OPINION

Retired SWBTS missions professor dies

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FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Justice Anderson, a Southern Baptist missionary in Argentina for 17 years who later founded Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's World Missions Center, died Dec. 29. He was 83.

Anderson and his wife Mary Ann were Southern Baptist missionaries to Argentina from 1959-74. During that time, Anderson served as professor of church history and homiletics at the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Buenos Aires. Additionally, he served as vice president of the Argentine Baptist Convention in 1962 and 1965 and interim president of the seminary from 1968-69.

After returning from the mission field, Anderson joined Southwestern's faculty as the George W. Bottoms professor of mission. The World Missions Center he founded in 1980 and led for 20 years continues to be a training site for future missionaries as well as a catalyst for engaging students and faculty on campus in mission trips and missions education.

"Justice Anderson left the mission field to come to Southwestern and place the cause of world missions in the hearts of all students," Southwstern's president, Paige Patterson, said of the professor who served 27 years at the seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. "Southwestern honors him for his faithfulness and wishes heaven's comfort for the sweet family."

Anderson authored a three-volume Spanish-language Baptist history, along with various other books and articles in both Spanish and English, according to the Baptist Standard newsjournal in Dallas.

A native of Bay City, Texas, Anderson earned a divinity degree from Southwestern in 1955 followed by a doctor of theology in 1965 as well as earlier bachelor's and master's degrees at Baylor University. In retirement, Anderson taught at Dallas Baptist University, the B.H. Carroll Theological Institute and Baylor's George W. Truett Theological Seminary. He and his wife Mary Ann also worked with the Karen refugee community at Agape Baptist Church in Fort Worth.

The funeral service was this morning (10 a.m., Jan. 2) at Agape Baptist Church.

Anderson is survived by his wife of 63 years, Mary Ann; two daughters, Sandi Phillips and Suzie Person, and two sons, Timothy and Brad;11 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Compiled from reports by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

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