Coleman M. Ford
CONTACT
EDUCATION
Doctor of Philosophy in Church History and Historical Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2019
Dissertation: ““A Bond Between Souls”: Understanding Spiritual Friendship in Augustine of Hippo with Special Reference to His Letters”
Master of Theology in Ethics, Philosophy, and Apologetics, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, in, 2025
Master of Theology in Christian Ethics, New Testament, and Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2019
Master of Theology in Historical Theology, Dallas Theological Seminary, 2012.
Thesis: “The Anti-Arian Hymns of Ambrose: A Pastoral Response to Arianism”
Bachelor of Arts in Radio, TV, and Film, University of North Texas, 2006
RESEARCH INTEREST
Dr. Ford is interested in research projects in these areas: the spirituality and pastoral theology of Augustine of Hippo, the transcendentals (truth, goodness, beauty) in the patristic tradition, virtue and ethics in the patristic tradition, Christianity in late antiquity, and the history of Christian spirituality.
Dr. Ford serves as associate professor of humanities at Texas Baptist College. His research interests include the life and thought of Augustine of Hippo, the transcendentals (truth, goodness, beauty) in the patristic tradition, virtue and ethics in the patristic tradition, Christianity in late antiquity, and the history of Christian spirituality.
He has published monographs and co-written works on patristic theology, as well as works on spirituality and spiritual formation. He has also published numerous chapters on patristic thought and spirituality. Alongside these, he has published numerous articles and reviews in peer-reviewed journals such as Tyndale Bulletin, Evangelical Quarterly, Expository Times, Churchman, Center for Pastor Theologians Journal, Southwestern Journal of Theology, and Themelios.
Dr. Ford regularly attends and presents at meetings of the North American Patristics Society, Society of Biblical Literature, and the Evangelical Theological Society, and holds memberships in the American Society of Church History and the Conference on Faith and History. He is a fellow for the Center for Pastor Theologians and is an associate fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Dr. Ford’s desire is to see students come fully alive in the knowledge and experience of their union with Christ, to pursue what is good, true, and beautiful, and see Scripture as the source of life and the tradition of the church as a vital conversation partner within the Christian life.
2023–Current: Home Groups Pastor, The Village Church Denton, Denton, TX
2016–2020: Groups Minister, The Village Church, Southlake, TX
2008–13: Student Pastor, The Ridge Church, Carrollton, TX
The Spirituality of the Apostolic Fathers. Baker Academic, forthcoming 2026.
A Communion of Saints: Spiritual Formation the Baptist Way. Co-authored with W. Madison Grace. B&H Academic, forthcoming 2026.
“Beauty.” A Handbook on Early Christian Doctrine, edited by Michael A.G. Haykin and Shawn Wilhite, Lexham Press, forthcoming 2026.
“The Pro-Nicene Hymns of Ambrose: A Pastoral Response to Arianism.” Southwestern Journal of Theology, vol. 66, no. 1, 2023. Christian Worship - Equip the Called
“‘Striving for Glory with God’: Humility as the Good Life in Basil of Caesarea’s Homily 20.” Themelios, vol. 44, no. 2, 2019. “Striving for Glory with God”: Humility as the Good Life in Basil of Caesarea’s Homily 20 - The Gospel Coalition
“‘Able to Convince only the Foolish’: Anti-Christian Polemic as Social Scrutiny in Celsus’ On the True Doctrine.” Churchman, vol. 133, no. 1, 2019. (PDF) “Able to Convince only the Foolish”: Anti-Christian Polemic as Social Scrutiny in Celsus’s On the True Doctrine
“‘A Pure Dwelling Place for the Holy Spirit: John Wesley’s Reception of the Homilies of Macarius.” Expository Times, vol. 130, no. 4, 2019. (PDF) ‘A Pure Dwelling Place for the Holy Spirit’: John Wesley’s Reception of the Homilies of Macarius
“‘Tantum in Domino': Tertullian's Interpretation of 1 Corinthians 7 in Ad Uxorem.” Tyndale Bulletin, vol. 69, no. 2, 2018. (PDF) 'Tantum in Domino': Tertullian's Interpretation of 1 Corinthians 7 in his Ad Uxorem
“‘A Pious and Virtuous Senate’: Christian Moral Identity in Tertullian of Carthage's Apologeticum.” Augustine Collegiate Review, vol. 2, no. 1, 2018. Augustine Collegiate Review 2.1: College, Boyce: 9781727057980: Amazon.com: Books
“‘He Who Consoles Us Should Console You’: The Spirituality of the Word in Select Letters of Augustine of Hippo.” Evangelical Quarterly, vol. 89, no. 3, 2018. ‘He Who Consoles Us Should Console You’: The Spirituality of the Word in Select Letters of Augustine of Hippo in: Evangelical Quarterly: An International Review of Bible and Theology Volume 89 Issue 3 (2018)
“‘Attuned to the Bishop as Strings to a Lyre’: Imitation and Virtue Formation in the Letters of Ignatius of Antioch.” Fides et Humilitas, vol. 4, no. 1, 2018. (PDF) “Attuned to the Bishop as Strings to a Lyre”: Imitation and Virtue Formation in the Letters of Ignatius of Antioch
“‘Let His Manner of Living Be an Eloquent Sermon’: Augustine on Pastoral Leadership in De doctrina christiana.” The Journal of Discipleship and Family Ministry, vol. 5, no. 2, 2016. (PDF) "Let His Manner of Living Be an Eloquent Sermon": Augustine on Pastoral Leadership in De doctrina christiana
“‘In Your Light We Shall See Light’: Virtuous Reading and a Theology of Interpretation in Gregory Nazianzus’s Oration 31.” Churchman, vol. 129, no. 4, 2015. (PDF) "In Your Light We Shall See Light": Virtuous Reading and a Theology of InterpretatIon In Gregory of Nazianzus’s Oration 31
“‘Everywhere, Always, By All:’ William Perkins and James Ussher on the Constructive Use of the Fathers.” Puritan Reformed Journal, vol. 7, no. 2, 2015. PRJ_Vol-7_No-2_2015-1.pdf
“‘They Share Their Food But Not Their Wives’: Sexual Holiness as Christian Apologetic in the Second Century.” The Journal of Discipleship and Family Ministry, vol. 5, no. 1, 2015. (PDF) “They Share Their Food But Not Their Wives”: Sexual Holiness as Christian Apologetic in the Second- Century
Meet Coleman Ford
As the author of a book examining Augustine’s theology of friendship, it’s not surprising that Texas Baptist College (TBC) students find a friendly ear in Coleman Ford, whether it’s talking about coffee, spiritual formation, or the history of Christian spirituality.