O. Herbert Hirt, III
January 5, 1954 – April 3, 2012
Following a battle with cancer, Dr. O. Herbert Hirt III, Dean of the School of Bible and Ministry, died on April 3, 2012, at home with his family. He had been in hospice care for a month, and many family and friends were able to spend time with him during his last days.
Dr. Hirt earned his Bachelor of Science in Bible degree from Cairn in 1977. He continued his theological studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, earning Th.M. and Ph.D. degrees. He, his wife Diane, and their children served as missionaries in The Netherlands from 1989 to 1993. During that time, Dr. Hirt taught at Tyndale Theological Seminary in Amsterdam. Upon their return to the states, Dr. Hirt served as a professor at the Friends of Israel Institute of Biblical Studies from 1993-1996.
In 1996, Dr. Hirt returned to Cairn to lead the Institute of Jewish Studies Program (IJS). In 2004, his responsibilities expanded to include the leadership of the School of Bible and Ministry as Dean. In recent years, after he passed the leadership of the IJS (Bible and Israel) program to others, Dr. Hirt spent more of his time teaching undergraduate and graduate courses and in administration. He also served as the faculty adviser for Mu Kappa, the student missionary kid organization.
The stories and thanks shared show the influence of Dr. Hirt both in and out of the classroom. He took the time to meet with students one-on-one when they had questions, or to eat with them in the cafeteria. One former student told of asking Dr. Hirt how he prayed, fully expecting to receive a secret formula for allowing the presence of God into his life. After a long pause, Dr. Hirt answered, “I usually start with something like: ‘Dear God, please help me not to be a complete idiot today.’” Dr. Hirt was a man who understood his humanity and knew his need of a Savior.In the weeks leading up to his death, his colleagues and students created a group online where they could post messages to Dr. Hirt that he and his family could read. The stories told and lessons learned that were shared on that wall are a testament to the life of a godly mentor, teacher, and friend whose life impacted those who surrounded him.
Many of his IJS students shared their thanks with him for his patience with them during that first year of their education. Many students shared memories of their travels with him to Israel, Greece, Italy, and Turkey on study tours. Over and over again, students spoke of the lessons they learned from Scripture under Dr. Hirt’s teaching.
As story after story was posted to the group, one thing became very clear. Dr. Hirt had always talked of writing a book, but he never had the time to get it finished. Instead, he wrote into the pages of the lives of his students, colleagues, family, and friends. His sister shared a passage from 2 Corinthians with the group: “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God…” (2 Cor. 3:2-3a, NASB).
A memorial service was held in the Chatlos Chapel on May 5, 2012. Members of Dr. Hirt’s family shared, along with colleagues and friends.
Donations in Dr. Hirt’s memory may be made to Cairn University
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Dr. Hirt was such an inspiration to me! He was one of my instructors at IBS/IJS, and he pushed me beyond my limits. I will never forget I had to write a paper and he read it and gave it back to me and said..”I know you are better than this”. He made studying the Bible an adventure and I will always be grateful. I just wish he could have lived to see me recieve my Doctorate in Theology, I dedicate it to YOU Dr. Hirt.