Steve Badger

(My apologies to those who think all of the below must be in chronological order.)

Born in a suburb north of Boston, Massachusetts, the youngest of five children, Steve's family moved to Miami, Florida, when he was 9 years old. Later his family moved to the Florida panhandle about 20 miles south of Dothan, Alabama, and three years later (in 1960) to Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

As a youngster of about 7-years old, Steve confessed faith in Christ Jesus. Later, during his first year of graduate school at USM, he got saved again. Then in 1971, he got saved again. For those who question this theology, just change the last two experiences as from "saved again" to "rededicated his life to Christ" and don't worry about it.

He attended Hattiesburg High school, but graduated from Forrest County Agricultural High School in Brooklyn, MS. He earned a BS in biology and secondary education from William Carey College. After successfully completing "student teaching" at Eatonville High School, (now North Forrest High School) he taught science at Sumrall Attendance Center.

In 1973, he earned a PhD in chemistry from the University of Southern Mississippi. Twenty-two years after completing his PhD, he earned his first and only master's degree in biblical literature from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (1995, Springfield, MO).

While a student at William Carey, he met and married a petite young lady from Moselle, MS. Then on Thanksgiving Day, 1964, he and Dale Patterson were married at Shelton Baptist Church. In November 2014, they will celebrate 50 years of marriage.

Dale & Steve had five children: Mark, Hope, twin boys, and Sara. The twin boys were born prematurely and lived an hour or so before they died. Mark was 21 when he was killed in an accident in 1986 and is buried in the cemetery behind Shelton Baptist Church.

After grad school, Steve taught for five years at Jackson State University and spent a few summers doing scientific research in government research laboratories (USDA, EPA, National Marine Fisheries Services, subsidiary of NOAA).

He is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God and has served as both senior pastor (Kosciusko, MS) and associate pastor (Jackson, MS, and Waxahachie, TX). He has taught and preached in several foreign countries including Bulgaria, South Africa, the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Kenya, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and England, and here in the USA (Louisiana, New Jersey, and Massachuseetts).

From 2001-2013, he taught science at Evangel University (Springfield, MO). His wife's health prompted him to retire in July 2013.

A few years ago, his wife, Dale Patterson, was diagnosed with dementia. She is currently cared for at Lamar Healthcare & Rehab inLumberton. He and his wife have two adult daughters, two grand-daughters, and a grandson.

For about twelve years, Steve and Evangel University colleague Dr. Mike Tenneson have been researching Christians' attitudes and beliefs about the relationship between Christian faith and the natural sciences (specifically, creation-evolution). They have collaborated in writing and speaking on this subject, including:

1. Christian Perspectives on Origins (available on Amazon & 4th edition coming soon!)

2. Tenneson, Mike and Steve Badger. "Teaching Origins to Pentecostal College Students and Measuring the Beliefs of Pentecostal Students about Origins." Paper presented at the Society of Pentecostal Studies and Wesleyan Theological Society Joint Meeting, Duke University, Durham, NC, March 14, 2008.

3. Tenneson, Michael and Steve Badger, "Teaching Origins to Pentecostal Students," in Amos Yong, ed., The Spirit Renews the Face of the Earth: Pentecostal Forays in Science and Theology of Creation. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Press, 2009.

4. Badger, Steve and Mike Tenneson, "Does the Spirit Create through Evolutionary Processes? Pentecostals and Biological Evolution," in James K. A. Smith & Amos Yong, eds., Science and the Spirit: Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity and the Religion and Science Dialogue Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2010.

5. Tenneson, Mike and Steve Badger. (Feb. 2010) "A Brief Overview of Pentecostal Views on Origins." Enrichment Journal online: http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/201002/ejonline_201002_origins.cfm

Other presentations include:

* Church groups e.g., Sunday school & Wed. night groups

* Professional meetings (e.g., "Society for Pentecostal Studies" and "The American Scientific Affiliation").

Over the years, Steve has had about 15 articles published in AG literature (e.g.., The Pentecostal Evangel, Advance, Paraclete, and Sunday school literature). These include:

1. "Reach thousands of vacationers," Advance, May 1984, p.14.

2. "The right road home," Pentecostal Evangel, Feb. 26, 1984, p.12.translated and reprinted in No. 1 de 1985, El Evangelio Pentecostal,as "El Camino Que Lleva a Casa."also reprinted in Today's Man, April-June 1987, p.11.

3. "Lightning adventure," Today's Man, October/December 1984, p.4.reprinted in Insight for Young Adults, Fall 1987, p.1.

4. "A blessed depression," Pentecostal Evangel, Dec. 8, 1985, p.4.reprinted in The Love Express, May 1988, p.8.

5. "Single-source items," Pentecostal Evangel, May 24, 1987, p.11.

6. "How does it look to You, Lord," Pentecostal Evangel, Oct. 16, 1988, p.30.

7. "The hill at the end of the park," Pentecostal Evangel, Apr. 22, 1990, p.4.

8. "Seven habits of highly effective Christians," Pentecostal Evangel, Jan. 9, 1994, p.6.

9. "I died at the airport," Pentecostal Evangel, Feb. 6, 1994, p.4.

10. "The Christian, the Church, and the Environment," Pentecostal Evangel, August 20, 1995, p.12.

11. "Dear Nathan," Pentecostal Evangel, Apr. 21, 1996, p.13.

12. "Letter to a Homosexual Friend" Pentecostal Evangel, Feb. 13, 2000, p.19.

13. "Guidelines for Being a Friend to a Homosexual," Pentecostal Evangel, Feb. 13, 2000, p.22.

14. "Whose Music?" Pentecostal Evangel, Mar. 24, 2013, p.16-17.

15. "Effortless Christianity?" Pentecostal Evangel, Sep. 12, 2013.

16. Review of Rethinking the Unity of Luke and Acts, by Mikeal C. Parsons and Richard I. Pervo. In Paraclete 29 (Spring 1995).

17. Review of Slaying the Dragons: Destroying Myths in the History of Science and Faith by Allan Chapman. In Enrichment (Spring 2014).

In another book, Sharing the Metanarrative, he addresses the challenges of witnessing Christ to postmodernists.

He is currently finishing a novel that he hopes will become a trilogy.

You can learn more about him at http://www.steve-badger.net