Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Associated Baptist Press Foundation
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site

Dan Hobbs, early leader of ABP and CBF, dies at 95

NewsMark Wingfield  |  January 19, 2023

Dan S. Hobbs, an early trustee of Baptist News Global — then known as Associated Baptist Press — died in Tulsa, Okla., Jan 12 at age 95.

Hobbs also was an early leader in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and in 1992 became the first moderator of what is today CBF Oklahoma.

He was a member at First Baptist Church of Norman, Okla., for 50 years and then became a founding member of NorthHaven Baptist Church in Norman in 2004.

“Dan was a beloved mentor and faithful friend who modeled the best of what it means to be a Baptist kind of Christian,” said David Wilkinson, retired executive director and publisher of BNG. “He was principled, good-humored, humble and wise. He was a vigorous advocate for truthfulness and transparency in democratic and religious institutions and a profoundly generous supporter of ABP/BNG as an independent and trustworthy source of news and opinion.”

Dan Hobbs

In 2010, Hobbs received ABP’s Founders Award for his years of service on the board and as recording secretary of the board — a role he held 18 years. That made him the chronicler of the independent news organization’s first two decades of life.

At the Founders Award presentation, Lavonn Brown, who was the longtime pastor at First Baptist Church in Norman, said both of them became concerned about developments in the Southern Baptist Convention in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

“While many Southern Baptists during that time put their heads in the sand and pretended that no one could see, Dan put his time and energy into chairing and championing Baptist freedom,” Brown said.

Hobbs said his interest in Southern Baptist life came from what he saw while serving on the SBC Executive Committee from 1979 until 1988 — the first decade of the so-called “Battle for the Bible” in the denomination.

“During those 10 years when the takeover was going on, a group of convention leaders went around the country and held their little tea parties and told Baptists that their seminary professors were liberals and they did not believe the Bible,” Hobbs said. “Enough people believed them that they got into power.

“Well, I can tell you that 10 years after the takeover started and they were in complete control, there had not been one single seminary professor fired — not one. But half of the historians were gone. The rest of them were intimidated, and half of the state Baptist editors were gone. So it’s some indication there was some prevarication going on at that time.”

Brown explained the interest Hobbs took in free press issues: “After the takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention, there were some Baptist Press editors and some state Baptist paper editors that were fired and some experienced censorship,” Brown added. “They began to hire editors who would print only the good things about the Southern Baptist Convention. One state paper editor resigned when his board suggested that news copy, and I quote, should be based not on what was most truthful but what was most politically expedient. So it was essential that we have a free Baptist press.”

Hobbs became a champion of ABP and continued to support BNG until his death.

He retired in 1998 after 27 years with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, where he served in a number of capacities, including a year as interim chancellor of the State Regents for Higher Education. He retired from that organization in 1988, with the title of vice chancellor emeritus.

In retirement, he spent a year as president of the University Center at Tulsa and taught as an adjunct professor of higher education at Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma at Norman. He also served as distinguished professor of education and director of the Legacy Project at USAO in Chickasha.

Hobbs was born in Rocky, Okla., Feb. 8, 1927, the fourth of eight children. He graduated from Cordell High School in 1945 and entered military service that September. He served as a member of the Occupational Forces in Japan from 1946 to 47, under the command of Gen. Douglas McArthur.

After the war, Hobbs married Betty Jean Ray of Cordell, and they attended Panhandle State University together. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from that institution in 1951, and then taught school at Texhoma, Okla., for four years.

In 1969, he earned a doctor of philosophy degree from the University of Oklahoma.

Hobbs was preceded in death by his wife, Betty; three brothers, William S. Hobbs, Frank B. Hobbs and Jerry Hobbs; and three sisters, Oleta Underwood, Joyce Cantrell and Jane Davis. He is survived by five children: Stephen Hobbs of Tulsa; Catherine Hobbs (Mark Mills) of Albuquerque, N.M.; Bruce Hank Hobbs of Oklahoma City; Jeanne Rogers (Chuck) of Chesterfield, Mo.; and Susan Cessna (Clayton) of Canton, Ohio. He is also survived by his sister, Lynda Hobbs Pence, and brother-in-law, Glen Pence, of Shawnee, Okla., as well as his sister-in-law, Darline Anderson Hobbs of Norman.

He is survived by 12 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

A private burial was held in Norman Jan. 19, and a community celebration of life will be scheduled in the spring, the family said.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
Tags:CBFfree pressBNGABPDan HobbsSBC
More by
Mark Wingfield
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Featured

    • Three billboards outside Nashville, Tennessee

      News

    • Why this seminary professor’s view of MrBeast and his friend is deadly and dangerous

      Opinion

    • Shurden Lecture takes on the ‘myth of American chosenness’

      News

    • What happens when Tom Ascol finds Ted Cruz to be too liberal and quotes Leviticus 20:13?

      News


    Curated

    • In Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial, Jewish rituals feature as prominently as the carnage of the day

      In Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial, Jewish rituals feature as prominently as the carnage of the day

    • Manipur Christians: ‘The Violence Has Shattered Us’

      Manipur Christians: ‘The Violence Has Shattered Us’

    • Pride flag glimpsed on ‘The Chosen’ set prompts call for boycott

      Pride flag glimpsed on ‘The Chosen’ set prompts call for boycott

    • Why Chick-fil-A Is Drawing Fire Over a ‘Culture of Belonging’

      Why Chick-fil-A Is Drawing Fire Over a ‘Culture of Belonging’

    Read Next:

    A primer on why Southern Baptists are fighting over women in ministry once again

    AnalysisMark Wingfield

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • An open letter to all Southern Baptists

      OpinionRick Warren

    • Shurden Lecture takes on the ‘myth of American chosenness’

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • An open letter to Elijah Brown, Baptist World Alliance CEO

      OpinionRichard Wilson

    • Why this seminary professor’s view of MrBeast and his friend is deadly and dangerous

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • What happens when Tom Ascol finds Ted Cruz to be too liberal and quotes Leviticus 20:13?

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Three billboards outside Nashville, Tennessee

      NewsRick Pidcock

    • What I learned from Taylor Swift

      OpinionBill Wilson

    • Remembering Pulse nighclub and the power of affirmation

      OpinionMaina Mwaura

    • A primer on why Southern Baptists are fighting over women in ministry once again

      AnalysisMark Wingfield

    • Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina loses president and board chair in same week

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Faith-based immigration advocates hopeful about new bill in Congress

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Coalition urges White House not to overlook Black immigrants

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Working and waiting with people and plants

      OpinionBob Newell

    • Gay Christian man says he was kicked off BWA commissions

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Let’s reclaim the real Baptist identity

      OpinionJustin L. Addington

    • Southwestern trustees affirm their leadership and repudiate two trustees who raised alarms

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • How to fix anemic U.S. rural health care? Learn from Africa and look to the churches, Birx says

      NewsElizabeth Souder

    • To the mother who complained about Amanda Gorman’s poem

      OpinionRobert P. Sellers

    • Medical professionals address myths and misconceptions about transgender kids

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Focus on the Family affiliate is the unifying force behind campaign to restrict transgender rights

      AnalysisSteve Rabey

    • Opal Lee may be the ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth,’ but she’s not done working for justice yet

      NewsMallory Challis

    • Rising from the ashes: God’s empowering message for displaced women

      OpinionRosaly Guzman

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • How the Progressive National Baptist Convention plans to put faith into action

      OpinionDarryl Gray

    • Believe me: The struggle of Black pain

      OpinionZachary Barber

    • Shurden Lecture takes on the ‘myth of American chosenness’

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • What happens when Tom Ascol finds Ted Cruz to be too liberal and quotes Leviticus 20:13?

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Three billboards outside Nashville, Tennessee

      NewsRick Pidcock

    • Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina loses president and board chair in same week

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Faith-based immigration advocates hopeful about new bill in Congress

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Coalition urges White House not to overlook Black immigrants

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Gay Christian man says he was kicked off BWA commissions

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Southwestern trustees affirm their leadership and repudiate two trustees who raised alarms

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • How to fix anemic U.S. rural health care? Learn from Africa and look to the churches, Birx says

      NewsElizabeth Souder

    • Medical professionals address myths and misconceptions about transgender kids

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Opal Lee may be the ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth,’ but she’s not done working for justice yet

      NewsMallory Challis

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • U.S. Department of Education issues guidance on religious expression in schools

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Ten Commandments bill dies in Texas Legislature

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Leader of Assemblies of God student group at Baylor arrested on child sexual abuse charges

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • BJC and Interfaith Alliance applaud first-ever national strategy to counter antisemitism

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • New documentary series shows how churches that close can keep ministry open

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Southwestern Seminary trustees called to special meeting next Tuesday

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Transitions for the week of 5-26-23

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • 8-year-old’s death in CBP custody highlights Biden’s ‘system of death,’ immigration advocates say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Evangelical worldview ministries seek to promote ‘proper’ thoughts, beliefs and actions

      NewsSteve Rabey

    • Here’s another angle to corporate DEI work: Increased support for ‘faith friendly’ workplaces

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Amid Sudan war and elsewhere, water scarcity threatens lives

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Gap widens on American confidence in vaccines

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • An open letter to all Southern Baptists

      OpinionRick Warren

    • An open letter to Elijah Brown, Baptist World Alliance CEO

      OpinionRichard Wilson

    • Why this seminary professor’s view of MrBeast and his friend is deadly and dangerous

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • What I learned from Taylor Swift

      OpinionBill Wilson

    • Remembering Pulse nighclub and the power of affirmation

      OpinionMaina Mwaura

    • Working and waiting with people and plants

      OpinionBob Newell

    • Let’s reclaim the real Baptist identity

      OpinionJustin L. Addington

    • To the mother who complained about Amanda Gorman’s poem

      OpinionRobert P. Sellers

    • Rising from the ashes: God’s empowering message for displaced women

      OpinionRosaly Guzman

    • How the Progressive National Baptist Convention plans to put faith into action

      OpinionDarryl Gray

    • Believe me: The struggle of Black pain

      OpinionZachary Barber

    • They’ll know we are Christians by our what?

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • How to celebrate Pentecost without balloons, plastic doves or salsa

      OpinionJack Levison

    • The generational pain and hope of the Southern Baptist witch trials

      OpinionWill Raybon

    • Why demographic shifts haven’t yet swamped the Republican Party

      OpinionRobert P. Jones

    • Tina Turner kept the divine flame burning

      OpinionJustin Cox

    • Remembering Bob Seymour: Being wise as serpents and harmless as doves

      OpinionCurtis Freeman

    • Here’s why Ron DeSantis has gone to war with Disney

      OpinionRodney Kennedy

    • Yes, Tim Scott is a Black man, but he’s still promoting Christian nationalism

      OpinionRick Pidcock

    • Why ‘affirming’ churches need to speak up

      OpinionSusan M. Shaw, Senior Columnist

    • Five things Southern Baptists should do now to address clergy sex abuse

      OpinionChrista Brown and David Clohessy

    • Why we must be cautious about understanding what’s going on at Southwestern Seminary

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • On graduation and the priesthood of all believers

      OpinionVal Fisk

    • Here’s how to force SBC entities to be accountable to people in the pew about their finances

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • These are some of the best pastors I know

      OpinionJustin Cox

    • In Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial, Jewish rituals feature as prominently as the carnage of the day

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Manipur Christians: ‘The Violence Has Shattered Us’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pride flag glimpsed on ‘The Chosen’ set prompts call for boycott

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Why Chick-fil-A Is Drawing Fire Over a ‘Culture of Belonging’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Survey: Drop in Eastern European antisemitism may be due to Zelenskyy effect

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Street scrolls: The beats, rhymes and spirituality of Latin hip-hop

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • ‘Felt like a year’: Worshipper describes fear during gunman’s deadly attack on Pittsburgh synagogue

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Near the Western Wall, Jewish radicals shout at Christian Evangelicals to ‘go home’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Playing a religious character without making faith the punchline

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Jewish settlers erect religious school in evacuated West Bank outpost after Israel repeals ban

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • How the practice of Nichiren Buddhism sustained Tina Turner for 50 years

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Connecticut lawmakers absolve accused colonial-era witches, apologize for “miscarriage of justice”

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • ‘Avatar’ Franchise Expands Ideas About Spirituality Beyond A Western, Christian Lens

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Catholic Church in California grapples with more than 3,000 lawsuits, alleging child sex abuse

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Canadian Christians Launch Collective for Climate Action

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • As ‘The Marvelous Mrs Maisel’ ends, will its Jewish legacy be more than a punchline?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • US Slavic Churches Booming with Ukrainian War Refugees

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • What is ‘ethical AI’ and how can companies achieve it?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Russia acknowledges Vatican peace initiative, says no steps yet for a mission to Moscow

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • What we need to understand is that fascism is intersectional and erotic — ’thy rod is thy gun,’ with a hip-thrust

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Our Beloved Ones Don’t Become Angels When They Die

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Turkey’s Christian Sites: Visiting The Seven Churches From The Book Of Revelation

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Firewalkers in Greece honor Saint Constantine in mystery-shrouded, centuries-old rituals

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • In fight against ‘tyranny,’ Michigan board declares itself ‘constitutional county’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Montana acts to protect Native American priority in adopting Native children

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2023 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS