource in the constant battle against false religions. In this course, we deal with key historical background and theological themes while analyzing the book verse by verse. It is a two-hour elective.
• James and I Peter: There is an immense amount of practical help and theological depth in these epistles, and we work through the two books verse by verse. It is a two-hour elective.
• Hebrew History: This course uses the OT and contemporary secular records to reconstruct Jewish history from the patriarchs to the intertestamental period. While primarily a history course, the material lends itself to numerous theological and practical lessons. It is a two-hour elective.
• History of Revival: Rather than trying to cover this huge topic comprehensively, I focus primarily on the modern awakenings: the eighteenth-century evangelical awakening in Britain, the Great Awakening, the Second Great Awakening, and the Prayer Meeting Revival. We also discuss the sequence of world-wide evangelists that includes Moody, Torrey, Sam Jones, Sunday, and Graham. It is a two-hour elective designed for evangelism minors.
• Pauline Epistles: This two-hour elective course is really a Pauline theology (since detailed analysis of the thirteen books is impossible within the time constraints). After a careful reconstruction of Paul's life and ministry, we study several key Pauline themes, focusing especially on his doctrines of salvation and the church.
• Proverbs: Many Christians consider Proverbs their favorite book. Full of practical wisdom, Proverbs challenges us to live on the path whose origin and goal is the fear of the Lord. After briefly studying the poetic genre, we move section by section through the first nine chapters. The latter half of the course is a series of ten topical studies from the book. It is a two-hour elective.
• Introduction to Philosophy: As the foundation of a three-semester philosophy sequence that includes ethics and apologetics (Dr. Hudson), this course surveys logic and the main branches of philosophy--theism, epistemology, metaphysics, and anthropology. I attempt to bring a biblical perspective to each of these areas.
• Ethics:  This course equips the students to evaluate the various competing ehtical systems, arrive at a biblical perspective, and apply this perspective to several of the key ethical problems modern Christian confront.