Dr. H. J. Flanders, Jr.

Dr. H. J. Flanders Jr. October 2, 1921 – June 20, 2006 Dr. H.J. Flanders Jr., former pastor of First Baptist Church of Waco and chairman of the religion department at Baylor University, died Tuesday, June 20, 2006 in Temple after a long illness. A memorial service will be at 11:00 am Friday, June 23 at First Baptist Church of Waco with Dr. Scott Walker and Dr. Herbert Reynolds, officiating. Visitation with the family will be from 6 to 8:00 pm Thursday, June 22 at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home, 6101 Bosque. Dr. Flanders was born Oct. 2, 1921, in Malvern, Ark., and moved soon after to Little Rock. He was the son of Henry Jackson and Mae Hargis Flanders. He attended public schools in Little Rock and then Baylor University, where he was permanent president of the graduating class of 1943. Dr. Flanders went on to receive B.D. and Ph.D degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. In February 1943, Dr. Flanders was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He flew 50 combat missions and received numerous medals for his combat service. Following the war, Dr. Flanders became a religion professor at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. He subsequently became university chaplain and chairman of the Department of Religion. While at Furman in the early 1960’s, Dr. Flanders co-authored, “People of the Covenant,’’ which has become one of the mostly widely used textbooks of New Testament history. In August 1962, Dr. Flanders became pastor of First Baptist Church in Waco. During his seven years as pastor, Dr. Flanders expanded both the size and membership of the church and integrated it for the first time. In 1970, Dr. Flanders joined Baylor University as a professor of religion and subsequently became chairman of the Department of Religion. While at Baylor Dr. Flanders also helped create, and taught, one of the nation’s first law school courses in law and ethics. While at Baylor in the early 1970s, Dr. Flanders, along with Tribune-Herald editor Harry Provence and other community leaders, traveled to Paris, France, to participate in international peace talks that brought an end to the Vietnam War. Dr. Flanders retired from Baylor in 1991. He was Distinguished Alumni of Baylor University, a Mason, a former chaplain of the Texas Rangers, and a member of the American Academy of Religion and the Association of Baptist Professors of Religion, among many other organizations. After retiring, Dr. Flanders helped mentor Waco area children with learning difficulties. Dr. Flanders is survived by his wife of 61 years, Tommie Lou Pardew Flanders, of Waco; a brother, Don H. Flanders of Fort Smith, Ark.; a daughter, Janet Flanders Mitchell of Oklahoma City; a son, Jack Flanders III of Arlington; three grandsons, Luke Mitchell of New York City, N.Y.; Thomas Flanders of Arlington, and Ben Flanders of Norman, Okla.; a daughter-in-law, Pat Flanders of Arlington; and a son-in-law, Gil Mitchell of Oklahoma City. Memorial donations may be made to one’s favorite charity. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our “Memorial Guestbook” at www.wilkirsonhatchbailey.com.