DBU’s Philosophy, Politics, Economics Program Welcomes Dr. R. Keith Loftin as Director and Professor of Philosophy

"Augustine concludes that our purpose is to live together in ordered harmony before the Lord. We, as Christians, are called to help facilitate the communal flourishing that God designed."

The Lord intricately creates us, giving us unique passions for the purpose of making Him known. Dr. Keith Loftin faithfully combines his love for learning and teaching on campus each day and is excited to share his expertise with the Patriot Family as DBU's new Director of the Philosophy, Politics, Economics (PPE) program.

Dr. Loftin graduated from Southeastern Bible College, which sadly closed in 2017, with his Bachelor's in Biblical Studies. Dr. Loftin earned the Master of Arts in Humanities from the University of Dallas, the Master of Arts in Philosophy from Louisiana State University, and later the Master of Theology from Southwestern Seminary. Dr. Loftin also studied at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, where he earned his Ph.D. in Theology.

"I can honestly say that I have a love for academic ministry," shares Dr. Loftin. "Mentors helped me see that such a love, combined with a knack for explaining things, suggested that teaching may be my calling. I knew that I wanted to teach, and I've found happiness in doing so." Prior to beginning his formal teaching career, Dr. Loftin taught his first college class right here on DBU's campus when the late Dr. David Naugle invited Dr. Loftin to instruct his ethics class for two weeks while he was out of town. "Of course, back then, I had no idea I would wind up back here as a full-time faculty member." Before coming to DBU, Dr. Loftin also served on faculty at Southwestern Baptist Seminary as Associate Professor and an Associate Dean.

Dr. Loftin is passionate about the vision for Dallas Baptist University's PPE program. "The grounding of the program finds its meaningfulness in Christ," explains Dr. Loftin, because "In Him are all the treasures of knowledge and wisdom to be found (Colossians 2:3). There is benefit, then, in thinking Christianly about the polis, about the socio-political challenges of our day, about the economic complexities and challenges of our world. And it seems to me worthwhile to think of these in connection with the purpose for which we exist."

Since accepting the position as Director of the Politics, Philosophy, Economics program, Dr. Loftin has started planning and designing new ways to build upon an already well-rounded program. With plans to add new courses and future seminars, Dr. Loftin and the department aim to extend the reach of DBU's PPE program.

"Today's challenges are complex and multi-faceted," shares Dr. Loftin. "Our program prepares students to be intellectually versatile, using their training in philosophy, politics, and economics to anticipate, analyze, and answer today's complex global problems."

In the classroom, Dr. Loftin encourages his students to see their careers in a different light. "I try to remind students that they must think in terms of purpose, not just immediate purpose, but their ultimate purpose, grounded in the richness of Christ," he says. Dr. Loftin uses different teaching techniques to engage his students so they may better grasp the concepts being taught. "Philosophy, politics, and economics are challenging disciplines, but there is great reward in meeting their challenge. We spend a lot of time in discussion, working together through dense texts and difficult ideas. We learn critical thinking, in the study of logic and strategic reasoning, for example. Learning comes from intellectual participation and discussion."

The world is in desperate need of individuals who have mastered the ability to cohesively understand how the world around us operates. "Because it trains a student to be, among many other things, so intellectually versatile, the PPE program has proven to be attractive to students with a wide variety of career goals. This kind of intellectual prowess and flexibility that comes with an education in PPE makes its graduates really competitive in the job market. It's an extremely versatile major."

Dr. Loftin is currently teaching a course in ethics, and is excited to teach several new courses coming next year to the PPE program. Dr. Loftin and his wife Julie have a six-year-old son named Ian.