Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan statistical area, which had an estimated population of 169,893, as of 2016. Abilene is home to three Christian universities: Abilene Christian University, McMurry University, and Hardin-Simmons University. Abilene is the county seat of Taylor County. Dyess Air Force Base is located on the west side of the city.
Max Lucado is an American author and minister at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas.
Shotwell Stadium is a stadium in Abilene, Texas. It was built in 1959, using Rice Stadium as a model. It was initially named the Public Schools Stadium. The first game played in the Stadium was in the fall of 1959. Shortly after the first season, the stadium was renamed Shotwell Stadium, after the late P.E. “Pete” Shotwell, a longtime football coach at Abilene High School.
Douglas A. Foster is author and scholar known for his work on the history of Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement.
Wes Kittley is the current head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders track and field team. He has produced several national champions and Olympians in Sally Kipyego and Kennedy Kithuka.
Wallace "Coach Bully" Bullington was a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas for 39 years as football player, assistant football coach, head football coach and athletic director before he retired from the university's athletic staff in 1988, but not before leading the school to its first national championship in 1973.
Everett Ferguson currently serves as Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. He is author of numerous books on early Christian studies and served as co-editor of the Journal of Early Christian Studies.
Selby Vernon McCasland was an American scholar of religion and was president of the American Academy of Religion in 1949. Earlier in life, he was a coach of American football and basketball at Abilene Christian University.
Bryan Sewell Watson Jones was an American football coach. He was the second head football coach at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas and he held that position for the 1920 season. His coaching record at Abilene Christian was 4–0–1.
Russell Austin Lewis was an American football coach and educator. He was the third head football coach at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas and he held that position for the 1921 season. His coaching record at Abilene Christian was 2–5.
Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a private Christian university in Abilene, Texas. It was founded in 1906 as Childers Classical Institute. ACU is one of the largest private universities in the Southwestern United States and has one of the 200 largest university endowments in the United States. Affiliated with Churches of Christ, the university is nationally recognized for excellence in service learning, undergraduate research, and undergraduate teaching.
Abilene Christian Wildcats refers to the sports teams of Abilene Christian University located in Abilene, Texas. The Wildcats joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) on July 1, 2021 after having spent the previous eight years in the Southland Conference. The nickname "Wildcat" is derived from the mascot of the team.
Edward William Fudge was an American Christian theologian and lawyer, best known for his book The Fire That Consumes in which he argues for an annihilationist Biblical interpretation of Hell. He has been called "one of the foremost scholars on hell" by The Christian Post. He is the subject of the 2012 independent film Hell and Mr. Fudge.
Darryl Tippens is an American academic administrator and University Distinguished Scholar of Faith, Learning, and Literature (retired) at Abilene Christian University (ACU). He was provost of Pepperdine University from January 2001 until July 2014, and before that had served at ACU.
C. Leonard Allen is the Dean of Bible at Lipscomb University.
Leafwood Publishers is an imprint of Abilene Christian University Press located in Abilene, Texas.
Gary Holloway is the executive director of the World Convention of Churches of Christ.
John Thomas Willis is an Old Testament scholar. He is a retired Professor of Old Testament at Abilene Christian University, where he taught the Hebrew Prophets, Psalms, Pentateuch, OT Exegesis and Biblical Hebrew. He is the author of 30 books and over 100 scholarly articles including commentaries on Genesis, 1–2 Samuel and Isaiah in the Living Word Commentary series. He was also a translator of the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament for Eerdman's.
