Dr. Varner was the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award/Teacher of the Year in 1999, 2005, and 2012. He has been a member of Who’s Who in Education and in America since 1998.  He received the Academic Prize at Biblical Theological Seminary and was Valedictorian at Dropsie College. He pastored for seven years and was Director of the Institute of Biblical Studies at Friends of Israel. He was the Director of TMU’s IBEX program fur 22 years and has made 51 trips to the Holy Land. He has authored twenty books and over a hundred journal and magazine articles. In 2022 he was honored with a book of essays (a Festschrift) written by former students and faculty colleagues. He is a member of Evangelical Theological Society. “Dr. V” likes studying the Civil War and traveling with his wife of over fifty years, Helen.