Dr. Burkett was born and reared in the Midwest near St. Louis. His father was a pastor, so he was reared around the ministry and has been involved in serving the Lord most of his life. Next to placing his faith in Christ at a young age the two most formative events in his life were (1) his reading through the entire Bible during his early elementary school years – an event that permanently shaped his values, and (2) his decision to serve the Lord in any capacity that God would direct: a choice he made during his teenage years. During his high school years, he was an award-winning magician who not only entertained at secular events, but who frequently spoke and performed gospel magic in a variety of churches. After high school, he attended Bob Jones University in South Carolina, where he obtained a B.A. in Bible (summa cum laude), an M.A. in Bible (Most Outstanding Masters Student in Bible and Theology), and a Ph.D. in Old Testament Interpretation.
Dr. Burkett was ordained to the gospel ministry in 1985 and has served as the pastor of Greenville Bible Church in Greenville, Mississippi since 1996. He has taught at BCM since 2006, and additionally he is an adjunct instructor with his local community college, where he teaches courses on OT Survey and NT Survey. As an instructor at BCM, his burden is to see a new generation of Fundamentalist leaders who are diligent and exegetically competent in their handling of God’s Word, as well as Spirit-filled and articulate in its proclamation.
He met his wife, Chalayne, while they were both students at BJU. Together they have reared a son and a daughter. His hobbies include swimming and playing board games (he has even invented his own war-themed strategy board game).
