DTS Magazine Fall 2023

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In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told his listeners to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matt 5:13–16)—imagery that perfectly fit the original context. Though we may now have a pantry full of additional ingredients to season our food, and electricity has changed the way we think about light, that imagery has retained its power. Each of us can think back to people we’ve known who modeled that “salt and light” approach to life in their interactions with us. However, living as salt and light in the world takes many forms: an encouraging word, a verse of Scripture spoken at just the right time, a gracious response to a frustrating situation, or a smile that says all that in just a look. In recent issues of DTS Magazine , we’ve looked at the ways people live out “Teach Truth” and “Love Well.” In practicing being salt and light, we demonstrate a truthful, loving way of life.

Jesus challenged us to be salt and light, and then he sent us into a world that offers unlimited ways to live that out. This issue features a small selection of those ways.

Dan Sered shows us salt and light in his patient witness to family members who have yet to accept Christ. At the Windrider Summit and the Sundance Film Festival, DTS students learn to bring salt and light to deep conversations at the movies. We see salt and light in the dancing and teaching of Katricia Eaglin and in Sheryl Reeves’s use of resources to train the next generation. And history gives us many examples of people, such as members of the Clapham Sect, who applied their skills and influence to bring more delicious flavor and radiant illumination to the world. May these examples spur all of us to find even more ways to be salt and light everywhere we go!

Neil R. Coulter, PhD Editor, DTS Magazine

FEATURED CONTENT

PG 6

Strength and Flexibility: The Dance of Christian Witness

Katricia Eaglin shines the light of Christ at the Dallas Black Dance Academy.

Neil R. Coulter

PG 10

The Clapham Sect: The Power of "We" instead of "Me"

The Holy Spirit energizes a community toward salt and light in good works.

Kraig McNutt

PG 14

Quenching Our Thirst: The Wells at Beersheba

God’s provision for the flourishing of his people— from Abraham to all humanity.

Makay Bergthold

PG 16

FEATURE ARTICLE

God's Unexpected Invitation to Be Salt and Light in the Heart of Bucharest

Obedience to God’s leading builds a community ready to respond to needs.

Neil R. Coulter

PG 20

Witnessing & Waiting

Our responsibility is the share the gospel and then patiently wait for God to work

Dan Sered

PG 22

Salt and Light in the Cinema Movies invite us to start conversations about the story God is writing in our lives.

Darrell Bock & Neil R. Coulter

The Salt and Light Factor

BY DR. MARK M. YARBROUGH PRESIDENT, DALLAS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Early in his Gospel, Matthew chronicles the peaceful seaside scene of Christ’s first sermon. Spread across the hillside in the breezy landscape of Galilee, Jesus and his disciples sat down among a throng of people. The rabbi from Nazareth opened his mouth and said,

You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people! You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven. (Matt 5:13–16)

Using two common images, Jesus captivated the imaginations of his audience, sharing with them a new vision for living: in him, they could change the world. Salt and light were precious commodities to those listeners. Salt not only brought healing balm to the sick and wounded but also became a savory enhancement to an otherwise bland, unappealing meal. Light, a treasure where oil was expensive, symbolized a valued comfort in the pitch-dark nights of the Galilean countryside. But both images point to a deeper truth.

Jesus’s teaching could cure the wounds of oppression and revive the spirits of the listless, left dry and bland from the harshness of sin. Salt quickly loses its benefit when left on the shelf; it’s worthy only of being tossed out. But when it’s fresh, it has power to transform and heal when spread across an open wound. Jesus’s words, when not dispersed, have no effect. Once they’re applied to a person’s life, however, transformation can occur. In the same way, people who have been transformed by the light that comes from Christ’s words then shine that light into darkness to dispel fear, lift discouragement, chase away demons, and pierce the deepest caverns of the human heart (Heb 4:12).

Those who believed Jesus that day in Galilee became authentic bearers of truth, with power to transform lives. And that salt and light factor remains true for us today. Salt works best when applied to wounds; light shines most brightly when set high on a hill. Only when that truth—the gospel of Jesus Christ—is made known and received by faith will people’s lives change.

Jesus prayed to his Father, “Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world” (John 17:17–18).

The mission of Dallas Theological Seminary is to equip women and men with a knowledge and understanding of God’s Word and send them forth to proclaim that truth—salt and light— to a wounded and dark world. Whether they realize it or not, people eagerly await the ministry of truth. When our graduates, faculty, and staff generously apply salt and brightly display light, our Father in heaven is glorified.

Hello, Light

BY CHRISTINE CHANDLER PRATER

I remember, too, the sunrise. The miracle of dawn just when I deemed myself destined to dwell darkened forever

First, a flickering like tiny fireflies of silver, then wavering like a lone meek candle braving the horizon

Then peeking like golden dapples through trees; hope dancing and pirouetting in invitation

And finally, like you struck your divine match and—reckoning it to my heart—engulfed me.

And I remember how it drove the darkness screaming. How, at first, I stood bewildered, blinking like an unburrowed mole before your brilliance, astonished to find that you warmed instead of blistered.

THE DANCE OF CHRISTIAN WITNESS

BY NEIL R. COULTER

Strength and flexibility. Every dancer recognizes the importance of maintaining the proper balance of these postures. Katricia Eaglin (MABS, 2012) has sought a balance of strength and flexibility in the pursuit of wholeness as a person and excellence in her many ministry and artistic roles. Her example reminds Christians that the call to live as salt and light in the world benefits from a dancer’s strength and flexibility.

World-class artistic performance and full-time church ministry might seem to be two domains with very distinct boundary lines. But throughout Katricia’s life, these landscapes have interwoven and enhanced each other. Born in Dallas, she found her way to dance as part of a folklórico (Mexican folk dance) class at her elementary school. Later, she joined an African dance ensemble at the George Loving Recreation Center in West Dallas, which performed for visiting dignitaries such as Winnie Mandela and a king of Ghana. “For some reason, I’ve always been in groups that were just amazing,” says Katricia. She continued studying dance at Dallas’s renowned Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

During her teenage years, she also professed a personal faith in Jesus Christ. Friends from the community center brought Katricia to a youth evangelism event at Concord Church, and Katricia went forward to accept Christ. She became a member of Concord and began a mentorship under youth minister McKinley Hailey (MABS, 1995). “Out of nowhere, I felt that I should be

doing something to help lead people in ministry,” Katricia says. She started leading praise and worship at age fourteen, learning from Pastor Hailey how to study God’s Word in preparation for worship leading. Katricia’s hunger to know the Bible came in part as a response to the questions her friends were asking her. “Once I started standing in front of people and leading,” Katricia says, “they expected me to have answers—even though I was only a teenager!” She was learning the balance of skills required in ministry: strength in knowing the reasons for her faith, and flexibility in being able to respond in the moment to other people’s questions. She was also developing an aptitude for engaging, inviting ministry. “If I’m given a task,” she explains, “I want it to be right, creative, and fun.”

After high school, Katricia studied dance at the University of North Texas. While in college, she interned as a worship leader at Concord, and Pastor Hailey encouraged her to apply to Dallas Theological Seminary right after completing her undergraduate studies. Continuing in ministry, Hailey assured Katricia, didn’t need to mean the end of her dance career. “You might not have a pulpit ministry,” he told her. “Maybe through your dancing, you’ll be preaching to the people you dance with.” She entered DTS in 2003, continued working at Concord Church, and during that time, also joined the Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s main company. The demand of balancing classes at the seminary, ministry at Concord, and

dancing internationally with the company stretched Katricia. She drew strength from the prayer support of professors and fellow students at the seminary. And the challenging schedule taught her the importance of integrating knowledge from the classroom in the way she lived as a Christian among nonbelievers. “When I got into the dance company,” she says, “I saw how important it was for me to be a believer around newer believers or nonbelievers—not necessarily always evangelizing through words, but just letting them see the influence of Christ in my life.”

Katricia retired from the dance company in 2015, and then in 2017 the founder of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre asked her to become the academy director of the school. That invitation originated in Katricia’s unique balance of professional dance skills and her compassionate, prayerful posture toward fellow dancers and students. “The founder said to me, ‘I want you to join the school because you can dance, and because we need more people who pray.’” As the Academy Director, Katricia now works with two hundred students each year, staging three mainstage performances, including the school’s signature annual production every December, the “Espresso Nutcracker.” The strength and flexibility she learned in her own life are now passed on to her students as she learns how best to reach each one.

“In all of my teaching, whether at the academy or at church,” she says, “I want to find a way to be authentic and not preachy, a way that I can be one person, saying the same thing to everybody.” She encourages perseverance among her students and then lives it out in her own discipline. The transition from company dancer to teacher meant learning to become a shepherd, gently guiding students in proper development. “I have to be strong enough to know that I’m teaching the right thing but flexible in my delivery to connect with each student.” Part of growing as a teacher has been understanding the different ways her students learn— especially when a student’s best learning method is different from Katricia’s own style. “The way I learn is not the way all my students learn,” she says. “So I come

into the studio with three ways to teach something— explaining intellectually, demonstrating the movement for visual learners, and allowing space for those who just need to get in there and try it out.” As she continues growing as a teacher, Katricia sees the value of building trust with her students. It starts with showing them that she truly cares for them. Their trust deepens further when they see her modeling what she teaches them to do. And then they see that as trust is established, more opportunities open up to them.

Building trust is also a foundation of Katricia’s friendships with coworkers and the parents of her students. “Sometimes people bring me a question and expect that because I’m a Christian, I’ll be rigid in my opinions,” she says. “But I like to respond to tough questions with, ‘What do you think?’ Friends appreciate that unexpected interest and support, without any instant judgment. I can be relaxed in conversations like that because I know that I don’t need to bring people over to my side. I want people to get on God’s side, however he wants to use me to make that happen.”

What does Katricia hope Christians understand about the arts? She wants people to know that God was the first creator, and we, made in his image, get to share in that creativity. “When artists are free to create, the art is going to spill out of their lives,” she affirms. By supporting artists in the congregation, churches enable them to prayerfully seek balance in their artistry and in their relationships with other artists, being salt and light and inviting all people to taste and see that the Lord is good.

Salt and Light: The Penetrating Influence of Character

BY MARK L. BAILEY CHANCELLOR, DALLAS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world... let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

(Matthew 5:13–16, ESV)

A cultural fad of our time is the focus on influence. With a goal of attracting attention, people’s desire to be an influencer often drives them to unhealthy extremes— and often for the wrong reasons. Jesus opened his Sermon on the Mount with a series of beatitudes that define the character of people who are assured of possessing the kingdom of God. Like the rest of his teachings, those descriptions were countercultural in his day and remain so in ours. The assigned roles of salt and light show that Jesus wants his followers to be people of character who rightly influence the world. Embedded in Matthew 5:13–16 are four applications that, if understood, will produce a more wholesome influence.

First, we must affirm the call to be identified with Christ, recognizing that as followers of Christ, we are spiritually different from the world we are to influence. In both of the metaphors and the emphatic “you,” Jesus contrasted the disciples he addressed with the people for whom salt and light are to have their purposed effects. The contrast is one of essential character. The Lord intends his disciples to influence the world, not the other way around.

Second, we must accept the responsibility of being salt and light. One aspect of the “salt” imagery suggests preservation, with the purpose of slowing deterioration. The function of “light” is illumination, which dispels

darkness. The former speaks of the ongoing effects of sin on the earth; the latter indicates the absence of truth in the world of humanity. The influence Jesus wants his followers to exert is to address the desperate needs of the world.

Third, with our responsibility for being salt and light comes the cautionary warning to avoid the pitfall of compromise. On the one hand, salt is compromised when diluted by an admixture of foreign elements. Its effect is minimized, preventing it from achieving its intended savory influence. Such is the failure of an indistinct lifestyle which presents no noticeable difference between a Christian and the unbelieving world. On the other hand, light is compromised when its essential function of illumination goes intentionally unused. This is the tragedy of an unspoken witness from fear of intimidation, or an apathetic retreat into self-protective isolation. Jesus said both salt and light are worthless when not employed to fulfill their intended purposes.

Finally, to emphasize the importance of the previous three points, Jesus challenged his followers to advance the cause of God’s glory by living lives of character and witness so that others would come to believe in Jesus and glorify God. The apparent contradiction between the prohibition against displaying good works to attract personal praise from people (Matt 6:1) and the command to let good works be on display before people (Matt 5:16) is resolved by the transformed motives of a redeemed heart. At the core of his instruction, Jesus commanded his people to actively influence the world by their example of godly character and testimony. A faith so lived will be effectively reproductive as others also come to glorify their heavenly Father.

T he Clapham Sect:

THE POWER OF “WE” INSTEAD OF “ME”

BY KRAIG MCNUTT

You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.

( Matthew 5:14–16)

In Matthew 5:16, Jesus exhorts his disciples to let their light (their community witness and testimony) shine before others so that the world may see the good works of a discipleship community and give glory to God. In other words, the indwelling Holy Spirit displays exponentially more power in we than in me. The New Testament writers often speak about the power of living out our faith within the context of a discipleship community. Hebrews 10:24–25 says, “let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the

habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.” The author knew that survival and thriving for the nascent Christian discipleship community required regular gatherings—individuals sharing encouragement in love and good works, along with support in the face of opposition.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12–27, Paul uses the analogy of the human body functioning as a whole, its constituent parts performing their individual functions for the good of the entire body. Imagine the ideal discipleship community, a mosaic of individual spiritual gifts working for the good of everyone, all for God’s glory. Paul carries the metaphor into his letter to the Ephesians (4:11–16), where he affirms that the body builds itself up in love as the individual parts of the body function in their giftedness.

Looking back in history, we see a beautiful example of the ideal of one body united in purpose in the Clapham Sect, a group of evangelical Christian social reformers who lived in the Clapham area of London in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This group of believers from different backgrounds and professions found unity in their passion to work toward social change. Key members of the group included William Wilberforce (a member of parliament), Hannah More (a writer and philanthropist), Charles Grant (chairman of the British East India Company and a

THE

member of parliament), Zachary Macaulay (a former slave trader), Thomas Clarkson (a writer), and James Stephen (a lawyer), along with numerous members with connections to the broader evangelical and political networks.

The Clapham Sect advocated in a variety of social issues, including slavery, missionary work, and education. Today, they’re especially remembered for their abolitionist stance. Alarmed by society’s plunge into the moral abyss of the slave trade, the Clapham members spoke out for liberation. They brought together their influence and resources to push for legislation to end the transatlantic slave trade. They also supported Christian missions and education, founding the Church Mission Society and the British and Foreign Bible Society to spread the Christian faith and improve access to the Bible. Believing that education is essential to social progress, they helped establish schools and promoted literacy.

These bold believers remind us that being salt and light comes as the result of the Holy Spirit working in individuals and through a discipleship community that energizes faith toward good works. Motivated by their faith, the Clapham members sought ways to serve others and improve the social and political systems in their sphere of influence. They saw their work as an expression of their love for God and others, believing that faith cannot only be a matter of private belief but must also be evident in actions that benefit others.

The Clapham Sect’s influence extended beyond their own time and place. The group’s efforts contributed to shaping the social landscape of Britain and the world, inspiring people then and now to envision a more just society. Their legacy exemplifies collaboration in working toward change. They show us that being salt and light is best realized in community, not as isolated individuals.

Jesus encouraged his disciples to be salt and light in a dark world, living as a Spirit-empowered community. Salt preserves and purifies. The Clapham Sect modeled a faith-infused desire to be a purifying, preserving influence. This group of believers, alive to God’s leading and passionate about showing mercy and grace to all people, demonstrated the all-surpassing and purifying power of we

CLAPHAM SECT: THE POWER OF “WE” INSTEAD OF “ME”

SUPPORTING A LEGACY OF

Strong Women

BY NEIL R. COULTER & SUE G. EDWARDS

When Sheryl Lackey Reeves (MACE, 2015) decided to attend seminary, her mom, Elsie Sue Wiley, wasn’t surprised. Sheryl’s mom (called Sue) always knew that God set apart her daughter for Christian leadership. Just before Sheryl began her studies at DTS, however, her mom was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Soon, Sue could no longer stand on her own, and speaking became difficult. But as Sheryl shared her first-year seminary experiences with her, Sue could still smile and raise her hands to cheer her on. “Mom passed away at the end of my first year,” Sheryl says, “but I kept that image of her before me to encourage me to finish well.”

Sue’s encouragement will benefit future generations of women studying at DTS. Sheryl and her husband, Mark, learned from Sue to envision a legacy beyond their own lifetime. They want to extend her example by supporting other women whom God calls to leadership. So they worked with Dallas Seminary Foundation to create an upcoming scholarship.

The ESW Scholarship will support women in training to teach God’s Word and raise up disciples. The name of the scholarship has two meanings. “ESW” stands for Elsie Sue Wiley. But Sheryl explains its other meaning: Especially Strong Women, “because my mother was one.” Sheryl remembers the challenges of completing her seminary degree, but she affirms, “I did it, and so can future female students with the same desire to empower people with the truth of the gospel.”

When the ESW Scholarship launches, it will help support numerous Christian leaders. It will cheer on the same type of excellent studies and ministry already being accomplished by female students at DTS. Once in effect, it will encourage strengths currently developed and displayed, such as by the presenters at the “GodTalks: Women Teaching Truth” conference.

while she was a student, leads the GodTalks events. These one-day events give students, like those the ESW Scholarship will help, an opportunity to present compelling teaching about God’s Word. They offer a model for raising women’s biblical literacy in the local church.

Edwards recalled the strengths exemplified by last year’s six presenters. The student Bible teachers included an international student who plans to teach the Scriptures in South America and help women grow spiritually; a wife and mother who earned a juris doctorate and then answered the call to teach the Bible; and a registered nurse who tended kids with cardiac defects, worked in orphan-care nonprofits, and now cares for women with unplanned pregnancies. Another six women will teach at the next GodTalks event on January 27, 2024.

One mother’s encouragement helped her daughter complete a degree and proclaim God’s Word. Now the light of Sue’s example and loving support will continue illuminating the way for more women to go and do likewise.

Dr. Sue G. Edwards

Sue’s heartbeat is to reinforce ministry partnerships between men and women which strengthen church and parachurch organizations locally and worldwide. Her research and teaching interests include organic mentoring and coaching and instructing women to teach the Bible.

Quenching Our Thirst:

THE WELLS AT BEERSHEBA

BY MAKAY BERGTHOLD

If you’ve ever hiked through a desert landscape, you probably quickly gained an awareness of your dependence on water for survival. Deserts are among our planet’s most inhospitable environments. Without a continual supply of fresh water, survival is impossible. In Genesis 21, we find Abraham dwelling in the Negev Desert in the south of modern Israel. This account demonstrates God’s provision for Abraham in the desert through an oath between Abraham and the Philistine king, Abimelech. The oath secured a peaceful relationship and gave Abraham rights to an abundant water source in the desert: the well of Beersheba.

Archaeologists and scholars have attempted to identify the exact location of Abraham’s well. Two possible sites sit just outside of the modern city of Beersheba. The first is the ancient Tel of Be’er Sheba, spanning 45 acres and rising 65 feet above the surrounding landscape. Though this site bears the name of the well of Abraham, it dates to roughly 800 years after Abraham—the twelfth century BCE. Some scholars conclude that the site corresponds not to Abraham’s well but to the city of Sheba mentioned in Joshua 19:2. Its late date removes the site as a contender for the well of Abraham’s oath, but another site may contain the remains of the well of Genesis 21.

In 1838, Edward Robinson journeyed to Bir es Seba, the Arabic rendering of the Hebrew “Be’er Sheva.” While there, he observed two wells full of abundant, pure water. One of these wells contained an Arabic inscription of the words “Allah” and “Mohammed.” This twelfth-century CE inscription at a site with the correct name may indicate that Muslims recognized this location as the well of Abraham’s oath. All of this suggests a connection to the biblical narrative, but conclusive evidence is unlikely. Abraham and his entourage lived nomadically in tents and did not leave lasting remains that could indicate the well’s association with the biblical account. Though tradition and archaeology cannot provide definitive answers, the well remains a reminder of God’s faithfulness and power to give life to the world. We need water for survival—but more than that, we need Jesus, the light of the world, for the truly abundant life God promises.

While Abraham’s access to the well of Beersheba was vital for the survival of his family and flocks, it also reminded him of God’s covenant faithfulness. Prior to Abraham’s oath at Beersheba, God made a promise (Gen 12:1–3) and a covenant (Gen 15:18–19; 17:1–8) with Abraham. The central features of God’s promise included possession of vast land, numerous descendants, and divine blessing.

Remarkably, God’s promise of blessing was not limited to Abraham’s family but overflowed to all humanity. God revealed his intent to reach the ends of the earth, declaring to Abraham that “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen 12:3; 22:18). Throughout the Old Testament, we see glimpses of God’s desire for the nations to know him; in Isaiah 49:6, for example, God reaffirms his promise to bless the entire earth through his Servant, one who came as a descendant of Abraham:

Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant, to reestablish the tribes of Jacob, and restore the remnant of Israel? I will make you a light to the nations, so you can bring my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.

God’s provisions for Abraham in Genesis 21 illuminate his faithfulness toward us. God led Abraham to a well that would allow him to flourish and multiply in the land. Yet God always intended his promise to Abraham to extend beyond Israel, creating a unified people who reflect the glory of his gracious, promised presence forever through the work of his Servant, Jesus.

Makay is an MBTS student. She graduated with a BA in history from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2019 and participated in graduate studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before joining DTS. Currently, she and her husband live in Kansas City, MO, and are honored to partner with their local church in furthering the gospel in their community.

Makay Bergthold

The photo shows the ruins of the biblical city of Beersheba.

God’ s U nexpec ted I nvitation _

TO BE SALT AND LIGHT IN THE HEART OF BUCHAREST

BY NEIL R. COULTER

God’s call to ministry is sometimes mysterious until we see the needs he prepared us to meet. When Ben (ThM, 2010) and Anda (MABC, 2010) Mogos left Romania to begin studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, Ben believed his calling was to join a pastoral staff and serve as a Bible teacher and preacher. But as he completed his degree, God gave him a different vision: planting a new evangelical church in the heart of Bucharest. This leading into an unexpected ministry created a Christian community prepared to respond to people in crisis.

Ben and Anda grew up in Romania during the communist era, coming to faith in Jesus in an adverse circumstance. After communism fell in 1989, leaving the country with lingering questions and spiritual searching, they sought to learn how to share the gospel in Bucharest. Many Romanian pastors have only a Bible college education. When Ben and Anda completed Bible college, they yearned for further high-quality training. Dallas Theological Seminary allowed Ben to pursue studies in theology and Anda to receive training in counseling.

As they finished their programs at DTS, Ben and Anda saw one door after another opening to the possibility of planting a church. First, a family in Bucharest asked them to consider praying about starting something new in the city. Then a pastor in Dallas gave Ben a book about church planting and encouraged him to think about it. Finally, an opportunity came for Ben and Anda to attend a church planting seminar with Tim Keller in New York. Even though the idea of church planting had initially seemed outside of Ben’s comfort zone, “that training was so amazing, we were both ready to start a new church right away,” he remembers.

They were eager, but Anda felt unsure what her role would be. “If Ben is the church planter,” she wondered, “then what am I?” Equipped with a degree from DTS that gave her a unique integration of counseling and theology, she began seeing clients and opened a practice. “I didn’t have a vision for big impact with my counseling,” Anda says. “It was just about obeying for this one step, and then God shows the next step, and the next.” Focusing on trauma healing, Anda wrote a book about a biblical perspective on getting through grief. That book enjoyed popularity within Romania, and it would soon play a role in a larger context.

Even with Ben and Anda’s encouragement and excitement, starting a church in the center of Bucharest was an intimidating prospect. Bucharest is a university city with a lot of young professionals, but less than half of one percent of the population are evangelical Christians. “To our knowledge,” Ben says, “not only was there no other evangelical church building in the downtown area, but there was not even a group of evangelical believers meeting together there.” So Ben and Anda started with a group of seven people, gathering in their apartment for Bible study and singing. That first community grew, and soon Ben baptized new believers. The church moved to a rented house, and then in 2022 they purchased their own building in the heart of the city.

God’s plan for the church was not that it would become an isolated community. Rather, he placed the believers in that city at that time so they could show his love to others. That plan became clear in 2022, when war pushed thousands of Ukrainian refugees into Romania. The church in Bucharest was ready to respond—first by getting on their knees together and praying, and then through meeting tangible needs. Though every day brought the church members new challenges and emergencies, “I don’t know anybody who complained about it,” Ben says. “They joined in and asked what they could do.” They donated supplies for the refugees, made arrangements for shelter, and drove caravans of provisions into Ukraine. Anda’s book about getting

through grief was translated into Ukrainian and now brings comfort to people beyond its original audience.

Just when the stream of refugees from Ukraine into Romania slowed, disaster struck the region again: a deadly earthquake in Turkey on February 10, 2023. Again, the church in Bucharest eagerly did whatever possible to assist a country in severe shock and trauma. Church members sent in supplies and teams of people to build temporary shelters for those who had lost their homes.

God wants his people to be salt and light to the world around them. It’s not only a challenge for the immediate here and now but also a preparation for sharing the gospel in ways we can’t yet imagine. When Ben and Anda Mogos followed God’s call to church planting and counseling in Bucharest, they couldn’t have predicted the way God would use their obedience to build a community that brings comfort and relief to hurting people in the heart of the city and throughout the region.

To learn more of Ben and Anda’s story, follow this QR code to a DTS chapel session with them!

The Bible calls believers to be salt and light to a world that hasn’t yet met Jesus. Many times, the salt and light in our life opens others’ hearts to the gospel; but sometimes we must wait a long time before we see fruit from our witness. My story is one of waiting and hoping.

I grew up in a northern suburb of Tel Aviv. In our home, we followed all the Jewish traditions and kept the holidays, but these observances had little relevance to our daily lives. My parents taught me that the Bible was full of fairy tales and that men created God, not vice versa.

Growing up brought many challenges. My parents fought often, and I was bullied in middle school. So I was relieved when my dad’s job relocated us to the US right before I entered high school. It felt like a fresh start. After high school, I attended Stony Brook University as a math major. And I met Dinah while working in the tutoring center.

Dinah came in for help with a math problem during my shift. She asked about my accent, and I told her I was Israeli. That excited her because she was Jewish, too.

As we continued talking, she told me she believed in Yeshua. I had no idea who Yeshua was. Being fluent in Hebrew, I knew, of course, that the word Yeshua means “salvation”—but who was Yeshua? Dinah told me that Yeshua was Jesus’s Hebrew name. I had never heard this before. I was astounded!

BY DAN SERED

Dinah and I met again the next week for lunch, and that’s when she opened the Hebrew Scriptures and showed me prophecies that spoke about the Messiah. Then she turned to the New Testament and explained that Jesus had fulfilled those prophecies. By the end of our lunch, I knew that Jesus is the promised Messiah. It was like discovering the solution to a lifelong math problem. It all made perfect sense, and I believed. But a wave of fear quickly followed my joy: What will my parents say?

When I told them I believed in Jesus, they didn’t understand. Perhaps they were in denial or regarded faith in Jesus as something a person would outgrow. Whatever the case, they initially downplayed my faith. But I was hungry for the Word, and through discipleship, I was growing in my faith. When I was baptized, my parents realized the seriousness of my faith.

They decided to do whatever they could to bring me back. First, they sent me to an anti-missionary rabbi who tried to convince me that Jesus is not the promised Messiah. That didn’t work. Then they sent me to a psychologist and psychiatrist, but that didn’t work, either. An expert in cults arrived next, since they assumed I had been brainwashed. They brought me into an intervention with the entire family. At that point, I knew I couldn’t practice my faith in their household, so I decided to leave home. My dad had never been violent,

but when I was packing up to leave, he lost control and beat me. I escaped that night with no doubt that I was officially disowned.

A few years later, Dinah and I married and then joined the ministry of Jews for Jesus. We moved to Israel as missionaries. For many years, my parents and I had no relationship. But grandchildren exert an irresistible attraction, and when our kids were born, my parents came back to us. Our relationship remains complicated, and it’s an understatement to say they don’t support what I do and who I stand for. My being disowned has been a source of deep grief and pain for Dinah and me. We feel grateful for the opportunity, by God’s grace, to have a relationship with my family and to shine the light of Jesus in their lives. We long for the day that they come to know Messiah Yeshua.

Matthew 5:13–14 says that those who have been made whole through salvation in the Messiah are the “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” These verses reveal two aspects of our Christian life. First, when we receive Jesus as the promised Messiah, our lives naturally become a refreshing testimony to what the world needs so badly—Jesus himself. And second, since there is a world to influence, there are people who need saving.

Christians often ponder the idea of “fulfilled and still waiting.” As believers, our salvation is fulfilled; we

enjoy relationship with God here and now. But many people have yet to experience this freedom and still wait to hear and respond to the gospel. Other people— like my parents—have heard, and we wait for them to respond in faith. In either situation, we must “let our light shine” (Matt 5:16). Let us pray without ceasing for those who have yet to accept God’s gracious invitation, while at the same time rejoicing in what God has already fulfilled.

To learn more about the mission of Jews for Jesus or to connect with Dan, scan this QR code!

Dr. Dan Sered (DMin, 2020)

Dan received his DMin in leadership from Dallas Theological Seminary in 2020. He serves as COO with Jews for Jesus. Please join in praying for his parents and brother to come to faith in the Messiah.

Salt and Light in the Cinema

BY DARRELL BOCK & NEIL R. COULTER

Jesus’s stories invited his listeners to ponder “the truly good life.” In the stories, his listeners recognized familiar character types and everyday situations. Exaggerations brought laughter. People wondered at characters who subverted social expectations in their actions. The stories started conversations that seasoned life’s mundaneness with salt and brightened the dark aspects with light. We can imagine that the more people thought about the stories, the more questions they thought of—and now, thousands of years later, we continue to ponder the good life through the taut, streamlined stories Jesus told.

At their best, our culture’s artists tell stories that raise the same kinds of questions. These questions, with a cultural twist, often show up in independent films and initiate conversations about what matters in life. When our senses are attuned to this potential, we may find ways to share our faith and its perspectives on life.

Jesus lived and taught in a primarily oral culture that valued wisdom gleaned from storytelling, conversation, and debate. In our day, movies invite us to spend a couple of hours in a story—and many of us accept that invitation. In the US and Canada, the film industry employs more than 450,000 people and generates over nine billion dollars of annual box office revenue. But some avid moviegoers regard movies as nothing more than entertainment. “When I watch a movie, I just want to turn my brain off and relax,” people sometimes say. That attitude ignores the opportunity to look beneath the surface and consider what the movie is saying about the good life and the struggles we share. When we watch movies with a different perspective, a movie becomes a way to bring theological perspectives into our conversations, introducing salt and light to the contemporary ideas of what constitutes a good life.

Every year, Dallas Theological Seminary joins other Christian colleges and seminaries for the Windrider Summit that takes place during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The mission of Windrider is to cultivate a deeper focus on the craft of storytelling through film and the conversations about truth that films can inspire. During the week of the film festival, Windrider participants gather in the mornings, praying and worshiping as they hone their focus on the documentary and narrative films they’ll see at the festival. Filmmakers visit Windrider to share their stories, talk about their craft, and discuss the life issues their films raise. From these sessions, participants learn to “read” films more deeply and make connections between their Christian faith and interactions with the culture. Windrider participants learn to be salt and light among filmmakers and fellow moviegoers. Students bring deeper focus to their engagement with storytelling through film in the following four areas.

Get to know the storyteller. To understand Jesus’s parables, we have to know Jesus. And seeing more deeply into a film demands a familiarity with the filmmakers. In completing a film, filmmakers have demonstrated persistence in the face of setbacks and failures along the way. Director Robert Bresson encouraged filmmakers to “make visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen.” 1 Before we form an opinion about a film, then, we understand that the film is the unique voice of someone who has overcome challenges to tell us a story.

Ask questions about the film’s genre and context. In the context of complex theological discussions, Jesus told stories specific to his listeners. He applied the craft of storytelling to elicit certain kinds of discussion, contemplation, and response. Similarly, a filmmaker draws on the techniques of film to generate certain kinds of reflection and discussion. In engaging with

a film, we ask about the technical aspects of its production. How do all the elements of film come together for one purpose? We also consider its intended context.

Identify the questions the film leaves unanswered. Jesus’s parables often end with some ambiguity. Who was the “good guy”? Does one of the characters represent God? Who am I in this story? How should we respond to what we’ve just heard? Films often work the same way. They don’t give us all the answers, and the end of a film may leave certain issues unresolved. Before forming an overall opinion, reflect on the film’s questions and on the wise or unwise choices the characters made. Also consider that the characters and story may continue beyond where the film leaves them.

Discuss what the film says about the good life, the ways we either triumph or fall short, and the tensions we often feel in pursuing truth. Some films present a happy ending, affirming that “this is the kind of conclusion we

People we encounter every day want to know what it means to live a truly good life.

all yearn for.” Other films bring us insight into ways the world has gone wrong; we see the problem that needs to be addressed, but the film doesn’t fix it. And some films show us a slice of life, without clearly approving or criticizing what takes place. In conversations with fellow moviegoers, this is where we can bring our theology into dialogue with the story. The filmmaker has introduced us to a different way of looking at the world that can open up an avenue for fruitful discussion about life. Should I now see the world around me differently, and what changes might I make in my everyday decisions? Does the film invite us into a meaningful conversation? These reflective skills are beneficial for all of us.

People we encounter every day want to know what it means to live a truly good life. Learning to focus more deeply while at the movies can bring salt and light to our contemplations and conversations with filmmakers

Notes on the Cinematograph, trans. Jonathan Griffin (New York: NYRB Classics, 2016), 50.

Dr. Darrell Bock (ThM, 1979)

Darrell serves as Executive Director of Cultural Engagement and senior research professor of New Testament studies at DTS. He is the author of more than forty books, including commentaries on Luke and Acts. He also hosts The Table podcast at DTS.

Dr. Neil R. Coulter

Neil served as an ethnomusicology and arts consultant with Wycliffe Bible Translators for twelve years in Papua New Guinea. He is now senior writer and editor at DTS and teaches courses in the Media Arts and Worship department.

Photos of DTS faculty and students, courtesy of Windrider Institute.

The Other Side of Leadership

BY CHUCK SWINDOLL CHANCELLOR EMERITUS, DALLAS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

As a leader, you’ll have the joy of seeing God use you in others’ lives. But you must remember that leadership has two sides. You’ll go through times of deep struggle. You will be tempted to leave the ranks of leadership and move away from the place where the enemy targets you. I urge you never to go there. In those times, take encouragement from the final chapter Paul wrote in his life: 2 Timothy 4. Paul prepares us for facing four areas of “the other side of leadership.”

Paul had lived his life fully for the Lord Jesus. Here in 4:6, he writes, “the time for me to depart is at hand.” He writes from a cold, dark, damp, filthy dungeon, knowing he has only a short time to live. We all know we live on borrowed time, and any day could be our last day. So what we do for Christ is all-important. Paul uses his last hours to write to his protégé Timothy, who will continue on in the ministry. In the years these two men have known each other, Timothy has needed Paul. But now Paul needs Timothy, urging him to “come before winter” (4:21). The first area of the other side of leadership is loneliness. You may see leaders and notice only the people around them, always expressing their gratitude. But leaders are often the loneliest people in the room. In your lowest moments in ministry, you’ll need someone like Timothy who will encourage you and be near you—a faithful companion who reminds you to keep going.

The second area of the other side of leadership is the disappointment you’ll feel when a ministry partner is disloyal, unfaithful, or deceptive. In 4:10, Paul says, “Demas deserted me, since he loved the present age.” It’s hard to imagine what would have been more fulfilling than ministering alongside Paul! But Scripture gives us other examples of people like Achan, Absalom, and Gehazi who took advantage of their righteous leaders. Even Jesus knew betrayal from a disciple. As the deceived leader, you’ll experience disillusionment. It may seem impossible to go on in ministry without that person, but you must press on, regardless.

The third area centers on the times you’re the target of attacks. In 4:14, Paul names Alexander, who “did me a great deal of harm.” Alexander tried to undermine Paul’s

ministry. You’ll encounter people like that, and you’ll need to stand up to them and protect the flock. They’re hurting the church, breaking the hearts of good people, and stealing the strength you could have in the role God has given you to fill. Stand firm! Tell them to stop—even better, urge them to repent and get on board with the Lord’s work! You may need other trusted individuals to confront one who is hindering the ministry.

Fourth, every leader makes mistakes. In 4:11, Paul names Mark, a man he’d previously written off. Mark had deserted Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey, and when they prepared for the second journey (see the final verses of Acts 15), Paul stood against bringing Mark along. “He failed once—that’s it!” But years later, when Paul is alone in the dungeon, he has mellowed. So he urges Timothy, “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is a great help to me in ministry.” How wonderful that Paul didn’t become a cranky, bitter old man who wrote Mark off forever.

Be quick to realize your mistakes. As best you can, make things right. It’s good for your soul to clear up all lingering offenses.

Regardless of the other side of leadership, stand strong. Don’t quit the ministry. Learn from Paul’s example, and stay at it, in season, out of season, day after day, year after year, decade after decade. It’s always too soon to quit!

NEWS STAFF & FACULTY

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF BIBLE EXPOSITION, DTS-HOUSTON

Before coming to teach at DTS, Dr. Savelle (ThM, 2003; PhD, 2013) taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Criswell College, and The Bible Seminary (Katy, TX), as well as Bible institutes in the Philippines, Korea, and Hungary. He has taught numerous courses in a maximum-security prison in Rosharon, TX. His other interests include biblical archaeology—he has served in digs at Tel Gezer and Tel Shiloh—and biblical numismatics. Dr. Savelle is coauthoring a commentary on the Psalms. He is passionate about serving in his local church and providing pulpit supply for other churches. Charles is married to Kathy, and they have three grown children, four grandchildren, and one more grandchild on the way.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MEDIA ARTS AND WORSHIP

Dr. Chan (ThM, 2004; MACE, 2004) served as a senior pastor in Hollywood/Burbank and taught theology of beauty, art, and film at Biola University. He is the author of The Purple Curtain: Living Out Beauty in Faith and Culture from a Biblical Perspective. He’s a workshop instructor in Hollywood, script consultant, board member of LELA International Artists, and kung fu master who has trained actors and stuntpersons. Dr. Chan completed BA degrees in psychology and sociology from the University of California, Davis, a ThM and MACE from Dallas Theological Seminary in 2004, and a DMin in Christian philosophy and culture from Biola. He and his family live in Frisco.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGICAL STUDIES

Dr. Teer grew up in Richardson, TX, and is married to Elizabeth, who serves as an academic adviser on the DTS Dallas campus. He earned his PhD in systematic theology from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he and Elizabeth lived for five years prior to returning to Dallas. Dr. Teer’s research focuses on the Trinity, and especially the Holy Spirit. He has an extensive background in professional editing and writing mentoring, and he intends to bring those skills to bear during his time at DTS. He is also a fan of anime/manga and sci-fi/ fantasy and looks forward to finding kindred spirits at the seminary.

Torey J. S. Teer

Charles H. Savelle Jr.

Brian Chan

ALUMNI Connection

NEW POSITIONS

MicStanley C. Newton (ThM, 1996), pastor at Jacob’s Church in New Tripoli, PA.

Joseph P. Fessler (ThM, 2011), family life pastor at Warren Woods Baptist Church in Warren, MI.

Jonathan Hollingsworth (ThM, 2014), associate pastor at Oak Grove Church in Evansville, WI.

Anna Clagett (MACL, 2018), women’s ministry director at Legacy Bible Church in Denison, TX.

David J. Peters (ThM, 2019), associate pastor of life groups, youth, and connections at BE Free Church in Branford, CT.

Victoria M. Aguas (MACE, 2021; MAMW, 2021), brand storyteller at Christ Fellowship in McKinney, TX.

Logan P. Matenaer (ThM, 2022), senior pastor at Faith Community Church in Audubon, IA.

Joshua Rivera (MACL, 2022), youth pastor at North Highlands Bible Church in Dallas, TX.

Carter A. Galgano (ThM, 2023), family and adult pastor at The Village Church in Flower Mound, TX.

STAYING CONNECTED

Since March 2022, James T. Bartsch (ThM, 1974) has served part-time as a receptionist at John A. Gentleman Mortuaries & Crematory in Omaha, NE. Jim and his wife, Esther, are members of Crosspoint Bible Church of Omaha.

Thomas S. Baurain (ThM, 1980) retired from Calvary University in Kansas City, MO. He now serves as professor emeritus of Bible and theology. Before teaching at Calvary, Thomas served for fifteen years at Moody Bible Institute and five years in pastoral ministry.

Jesse L. Northcutt III (ThM, 1981) retired after forty-one years with Greater Europe Mission. Jesse and his wife, Joyce, served in Ireland, evangelizing, discipling, church planting, teaching, and developing leaders. He and his wife will remain and minister in Ireland.

After serving for twenty-six years with BEE World, including the past sixteen years as the Middle East director, J. Paul Tanner (ThM, 1981) retired from BEE at the end of 2022. He will continue serving as the VP and academic dean of the Arab Center for Biblical Studies, which he cofounded with two Arab believers in 2020. Recently, his commentary on the book of Revelation and his Introduction to the Bible became available on Amazon.

Several alumni attended the Annual Leadership Gathering of Global Training Network in Scottsdale, AZ. Pictured above, from left to right: Richard (ThM, 1981) and Jane Spencer, Ron (ThM, 1981; ThD, 1988) and Sharlynn Rushing, Curt (ThM, 1982) and Becka Wagner, Tom (ThM, 1975) and Marsha Walsh, Carl (MABS, 1982) and Patsy Green, Benjamin (ThM, 2002) and Lisa Wong, Elijah (ThM, 2019) and Meredith Brumwell, Scot (ThM, 1997) and Robin Ullrich, Cesar and Angelica (ThM, current) Olivares, Larry (DEdMin, 2016) and Bego Meeker

After forty years as a clergy therapist with the Mountain Learning Center in June Lake, CA, Russell R. Veenker (MABS, 1982) is entering semiretirement. He is grateful to God for being able to participate in revitalizing pastors and their spouses and to witness the Lord transforming the lives and ministries of his servants.

Bob Wilkin (ThM, 1982; PhD, 1985) continues to head Grace Evangelical Society. In May 2023, GES published his latest book, The Gospel Is Still under Siege. He and Ken Yates (ThM, 1987; PhD, 2014) have a daily podcast called Grace in Focus.

Douglas M. Cecil (ThM, 1984; DMin, 1991) serves at Dallas Theological Seminary and Christ Chapel Bible Church. He recently made his first hole-in-one at the 2023 DTS Masters Open.

After thirty-five years in pastoral and chaplain ministry, William J. Smart (ThM, 1984) has published Spiritual Gifts Reimagined: The Journey View with Illumify Media.

Steven B. Krogh (ThM, 1985) trains pastors overseas with Training Leaders International, a mission agency that provides theological training for pastors around the world. Steve also serves as an elder at Christ Church, a new church plant of College Church (Wheaton, IL) in South Metro Atlanta. Steve and Lois’s daughter, Susannah Terpin, and her husband, Daniel, are MDiv students at Beeson Divinity School, where they look forward to studying under Dr. Allen Ross (ThM, 1969; ThD, 1977).

Philip J. Myers (MACE, 1985) published the article “What Do You Think of Jesus?” to help reach Muslims. Philip served as a missionary with Crossworld in Indonesia and currently teaches cross-cultural ministry at Florida Bible College of Tampa.

ALUMNI Connection

Terry M. Turner (MABS, 1991; MACE, 1995; DMin, 2014), founding pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church, received the 2023 W. A. Criswell Award for Pastoral Evangelism at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Empower Conference.

Alan Foster (ThM, 1992) was recently awarded a DMin degree from Covenant Theological Seminary. His dissertation focused on the entrepreneurial aspects of church planting. He serves as director of church planting resources for Mission to North America of the Presbyterian Church. He and his wife, Kim (MABS, 1988), live in Clarkesville, GA.

Jayakumar Ramachandran (STM, 1992) continues his doctoral work while serving in church planting and community outreach in southern Asia.

Michael A. Grisanti (ThD, 1993) serves as the chair of the Old Testament department and director of the Israel study trip at The Master’s Seminary in Santa Clarita, CA. He recently connected with Greg Hatteberg and Charlie Dyer while in Israel.

Eric C. Redmond (ThM, 1997) was appointed a teaching fellow for the C. S. Lewis Institute— Chicago and published Exalting Jesus in Judges and Ruth as part of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.

Theodore C. Rogers Jr. (MACE, 1997; MABS, 1998) published Reminders of God, a devotional which reached the Amazon bestseller list within two weeks of publication. He and his wife of forty years, Glenda, serve in the mountains of South-Central Mexico.

Jeffrey R. Banks (ThM, 2006) served as the pastor of Cornerstone Fellowship Church (EFCA) for nine years; the dean of men at Grace University in Omaha, NE, for two years; and pastor of Monument Bible Church in Scottsbluff, NE, for five years.

Three weeks after LeAnne Barnett (MABC, 2008) took her first staff ministry position, her coworker in children’s ministry retired. So LeAnne stepped into a full-time children’s ministry position at First Baptist Church Jonesboro, AR. She serves the children there from birth to sixth grade. In the spring of 2023, her youngest son graduated from high school and her oldest from college. As a soon-to-be empty nester, she looks ahead to earning another degree. Outside of ministry, she has managed to salvage her love of reading (even after seminary) and has taken up tennis. LeAnne and her husband enjoy bingeing mystery and comedy shows, assembling jigsaw puzzles, and listening to their vinyl records.

Jodie R. Montgomery (MABS, 2009) is enjoying the church community as she serves as women’s ministry director at Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, FL. Her ministry leads disciple making, Bible study, special events, sharing resources, abuse care, and prayer.

John M. Black (ThM, 2010) ran the Jerusalem Marathon with his family and over 30,000 other runners. John serves as the Israel-Bible Extension Program (IBEX) director at The Master’s University and Seminary in Santa Clarita, CA.

Tizita Seifu (MABC, 2011) began her studies at DTS in 2008. Initially convinced that DTS would only be a temporary training ground, she soon felt God changing her mind and heart. Tizita became a board-licensed professional counselor and served in community mental health with a church and parachurch organization in south Dallas for eight years following her graduation from DTS. In 2020, God showed her how to respond to the growing mental health crisis, merging the response with her call to increase access to biblically and culturally informed professional mental healthcare locally and internationally. She began building what became a multistate private practice, training churches, parachurches, and universities around the world. Tizita became a board-licensed professional counselor supervisor to invest in the next generation.

Michael P. Mould (MABS, 2013; MACE, 2013) serves as the director of student ministries at Jonesborough United Methodist Church in Jonesborough, TN.

James L. Burnside (MACE, 2015) is the founder and teaching pastor at @biblestudynow. The ministry offers Q&A livestream verse-by-verse teaching during the week, a discipleship grid, Bible study materials, and mentorship opportunities. @biblestudynow reaches over 85,000 listeners every month.

Eduardo A. Perez (ThM, 2018) continues his dissertation at Calvary University. While a student at DTS, he served as a full-time corrections chaplain working for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Houston, TX. He was hired to serve as senior pastor at Grace Church Aurora in Aurora, CO, starting on Easter 2023.

Megan D. Karr (MACE, 2020) founded The Bright Lights Theatre with Lauren Hensarling (MAMW, 2020) in 2019. This educational platform would not be possible without the incredible board of directors and staff that have poured into Bright Lights. God has been so good to have directed Bright Lights’s steps, training the next generation as masterful storytellers and bright lights for Christ in this dark and broken industry.

Lain Hancock (MBTS, 2021) moved from serving as chief operating officer of Interstate Batteries to become president and CEO.

Fred L. Johnson (MACL, 2022) retired from his long IBM career and began his new ministry work in January 2023. He is now the director of operations at Grace Covenant Church in Austin, TX.

In October 2022, Logan (ThM, 2022) and Jennifer (MAMW, 2022) Matenaer joined Village Missions, an organization focusing on rural church revitalization, in Audubon, IA, where Logan serves as the pastor of Faith Community Church.

T. S. Weaver (MACS, 2022; MAAE, 2022) was called to ministry through a series of events in his spiritual life. He engaged with an angry agnostic after college, while pressing into church involvement. He and the agnostic went on a trip to Israel with his church, and he helped lead the agnostic to Christ (she is now his wife). He also guided twelve people through an eleven-week transformational discipleship experience; five people were baptized, and two got married. T. S. eventually began working in vocational ministry, starting with New Horizons of North Texas, then moving to RREACH, and finishing at Probe Ministries before joining the staff at Grace. In August 2020, he married Taylor, whose compassion and depth caught his attention.

CONGRATS TO OUR LEGACY STUDENTS!

Patrick (ThM) and Tony Jackson (MABS, 1993; DMin, 2005)

A recent alumni gathering: Jim Hampsten (MBTS, 2021) Mark Green (current student), Cindy Hampsten, Ellen Hampsten, Robert Butler (current student), Hal Carpenter (ThM, 1975), Rita Carpenter!

IN MEMORY

Mildred J. Friesen passed away on January 26, 2023. Millie was the wife of Harry Friesen (ThM, 1949; ThD, 1968). After Harry graduated from DTS, they applied with the Mennonite Brethren foreign mission board and were assigned to serve in Japan. Millie and Harry raised their family while ministering in the Osaka area of Japan. Millie taught piano and organ lessons to pastors’ wives, discipled countless young women, and used her cooking skills to reach neighborhood women for Christ. After retirement, she and Harry moved back to Kansas and served as lay leaders at Parkview MB Church.

Douglas H. Gallagher (ThM, 1955; ThD, 1959) passed away on January 2, 2023. Douglas served as a pastor in churches across North Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan. He became a professor at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL, in 1974 and would later move to be the chairman of the pastoral training and evangelism department. Douglas and his wife, Marjorie, moved to Lexington, KY, in retirement, where they served in Porter Memorial Baptist Church.

Robert Glenn Gromacki (ThM, 1960) passed away on March 29, 2023. Bob was a distinguished scholar and professor of Bible and Greek at Cedarville University from 1960 until 2010 and the founding pastor of Grace Community Church in Washington Court House, OH. He authored sixteen books,

loved golf, and cared deeply about his family, friends, and students.

Gerald L. Smith (ThM, 1964) passed away on February 16, 2023. He pastored at two churches in Louisiana before working at the Bible Memory Association in St. Louis, MO. He taught at Word of Life Bible Institute in New York and Citadel Bible College in Arizona for many years. From 1980 until his retirement in 2022, Gerald worked with Biblical Ministries Worldwide.

James E. Anderson (ThM, 1967; ThD, 1975) passed away on January 3, 2023. After graduating from DTS and while working on his dissertation, Jim taught at Southeastern Bible College in Birmingham, AL. Jim and his wife, Evelyn, served with Greater European Mission in Germany at Freie Theologische Akademie and Bibelschule Bonn until 2019. He is remembered for his sense of humor, joy, and love for his family.

Daniel C. Esau (ThM, 1969) passed away on April 1, 2023. He served as an army paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne during the Second World War. After his service and his graduation from Taylor University, he and his wife, Betty, worked with Child Evangelism Fellowship in Germany for ten years. He then worked as a postal inspector for

ALUMNI Connection

USPS and served for many years as an elder in Grace Church, Roanoke, VA.

Garry R. Hogan Jr. (ThM, 1975) passed away on February 12, 2023. After teaching chemistry at Brainerd High School in Chattanooga, TN, Garry went into ministry. Following his time at DTS, he pastored for over forty years across the United States, including in Alabama, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Michigan, and Texas.

Stephen M. Johnson (ThM, 1976) passed away on March 26, 2023. Steve pastored in Texas, Florida, Missouri, and Louisiana. He loved spending time with his family, politics, technology, and church history.

Helmuth Pehlke (ThM, 1978; ThD, 1985) passed away on March 22, 2023. Helmuth

was the senior research professor of Old Testament at Bibelseminar Bonn. He served for over fifteen years as the chair of the Semitics and Old Testament departments at Freie Theologische Akademie, in addition to his faculty role as professor of Semitics and Old Testament. Helmuth authored many articles and theological textbooks in German. Helmuth and his wife, Lore, were also active in mission work in the former Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.

Gerald Lee Schlehr (ThM, 1979) passed away on March 4, 2023. Jerry attended DTS after graduating from Philadelphia College of Bible. He went on to pastor Calvary Independent Church in New Castle, PA, and taught at the Moody Bible Institute extension school in Ohio. He loved spending time with his family and golfing.

Barbara G. McIntyre (MABS, 1985) passed away early in 2023. She was the wife of Robert A. McIntyre Jr. (ThM, 1985). Barb led several ministries at various churches, including VBS programs, Awana, and a women’s Bible study.

Frank Phil Winkler (ThM, 1989) and his wife, Nancy, passed away on February 5, 2023, in a car crash. After

graduating from DTS, they served with Berean Mission to the Pacific Islands, based in Maui, Hawaii. Phil was pastor of Paipala Church for over thirty years and served on the board of Doris Todd Christian Academy. After retirement, they moved to Knoxville to be closer to their family.

Spencer Ruggles Downs (ThM, 1990) passed away on March 22, 2023. Spence served in the air force before attending DTS in the late 1980s. After graduation, he and his wife, Corky, moved to Evansville, IN, where Spence pastored for twenty-five years at Christian Fellowship Church. Spence also worked in a national ministry in Poland sponsored by Child Evangelism Fellowship International, known in Poland as Misja Ewangelizacyna Wsrod (MED).

Marilyn Purdy, the wife of E. Gary Purdy (ThM, 1992) passed away on January 15, 2023.

John Calvin Ford, Jr. (ThM, 1993) passed away on February 6, 2023, after battling a rare blood disorder—anti-phospholipid

syndrome—since August 2022, with eight hospitalizations and multiple procedures. After serving as a youth pastor from 1983 to 1986 at Grace Bible Church in College Station, TX, he went to Grace Seminary in Winona Lake, IN, completing his MA in biblical counseling. His next position was pastor of counseling and congregational care at Wayside Chapel in San Antonio, TX, for twenty years. He then served as chaplain for Lamb’s Tale Ministries, from 2012 to 2017. In March 2017, he joyfully began serving alongside his wife, Kathryn, as an associate for member care with Paraclete Mission Group, proclaiming that it was the best place he had ever served. His passions were people and woodworking, always with many projects in process. He leaves behind his beloved wife, two children and their spouses, five grandchildren, many loving relatives, and Kandy, his sweet, loving dog.

Your Introduction to Seminary.

You’re active in the work God has called you to, but sometimes you feel like you don’t have the answers you need for every situation. Is seminary your next step? Dallas Theological Seminary invites you to explore ministry training through a program that will deepen your understanding of God, his Word, and his people: the Graduate Certificate in Christian Studies.

You will enjoy courses in Bible exposition, theological studies, and your choice of elective classes specific to your interests, all taught by DTS’s renowned faculty. Many of the classes can be completed online. When you finish the certificate program, you will bring a deeper understanding of the Bible and theology to your work, equipping you for the place God has called you.

Are you ready to find your place in seminary?