outlook t h e m a g a z i n e o f Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
The GCR & Southeastern: Now What? Southeastern’s leaders weigh in on the school’s future Page 6
Fall 2010
Contents
outlook Fall 2010
The GCR & Southeastern: Now What? Daniel Akin The Gospel is on our Hearts because the Nations are on His Page 6 Ryan Hutchinson Serving and Supporting a Great Commission Resurgence Page 8 Dennis Darville Seeing Southeastern as Part of the Great Commission Page 12 Bruce Ashford Leading and Teaching in Light of the Great Commission Page 16 Kenneth Keathley Doing, Thinking and Loving: How the Great Commission Resurgence Impacts the Classroom Page 20 Mark Liederbach Gospel-Centered Discipleship and the Great Commission Resurgence Page 22
Plus... • • •
From the Alumni Director | 5 Briefs from Around Southeastern | 26-29 Photos from the 60th Anniversary Festival | 30
Fall 2010
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Wake Forest, NC
Daniel L. Akin President
Kenneth Keathley
Dean of the Faculty/ Senior Vice President for Academic Administration
Ryan R. Hutchinson
Senior Vice President for Business Administration
Dennis Darville
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Alumni Staff
Albie Brice, director Suzanne Tilley
Communications Staff Jason Hall, director Lauren Crane Kelly Jo Allison Keathley Courtney Navey Ryan Thomas
OUTLOOK (ISSN 0887-0934) is published by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary P.O. Box 1889 Wake Forest, NC 27588 www.sebts.edu To inform us of address changes or about alumni who are not receiving Outlook, please contact us at 919-761-2203 or e-mail alumni@sebts.edu. Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary seeks to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20). Southeastern is an institution of higher learning and a Cooperative Program ministry of the Southern Baptist Convention. Support comes through the gifts of the Cooperative Program and the individual friends of the seminary who provide assistance through wills, estates, and trusts.
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Letter from the Director Greetings Alumni and Friends: This past summer, the messengers of the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention voted overwhelmingly to accept the recommendations of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. The hope is that as Southern Baptists face the multiple challenges of ministry and missions in the 21st century we will do so with an invigorated spirit and commitment to what brought Southern Baptists together in the first place – the Great Commission. Some have called Southeastern’s campus the epicenter of the Great Commission Resurgence movement, citing our president’s 2009 chapel message in which he outlined the axioms he believes should guide our convention in the years ahead. Where the movement began, though, is not as important as where it is headed. If this Great Commission Resurgence movement is to continue in the right direction, the recommendations of this summer’s meeting must be followed with action. That sentiment, in short, is the theme of this issue of Outlook. In this important issue, Southeastern’s top leadership – the president and the cabinet members who advise and assist him – outline how exactly it is that Southeastern’s priorities align with the Great Commission. These essays demonstrate how everything from budgets to classroom philosophy, from giving to discipleship, is impacted by a conscious decision to make the Great Commission our top priority as we prepare students for ministry. We hope you will enjoy this issue and join us as we chart a course toward a Great Commission Resurgence, now and for years to come.
In Christ,
Albie Brice Director of Alumni Development & Denominational Relations
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n June 2010 our convention adopted overwhelmingly the report of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force (GCRTF) with the hope that the future of the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention would be radically impacted for the cause of the Great Commission. That report was entitled “Penetrating the Lostness: Embracing a Vision for a Great Commission Resurgence among Southern Baptists.” At the heart of this report is a new mission statement that says, “As a convention of churches, our missional vision is to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person and to make disciples of all the nations.” This statement reflects both Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8 and it connects beautifully with the mission statement of Southeastern: “Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary seeks to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission.” The impact of the GCR on Southeastern is clear. We will serve the churches of our convention to assist them in their calling to fulfill the Great Commission. We have a responsibility to train and equip Great Commission leaders who will plant, reclaim and build Great Commission churches. We will raise up leaders who live dangerously for the glory of God. We want to challenge the men — especially the men — and women who leave this campus to be radical for Jesus and risk it all that his name would be made famous in this nation and all nations. We want to inspire graduates who can truly say with the apostle Paul, “For me, living is Christ, and dying is gain” (Phil 1:21). My fervent prayer is that we will be used by God to raise up a generation of faithful pastors and ministers who have the same love and devotion for Jesus which I saw in a man named Sam, who Charlotte and I met in Sudan this past spring. I believe his story will bless and convict you. His story helps explain why I have increased my intensity to see a Great Commission Resurgence (GCR) take place among Southern Baptists. In late April/early May my wife and I joined a number of other believers on a trip to southern Sudan, an area of extreme poverty with no running water or electricity. It was hot and conditions were harsh. It was also one of the most rewarding mission trips we have ever taken. More than 1,650 persons from the Congo, Uganda and Sudan converged on a small city in the southern part of the country for a Bible conference, church planting and evangelism. What a heart they had for biblical and theological education! Virtually all of them walked most or all of the way to the conference. Some walked a week to get there, spent each night on a mat outdoors and then walked another week back home. God blessed, and we trained hundreds of pastors and saw more than 170 people baptized. Charlotte and I had the joy that week of meeting Pastor Sam. Sam is a
Daniel Akin | President
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The Great Commission is on our Hearts because the Nations are on His
church planter who has already baptized more than 30 new believers in the church that was started in May, now meeting underneath three mango trees out among the villages. Sam came to the Lord as a teenager. When he was 12 years old he saw his father, mother, brothers and sisters hacked to death with machetes by a cultic tribe in Uganda. By God’s grace he was spared, and he was led to a Christian family where he met the Lord. Later, he felt God’s call to be a pastor. For the past two years he has studied in a small Bible institute in Sudan. Sam owns two sets of clothes and a pair of sandals. The only book he has is a Bible. However, I have seldom met anyone who had more of the joy of the Lord Jesus in his heart than this man. What an inspiration he has become to me personally as well as many others. As our team was leaving, we wanted to be a blessing to Sam. So, we got together and determined that we would give him what he needed most. We gathered around him, laid hands on him and prayed. Then, we told him that we had purchased for him two oxen, a plow and enough seed for him to plow the land adjacent to his church. In this way he will provide for himself and others who would become a part of his fellowship. Several others of us were moved to provide additional funds for him to build his tukel, the hut in which he now lives. As we left the Sudan this summer, a riveting truth gripped my heart. Those who have Jesus plus nothing have everything. Those who have every-
thing minus Jesus have nothing. Sam has Jesus, and so he has everything. One more note about the trip to Sudan that encourages me: As we went village to village sharing the gospel, not once were we turned down. Not everyone trusted Christ, but no one declined the invitation to hear about him. Truly, as Jesus said, the fields are ripe unto harvest. Oswald Smith said, “No one has the right to hear the gospel twice while there remains so many who have never heard it once.” There are literally millions and millions who have never heard the name of Jesus but who will listen to our presentation of the gospel if we go to them. Many will respond in saving faith if only they hear the good news. It is time for us to get serious about a Great Commission Resurgence. It is time to be radical. Myopic and territorial excuses must stop. Repentance and brokenness must grow, on behalf of the masses who have never heard the gospel and have no access to it. Such a movement must begin one by one, in individual hearts. I am praying that this passion will grip my heart and soul now and until the day I stand before the Lord Jesus and give an account for the life that he gave me. I do not want to live a wasted life. I do not want Southeastern to be a wasted seminary. I do not want Southern Baptists to be a wasted denomination. I do not believe you want any of these things either. A GCR and Southeastern: I believe they are a match made in heaven until Jesus comes again.
Sam owns two sets of clothes and a pair of sandals. The only book he has is a Bible. However, I have seldom met anyone who had more of the joy of the Lord Jesus in his heart than this man.
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he report of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force calls for Southern Baptists to make an “unconditional commitment to reach the nations for Christ, to plant and serve Gospel churches in North America, and to mobilize Southern Baptists as a Great Commission people.” The seminaries play a key role in the fulfillment of this commitment as we carry out our service to the local church through the training of men and women for gospel ministry. The Business Administration division helps to play our part in the fulfillment of the mission of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary by providing and allocating the resources necessary to help our faculty equip students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission. The Business Administration division, including our Institutional Advancement offices, oversees everything from plumbing and campus security to raising financial support and recruiting students. All of these functions, while very different, work together to make sure Southeastern is a Great Commission seminary. Borrowing an analogy from the popular book in church circles right now, The Trellis & The Vine, the Business Administration division manages a good portion of the trellis to help the vine grow. However, we must remember that the trellis serves to support and not to supplant or harm the vine, which is the equipping of our students.
The Budget Betrays the Purpose The details of how we carry out “trellis work” are important since decisions made today can impact Southeastern for years and decades to come. This “trellis work” is driven by our budgetary resources. I learned years ago that for a church, or any ministry organization, the budget is the organization’s ministry plan expressed in dollars and cents. The budget shows you how personnel resources are allocated, physical assets are managed and improved, and gives insight into what is most important at an organization. Many churches and ministry organizations have a disconnect between the budget and ministry goals. The two are seen as mutually exclusive; one is a worldly function and the other is a spiritual function. However, as a former professor of mine frequently stated, “every issue is a spiritual issue.” In order for Southeastern to play her part in a Great Commission Resurgence, the Business Administration division must work to align the institution’s budget with the goal of being a Great Commission seminary. The challenge is making the funding of personnel and resources a reality to ensure that every classroom can be a Great Commission classroom. Southeastern, as well as the other five Southern Baptist seminar-
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Ryan Hutchinson | Senior Vice President for Business Administration
Serving and Supporting a Great Commission Resurgence ies, is dependent upon the churches that cooperate with the Southern Baptist Convention. Southern Baptists have had a commitment to formal theological education that extends back almost to the start of the convention. This commitment has grown over the years through the establishment of new seminaries, and the addition of a strong funding source, the Cooperative Program. The seminaries have thrived through the years with the blessing of the Cooperative Program, but they are now seeing that bedrock of support erode away as churches give less and less to the Cooperative Program. In 1990, Southern Baptists gave $230 million in 2010 equivalent dollars to national
Sources of Funding The funding sources for Southeastern are straightforward. Southeastern operates off of income from the Cooperative Program, tuition, endowment income and annual gifts. Our Institutional Advancement offices have made great strides in building our endowment and expanding annual financial support. However, those dollars are typically slow in developing and represent a less prominent role in our budget. This means that the only way Southeastern can adjust for dwindling Cooperative Program support in the short term is to increase the burden on the students. Tuition revenue is steadily growing as a percentage of our major funding.
Cooperative Program
Double Burden on the Student
Loss of Purchasing Power (inflation adjusted numbers)
Tuition Per SBC FTE
$250 $240
$5,000
$230
$230
Millions
$220
$4,500
$221
$4,000
$210
$3,500
$200 $190 $180
$191
$184
$3,000 $2,500
$170
$2,000
$160
$1,500
$150
1980
1990
2000
2010
ministries. In comparison, Southern Baptists gave $191 million through the close of the 2010 budget year. Southern Baptists have seen a decrease in purchasing power of $39 million, or 17 percent, over the last two decades. If Southern Baptists had maintained giving to the national ministries through the Cooperative Program at a standard inflationary rate, Southeastern would have an additional $1.2 million to put towards our efforts of being a Great Commission seminary.
$1,000
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Southeastern’s educational and general budget now depends on 40 percent of the revenue to come from students, versus 28 percent just ten years ago. The burden placed on the student will rise to 52 percent of Southeastern’s major income over the next 10 years if the current trends are not reversed through a recommitment to Great Commission giving through the Cooperative Program. The increased burden on the students means more future ministers potentially graduating
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with educational debt, hampering their ability to support their families and serve churches or ministries that cannot provide significant income. The Southern Baptist seminaries have been the envy of other theological schools for decades due to the support of the Cooperative Program, with students receiving an affordable theological education that keeps them from heavy debt after graduation.
How Can You Help? Southern Baptists overwhelmingly passed the report of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force Report. The hard part is putting it into action. Southeastern is working hard to play our part to help see a Great Commission Resurgence, but we are dependent upon the churches and state conventions that cooperate with the Southern Baptist Convention to make this a reality. What does Southeastern need from you to help us grow as a Great Commission seminary? An emphasis on the Cooperative Program. Southeastern needs you to work tirelessly within your local church and state convention to see that the dollars given are spent in ways that align with the most effective Great Commission causes. Churches should work toward a goal of greater support for Great Commission giving through the Cooperative Program in their budgets. Churches should also work to influence the budgets of their state conventions so that more dollars make it to the national ministries, including the seminaries. Supporting your students. Since the financial burden on students is steadily increasing,
churches should consider ways they can financially bless those coming from their church by assisting them with the cost of their theological education. Churches all across our convention take this step, and it is an incredible blessing to the students who are on the receiving end of these funds. Staying engaged. Keep yourself and your church aware of what is happening at Southeastern. All of us support those things with which we are most familiar. If your church is not familiar with Southeastern or the other ministries of the Southern Baptist Convention, they will not want to support these efforts, let alone increase support. Praying for us. One of the best ways to stay engaged is to frequently pray for Southeastern. What needs to happen from a dollars and cents perspective can only happen through the blessing of God. Pray that God would give our leadership wisdom, that God would raise up men and women with the resources to help support us, and that God would use our faculty to train men and women as warriors for the cross of Christ. The Business Administration division is one component of Southeastern. We are pleased to serve our institution and do all that we can to support the fulfillment of Southeastern’s mission and the expansion of the kingdom of Christ. Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary seeks to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission. Pray for us, partner with us and help us serve you to the glory of God.
One of the best ways to stay engaged is to frequently pray for Southeastern. What needs to happen from a dollars and cents perspective can only happen through the blessing of God.
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riting one of the most important books of the twentieth century, Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, quotes Nietzsche when he writes, “He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how.” I have found this thought immensely helpful in navigating the sometimes turbulent waters of both my private and professional life. It seems that if a man can understand the “why” of his existence, he can surely find significance between the bookends of birth and death. If a man can see his life as seasons arranged by an all-wise God and situated in the context of his unfolding redemptive purposes, then one can make sense out of the dayto-day grind. “Seeing the big picture” invests the mundane activities of life with meaning. Reasoning by analogy, if our lives are a single puzzle piece, it would be nonsense if our piece of the puzzle were left alone on a table top. Place that single piece in the context of the other 4,999 pieces though, and it now makes sense.
Lives Need Context One question, among many, is this: Is there a large enough story line that could provide meaning and purpose for our individual and institutional lives? Many Christians will intuitively agree with the idea of living our individual lives along the biblical plot line. What might not be readily apparent is the need to bring institutions into this same orientation. Historically, most cultures have believed in an external, objective reality that gives meaning to their existence. Sometimes referred to as “myths,” these explanations-of-life gives nations the glue to hold their diverse spheres of individuals, families, religions and social structures together. Even if many of them are wrong about what that objective world is, it still provides the backdrop for their daily practices. Since Nietzsche, many postmodernists maintain that either an objective reality doesn’t exist or that, if it does, we have no access to it. Many of them argue that since we cannot live without meaning, we should simply make it up, individually or collectively. Christians recoil at the idea of a make-believe world for our individual lives, but unwittingly leave room for a naturalistic approach to running organizations. Unfortunately, this usually defaults to adopting bare pragmatism as the governing grid. All too often we are Christians in our hearts, but American pragmatists in our corporate strategies and structures. What Christian institutions need, and need badly, is a biblically in-
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Dennis Darville | Vice President for Institutional Advancement Outlook www.sebts.edu
Seeing Southeastern as Part of God’s Mission formed modus operandi grounded in a Christian worldview. The ends do not justify the means even if that end is making disciples of the nations. If we are to carry out God’s plan for the nations, we must also commit ourselves to the biblical pattern for achieving his goals. This will require, at minimum, two initiatives: 1) examining our long-held institutional beliefs and practices, and 2) exchanging any ideologies and processes that we find contrary to biblical norms. Christians maintain that life’s meaning has been revealed to humanity through the Scriptures. The Bible is the top of our puzzle box. Scripture provides the meaning (why) and the pattern (how), not merely the purpose (what). This is as true of institutions as it is of individuals. Imagine an organization with 200 individuals each adhering to their version of reality. Imagine those same employees gathering Monday through Friday under the same roof without a sense of shared institutional meaning. Even worse, imagine those 200 people gathering Monday through Friday just to get a paycheck in order to get their piece of the American pie!
more meetings, discussions, decisions, phone calls, letters to write, conversations, endless memos, answering e-mails (tweeting, really? who has time?), building and mending relationships, overcoming frustrations, feeling confident about the future, feeling concerned about the future, watching students deployed, seeing employees come and go, stewarding financial gifts, recruiting Godcalled men and women, nurturing relationships with alumni, communicating to our internal and external constituents and an endless list of seemingly mundane activities. Your lives are probably not that different. If I were to look at all these events as an endless stream of disconnected activities, I would despair of a rewarding life. I need the “why” of my existence. Southeastern needs the “why” of her existence. We need the “big picture.” Where does one find this “big picture” from which we can “live, breathe and have our being?” Where do we discover our mission and the means to accomplish it? Seeing the day-today activities of Southeastern situated in the overarching plans of our Triune God on mission to redeem the world to himself is the most meaningful life imaginable. This overarching perspective makes all the difference in the world! Life is purposeful and enjoyable precisely because I can make sense of it by placing all the ebb and flow, ups and downs, victories and
What Christian institutions need, and need badly, is a biblically informed modus operandi grounded in a Christian worldview.
An Institutional Agenda What does all this have to do with leading the institutional advancement division of a Southern Baptist Seminary? Everything! For instance, most of my days are filled with the typical activities one would expect: meetings,
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defeats in the context of a larger story; we are on mission with God to “reconcile the world to himself” (2 Cor. 5: 18, 19). Knowing God’s plan and finding our institutional place in it has brought clarity, coherence and increasing consistency.
Orienting Our Lives Around the Great Commission If you are looking for a meaningful life, and we all are, then let me heartily recommend that you learn how to orient, not merely your private life, but also your professional life around the Great Commission. This is both the center and circumference of the Great Commission Resurgence. This is the reason why Southeastern is “taking her own medicine” regarding the GCR. The Great Commission defines who we are, what we do, and most importantly, why we do it! Approaching our work from this vantage point not only creates a productive work environment, but also encourages employees to work with great attitudes. I am aware that many, if not most, mission statements are forgotten before the ink dries. Not so at Southeastern. The unifying power of a mission statement, taken seriously by my colleagues and I, profoundly affects our division. When making budgetary decisions we ask, “Does this serve to advance the cause of ‘making disciples of the nations?’ or is this something we do to advance our own agenda?” When thinking about any of our initiatives, we return to our defining purpose – “…equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission….” Our mission statement
is simple and straightforward: “We exist to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission.” What makes our mission statement so powerful is threefold: First, it is biblically informed. Second, we are genuinely learning to live by it. Third, it serves as the acid test on ideas. There is an infinite supply of good ideas. Our mission statement eliminates the ones that are outside the scope of our responsibilities. It is the script that governs our decision-making processes each and every day. Occasionally, we find our thinking steeped in American pragmatism. For instance, we tend to follow the top down, bureaucratic, and herddriven approach of many American companies. Oversized and unnecessary structures are unhelpful. If anything, we should remain lean and nimble mission agencies available to our Lord. Under the leadership of President Akin and Vice President Ryan Hutchinson, we have resisted the temptation to grow unnecessarily during the good years. Every organization is confronted with this temptation. I’m convinced that the reason we have not succumbed to this temptation is our commitment to the principles found in the GCR and our mission statement. It is hard to consider the recent economic down-turn as a blessing. However, could it be that it serves as a wake-up call for unnecessary positions and bloated structures that were added during times aplenty? By God’s grace, we are committed to the Great Commission. It is the sieve by which we sift the ideas, seemingly good ones, which would take us off mission.
The Great Commission defines who we are, what we do, and most importantly, why we do it!
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ver the past several years, President Akin has led Southeastern Seminary to become even more of a Great Commission seminary than it was already. In so doing, he challenged the college to be a Great Commission college and the faculty to make every classroom a Great Commission classroom. This challenge speaks to several of my responsibilities at Southeastern, including my role as Dean of the College and as a professor who teaches courses in theology, history of ideas and missiology. While this challenge may seem easily met in a missions course, how is it met in my theology or history of ideas courses? What could it mean for a theology course to be a Great Commission course? Should the professor wear a Mao shirt or some lederhosen to class, in order to demonstrate his cross-cultural awareness? Or perhaps carry an urungu on his belt? Should he subliminally whisper the names of unreached people groups each time he teaches on the Trinity, the Incarnation or on building a revelational epistemology? (If you are left wondering, the answer to these last few questions is “no, not so much.”) In order to answer these questions, this article aims to give a brief exposition of the Great Commission, followed by a concise outline of how I apply it to my roles as dean and professor.
The Great Commission In Matthew’s gospel, we are given Jesus’ command: “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:18-20). These verses provide a crystallization of God’s intentions for his church. In the very first sentence, Christ informs us, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth,” making clear that we are to call men and women to repent and follow Jesus on the basis of the supreme authority of the Lord of the universe. He created the universe; he sustains it; indeed, in him all things hold together. He has authority over Satan, evil spirits, the forces of nature, the human race and all of the created order. We go in confidence. Next, our Lord gives the imperative, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” We make disciples, not merely professions of faith. More-
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Bruce Ashford | Dean of the College
Leading and Teaching over, we are given directives for disciple-making. We are to do so through baptism (and therefore in the context of his church) and in the name of the triune God (who alone can save). Making disciples includes “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” There are many deep and significant implications of this phrase. I offer two. First, the “commands of Christ” are contained in the Christian Scriptures. There is no true evangelism or discipleship apart from the proclamation of the Word of God. Any other tool that we may use, such as apologetic dialogue, is preliminary and is for the purpose of engaging another person with the Word of God. Second, the “commands of Christ” are not limited to those statements in the New Testament in which Jesus speaks in the imperative. Indeed, the entirety of Scripture, including Old and New Testaments, teaches us what God has done through Christ. Anything that Scripture teaches, Christ teaches. There are some who would say that this is “bibliolatry,” that we are making a paper pope of the Bible. They would set Christ in opposition to the Scriptures, and then claim that their allegiance is to Christ but not to the Scriptures. They “just want to follow Jesus.” The only way to follow Jesus is to follow him back to the Bible. We follow him, for example, to Matt. 5:18, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven
in Light of the Great Commission
and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” All Scripture is inspired by God and bears the insignia of Christ. Evangelism and discipleship, therefore, will include the clear teaching of the entire canon of Scripture. In the final phrase of Matt. 28:20, our Lord promises, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” We go under the authority of Christ and in the presence of Christ. Missiology is at its heart Christological. There is perhaps no better picture of the Christological nature of missiology than Revelation 5, where in verses 9-10 we see the lamb-like lion receiving the worship of the nations, as they sing, “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” We now live in anticipation of his second coming, when he will be seen in all of his splendor as the King of the nations. Until that time, and upon His authority, it is our charge to proclaim the gospel to all tribes, tongues, peoples and nations, whether far or near.
There is no true evangelism or discipleship apart from the proclamation of the Word of God.
Building a Great Commission College Because of this mandate, building a Great Commission college means several things. First,
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our professors will model a Great Commission lifestyle, teaching with an eye toward building God’s church and advancing his kingdom worldwide. Second, they will foster a classroom environment in which students are taught to know and love God and his Word, and are encouraged to obey Christ’s most challenging commands. Third, we as a college will provide ample opportunity for our students to gain experience taking the gospel to the great cities and regions of the United States, and to the unreached and unengaged peoples of the world. In other words, we want to allow them to begin the lifelong journey toward investing in the advance of God’s gospel to every tribe, tongue, people and nation.
Teaching Missiology from a Great Commission Perspective
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Teaching History of Ideas from a Great Commission Perspective Each baccalaureate student at The College at Southeastern is required to take four seminar-style courses in the History of Ideas. In these courses we read books written by the titans of theology, philosophy, history and literature (Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Virgil, Augustine, Aquinas, Dante, Machiavelli, Pascal, Descartes, Locke, Milton, Nietzsche, etc.). We read the books and then reflect, from a confessionally Christian point of view, on the ideas contained in those books. The seminar is not only a course in intellectual history but an act of worship as we submit these books to theological and philosophical analysis in the light of God’s revelation. Our students learn how to view the influential books of Western civilization through the lens of Christian Scripture, and in so doing, how to bring every thought under the lordship of Christ. If we cannot speak Christian truth into our own cultural context, how will we ever speak it into Asian, African or Middle Eastern contexts?
Christian Scripture and its attendant evangelical doctrine provide the starting point, trajectory and parameters for our ministry models, strategies and methods.
In pursuit of our mission we must be willing and able to cross cultural divides, overcome linguistic barriers and bear witness in the face of opposition. In other words, we must be intentional — we must be missional. Whereas a missional Christian is first and foremost a theologian, he also is a student of other disciplines such as global studies, current affairs, world religions, anthropology and sociology. In studying global studies and current affairs, he gains an understanding of the international and regional context within which he ministers. In studying world religions, he learns to understand the core religious beliefs and religious practices of those to whom he will minister. In sociology and anthropology, he learns to pay careful attention to the immediate social and cultural context. Although he may never be an expert in these disciplines, he uses them insomuch as they are helpful for understanding the global, cultural, social and personal contexts of those to whom he ministers. Indeed, because of this type of ed-
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ucation, Southeastern is able to send forth missionaries who are grounded in the scriptures, culturally sensitive, prepared to make disciples and equipped to plant churches.
Teaching Theology from a Great Commission Perspective During the upcoming three semesters, I will be teaching Theology I, II and III at both the undergraduate and graduate level, and therefore will have the opportunity to reflect on teaching theology missionally. The thread of mission is woven deeply into the plot of the biblical narrative. It begins with the nature of God,
continues with his call for Israel to be a blessing to the nations, and culminates in his sending of the Messiah, whose incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection provide for the salvation of the nations who will dwell with him forever in the context of a new heavens and earth. Since Christian Scripture has the concept of mission at its heart, Christian theology will also have the concept of mission centrally located. The theology classroom can also be a Great Commission classroom in its pedagogical strategy. For each of the loci of doctrine (God, Christ, Spirit, revelation, man, salvation, church and end times), we will begin by treating the doctrine exegetically, historically and systematically. After having shown the coherence of the doctrine as well as its relation to other doctrines, we will also discuss the doctrine in relation to other worldviews, religions and philosophies, and expose how each doctrine subverts its counterpart in the New Atheism, postmodern Perspectivalism, Eastern religions, Islam and even Southern Fried Religion. Further, we will discuss how each doctrine affects ministry and mission. Christian Scripture and its attendant evangelical doctrine provide the starting point, trajectory and parameters for our ministry models, strategies and methods. Indeed, for the past three decades the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention have declared that the Scriptures are ipsissima verba Dei, the very words
of God. What we have declared, however, is not always consistent with what we have done. Therefore, we want to be careful not to (unintentionally or unconsciously) ignore the centrality of Scripture even in “practical� matters of ministry and mission. Finally, we emphasize that the Great Commission is not concerned merely or exclusively with international missions. From the Great Commission, we learn that our Lord commands us to make disciples (discipleship is farranging, including teaching, modeling, rebuking, exhorting etc.) of all the nations (including this nation), baptizing them in the name of the Triune God (and immersing them in the life of the redeemed community), teaching them all things that he has commanded us (the entirety of Christian Scripture), and trusting that he will be with us always (it is he who is the organizer, energizer and director of our commission). In a nutshell, every classroom at Southeastern should be a Great Commission classroom because every page of Scripture and every locus of doctrine relates in some way to the charge given to us above. Christian theology is the most exciting subject a person could possibly study, and one of the exciting things about it is that it not only drives us to ministry and mission, but shapes the same ministry and mission. At its heart, theology is missional.
Since Christian Scripture has the concept of mission at its heart, Christian theology will also have the concept of mission centrally located.
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our years ago the faculty and administration of Southeastern affirmed the Great Commission as central to the task of the seminary through a revision of the school’s mission statement. The statement reads, “Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary seeks to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission.” Armed with this new statement, we acknowledged that the Great Commission is the reason for Southeastern’s existence and will guide everything we do. So what does a Great Commission classroom look like? Simply put, a Great Commission classroom has the conscious goal of advancing the Kingdom of God and presenting Christ to a lost and dying world. Our job at Southeastern is to affect change in our students. If a young man or woman were to graduate from Southeastern unchanged spiritually, then we would have to question the purpose of the school’s existence. We have in mind a profile of what a graduate should look like, and we have a deliberate agenda to bring this about. Southeastern is about the business of preparing Great Commission Christians—followers of Christ who are on mission, who understand what the mission is and who are thoroughly equipped for the mission. A Southeastern alumnus should exhibit the core competencies of spiritual formation, theological integration, biblical exposition, ministry preparation and critical thinking and communication. A Great Commission classroom has the goal of impacting students in three ways: affecting what they do, how they think and Who they love.
Practice – What They Do A Southeastern student is a follower of Christ on mission. Everything he or she does is deliberate and intentional in promoting the gospel to the nations, planting and nourishing local churches and presenting the claims of Christ to the unsaved. Our students are to be missionaries, church planters, soul winners and mentors who make disciples. A Great Commission classroom teaches our students to be doers and reminds them that faith without works is dead. But we do not teach students to be blindly active, busy simply because they are supposed to be busy. This brings up the second area we intend to impact Southeasterners.
Cognitive – How They Think What we believe and think guides what we do, even when we do not realize it. In fact, one could argue that what we do reveals what we really believe.
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Kenneth Keathley | Dean of the Faculty | Senior Vice President for Academic Administration
Doing, How the Great Commission Thinking Resurgence Impacts the and Loving Classroom A Great Commission classroom has the goal of teaching our students how to be biblically faithful and theologically astute. We want our graduates to be able to interpret the Bible with precision and be able to approach life and ministry with theological rigor. A Southeastern graduate should have a biblical worldview—an understanding that views the world through the lens of the Word of God. He or she should know how to apply the principles of Scripture to every area of life. Our students must have “theological moxie” — the ability to discern matters with doctrinal integrity. However, by themselves, proper belief and proper behavior is still insufficient to be fully formed followers of Christ. There is a third key ingredient.
We live in a fallen world of disordered loves. Therefore the highest goal of a Great Commission classroom is to teach students how to have properly ordered loves. We must teach our students to deliberately form their affections for Christ. They are to direct their desires and their passions toward the Lord Jesus Christ and his kingdom. Unless love for him undergirds our mental and physical efforts, then eventually burnout and failure will result. Without love for Christ, everything we do is for naught (1 Cor 13:1-3). Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit will use Southeastern’s classrooms to sculpt the hearts of our students. Theological education is changing. Global communications, international transportation and worldwide opportunities are altering our methods and strategies. But the principles stay the same. The local church is still the primary instrument by which God advances his kingdom. He still accomplishes the proclamation of the gospel through choice servants whom he calls to the preaching ministry. And we are still to be about the business of making disciples in all nations. Southern Baptists reaffirmed their commitment to these principles with the adoption of the Great Commission Resurgence report. Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is in the business of putting these principles into practice in every classroom. At Southeastern, every classroom is a Great Commission classroom.
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is for lovers.
Affections – Who They Love Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is for lovers. What do I mean by this statement? If all we do is affect how our students think and do, then we will have failed. This is because the heart of the matter is the heart itself. The Lord Jesus taught that the greatest of all commandments is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). We are to serve God with our thoughts and our deeds, but our Savior uses “love” as the operational verb. Our beliefs and our actions are expressions of our delights. We are doers, thinkers and lovers.
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onsider for a moment the physics of an atomic bomb. The process that leads to the massive explosive force is called nuclear fission. A single atom of a heavy element like uranium or plutonium must be split into two lighter elements, and that split causes two reactions. The first is a release of subatomic particles (neutrons) that impacts other atoms, which then split and trigger a chain reaction. The second is a release of energy that occurs each time an atom of the heavy element is split. The potency of the bomb depends upon the creation of a chain reaction in which millions and even billions of atoms split, release energy and cause others to split. When this occurs the energy of each splitting atom combines to make a massive amount power and explosive force. What a great metaphor for gospel-centered discipleship. Consider the picture of discipleship Paul uses in 2 Timothy 2:1-2: “You therefore my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the things you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” A simple reading of this passage reveals that Paul understood the massive impact that would result as Timothy, as well as Titus, Luke and oth-
Chart 1
Number of CONVERTS (1 converted each day) 1 183 365 548 730 1,095 1,460 1,825 2,190 2,920 3,650 4,380 5,110 5,840 6,570 7,300 8,030
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Number of DISCIPLES (1 discipled each 6 monhts) To start ½ year 1 year 1½ years 2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years 6 years 8 years 10 years 12 years 14 years 16 years 18 years 20 years 22 years
1 2 4 8 16 64 256 1,024 4,096 65,536 1,048,576 16,777,216 67,108,864 268,435,456 1,073,741,824 4,294,967,296 17,179,869,184
Mark Liederbach | Dean of Students / Vice President for Student Services Outlook www.sebts.edu
Gospel-Centered Discipleship and the Great Commission Resurgence ers he discipled, not only grounded themselves in the gospel but then multiplied Paul’s efforts by sharing the gospel with the lost and then raising them up into disciples who would likewise ground themselves in the gospel, share the good news and teach others to do the same. Consider the impact of this simple model of discipleship in comparison to mass evangelism efforts devoid of a strong emphasis on multiplicational discipleship. In chart 1, the column on the left represents the impact of a person who leads a single person to Christ everyday for the rest of his or her life. The column on the right represents the impact of a person who only leads one person to Christ every six months, but then disciples that person and teaches him or her to lead others to Christ and disciple them to reach and disciple others at the same pace.
tion that would have a worldwide impact of massive potency. A further study of 2 Timothy would show us the importance to gospel-centered discipleship of pure doctrine, and the commitment to equip future generations of men to become mature and ministering worshipers of God. When these elements of discipleship are driven by the Holy Spirit, not only are many people coming to saving faith but those people mature in the word and in obedience to God. They begin to share with others the gospel message. As another person receives the Good News, he or she is trained and equipped to become a mature and ministering worshiper of God who in turn, tells another of new life in Christ and then works to equip that individual to become a mature and ministering worshiper of God. This spiritual multiplication changes the world. Perhaps one of the most encouraging aspects of this command to make disciples is the reality that each one of us can be the founding catalyst of many spiritual generations of disciples. Each person’s life has an incalculable potential to impact the world for Jesus Christ.
Each person’s life has an incalculable potential to impact the world for Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ Command to Make Disciples It should come as no surprise, then, that when Jesus gave us the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 he did not command his followers to make “converts” or simply stand in pulpits and preach the message of salvation. He told them to “make disciples.” In his words, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Jesus and Paul both knew that emphasizing and implementing gospel-centered discipleship was necessary to cause the kind of chain reac-
How does Gospel-Centered Discipleship Relate to a Great Commission Resurgence? Now that Southern Baptists have passed a resolution in favor of a Great Commission Re-
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surgence it is imperative that we make the adjustments necessary to make maximal impact as a denomination for the kingdom of God. Here at Southeastern it is our mission statement that we will seek to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the local church and fulfill the Great Commission. What better way to fulfill our mission and play a major role in a Great Commission Resurgence than by teaching our students the fundamentals of discipleship and the skills by which they can implement life-on-life discipleship in the local church setting? Three examples of how we are seeking to implement this at Southeastern: 1. Discipleship groups for all our first-year college students that provide a small group environment for these students to be led by a qualified Discipler/ Mentor for two semesters. We want them to be in a personal, discipleship relationship that facilitates personal growth, as well as giving them the opportunity to learn and practice basic transferable concepts and skills that they in turn can pass onto others. 2. Developing partnerships with local churches that serve as training and internship centers where our graduate students can learn, practice and impart discipleship skills in a ministry context. 3. Re-emphasizing the need for our professors and future graduating pastors to not fall prey to the idea that teaching from behind a desk or preaching from behind a pulpit entails the totality of what Jesus or Paul meant by discipleship.
Making Central That Which is Central From a simple and straightforward reading of Jesus’ command in the Great Commission we must come to the simple but critically important conclusion: A Great Commission Resurgence that doesn’t emphasize a resurgence in discipleship is not a Great Commission Resurgence at all. As a man who entered the Southern Baptist world 11 years ago, and as a man who has consistently grown in conviction and loyalty to the Southern Baptist Convention, I have been shocked at the lack of clarity and commitment to actual life-on-life, person-to-person, woman-to-woman, man-to-man disciple making that results in the kind of world-changing mu lt ipl ic at ion a l discipleship Paul outlined and Jesus commanded. Unless and until we learn and put into practice life-on-life training and equipping of disciples, we can raise all the money we want; throw all the missionaries at the world we want; preach all the messages we want; but in the end we will be only making a fraction of the impact God wants us to make. On the other hand, if we take serious this one word of the Great Commission – discipleship – then each one of us and this seminary and most importantly our local congregations can become the epicenters of life-shaping, culture-challenging, world-shaking spiritual earthquakes that Christianity is meant to be. Here at Southeastern we are committed to being the agent of change.
A Great Commission Resurgence that doesn’t emphasize a resurgence in discipleship is not a Great Commission Resurgence at all.
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The Gospel
September 23-24, 2011
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Around Southeastern BRIEFS AND NEWS FROM CAMPUS, CHAPEL AND ALUMNI EVENTS
Southeastern celebrates God’s faithfulness Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary had much to celebrate during their fall meetings of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Visitors. October 11-12, Southeastern’s Wake Forest, N.C., campus came alive with the return of the institution’s BOT and BOV members, as well as friends and guests of Southeastern to celebrate the 60th year of Southeastern, the installation of the Johnny Hunt Chair of Biblical Preaching, the election of two new deans and the election of two professors. Sixty years after its founding, Southeastern has more students enrolled than at any other time in its history. With nearly 2,700 students studying in increased numbers of graduate and undergraduate programs, president Daniel Akin said he is so thankful for the Lord’s work in and through Southeastern. “We are grateful to God for his faithfulness to Southeastern during 60 years of ministry,” Akin said. “Even as we celebrate the past, we look forward to God doing an even greater work through Southeastern in the years to come.” The BOV and BOT, along with students, staff and faculty of Southeastern, gathered Monday evening on the lawn for a barbeque dinner, along with games and live music to celebrate. During Tuesday’s chapel service, Akin announced the completion of the fully-funded Johnny Hunt Chair of Biblical Preaching, a one million dollar endowed chair that will provide growing, annual salary support for a professor of preaching. Akin announced that Greg Heisler, associate professor of preaching and speech, will be the first to hold the chair. Hunt, an alumnus of Southeastern, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Ga., was also honored for his legacy, which inspired his congregation and friends to donate money for the endowed chair. “We love and appreciate Johnny Hunt,” Akin said. “There is no greater evangelist for Jesus, and there is no greater evangelist for Southeastern.” During the service, Hunt taught the Southeastern family the value of preaching the word of God, speaking from the text of Psalm 126 – the same Psalm he preached on as a student in 1981.
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“The only hope for this country, the only hope for this world is the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Hunt said. “Preach the word. As far as I’m concerned, I know of nothing a preacher needs to do more than preach the word of God. It still changes lives.” While trustees were on campus they also voted to officially elect several new positions. On October 12, the Board officially elected and welcomed Ken Keathley as Senior Vice President for Academic Administration and Dean of the Faculty. Keathley had stepped into the role on a temporary basis after David Nelson, former dean, resigned from the position in February of this year. He had been serving Southeastern as Professor of Theology and Dean of Graduate Studies since 2006. The board also elected Mark Liederbach as Vice President for Student Services and Dean of Students. Liederbach, who has been serving in the capacity since June 1, was the unanimous recommendation for the position in the wake of Alan Moseley stepping down as dean. Michael Travers, professor of English, as well as Greg Welty, associate professor of philosophy, were elected by the trustees to the faculty.
Southeastern announces addition of Schaeffer collection to library On September 14, Southeastern announced the addition of a voluminous collection of papers and correspondence of the late apologist Francis A. Schaeffer to Southeastern’s libary, thanks to the generosity of the Francis A. Schaeffer Foundation. The collection is given to the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture at Southeastern Seminary. The collection includes select unpublished papers and correspondence, source materials, notes and recorded discussions of Schaeffer, one of evangelical Christianity’s most prominent 20th century voices and the author of 27 books. The collection, of which Southeastern has custody, will be placed under the direction of Bruce Little, professor of Christian philosophy and director of the center. The foundation is overseen by its president, Udo Middelmann, who is Schaeffer’s son-in-law. Middelmann said the foundation is pleased to entrust these materials to Southeastern, in the hopes that Schaeffer’s work will continue to be influential for
years to come. “A lifetime spent in the pursuit of truth, and its relationship to society, philosophy and culture, is found in the collected papers and correspondence of Francis Schaeffer,” Middelmann said. Little said he is grateful for the opportunity to serve as custodian of the collection. “We are thankful to the Francis A. Schaeffer Foundation for entrusting us with this priceless
Dr. Bruce Little receives Francis Schaeffer’s Bible.
treasure of historical significance,” Little said. “Every now and then, God gives his Church a unique voice for his people. Schaeffer was such a voice. It is our privilege to have a part in preserving and promoting this legacy for the generations to come.” Schaeffer was born in the United States but spent most of his life in Switzerland with his wife Edith and their four children. In 1955, Francis and Edith Schaeffer opened their chalet/home to those who were seeking answers to life’s many questions and from that the ministry known as L’Abri began. The Schaeffers welcomed thousands of visitors during several decades, some who stayed for only a few days while others a much longer time. However long the stay, it was an opportunity to learn from Schaeffer how the inerrant Scriptures gave the only fitting understanding of the real world. In addition to his more than two dozen books, Schaeffer also recorded the influential series of videos called How Should We Then Live?, revealing the rise and decline of Western thought and culture. President Daniel Akin said Southeastern was humbled to receive guardianship of the collection. “It is my hope that the spirit of Francis Schaeffer, with his mind for truth and heart of love, will pervade our campus,” Akin said. “I pray that this col-
lection will allow Southeastern to serve the church by extending the legacy of this great man of faith.”
9Marks Conference encourages faithfulness to theology of God’s word The faithful word of God should be what governs all Christian theology, said speakers at this year’s 9Marks at Southeastern conference. On September 10 and 11, 700 men and women gathered on Southeastern’s campus for the second year of a nine-year conference series discussing the nine marks of a healthy church. This year, Daniel Akin, Thabiti Anyabwile, Matt Chandler, Mark Dever and David Platt discussed the second mark – biblical theology – and its implications for the church. Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church and president of 9Marks, opened the conference by preaching on the message of the entire Bible: in the Old Testament God makes promises, and in the New Testament he keeps them, through Christ. He walked through Scripture, showing how the Old Testament provides the context for Christ, and the New Testament points to him as the fulfillment of everything God has said and promised to his covenant people. “We have a faithful word of God revealed to us,” he said. “We should believe it, we should trust it.” The faithful word of God espouses a high view of God’s sovereignty, a key component Anyabwile said is necessary for sound biblical theology. The pastor of First Baptist Church on Grand Cayman Island spoke from Romans 9, arguing that a high view of the sovereignty of God is a vital part of a robust biblical theology. Anyabwile acknowledged that the first reaction of many people to the doctrine of election as laid out in Romans 9 is emotional, not intellectual. “God’s purpose is not that our hearts would discolor his truth, but that his truth would color our hearts,” he said. During the Friday evening session of the conference, Platt, who pastors The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala., asked the gathered pastors and church members to increase their affection for God by meditating on the holiness of the Lord. “We have an incomprehensibly great God,” Platt said. Looking at Isaiah 6 and Isaiah 53, he said we see the holiness of God. God’s holiness is starkly contrasted against our sinfully depraved nature,
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and rather than seeing our sin in light of its magnitude, we must see it in light of the holiness of the one we sin against, he said. “If you sin against an infinitely holy God, you are infinitely guilty and deserve infinite destruction.” However, Platt said we have a scandalously merciful savior, who though his wrath is justly directed at the depraved sinners, instead poured out his wrath on his Son in the place of sinners. Platt said, “Surely this kind of mercy evokes more than raising a hand and praying a prayer. Surely this evokes urgent surrender of our lives – no matter where he calls and no matter how tough it is.”
9Marks plenary speakers (from left) Mark Dever, David Platt, Daniel Akin, Matt Chandler and Thabiti Anyabwile.
During the Saturday morning sessions of the conference, Akin, president of Southeastern, said wedding together Christology and practical theology produces biblical theology, as seen in the text of Philippians 2. Systematic and biblical theology, then, must work together to show that there is now sitting on the throne an exalted, God, Son, Man, who always is and always was, Akin said. “There is nothing more relevant than biblical theology that exalts a great God, humbles sinners and glorifies the Lord.” When churches are based on a biblical theology, Chandler believes they will cultivate a gospel spirit. Chandler, pastor of The Village Church in Dallas, wants the body of Christ to cultivate a gospel-breathed environment, where people see it’s okay to not be okay, but it is not okay to stay there. This kind of church, where the gospel is breathed in and out, is one in which sanctification occurs and where and where sanctification occurs and where Christ is exalted and celebrated as our only hope. “The whole point of the cross and Christ dying on the cross is you being where you are right now so you don’t have to be there tomorrow.”
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Southeastern profs contribute to new HCSB Study Bible Several Southeastern professors contributed study notes to the new study Bible from B&H Publishers, the Holman Christian Standard Bible Study Bible. The HCSB Study Bible, which debuted in October, is the first study Bible produced using the HCSB, a new translation from the original languages produced at the direction of B&H by a team of 100 scholars and language stylists from 17 denominations. The HCSB Study Bible includes more than 15,000 study notes, dozens of maps, illustrations and charts, and articles on a wide range of biblical and theological topics. The information is presented in a format that is designed to serve the student of Scripture and not distract from the text itself. Andreas Köstenberger, senior professor of New Testament and Greek and director of Ph.D. Studies, contributed the study notes on John and Colossians. Köstenberger is a renowned Johannine scholar, having written two commentaries on John’s gospel as well as his recent A Theology of John’s Gospel and Letters. Shawn Madden, associate professor of Old Testament and Hebrew and director of Library Services, contributed the study notes on the book of Joel. President Daniel Akin contributed an essay called “The Bible and Sexuality – 1 Corinthians 7.” Akin is a well-known authority on a biblical view of marriage and sexuality, and is the author of God on Sex. The notes and resources from the HCSB Study Bible are also available on a new website, mystudybible.com, which is now open for public beta.
Akin, Mathews edit Text-Driven Preaching Southeastern President Daniel Akin and New Mathews, professor emeritus of pastoral ministries, edited a new volume on the importance of expository preaching. The collection, published by B&H and entitled Text-Driven Preaching, highlights various aspects of expository preaching, from sermon preparation to sermon delivery, and how each step should
be founded on the principle of clearly explaining the word of God. “Dr. Danny Akin and a team of expositors provide provide both encouragement and guidance to preachers – showing how to preach the text of Scripture,” said Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in endorsing the book. “The book deserves a prime placement on every preacher’s reading list.” In addition to Akin and Mathews, Southeastern had other faculty members contribute to the volume. Southeastern’s chaplain, Bill Bennett, wrote a chapter entitled “The Secret of Preaching with Power,” and David Alan Black, professor of New Testament and Greek, wrote a chapter entitled “Exegesis for the Text-Driven Sermon.” Text-Driven Preaching is available now in bookstores and online.
New book examines the prosperity gospel David Jones, associate professor of Christian ethics, and Russell Woodbridge, a Southeastern alumnus and former professor now serving overseas, have written a book offering insight into the movement often known as the “prosperity gospel.” The book is called Health, Wealth and Happiness: Has the Prosperity Gospel Overshadowed the Gospel of Christ? It is published by Kregel. Proponents of this kind of teaching, the authors say, often claim biblical fidelity but instead teach a materialistic, self-centered approach to life that runs counter to the truth of God’s word. “Given the tough economic times that we’re in, it is easy for otherwise orthodox believers to become susceptible to the lure of the prosperity gospel and its teachings of health, wealth and happiness,” Jones said. “This false gospel is being preached everyday on radio, TV and via the Internet. Indeed, 50 of the 260 largest churches in America preach the prosperity gospel.”
Jones and Woodbridge spend the first half of the book demonstrating that the Bible does not, in fact, teach that believers can automatically experience wealth and opulence “if they have enough faith.” The second half of the book gives the biblical teaching on suffering, wealth, poverty and giving. “It is our desire that readers would finish this book firmly equipped to resist false doctrine, but also thoroughly educated in these crucial areas of doctrine related to material and spiritual prosperity,” Jones said. “In sum, it is our goal to replace the prosperity gospel with the gospel of Christ.” Health, Wealth and Happiness will be released next month, and will be available in bookstores and online.
Coley writes second book on educational leadership In a follow-up to his popular book The Helmsman, Kenneth Coley, professor of Christian education administration and director of Ed.D. studies, has written a new book titled Navigating the Storms: Leading Christian Schools with Character and Conviction. Coley continues the nautical analogy that he traced thoughout The Helmsman in this book as well, with each chapter speaking to a significant issue that ministries in general, and Christian ministries in particular, deal with regularly. “The landscape of ministry issues and leadership concerns is no longer considered static and predictable,” Coley said. “That’s why the nautical analogy works: the forces of swirling winds and rough currents are never the same two days in a row. Ministries require a skilled helmsman who has the vision and destination in mind but the techniques to respond to changes as they occur.” Coley brings Scriptural insight to bear on realworld problems, along with insight from current leadership and management literature. The text is punctuated with examples and illustrations from Coley’s more than 30 years of educational leadership experience. Navigating the Storms is published by Purposeful Design Publications, and is now available in bookstores and online.
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The entire campus community – students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees and donors – gathered on the Quad on October 11 to eat barbecue, play games, make new friends and celebrate God’s faithfulness to Southeastern during 60 years of training kingdom servants. Check sebts.edu for more events during the school year.
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“In this culture, you can download a degree if you want one, but I didn’t want that. I appreciate the fact that our D.Min. program is academically stiff; it is the real deal. The amount of investment and excellence required makes it respectable. The program was thorough, relational and effective.”
Doctor of Ministry sebts.edu/dmin 1.800.284.6317 facebook.com/sebts twitter.com/sebts
D.J. Horton D.Min. in Expository Preaching, 2010
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