The Great Commission Magazine of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary: Fall 2014

FALL 2014

WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

WE’LL HELP YOU GET THERE. iamgoing.org

/sebts

A Letter from the President >

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Christ Who Is Sovereign Over All >

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he title of this “letter from the president” is drawn

At Southeastern, we are in complete agreement with

from a famous statement by the Dutch statesman

Francis Schaeffer whose letters and papers are archived

and theologian Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920). The full

in our library. This wonderful Christian thinker, whose

statement reads: “There is not a square inch in a whole

writings have had a profound influence on my life, put

domain of our human existence over which Christ, who

it like this: “Christianity provides a unified answer for

is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!’” Where did

the whole of life.” Did you catch the key word? The

Kuyper get this idea? I suspect, at least in part, from the

“whole” of life. In other words, our Christian faith is to

Great Commission text of Matthew 28:18-20 where Je-

translate into a Christian life, a way of thinking, acting,

sus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven

playing and living. No area is off limits. No discipline

and on earth.” What Jesus has authority over belongs

is out of bounds. Our surrender to Christ’s Lordship will

to Him. What belongs to Him He rightly claims as

impact the totality of our lives. It will shape and deter-

“Mine!” All of creation is Christ’s. As we advance the gospel across North America and to the nations we reclaim souls and territory that belong to King Jesus.

C.S. Lewis certainly understood this to be the nature

mine what we call our “worldview.”

Southeastern has what is called “The Center for Faith and Culture.” It is named after my former teacher and colleague L. Russ Bush who served as the

of our assignment. He said, “There is no neutral ground

Dean of Southeastern for 20 years. The Center re-

in the universe. Every square inch, every split second,

f lects the heart and perspective of its founding direc-

is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.” Lew-

tor who believed all of life should be permeated by a

is was right. We are indeed locked in a cosmic conflict

Christian worldview. Bush said, “A worldview is that

for the souls of human persons. We are also locked in a

basic set of assumptions that gives meaning to ones

cultural conflict that will determine in many ways how

thoughts. A worldview is that set of assumptions that

we think and work, how we live and die.

someone has about the way things are, about what

Contents Fall 2014 >

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Read and share online! sebts.edu/magazine >

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What’s Happening at SEBTS 5 Maurice Robinson Begins Producing a Critical Edition and Textual Commentary for the Byzantine Text 6 Ten Years of Disance Learning at Southeastern 8 Crossover Baltimore 11 Remembering Nancy Nell Jacumin, A Friend and Supporter of Southeastern 12 New and Upcoming Faculty Works 13 Southeastern Hosts Alumni and Friends Luncheon at Camden Yards 16 Christian Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 18 9Marks at Southeastern: Meaningful Church Membership

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Featured Stories 21 How God Used My Missionary Parents 28 Rediscovering Francis A. Schaeffer 32 INTERSECT: Where Faith Meets Culture 33 Three Mentalities for the Church: Bomb Shelter, Ultimate

Fighter, Kingdom Preview | Bruce Ashford 35 Doctrine of Vocation | Benjamin Quinn and Walter Strickland 36 Economics, Stewardship and the Common Good | David Jones 38 Free Online Classes

Center Spotlights 39 Southeastern Launches The Center for Spiritual Formation and Evangelical Spirituality 40 Southeastern Gathers to Celebrate Pastors at the Southern Baptist Convention 41 A Conviction for Life: Southeastern’s Center for Faith and Culture hosts Amber Lehman

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SEE HOW WE ARE GOING FACULTY

Profiles | See How We Are Going 44 Erik Clary | Alumni 46 Edgar Aponte | Faculty 48 Lizette Beard | Student 50 Don and Lucy Dancer | Donors

with EDGAR APONTE

53 The God Given Blessing of Business | Daniel Palmer, Director of Financial Development 54 Changing the World, One Graduate at a Time | Jonathan Six, Director of Alumni Development and Denominational Relations

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Follow us. /sebts /sebts

/southeastern

/southeasternseminary

Discover us. sebts.edu/multimedia | sebts.edu/missions | aroundsoutheastern.com betweenthetimes.com | dannyakin.com southeasterntheologicalreview.com

iamgoing.org

What’s Happening at Southeastern

Maurice Robinson with the festschrift published in his honor

Maurice Robinson begins producing a critical edition and textual commentary for the Byzantine text | Story by Ali Dixon

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outheastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) is pleased to announce that Maurice Robinson, senior professor of New Testament studies, has been named research professor of New Testament studies.

For 23 years Robinson has shown faithful service to SEBTS along with the academy and the local church.

He has been a student or professor under every president of the seminary other than Sydnor Stealey. He has taught Greek, New Testament and textual criticism at SEBTS since 1991.

In his new role, Robinson will be producing a critical edition and textual commentary for the Byzantine text.

Robinson said the opportunity was just like “manna from heaven.” Until this time, his work has been during spare time in the midst of full-time teaching duties.

This edition will be published in a Bible software program and will serve New Testament scholarship.

Robinson says that his work will be the first of its kind and will take at least five years to complete. It will also be helpful in conversations countering other religions that question the authenticity of the Bible by presenting a consistent form of the New Testament text.

Robinson is a leading international expert on the Byzantine Textform of the New Testament. He has delivered lectures on textual criticism and the Byzantine Textform in Canada, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. More than 30 conference papers, book chapters and articles have been presented and published

by Robinson. He also has prepared the Greek New Testament for various computer software programs. Forth-

coming is his monograph “Text and Variation: Selected Essays regarding the Byzantine Textform.”

In 2005, Robinson published his own Greek New Testament, “The New Testament in the Original Greek: Byzantine Textform 2005.” He makes this Greek New Testament available at the cost of production and, by permission of the copyright, the text can be copied and shared.

“The Case for Byzantine Priority” which was published as an appendix to this Greek text is Robinson’s argument and is known as one of the most sophisticated and scholarly defenses for the Byzantine text in print. While not all of his colleagues share his conclusions on the priority of the Byzantine text, many of them point to this essay as a valid argument that is worthy of attention.

He excelled in biblical languages as a Master of Divinity (SEBTS, ’73) student and focused his study on textual criticism as a Master of Theology (SEBTS, ’75) student. In his Th.M. program, Robinson studied with Duke University Professor Kenneth W. Clark, the leading textual critic scholar in the field at that time.

A festschrift including works from Robinson’s colleagues and former students has been published in his honor. Mark Billington and Peter Streitenberger are the editors for “Digging for the Truth: Collected essays regarding the Byzantine text of the Greek New Testament.”

Robinson started his new role on August 1 funded by a partnership between Southeastern and a small group of donors.

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10 Distance Learning years of

Story by Ali Dixon

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hen Daniel Akin came to serve as President of Southeastern in January of 2004, he wanted to start an online program at the seminary. Akin truly believes the seminary’s charter “to train men and women for service in churches and denominational entities for the Southern Baptist Convention.”

One way to reach more students was to start an online program. Jerry Lassetter was hired in 2004 as the project manager for the new program. Southeastern offered its first three classes in the fall of 2004 with 56 students.

In 2006, John Ewart joined Southeastern as the director of the combined Distance Learning program that included extension centers, online classes and international agreements with 167 students. In 2008, Southeastern began offering “hybrid” classes, which blended online and on-campus experiences, totaling a combined Distance Learning population of 479 students.

“At Southeastern God sent us a number of gifted individuals, in particular John Ewart and Jerry Lassetter, who got us up and running in a hurry and with a quality program second to none,” Akin said. “This is a major component in the future of education and I am thankful we have the team that is ready and prepared to guide us well.”

Akin said, “Distance learning took the academic world by storm and many institutions were caught by surprise. Some are still chasing the bus!”

In the past academic year of 2013-2014, Southeastern’s Distance Learning program had over 2,200 students and accounted for 20 percent of the school’s total classes. The staff has grown from one to eight team members serving students in 40 states and 25 countries.

Thirty-two members of the faculty are recorded for online classes, with more being filmed in this semester.

Akin’s dream for Distance Learning is to take the best theological education and training that Southeastern has to offer and deliver it to the ends of the earth.

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at Southeastern “The SEBTS Distance Learning program has excelled and has experienced massive growth,” Akin emphasized. “We are able to take the SEBTS experience abroad, even around the world, to those who are not able to come to Wake Forest.”

Distance Learning is integrated with the Center for Great Commission Studies, the Biblical Women’s Institute and EQUIP programs so students can move seamlessly between the various ways classes are offered.

The EQUIP program partners with 250 churches to make courses available in one’s area of service. Great Commission education and training are available regardless of where someone lives.

For 10 years, Southeastern has offered a wide variety of online courses. Recently, the Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Christian Studies, Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies, Master of Arts in Church Planting and Masters of Theological Studies programs became available completely online.

Southeastern’s staff is constantly engaged in research and experimentation with the best methods for learning. The faculty is seen as the backbone of Southeastern’s Distance Learning program.

“Our goal is to be known as the school where the faculty interacts with students, regardless of location or time zone,” Lassetter said Jamie Dew, vice president for undergraduate studies and academic support, said, “We’ve always had a strong commitment to pedagogy in our online classrooms, but we’ve recently made some major adjustments to our approach that we feel will maximize a student’s opportunity to learn.”

“We must be willing to help the tens of thousands of pastors that are around the world that need training but will never be able to leave their ministries to receive it,” Dew explained. “Online instruction helps make this a possibility for them and helps us to fulfill the Great Commission.”

The Numbers

Degrees Earned

1,278

Sections Taught

230

53,676

77 Master of Arts 144 Master of Divinity 9 Undergraduate

Lectures Watched

250

Equip Centers

7 Fully Online

Fall Enrollment in DL Classes

1049

56

Degrees 2004

2013

Distance Learning Students Live in:

25 Countries Botswana - Brazil - Germany - Guatemala - Hungary India - Indonesia - Japan - Kazykhstan - Kenya - Korea Macedonia - Mexico - Morocco - Niger - Paraguay - Peru Poland - Portugal - Rwanda - Slovakia - South Africa Uganda - United Kingdom - Zambia

40 States sebts.edu

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What’s Happening at Southeastern

CROSSOVER

Story by Ali Dixon

Approximately 130 students and four professors attended this year’s Crossover mission trip in Baltimore, the largest group from one seminary in the event’s 26-year history.

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What’s Happening at Southeastern

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rossover is a weeklong mission trip of intense personal witnessing located each year in the city where the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting will be held the following week. The 2014 Crossover Baltimore event took place on June 1-7.

SEBTS students partnered with the North American Mission Board (NAMB) to reach Baltimore, one of its 32 Send cities. According to NAMB, 2,729,110 people live in metro Baltimore, and only 9.9 percent are affiliated with an evangelical church.

Activities ranged from door-to-door evangelism to free car washes to ministry to the homeless. Groups also spent time working with sex trafficking victims in partnership with a local safe house ministry.

“Baltimore is very much a broken city,” said Stephen Eccher, assistant professor of church history and reformation studies at Southeastern. “To return to my native state and witness firsthand the poverty, addiction, corruption and desperate state of the people was truly heart breaking. The hopelessness was real and evident everywhere we traveled. That is what made sharing the gospel alongside our SEBTS students such a treasure.”

Thirteen student leaders contacted local pastors and planned the ministry week for their individual teams.

“Our students stepped up, served and gave of themselves to share Christ and minister to the broken,” said Alvin Reid, Bailey Smith Chair of Evangelism and professor of evangelism and student ministry at Southeastern.

One larger team of 20 students was responsible for mapping “people group clusters,” or collections of like-minded people from the same geography that share a similar culture. This team located communities of Indian, Pakistani, Nepali and West African peoples in the area.

The trip gave students an opportunity to have a renewed focus on prayer and evangelism. One team saw no fruit for two days, then fasted and prayed. That day they saw nine come to Christ. “I’m pretty sure we cannot give too much focus to prayer and evangelism at a Great Commission school like ours,” Reid said.

Before the mission trip, Southeastern held an evening prayer vigil and distributed a 40-day prayer guide.

Tim Moreland, a Southeastern student, said, “I saw the Spirit of God and the power of prayer work throughout the week and the community.”

Several students had little experience in intentional evangelism with strangers, but the week proved to be a positive experience. “I was convicted that for all we

do, helping our students deal with people in evangelistic work is fundamental,” Reid said.

Many were challenged to go beyond their normal level of comfort in an unfamiliar city. Jeffrey McCrary, a Southeastern student, said, “I was blessed to share my faith with backslidden Christians, Militant Atheists and Muslims. This challenged me to prepare more for sharing my faith in different contexts.”

During the week, Southeastern students had the opportunity to connect with students from other seminaries and hear from various seminary professors.

Eight students from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, four from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 14 from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, nine from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, nine church members from Georgia and 43 students from Liberty University attended for a total of over 200 students in attendance.

“We can talk about unity all we want, but as Jonathan Edwards said, the best way to get unity is to come together to rescue people from a fire,” Reid said. “Nothing brings about unity in the SBC like coming together to share Christ.”

The group saw a total of 49 professions of faith through over 200 students. The students from Southeastern, Southwestern and Midwestern engaged in 275 gospel conversations and 371 gospel presentations.

Bob Mackey, Embrace Baltimore executive director, said “One of my favorite highlights this week is having 200 students from six seminaries volunteering the equivalent man hours of one person working 5.4 years full-time in Baltimore and sharing Christ with compassion, grace and determination.”

“The long-term ripple effect of Crossover on our region will last for a lifetime for all of those who met

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What’s Happening at Southeastern

Christ this week. It will alter the missionary focus of so many of our churches to engage their neighbors more often,” Mackey said.

“This was a time of renewal and to some extent personal revival,” Reid said. “Last week I was in my element.

I haven’t felt that alive in a while. To God be the glory!”

Participants receive three hours of course credit for attending and completing a few additional assignments.

Each morning students attended class before going out into their respective communities.

Reid taught students how to share the gospel using a new resource from NAMB, the “3 Circles: Life Conversation Guide.”

“I found the new 3 Circles Life Conversation Guide provided by NAMB to be a tremendous aid in the presentation of the gospel during Crossover 2014,” Eccher said. “The second ‘brokenness’ circle resonated with all of the people I engaged with the gospel. This resonance not only afforded me a place of shared commonality, but also offered a seamless transition to the only remedy for such brokenness, the good news of Jesus Christ.”

Local pastors served as guest speakers in the class and shared about their journeys of ministry. Students had the opportunity to ask the speakers questions and connect with them throughout the week.

Chad Hartis, a Southeastern student, said, “The lessons I learned from hearing other church planters and pastors speak was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Hearing their vision and wisdom gained from experience was especially valuable to me because I am in the

process of planting as well.”

Six couples from Southeastern participated in Crossover Baltimore. Lesley Hildreth, women’s ministry coordinator, said, “Sometimes couples feel like they are living in two separate worlds while at seminary; especially if one is attending seminary full-time and the other is working full-time. It was such a blessing to see them serving and ministering together for the gospel.”

See more photos at bit.ly/CrossoverBaltimore “One of the greatest blessings of Crossover 2014 was to see the excitement and joy in the faces of our SEBTS students as we shared experiences from each day,” Eccher said. “To see their faces literally light up as they recounted gospel encounters and professions of faith is something I’ll never forget.”

Southeastern students going to share the gospel in Baltimore

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What’s Happening at Southeastern

Remembering

Nancy Nell Jacumin A friend and supporter of Southeastern

“N

ancy Nell was the epitome of Christian grace,” said Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Nancy Nell Simpson Jacumin died unexpectedly on June 9 at the age of 78. She was born on Feb. 10, 1936 in Burke County, North Carolina and resided in Connelly Springs. Her parents are the late Roy Price Simpson and Muriel Morgan Simpson.

Mrs. Jacumin’s parents instilled a passion for giving to missions in her heart and the Jacumin-Simpson Missions Center building at Southeastern is named after the family. It houses the Center for Great Commission Studies, which provides students with opportunities to go reach the nations for Christ.

Mrs. Jacumin was on the Board of Visitors at Southeastern and involved in state Baptist life. Her son, Marty Jacumin, serves on the Board of Trustees at Southeastern and is a local pastor at Bay Leaf Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina.

For over 16 years, Mrs. Jacumin taught school in North Carolina. She also volunteered with several local ministries throughout the state.

Mrs. Jacumin attended First Baptist Church Icard where she was a pianist for over 40 years and East Valdese Baptist Church for the past 10 years.

“She blessed and encouraged all who knew her,” Akin said. “I count it one of the great privileges of life to have known her and to call her my friend.”

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What’s Happening at Southeastern

A Theology for the Church: Revised Edition Edited by Daniel L. Akin, Bruce R. Ashford and Kenneth D. Keathley B&H Academic, June 2014 Reviewed by Shane Shaddix

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even years ago, a group of Southern Baptist scholars led by Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) and other Southeastern faculty released a collaborative theology text that sought to integrate the diverse strands of biblical, historical, systematic and practical theology. This well-received volume has now been revised with several new or substantially updated chapters. Organized according to the traditional headings of a systematic theology, each chapter of this volume seeks to answer four main questions: What does the Bible say? What has the church believed? How does it all fit together? How does this doctrine impact the church today?

In addition to revamped chapters including “Special Revelation” by David Dockery, and “Human Nature” John Hammett, the new edition features two new chapters. Bruce Ashford and Keith Whitfield collaborated on an introductory chapter that introduces the task of theology in general and proposes a mission-oriented theological method. Chad Brand’s chapter focuses on “The Work of God” in the doctrines of creation and providence, with application to such varied topics as Darwinian evolution, suffering and evil. These works add to the solid scholarship of the first edition to produce a text that is valuable to pastors, scholars and missionaries as they seek to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission.

new and upcoming faculty works God’s Design for Man and Woman: A Biblical-Theological Survey Andreas J. Köstenberger, Margaret E. Köstenberger Crossway, August 2014

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Why Not Same-Sex Marriage: A Manual for Defending Marriage Against Radical Deconstruction

Truth in a Culture of Doubt: Engaging Skeptical Challenges to the Bible

Daniel Heimbach

Andreas J. Köstenberger, Darrell L. Bock, Josh D. Chatraw

Trusted Books, July 2014

B&H Academic, Sept. 2014

Ordinary: How to Turn the World Upside Down

Illustrated Life of Paul

Tony Merida

B&H Academic, June 2014

B&H Books, January 2015

For more information, or to purchase these or other SEBTS faculty works, go to bit.ly/SEbooks

Charles L. Quarles

What’s Happening at Southeastern

Southeastern hosts alumni and friends luncheon at Camden Yards

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outheastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) hosted approximately 325 alumni and friends for a luncheon in Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The event was held during the 2014 Southern Baptist Convention in Baltimore, Maryland on June 11.

A panel moderated by Ed Stetzer featured Danny Akin, Bruce Ashford, Nathan Finn, Trillia Newbell and Thom Rainer. The discussion focused on the church’s engagement of culture in the 21st century and Christian’s role as “sent people of God.” Stetzer posed the question, “How do we live out the unchanging call?”

Akin focused on the need for expository preaching to deliver the word of God. Rainer highlighted the millennial population as the largest mission field ever in America as “80 to 85 percent of this generation is not Christian.” However, he believes this population is open to the truth of the gospel.

Ashford called believers to “be faithful to the Scriptures and to do the hard work of doing so meaningfully … proclaim Him with our lips and promote Him with our lives.”

Akin gave a brief update on the seminary in the past year as he celebrated 10 years as president of Southeastern in early 2014. “We are all over Africa, Southeast Asia and South America,” Akin said. “It is exciting to see all that God is allowing us to be a part of at this particular time in history.”

Southeastern met its 10 year, 50 million dollar, campaign goal.

“We are not ashamed of what we believe, but we want to make sure we speak the truth in love,” Akin emphasized. “When we do that we are modeling the life of the

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What’s Happening at Southeastern

Lord Jesus and we can be sure that God is pleased.” as well independently.

David Whitlock, president of Oklahoma Baptist UniJonathan Six, director of alumni development, said, versity (OBU), and Stan Norman, provost of OBU, pre- “Only through gifts from our alumni are we able to consented Akin the Herschel H. Hobbs Award for Distin- tinue to provide a world-class theological education for guished Denominational Service from OBU. an affordable tuition. I am personally grateful for J.D.’s J.D. Greear, lead pastor of The Summit Church, in generosity.”

Durham, North Carolina and president of the SEBTS Six sees the national alumni luncheon at the SBC as alumni association, pledged 500,000 dollars over the the most important event the association hosts next five years in financial support to Southeastern throughout the year. “It was a memorable time of felfrom The Summit Church. lowship and a great opportunity to experience one of Greear believes that Southeastern reaches the Baltimore’s finest venues, Camden Yards Baseball Stanations through training effective pastors, preach- dium,” he said. “I am always thankful to have the opers, scholars and evangelist. He noted that a semi- portunity to provide a quality experience for those we nary can do things that the local church cannot do value most.”

More photos of SEBTS at the SBC: bit.ly/SEBTSSBC

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Video: bit.ly/SEBTSalumniluncheon

CONFERENCE THE GLORY OF GOD

sebts.edu/go

February 6-7, 2015

Danny Akin

H.B. Charles, Jr.

J.D. Greear

Russell Moore

Tony Merida

The 20/20 Conference has a new name! The GO Conference will take over as Southeastern’s annual conference. Why? Because every follower of Christ is called to “Go and make disciples.” This year’s theme will focus on the glory of God, because in order to GO, we must understand who He is and how He calls us to reflect His glory. Why should God be first in our lives? Where should we build our community and use our talents? We have the opportunity to see God’s glory in all aspects of life including sexuality, work, race, studies and more. Please join us February 6-7, 2015 to learn how you can better understand God’s call on your life.

Go to sebts.edu/go to register!

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What’s Happening at Southeastern

Christian Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

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ifty years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) hosted a two-day ref lection on America’s struggle for social equality and the roles people of faith played in the Civil Rights Movement.

The events were held in partnership with the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture at SEBTS and consisted of a lecture on Tuesday, September 16 and a panel discussion on Wednesday.

The speakers touched on a variety of topics including the history of the struggle, the challenges America still faces in this area and how the church can get involved moving forward.

Gerald Smith delivered Tuesday’s lecture entitled “‘The Child of a Storm:’ The Civil Rights Act of 1964” at Wake Forest Baptist Church as part of the annual Drummond-Bush Lectureship. Smith is the Martin Luther King scholar-in-residence at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

Smith earned his B.A, M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky all in history. He is the author, editor or co-editor of three books and has nearly forty other publications in historical journals and encyclopedias.

Smith posed the question, “How can a separation such

1960 sit-in, Woolworth diner, Greensboro, N.C.

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as segregation exist in the Church?” He believes that the church should be the safest place to discuss race.

The following morning, Southeastern President, Daniel Akin, led a panel discussion in a special “Casual Conversation” in Binkley Chapel.

Akin was joined by Smith, as well as civil rights historians David Roach, chief national correspondent for Baptist Press in Nashville, Tennessee, and Brent Aucoin, associate professor of history at Southeastern.

The final panelist was Clarence Henderson, who participated in the 1960 sit-in at the whites-only Woolworth diner in Greensboro, North Carolina. In 2013, Henderson was appointed by the governor of North Carolina as the chairman of the Martin Luther King Commission.

February 2, 1960 was a significant day for Henderson, then only 19. “The day I walked into Woolworth was a defining moment, but the moment doesn’t define us; what we do in the moment does,” Henderson emphasized.

Henderson said that people responded by ignoring them or calling them names. “We put Jim Crow on trial to see if the Bill of Rights really meant what it said,” he explained.

Pres. Johnson signing Civil Rights Act of 1964

What’s Happening at Southeastern

don’t trust each other because of pain from the “We sat down to stand up for freedom,” Henderson past,” he added. “How do we overcome and move said. “I was not just sitting down for a particular beyond that?” group of people but for America as a whole.”

Roach shared that in the past, white Southern BapDespite how far American laws have come since then, Smith thinks that society still has a ways to go. tists were not pushing for integration. “This was not a positive action from the “De facto segregation and SBC,” he noted. segregation by custom are Akin agreed explaining still issues we face even t hat Sout her n Bapt ist s though legal segregation were at best sit t ing on has ended,” Smith said. the sideline.

“There are still those who Addressing the role of judge by the color of skin the church mov ing forover content of character,” ward, Roach expressed the He nde r s on e x pl a i ne d . importance of educating “Christians have to be the chu rch pa stor s about conscience of America.” preaching the full racial Smith spoke about the implications of the gospel. concept of a “collective Clarence Henderson “The gospel solves the memory.” He believes that problem of alienation from this type of memory can God, but also solves the be handed down through problem of alienation between people,” Roach said. the generations. Even when one generation of people Aucoin called for Christians to take a holistic aphas not experienced something, the memory of their proach with the big picture in mind when addressing forefathers inf luences how it interprets and receives relationships. He encouraged Christians to be advothe world. “It could be anything,” he said. “Images cates for cultivating minorities in places of prominent are so important.” leadership. “You as an individual can make a differSmith explained that this collective memory can ence,” he emphasized. contribute to a lack of trust between people. “We

We sat down to stand up for freedom. I was not just sitting down for a particular group of people but for America as a whole.

See more photos from the event: bit.ly/CivilRightsSE | Videos: centerforfaithandculture.com

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What’s Happening at Southeastern

Meaningful Church Membership O

Dever, senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in ver 1000 pastors, students and church members Washington, D.C. and president of 9Marks, provided gathered for the sixth annual 9Marks conference foundational principles for Christ-honoring church about God’s design for church membership on Sept. 26 membership. and 27.

Dever says the body of Christ should be composed of The conference at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) included six sessions and several pan- members who have been born again. He explored several ways pastors can make el discussions with speakchurch membership meaners Danny Akin, Thabiti “The local church represents ingful through the assurAnyabwile, Alistair Begg, heaven. It is also God’s embassy ance, witness, nature, obeMark Dever, Ligon Duncan on earth. We don’t join churches, dience and glory of love. and Jonathan Leeman.

Ways to regain meaningLeeman, editorial diwe submit to them. Church ful church membership inrector for 9Marks, gave membership is the declaration clude regularly proclaiming an overview of the Gospel of citizenship in Christ’s the gospel when preaching, of Matthew and how the Kingdom” having and using a statetext relates to church ment of faith and church membership.

Jonathan Leeman covenant, requiring atten“The local church repredance at membership classsents heaven,” Leeman es before joining and an interview before recommending said. “It is also God’s embassy on earth. We don’t join someone to the congregation for membership. churches, we submit to them. Church membership is the Begg, senior pastor at Parkside Church near Cleveland, declaration of citizenship in Christ’s Kingdom.”

Ohio, preached on Acts 9.

He also described church membership as an office and Begg reminded the audience that prayer and ministry a job with the aim of helping to preserve the gospel.

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What’s Happening at Southeastern

It is a precious thing to be trusted with the membership of a local congregation. You have been given the flock purchased by the blood of His own son. This is the apple of His eye.

Ligon Duncan

Anyabwile serves as assistant pastor for church plantof the Word of God will edify and build up the church. ing at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. He “Our first responsibility is to feed the flock under our care preached on 1 Corinthians 12:12-26, challenging the audithrough faithfully proclaiming the Bible,” he said. ence to observe the doctrine of church membership, to Duncan, chancellor and CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary and the John E. Richards Professor of System- acknowledge the dangers facing church membership and atic and Historical Theology, spoke from Paul’s final ad- to embrace the duties and delights of church membership.

Anyabwile cited the Apostle dress to the leaders in Ephesus Paul, who referred to being in in Acts 20:28.

“Every time we talk about Christ 200 times in the New Duncan called pastors and the body of Christ we are Testament. “Ever y time we church members to be on guard talk about the body of Christ against sin in their lives, and to talking about church we are talking about church foster the work, growth and unimembership. God puts membership,” he said. “God ty of the church.

His body together. Pride puts His body together. Pride “A man who has no concern for tears it apart.” tears it apart.” his own spiritual condition is in He believes that God soverno spiritual condition to care for Thabiti Anyabwile eignly places Christians in the spiritual condition of others,” churches with a specific role. “If he said. “Pastors are not called as hard task masters but called as guardians, watchmen, you are a Christian and a member of the church, you have been touched by God,” he said. protectors and shepherds.”

Akin, president of Southeastern, spoke from Ephe“It is a precious thing to be trusted with the membersians 4:1-16 on “The Benefits and Blessings of Being a ship of a local congregation,” Duncan said. “You have Part of a Community of Believers Called the Church.” been given the flock purchased by the blood of His own These blessings include entering a family of likemindson. This is the apple of His eye.”

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What’s Happening at Southeastern

ed brothers and sisters, learning the Scriptures under the teaching of gifted men of God and being equipped for the work of ministry that Christ has planned. Being protected from false doctrine and being able to serve others are also benefits of church membership.

Akin explained the importance of training others and delegating tasks to the congregation. “Our job as pastors is to work ourselves out of a job,” Akin said. “I have to free up others to do what God has supernaturally called them to do.”

He also called pastors to empower and train women and ethic minorities for vital roles of leadership.

“Our goal is not to build buildings, grow budgets, merely acquire knowledge or be captivated by political or social agendas,” Akin emphasized. “Our goal is to build men and women of God. Our aim is to fill this world with

Christ and His gospel. Therefore, our strategy and our local churches should reflect this. This is what should set the agenda for the church. Any other agenda will fall short and is not worth having.”

Attendees came from 20 states and as far as South Africa. Thirty-five students are registered to receive graduate course credit through the conference class.

9Marks’ mission is to “Equip church leaders with a biblical vision and practical resources for displaying God’s glory to the nations through healthy churches.”

The nine marks of a healthy church include preaching, biblical theology, the gospel, conversion, evangelism, membership, discipline, discipleship and leadership.

SEBTS looks forward to hosting the 2015 9Marks at Southeastern conference on Sept. 25 and 26 on church discipline.

Our first responsibility is to feed the flock under our care through faithfully proclaiming the Bible.

Alistair Begg

Conference videos: bit.ly/9MarksSEvideo

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Photos: bit.ly/9MarksSEphoto

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How God Used My Missionary Parents I

have been teaching Christian ethics at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, for 21 years, and in that time have been used of God with my colleagues to develop what now is the strongest program in Christian moral witness in the world. But while many know me as a professor, scholar and writer, most do not know my family story nor the influence my missionary parents, Ernie and Mertie Heimbach, had not only on me but on the course of world events.

I will address a chapter in my history that I did not understand myself until 2011 and that regards the way

Daniel R. Heimbach

Senior Professor of Christian Ethics

God used my parents to achieve something affecting religious and political history in important ways. We live our lives day-to-day focused mainly on personal needs and ambitions and know little beyond that except for what is filtered through the secular media. We seldom have the necessary information or interest to focus beyond the immediate and personal to grasp how God could be using us to shape the world.

What I learned came to light on a trip made with my son Joel in 2011 to visit a man my father led to faith and discipled years earlier. As a child I had known this man by his Christian name, Simon, but his tribal name is

My parents with Simon beside my father (1980s)

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Tzungwa. With my son, sister Ruthi (a career missionary in Thailand), and brother Jim and his wife Debra, I made a special effort to see Simon when I heard he was in the United States visiting one of his daughters.

With my sister and brother, I had known Simon in the jungles of North Thailand when we were very young and he was in his late teens. In 2011 Simon was in his 70s and had come to visit a daughter who with her husband, a refugee from Laos, had immigrated to California. When I heard that, I felt that I with my sister and brother needed to let Simon know how much we appreciated his faithful service following the witness of our parents. What we did not know was how much we would gain in return.

That visit was overwhelming. Simon wept in public— something an elder in his culture never does—and he told me that speaking with me was like speaking with my father. This revered elder then spent over two hours in effect reporting to us what God had achieved through him and others discipled by my father. The mix of persons at this meeting was divinely appointed to assure effective communication. Simon understood Hmong and Thai but not English. Jim, Debra, Joel and I understood English but not Hmong or Thai. Simon’s daughter and son-in-law understood Hmong, Lao, and Thai but their English was limited. However my sister—a career missionary in Thailand who understands Thai as well as she understands English—translated every word and nuance perfectly. So despite the language limitations we had perfect communication.

My parents were missionary pioneers who made first contact with and brought the gospel to the Hmong people in North Thailand. They were the ones God used to win the first Hmong converts to faith in Christ and to plant the first Hmong churches. They were the ones God used to disciple the first Christian leaders among the Hmong. When my parents arrived, the Hmong had no writing, and my father not only learned their language but reduced it to writing, created their hymnology, translated Scripture into Hmong, developed a Hmong-English dictionary later published by the US State Department, and oversaw final revision of an overall translation of the entire Bible into the Hmong language. These are great achievements for any lifetime, but they are not the highlight of this story. God

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was doing more.

From my visit with Simon in 2011 I learned that God in the end had used my parents in two further rather amazing ways. First I learned that God had used the work of my parents to spark a mass turning of a whole ethnic group to faith, a group lost without Christ before my parents arrived but who due to them are now part of the global church. And second I learned that God had used a group of men discipled by my father to stop the spread of Communism into Thailand from where it would have kept spreading to other nations like Malay-

Simon with his wife (1950s)

sia, Indonesia and Singapore.

This sounds unbelievable but it happened. No one in my family put all the pieces of this story together prior to visiting with Simon in 2011. He is the one who filled us in. We met at a restaurant in Fresno where for two hours Simon hardly ate and neither did my sister who translated. I asked some questions, but Simon set his own course first telling us the spiritual story and then

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how faith had affected their political actions.

In the first hour Simon explained what occurred spiritually among the Hmong after my family moved away. When we first arrived among the Hmong, Simon’s father Mblia Dua was a leading shaman—one of their most revered spiritual leaders—and Simon with his younger brother Nzu were preparing to follow their father’s profession. But God revealed his power to this family in dramatic ways, and they turned to faith in Christ. They remained spiritual leaders among the Hmong people but after that served Christ rather than Evil Spirits. Then along with evangelizing and planting churches, my father poured his life into discipling seven young men (all in their teens and early 20s) to become indigenous leaders of the Hmong church. These included Mblia Dua’s sons, Simon and Nzu, and five others named Ying, Ndua, Neng, Jonah and Seng.

About the time my family left the Hmong for other mission assignments and school, these seven young men left for training at Payao Bible School. This occurred just as the Communist insurgency into North Thailand was gearing up, and going to Bible school

kept these men and their families out of harm’s way for a time. But starting while they still were taking Bible classes and continuing for some years after, Simon formed this group of seven men discipled by my father into a team of evangelists who trekked from village to village spreading the gospel throughout the mountains of North Thailand just ahead of the Communist infiltrators.

Whole villages turned to Christ, then village after village, and then the whole region. Many of Hmong turned to faith in Christ under the zealous preaching of these seven tribal evangelists. It was a work of the Holy Spirit who used Simon to lead them. They not only preached, they also planted churches, and then they pastored those churches and raised up and trained new evangelist-pastors who planted and pastored yet more churches. They multiplied themselves by evangelizing, envisioning and discipling others just as my father had trained them. They formed a self-governing body of Hmong churches, and Simon led them for many years.

This was the first part of Simon’s report, and with the Holy Spirit he credited my father as the one responsible,

My father evangelizing the Hmong (1950s)

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My father with Ying (left) and Simon (right) the one who started it, the one who gave them a passion for the gospel, the one who trained them, and the one who gave them the strategy for achieving what they did.

In other words, Simon claimed my parents played the pivotal role without which the mass turning of the Hmong to faith in Christ would not have happened.

For one hour, Simon focused on covering how God used my parents to change his people in theologicalspiritual terms. It had made a huge difference in their lives and they were grateful. The Hmong as a whole were very grateful. Simon was and is very grateful. And his family was and is very grateful. But then Simon went on for another hour to explain how this had affected their political circumstances, and he emphasized how my father had prepared them to resist the Communist insurgency into Thailand as well. What was occurring politically in Southeast Asia at the time my parents were evangelizing the Hmong, planting

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their first churches, reducing their language to writing, translating Scripture and discipling the seven Hmong evangelists was that Communism was spreading south from China.

After the Communist Revolution in China, North Korea fell to the Communists, then Vietnam, then Cambodia and then Laos. This spreading of Communism from one Southeast Asian country to another was called the “domino theory�—a term coined and made famous in a speech by President Eisenhower in 1954.

Civil liberty was succumbing to totalitarian ideology, US influence was waning and resistance from the Free World was mainly reactionary. After Laos, the next nation in the sights of worldwide Communism was Thailand. A plan was being executed by leaders in China, and propagandists from China started appearing in the Hmong villages of North Thailand in the mid-1950s while my family and I were living with them. Young

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Hmong were taken to China for indoctrination and and could serve as a protective barrier between the then reappeared as leaders of Communist insurgency Thai army (who were not good jungle fighters) and the into Thailand. They planned to gain a foothold among Communist insurgents (who lived in the jungle regions the Hmong in the mountains of North Thailand and of North Thailand). So when Simon returned, the Thai then to use that as a base for destabilizing the cities of general changed his mind and offered a deal. He would Thailand, eventually causing the government of Thai- allow the Christian Hmong to settle out of the jungle if land to fall in a manner similar to what had happened they would defend themselves against the Communist in Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. insurgents and in that way help protect the low land But God was acting to stop this because, just as Com- Thai (and Thai army) from Communist insurgents in munist infiltrators started seducing the Hmong, the the jungle. seven evangelists discipled by my father were zealIt was a miraculous answer to prayer and just what ously spreading the gospel from village to village. And the Christian Hmong needed to save their families. while the China-trained Communist infiltrators were Having come from the jungle, the Christian Hmong able to seduce the non-Christian Hmong, they were were as effective in the jungle as the Communist insurstiffly opposed by the Christians. Simon was their spir- gents. They could track them, knew where they lived, itual leader, but he worked closely with another Chris- knew where they hid, and knew what they needed to tian Hmong who served survive. And they never as a military leader. At gave up. The Thai army f i r st t he Ch r i st ia n supplied these Christian My parents trusted God, did what he told Hmong lost everything.

Hmong, but the ChrisMany were murdered tian Hmong did the fightthem and stayed on task believing God and those who survived knows what he is doing. When we finish ing. And they were effecf led their villages. The life’s journey may as much be said of us. tive. The Communist Communists took over insurgency in Thailand the jungle regions of met its match. It could no North Thailand, and it longer advance. And as became too dangerous for anyone opposing them—in- the Christian Hmong started winning, the non-Chriscluding Christian Hmong—to live in the jungle. The tian Hmong who sided with the Communists for proChristians retreated out of the jungle onto the low tection started defecting. Then the whole Communist lands controlled by the Thai army. But they ran into insurgency collapsed. trouble there as well.

More importantly, when the Communist insurgency At first the Thai treated all the Hmong people as into Thailand collapsed, that also stopped the spread Communist sympathizers and did not think any were of Communism from one Southeast Asian country to loyal to the Thai government. This was compounded the next. It stopped the “domino” falling of one Southby the fact that low land Thai were prejudiced and east Asian country after another. So the piece in this looked down on tribes living in the jungle as riffraff. story I learned from Simon was that none of this would So when the Christian Hmong f leeing the Commu- have happened without my parents, and especially nists sought permission from the Thai to settle where would not have happened without the influence of my they could protect their families, they were refused. father. Simon made a point of stressing the Christian Simon was one of the Hmong leaders who met with Hmong had risked everything in opposing the Comthe Thai general who refused them. They left dejected munist insurgents because “your father taught us how thinking all was lost. But they prayed and God told to think.” My father was a missionary evangelist who them to try again. told them the truth about God. But Christianity is a While they were praying, the Thai general’s military view of truth that addresses everything including huassistant (who just happened to be a Christian) urged man nature, human relations and human government. the general to reconsider. This assistant explained that So in evangelizing and discipling the Hmong my father Christian Hmong were different. They could be trusted told them the truth about Communism as well. And it

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was not just a matter of theory. My parents lived through the Communists Revolution in China, and they saw and heard what the Communist infiltrators appearing in the Hmong villages of North Thailand were doing. For that reason, my father knew what was occurring and understood the stakes long before the Thai government and long before the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Though a mere missionary, what my father understood and realized surpassed all the specialists in military intelligence and international relations. He not only understood what made the false promises of Communism so alluring but had the gospel with which to expose them. And what Simon wanted me to realize was my father was the one who had taught the Christian Hmong how to think. That was the one and only reason Simon and the other Christian Hmong were not deceived. That was the one and only reason Simon and the other Christian Hmong would not compromise with Communist ideology. That was the one and only reason Simon and the other Christian Hmong were willing to fight and even to die rather than succumb to false promises, and that was the one and only reason the Communist insurgency in Thailand failed. But that meant the influence of my father also was the one and only reason why the nations of Southeast Asia stopped falling like dominos to the spread of Communism in the mountains of North Thailand. It was not the Thai army. It was not Thai nationalism. It was not the CIA. It was not the US military or experts at the US State Department. It was Christian Hmong led by men my father led to faith and discipled. It was men who heard the truth and believed what my father taught them—not

just about God but about the Communists as well.

I have two reasons for sharing this story, and the first is that I am proud of my parents. My father and mother were great parents, but they also were great missionaries, teachers and statesmen used by God to change the course of world events. They were used not only to win a few converts but to lead a mass turning of an entire ethnic group from spiritual darkness to spiritual light. They were used not only to expose a few lies but to preserve a nation. And they were used not only to save the nation of Thailand but to stop the spread of Communism in Southeast Asia. God used my parents to spread the gospel and to shape the course of history.

Not bad for one man and one woman. Not bad at all.

But on reflection, I think what is most worth noting in this story is not how different my parents were from others but how much they were the same. My parents were in most ways very ordinary. They merely trusted God and obeyed. They accepted God’s authority and did what God told them to do. What resulted was extraordinary, not because my parents were extraordinary, but because what God did through them was extraordinary.

It occurred because God used the fidelity of ordinary people to achieve results beyond all they imagined.

The credit for how my parents inf luenced the Hmong and through them the course of history must go to God alone. The qualities by which my parents played an extraordinary role in global events did not come from their talents but from faith in the power and wisdom of God. My parents trusted God, did what he told them and stayed on task believing God knows what he is doing. When we finish life’s journey may as much be said of us.

I have two reasons for sharing this story, and the first is that I am proud of my parents. My father and mother were great parents, but they also were great missionaries, teachers and statesmen used by God to change the course of world events.

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Rediscovering Francis A. Schaeffer

By Steve Jones Archivist and Digital Collections Manager at The Library at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

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Francis A. Schaeffer recognized the importance of understanding the prevailing culture and impacting that culture with the truth of Christianity. The ways in which he taught Christians to engage cultural expressions of all forms, whether they be political or artistic, influence our understanding of the intersection of faith and culture today.

I

grew up in a culture that was deeply influenced by Francis A. Schaeffer, and I didn’t know it. Schaeffer encouraged and equipped my parents’ generation to ask difficult questions about life and culture and think deeply about how God’s revealed truth in Scripture provides the only coherent answers to those questions. He taught those who taught me the importance of integrating the truth of Christianity into the pursuit of truth in all areas of study, practice, and life.

These ideas were passed on to many in my generation, but they had become so foundational that Schaeffer’s role in developing them often went without saying.

Given the recent 30th anniversary of his death, it is fitting that we take the time to examine Schaeffer’s inf luence upon our thought and culture today. The Francis A. Schaeffer Collection at Southeastern is a unique resource that makes this rediscovery of Francis A. Schaeffer possible.

In 2010, the Francis A. Schaeffer Foundation entrusted a large collection of Schaeffer’s personal papers into the seminary’s care. Since receiving the collection, library staff have labored to arrange, describe, and digitize these papers. The collection includes addresses, correspondence, manuscripts, sermons, research files, audio recordings, and other materials that provide a glimpse into the life, thought, writing, and ministry of Francis A. Schaeffer. These primary sources help us to understand Schaeffer and the development of his ideas in ways that were previously impossible. I recently had the opportunity to talk with our archives and digitization lab staff about the ways in which they have rediscovered the influence of Francis A. Schaeffer by working with his papers.

Here are three of the many themes we discussed:

Schaeffer’s Engagement of Scripture Schaeffer studied the Scriptures and thought deeply about what they say concerning God and His creation. Schaeffer’s emphasis on applying God’s revealed truth in Scripture to every aspect of our thought, practice and life has shaped the way we engage Scripture today. The Schaeffer Collection includes a Bible that was used by Schaeffer and contains extensive marginal notes documenting his interaction with the text. When combined with the notes, manuscripts and outlines for Schaeffer’s sermons, this collection provides researchers with an unprecedented glimpse into Schaeffer’s study, proclamation, and application of the Scriptures.

Schaeffer’s Engagement of the Lost Schaeffer had a heart for the lost. As a pastor and missionary, he was driven by compassion for a lost generation wrestling with unanswered questions that led many to hopelessness, despair, and death. Schaeffer knew that the only meaningful answers to those questions were found in Christ, and he took time to explain and live out the truth of Christianity in community.

His model of missional thought, dialogue, and living has shaped the way we engage our generation with the gospel today. The Schaeffer Collection includes correspondence, newsletters, reports, sermons and other materials that document the development of Schaeffer’s practice of apologetics, missions and evangelism from his work with Children For Christ as a pastor, through his transition to full-time missions in Europe

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with the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions, and onto his work with L’Abri.

Schaeffer’s Engagement of Culture Schaeffer recognized the importance of understanding the prevailing culture and impacting that culture with the truth of Christianity. The ways in which he taught Christians to engage cultural expressions of all forms, whether they be political or artistic, inf luence our understanding of the intersection of faith and culture today. The Schaeffer Collection includes, correspondence, annotated still images of artwork, speeches, and other resources that help us better understand Schaeffer’s engagement of culture. In particular, Schaeffer’s correspondence with Hans Rookmaaker, the Dutch Christian scholar of the arts, sheds light on the ways in which these men honed each other’s understanding of culture and the arts. The collection also includes annotated still images of artwork and two letters from Schaeffer to Bob Dylan that document the ways in which Schaeffer engaged art and artists of all mediums and genres.

As I get to know Schaeffer through my work with his papers, I am learning that he went to great lengths to examine primary sources and draw awareness to the roots and development of ideas that converged to form the cultural assumptions of his time.

In doing so, he helped to mold the culture in which we live today. The Francis A. Schaeffer Collection at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary provides students and researchers with an opportunity to explore the roots and development of Schaeffer’s thought. By doing so, we may come to better understand ways in which his ideas have impacted our culture and rediscover the man who has taught us to understand, discuss, and live out our faith.

I am grateful for the Library at Southeastern archives and digitization lab staff, including Mary Cameron Cassion, Aaron Coffey, Craig Freeman, Rebecca

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Francis A. Schaeffer passport, 1947 Hayden, Daniel Hulsey, and Bill Youngmark, who have worked diligently to process and digitize the Francis A. Schaeffer Collection and help me better understand the research treasures it contains.

Please visit sebts.edu/schaeffer to learn more about conducting research in the Francis A. Schaeffer Collection. Digital copies of this collection will also be available for research at the Francis A. Schaeffer Foundation in Gryon, Switzerland and Hill House in Austin, Texas.

Thank you

to our sponsors for a successful 8th annual

Join us for the 9th annual Southeastern Classic Fall 2015 sebts.edu/classic

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To become a sponsor, contact Daniel Palmer, Director of Financial Development at dpalmer@sebts.edu or 919.761.2352

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story by Ali Dixon

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on campus. The online classes will be open to pastors and hat does it look like for believers to wisely engage all those who are interested free of charge. the intersection of faith and culture in daily life?

“Students will be exposed to three courses which A partnership between The Robert D. and Patricia E. guide them in building a theology of culture, a theology Kern Family Foundation and Southeastern Baptist of vocation and a biblically-informed view of the econTheological Seminary (SEBTS) has opened the door to omy,” Ashford said. examine such questions. The Kern Family Foundation Several of the SEBTS faculty, including Ashford, Dahas awarded SEBTS a grant of over $200,000. The vid Jones, Benjamin Quinn and Walter Strickland, will grant is funding initiatives concerning faith, work and be creating and teaching the content of the classes. “We economics in academic classes. will write discipleship booklets on culture, workplace Provost and Dean of Faculty and Associate Professor and the economy,” Ashford said. “These booklets are of Theology and Culture, Bruce Ashford, said, “I am designed for laypeople in our churches.” In addition to profoundly grateful to the Kern Family Foundation for the courses, a corresponding event titled “The Wisdom its willingness to assist with the resources necessary Forum” will be held March 13 in partnership with the to carry out this project.”

The Kern Family Foundation, through their Oikono- Kern Family Foundation and The L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture and The Spurgeon Center at mia Network, is committed to preparing pastors “to SEBTS. This event will consist of a series of brief, comdescribe work and the economy in moral and spiritual terms” in order to “help full-time people live out Chris- pelling presentations by members of the Southeastern faculty and nationally respected scholars David Kim tianity in all they do.” and Jay Richards.

The faith, work and economics classes will enable “It is difficult to overstate our gratefulness to God for the pastors to grasp a deeper understanding of these topics to instill in their congregations. “This project is de- Kern Family Foundation and their foresight in making this initiative possible. Real-world issues that emerge at signed to help pastors strike the right note in leading the intersections of faith, work and economics are not their congregations toward a healthy, biblically-based view of the workplace and the economy,” Ashford said. peripheral, but central, to the Christian life,” Ashford said.

The first class, Theology of Culture, was taught on cam- “This grant affords Southeastern an unprecedented opportunity to develop a robust series of courses that will pus in Summer 2014. The online format will be made serve as the backbone of a world-class preparation benavailable in January 2015. Theology of Vocation will be the next class followed by Economics, Poverty and Wealth. efitting current and future pastors as they lead their flock to glorify Christ in all aspects of their daily lives.”

Enrollment is open to SEBTS students for courses taught

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Bomb Shelter

ultimate fighter

kingdom preview

s American churches face an increasingly hostile and post-Christian culture, we must clearly define who we are and how we should approach our social and cultural contexts. As I see it, churches tend to choose one of three mindsets: the first mindset is the church as bomb shelter; the second is the church as ultimate fighter; and the third is the church as a preview of the kingdom. Each of the first two mindsets has grasped some important biblical truths, but applied them incorrectly, while the last mindset is one which applies them correctly.

A

a timid fear of man, and is spurred more by secular wisdom than by biblical faith, by faithless fear than by Christian courage and vitality. It views the church as a walled city rather than a living being, as a safe deposit box rather than a conduit of spiritual power. It externalizes godlessness and treats it as something that can be kept out by manmade walls, rather than understanding that godlessness is a disease of the soul which can never be walled out. It tends toward legalism, publishing all manner of bans in order to build a “hedge” around the gospel.

The Church as a Bomb Shelter

The Church as an Ultimate Fighter

In a post-Christian and sometimes anti-Christian context, many of us will be tempted to view the church as a bomb shelter. Our beliefs on certain theological and moral issues will increasingly be attacked by the political and cultural elite, by the broader population, and even by many church leaders.

Under such an ideological assault, churches sometimes have a collective anxiety attack. Our dominant mood tends to be protective, conceiving the church as a bomb shelter protecting itself from aerial assault, or perhaps a monastery where one can withdraw from contemporary existence, or even better a perpetual yoga retreat where we can empty our minds of empirical realities.

Believers with this mentality have good intentions.

They want to preserve the church’s purity, recognizing that the church is under attack and therefore we should hold fast to what we have (Rev 3:11).

However, this mentality is misguided, arising from

The Ultimate Fighter mentality shares much in common with the Bomb Shelter mentality, but deals with its anxiety in a different manner. It tends to view the church exclusively and comprehensively as fighters. The Fighters’ weapons are beliefs, feelings and values which are wielded in the name of spiritual warfare. Unlike those hiding in the bomb shelter, the Fighters venture forth into the surrounding society and culture, seeking awareness of its movements and creeds so that it might assault it with lethal force.

Believers with this mentality are clinging to the biblical principle of waging war against what is evil. They rightly recognize that we must put on the whole armor of God (Eph 6:11), fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim 6:12), resist the devil (Jms 4:7), and cast down anything that exalts itself against God (2 Cor 10:4-5).

However, this mentality is misguided to the extent that it wrongly applies the principles above. The fault of

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the Ultimate Fighter Church (UFC) is not that it wants to fight, but that it suggests that the entirety of the Christian life is nothing but war. Our social and cultural contexts are full of unbelievers, but those unbelievers are not only enemies of God: they are also drowning men in need of a lifeboat. The church is not only a base for soldiers, but also a hospital for the sick. The Christian life

will live in perfect relationship with God and with each other. We look outward to the nations, inviting them to embrace Christ by believing on the gospel.

Under this view, every aspect of life is ripe with potential for witness. If Christ is Lord over everything, then we can do everything in our lives in a way that is shaped toward Christ. I like the way the great Dutch

Absolutely everything in life matters to God. He cares not only about the goings-on within the four walls of a congregational gathering but also about the goings-on in other corners of society and culture. is surely a battle, but it is no less a journey, a joy, an adventure and a trust. In other words, the Christian must indeed fight, but that is not the only thing he does; his battling is done from within the broader context of the entire Christian life.

The Church as a Preview of the Kingdom The best mindset for the church to take is one in which the church is a preview of God’s coming kingdom.

In the midst of unbelief and even persecution, we determine to live our lives as seamless tapestries of word and deed. We proclaim Christ and the gospel with our lips (word) and we promote Christ and the gospel with our lives (deed). In so doing, the church’s corporate life “previews” a future era when we will live together with Christ on the new heavens and earth, when we will flourish in our relationship to God, to each other, and to the rest of creation.

One way of describing the proper mindset is to say that the church is always pointing in five directions. We look upward toward God, showing the world that God alone—rather than idols such as sex, money and power— is worthy of worship. We look inward to our own corporate church life, seeking to love each other in a way that will compel outsiders to want to be a part of our Christcentered community. We look backward toward creation, seeking to live the way God designed us to live when he created us. We look forward to the end times, when we

Bruce Ashford

Provost and Dean of Faculty and Associate Professor of Theology and Culture @bruceashford

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theologian Abraham Kuyper put it, when he wrote, “The Son [of God] is not to be excluded from anything.

You cannot point to any natural realm or star or comet or even descend into the depth of the earth, but it is related to Christ, not in some unimportant tangential way, but directly.”

Absolutely everything in life matters to God. He cares not only about the goings-on within the four walls of a congregational gathering but also about the goings-on in other corners of society and culture. We must live Christianly not only as the church gathered on Sunday morning for worship, but also as the church scattered into the world in our work, leisure, and community life.

We must take seriously our interactions in the arts such as music, literature, cinema and architecture; the sciences for example biology, physics and sociology; the public square including journalism, politics and economics; as well as the academy of schools, universities and seminaries.

When we as the church live our lives in such a way that everything we do and say points to God, our combined witness serves as an attractive preview of God’s coming Kingdom. In that kingdom, there will be no more pain or tears, no more sin or the consequences of sin. In that kingdom, we will be in right relationship with God, with each other and with all of creation.

There is no greater calling in life than to live as a preview of that kingdom.

Featured Stories

Doctrine

of Vocation

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hat is work? Does it matter to God? How do to some, but there is plenty to consider as we look at these 40 or more hours each week relate to my what it means to work. We can take a journey through faith? These are the questions that occupy our atten- time, observing how the church exemplifies a Christion when we consider the doctrine of vocation. tian understanding of vocation through the centuries, In Genesis 1, we meet God at work. When God fin- and conclude with an extended look at the contempoished His work, He instructed Adam and Eve to carry rary era of the “Faith at Work” movement. As we obforward in like fashion. To work and keep the land serve the ever-changing vocational landscape of hiswas not a result of sin for our first parents. Work was tory, we can examine Scripture—the fixed referent for good, and was basic to being human. Today, though all of life—to inform our understanding of work. An work may be toilsome, sin has neither undone its extended exegesis of Scripture unearths biblical mogoodness nor revoked it from human responsibility. tifs and doctrines that undergird work as a means of So, if work is our reloving God and lovsponsibilit y, how ing neighbor. insofar as our work loves and does it intersect A theology of work serves God and others, it is with our Faith? begs for further conmeaningful and it matters.

In his book “Work: sideration of vocation The Meaning of Your and calling. A robust Life: A Christian Perspective,” Lester Dekoster writes, doctrine of vocation should cover a wide spectrum—farm“Work is the form in which we make ourselves useful to ing, education, politics, art, homemaking, medicine and others.” Dekoster goes on to explain that this definition vocational ministry and more. of work animates the shape and direction of life preAs our increasingly secular culture groans for discribed in Scripture. Jesus taught that the most impor- vine intervention, the divide between sacred and tant thing about life in His world is to love God and love secular work must fall and God’s people need to utilize others. This cruciform shape of life is directed away their vocational callings to uphold God’s mission of from self and toward others, beginning with God. With restoration. As Christians, when we love God and love every relationship comes an opportunity to love and our neighbor in our vocations, the Great Commission serve. Thus, insofar as our work loves and serves God and the Great Commandment intersect to proclaim and others, it is meaningful and it matters.

Christ’s supremacy in everything we put our hand to The idea of a “doctrine of vocation” may sound new for the sake of everyone in God’s world.

Benjamin Quinn

Associate Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, Assistant Professor of Theology and History of Ideas @BenjaminTQuinn

Walter Strickland

Special Advisor to the President for Diversity, Instructor of Theology @w_strickland

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Featured Stories

Economics, Stewardship

and the

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hen I tell people I teach a class entitled “Economics, Stewardship, and the Common Good,” a common question is, “Why would a seminary offer a class on that topic?” What well-meaning Christians are implying with such a question is that they cannot see a connection between the Great Commission on one hand, and cultural engagement in the area of material ethics on the other hand. Indeed, it is commonly accepted that seminaries should be about spiritual matters, such as engaging in the Great Commission; however, the idea of seminary being an appropriate place to learn about “filthy lucre” (1 Tim. 3:3) seems odd to some. So how does the Great Commission relate to economics, stewardship and the common good?

Most Christians understand that in the Great Commission, which occurs at the end of the first

Common Good

had made in His own likeness to act like Him. Just as God is a creator, so mankind was to pro-create. Just as God is sovereign over all, so mankind was to subdue all.

The Cultural Mandate entails mankind functionally bearing God’s image.

But what does this have to do with the Great Commission and with economics, stewardship and the common good? In short, the Great Commission can be thought of as a spiritual manifestation of the Cultural Mandate. In making disciples, mankind spiritually procreates. In instructing new disciples what Jesus’ taught, sin is subdued and order is brought into the lives of mankind. Economics, stewardship and the common good is the study of this process—sometimes on a spiritual level, but usually on a material (or cultural) level. In either realm, though, it is a study of the

The word “economics” comes from the Greek term oikonomia, which literally means “law of the house.” Economics, then, is about housekeeping. book of the New Testament (cf. Matt. 28:19–20), Jesus called His followers to engage in the two related tasks of making disciples and teaching disciples what Jesus had earlier taught. Fewer Christians, however, realize that at the beginning of the first book in the Old Testament, the Lord also gave two related tasks. These two tasks, which are sometimes called the Cultural Mandate, were to procreate and to subdue the earth (cf. Gen. 1:28).

While the Cultural Mandate does constitute the first words spoken by God Himself to mankind, the importance of these words goes beyond their inaugural nature. Indeed, in telling mankind to procreate and to subdue the earth, the Lord was speaking to His imagebearers. As such, God was instructing those whom He

David Jones

Associate Professor of Christian Ethics @ethicist

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same thing—that is, what God expects of those who are made and are becoming like him.

The word “economics” comes from the Greek term oikonomia, which literally means “law of the house.”

Economics, then, is about housekeeping. On a micro level this includes properly ordering and arranging one’s own material resources. On a macro level this entails properly ordering and arranging our “Father’s house” (John 14:2), which includes the entire material world, the souls contained therein and the spiritual Kingdom of God of which believers are citizens. To do this well, materially and spiritually, is to fulfill the Cultural Mandate and the Great Commission. Moreover, it is proper economics, good stewardship and it promotes the common good of all in the world in which we live.

JOIN US FOR

THE WISDOM FORUM MARCH 13 // 6:30 PM Binkley Chapel SPEAKERS FREE CoFFee DeSSeRT booKS

Jay Richards David Kim bruce Ashford Walter Strickland benjamin Quinn David Jones Heath Thomas

What does it look like for believers to wisely engage the intersection of faith and culture in daily life?

A partnership between The Kern Family Foundation and Southeastern has opened the door for us to examine such questions. Join us on March 13th for an evening of compelling conversation addressing the faithful interaction with cultural issues the church faces today.

For those unable to attend, join us at sebts.edu/streaming.

Admission is FREE!

sebts.edu

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Featured Stories

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outheastern is offering an opportunity for anyone to enroll in three free online classes. This opportunity is funded through a generous grant from the Kern Family Foundation as part of the Economic Wisdom Project, which helps pastors connect faith to work and economics. Each class will train you to engage in the 21st Century with a Christian worldview. Professors include Bruce Ashford, Benjamin Quinn, Walter Strickland and David Jones.

Course I: Introduction to Theology and Culture

Course II: Doctrine of Vocation

Course III: Economics, Stewardship and the Common Good

Professor: Bruce Ashford

Professors: Walter Strickland and Benjamin Quinn

Professor: David Jones

Description: An exploration of the relationship of theology and culture, with particular attention given to the pastoral ministry of equipping families to live wisely in their cultural context.

Description: This course explores how the biblical narrative brings renewed meaning to work and the workplace. This class studies the dignity and difficulty experienced in the workplace, along with the eschatological significance of human vocation.

This course combines theory and practice by integrating a rigorously biblical worldview into the daily experiences of the workplace. The course is designed to explore the mission and calling of work in both ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’ vocations as the work of Christian ministry.

Description: A biblical and theological study of the ethics of economics, stewardship and the common good of mankind.

Special attention is given to scriptural teaching on work, human flourishing, material stewardship, alleviating poverty and the role of the church in these areas of study.

Launching January 2015

Launching Summer 2015

Launching March 2015

For more information about these free online classes, please contact our Distance Learning department.

1-866-816-0273 | online@sebts.edu |

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@SebtsDL

Center Spotlights

Southeastern launches

sebts.edu/spiritual_formation

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outheastern Baptist Theological Seminary is an- for the campus community, area pastors and ministry nouncing the new Center for Spiritual Formation leaders. Every two or three years, major academic conand Evangelical Spirituality directed by Nathan Finn. ferences for scholars will be held.

Finn is an associate professor of historical theology “I’m hopeful this new Center will help us to form stuand Baptist studies. His work has been published on top- dents into mature disciples and equip them to lead ics related to Baptist Studies, Christian spirituality, ec- their local churches and other ministries in cultivating clesiology and the history of missions. a discipleship culture that glorifies God and advances The mission of the Center is to promote spiritual ma- his kingdom,” Finn explained. turity and the cultivation of a robust evangelical spiriThe Southeastern fellows for the Center are Drew tuality for the glory of God, the health of the church and Ham, director of the Office of Discipleship and Spirithe advancement of Christian mission. tual Formation; Greg Mathias, associate director of Chuck Lawless, vice president for graduate studies and international missions for the Center for Great Comministry centers, said, “Our role mission Studies; Chuck Quarles, as a seminary is not only to pre- “I believe one of the great needs professor of New Testament and pare the mind; it is also to adbiblical theology; Steven Wade, among this generation of dress the heart. This new center associate professor of pastoral seminary students and local will address spiritual formation theology and coordinator of churches is a healthy view of at the academic, local church and field ministry; and Keith Whitspiritual formation.” personal levels. As a scholar and field, associate vice president churchman, Dr. Finn is uniquely for institutional effectiveness Nathan Finn gifted to lead this work.” and faculty communications The Center plans to provide a and assistant professor of theolresource guide for Southern Baptist churches and other ogy at Southeastern Seminary. similar evangelicals who are interested in these topics.

The Center’s pastor advisory board includes, Jason “I believe one of the great needs among this generation Dees, senior pastor of Valleydale Church in Birmingof seminary students and local churches is a healthy ham, Alabama; Robby Gallaty, senior pastor of Brainview of spiritual formation,” Finn said. erd Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Dhati The foundational passage of Scripture for the Center is Lewis, lead pastor of Blueprint Church in Atlanta, Colossians 1:9-10. “And so, from the day we heard, we Georgia; Ronjour Locke, pastor of First Baptist Church have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be of Brooklyn, Maryland; Josh Reed, pastor of Oaks filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wis- Church in Raleigh, North Carolina; Juan Sanchez, dom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy preaching pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Ausof the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every tin, Texas; and Justin Wainscott, pastor of First Baptist good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (ESV). Church of Jackson, Tennessee.

“Authentic Christian spirituality is rooted in the Scriptures, provides a gospel-centered shape to our character Nathan Finn Director, Associate Professor of Historical and priorities, and fuels our mission to the lost, needy, Theology and Baptist Studies persecuted and oppressed,” Finn emphasized.

Throughout the year, the Center will host seminars

@nathanafinn sebts.edu

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Center Spotlights

Story by Ali DIxon

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he Charles Haddon Spurgeon Center for Pastoral The four key strategies of the center are ministry to Leadership hosted a breakfast on June 10 at the pastors and churches, on campus and online ministry 2014 Southern Baptist Convention in Baltimore, Mary- preparation and continuing education for pastors and land. churches, specific field based training for pastors and The guest speaker was Ronnie Floyd, senior pastor churches and research and writing for pastors and of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas and the newly churches. elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Approximately 100 guests were in attendance.

He spoke on “Finding Time to Pray” and encouraged “We want to be known as a pastoral seminary,” Ewart the audience to give the first hour of their day to God noted. because there is “no telling what God will do.”

Chuck Lawless, vice president for graduate studies “One thing I wanted more than anything else, I want- and ministry centers at Southeastern, shared about ed to know the power of God in my life,” Floyd said.

“Prayer and Spiritual Warfare in the Life of a Pastor.”

“If you want a ministry that has a chance to penetrate Lawless highlighted Acts 19:13-15, “But the evil spirthe culture with the power of the gospel, you must be- it answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, come a man or woman that becomes committed to the but who are you?’” power of prayer in your life,” he emphasized.

“I fear that the enemy would look at us and not be “No one else determines your spiritual walk,” Floyd scared,” Lawless said. “The more I long to know that said. “I hope you will give your very best to Him be- we are sending out men and women that make hell cause He can do more in a moment than you can do in shake … that hell knows by name.” a lifetime.”

The Spurgeon Center is designed to be a powerful Floyd urged the audience to pray for revival. “It’s community of prayer. “I don’t think we get there by foltime we get a hold of heaven, beg God, ‘You did it before, lowing our typical strategies,” he explained. “Strategy and you can do it again.’” apart from the power of God doesn’t get us very far. I The Center serves as an intentional bridge between want the Spurgeon Center to be a place we can pray Southeastern and the local church. It seeks to encour- together and see God’s face together.” age pastors to lead healthy, disciple-making churches Lawless added, “May God take us to that place, that for the glory of God around the world. in our weakness, God uses us to make hell shake.”

More photos of SEBTS at the SBC: bit.ly/SEBTSSBC | Video: bit.ly/SEBTSspurgeonbreakfast | sebts.edu/spurgeon_center

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Center Spotlights

A CONVICTION FOR LIFE Southeastern’s Center for Faith and Culture hosts Amber Lehman

Story by Ali DIxon

A

mber Lehman, CEO of First Choice Pregnancy Solutions, came to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) to share her journey “From Pro-Life to Abolitionist.”

Lehman has a passion for life and a conviction to see abortion abolished. She comes from a place of grace and reminds listeners that, “there is no sin beyond the Cross.”

Just after her 16th birthday Lehman had an abortion.

Eight years later she said, “The Lord snatched me up out of a wretched lifestyle and gave me His grace and healed me.” Her new faith gave her the ability to help women who are facing the same struggles that she did.

“I’ve gone from pro-life to the mindset of the abolitionist,” Lehman said. “Abortion is a direct assault on the glory of God. We should be undone by this.”

In one day worldwide 15,000 children will be human trafficked, 22,000 children will die by poverty related issues and 115,000 children will be aborted. In 2012, more black babies were aborted in New York City than born. “Abortion is a sin issue,” Lehman said. “[It] is the greatest human injustice in the history of mankind.”

Lehman expressed the desire of Satan to do anything he can do destroy image bearers before they can bring glory to God. She sees abortion as a basic human rights issue and believes that as life is devalued in the womb, it will become devalued in other areas as well.

Forty-three percent of women have had an abortion in the United States. “Do you realize what indictment is

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Center Spotlights

on the human heart after an abortion?” Lehman said. abortion clinic doors and legally murdered their babies,” “It’s hard for a person to look at themselves honestly and Lehman added. “We have to change this.” say they are without sin and without need of a savior.

Since Roe vs. Wade in the early 1970s, 56 million baNobody had to convince me that I was a sinner.” bies have been aborted in the United States. Lehman First Choice Pregnancy Solutions’ mission “is to com- asks if the church is more awake today? She states that municate accurate and truthful information to those the church rarely addresses the topic and has little conaffected by an unplanned pregnancy and to provide viction for life. “Not all causes are equal,” Lehman said. them with physical, emotional and spiritual support.”

“Twenty-five percent of church members have had an The organization seeks to engage women and men abortion or paid for one.” who are considering or planning to abort and encourage Lehman warns as the church engages in the fight for them to reverse their decision. Whatever obstacles are life, “It will not be the path of least resistance.” keeping the individual from choosing life, abortion, “To watch this and to know it’s in your backyard,” housing, finances, parenting, etc., the organization tries Lehman said. She called Christians to take responsibilto remove those quickly. ity, repent of apathy and indifference, to make abortion The women and men at risk need daily support and a top tier issue and correct those who do not speak on encouragement. “She needs families, not another pro- this issue. She asked people to minister and teach others gram,” Lehman emphasized. Eighty-one percent of to minister. Also, the need was stressed to support women say they would not have an abortion if the man moms and change the way people view adoption and had been supportive. single parenting.

A budget of $600,000 provides funding for nurses, 13 “I don’t believe that God’s going to end abortion staff members, the main office location and a mobile through non-profit organizations, I believe He’s going to clinic to reach areas in need. do it through His bride [the church],” Lehman said. “Just Wake County currently has three standing abortion like slavery in America was ended, we can end this. I clinics. “It’s an industry,” said Lehman. “After watching believe we can end this. And slavery was ended through the abortion clinics pursue women with scholarships evangelical Christians.” to ensure that they abort. After seeing videos of an Lehman joined First Choice Pregnancy solutions in abortion procedure of children literally being pulled January 2006. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical out of the womb in pieces I can’t do anything but devote Studies from The College at Southeastern, a certificamy all to it.” tion in Non-Profit Management from Duke University She related the deaths to the daily killing of a kinder- and is currently completing her Master of Christian garten class. “Twenty-one women walked through those Ethics at SEBTS.

A display demonstrating the stages of fetal development

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Learn more at firstchoicepregnancy.org sebts.edu

Members of the Southeastern family, along with many others, serve women in crisis in Wake County through First Choice Pregnancy Solutions. Amber Lehman, CEO of First Choice and a graduate of The College at Southeastern, seeks to show women the love of Jesus through meeting their practical needs and empowering them to choose life for their children. Because of conversations with Amber and the financial support of First Choice, Jessica Jesse chose life for her now 6-year-old daughter and is raising her to know the same love of God that she has found.

See Jessica’s story at iamgoing.org/documentary.html

@collegeSE

Profiles

SEE HOW WE ARE GOING ALUMNI

with ERIK CLARY

Erik Clary is a graduate of Southeastern with an M. Div., and a current Ph.D. student under Dr. Daniel Heimbach studying bioethics. His dissertational research is on end-of-life medical ethics.

1. Tell us about your work and family.

For the past six years, I have been serving in a number of capacities at Cross-Culture Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, including as an elder, teacher, and musician. This past year I have been on sabbatical from teaching and leadership responsibilities while working to complete a Doctor of Philosophy in theological ethics at Southeastern. I am married to Ashlyn, and we have a daughter, Brianne.

2. Why Southeastern?

Trained back in the 1990s as a veterinary surgeon, I served for 10 years as an experimental surgeon and faculty researcher at Duke University. In 2005, I sensed a call to ministry and began taking some classes at Southeastern, which led to a Master of Divinity in Christian Apologetics and a Master of Arts in Christian Ethics. In the course of those studies, I developed an interest in the area of bioethics that led me to Ph.D. work as the final step of preparation for academic ministry. Southeastern offers a great opportunity to study under top-notch Christian ethicists and faculty from related disciplines.

3. What was your most influential moment at Southeastern?

Several high points stand out, but perhaps none more than the example of Dr. Russ Bush, former Dean of the Faculty and Christian philosopher at Southeastern, as he dealt with terminal cancer. Dr. Bush met the tragedy with grace, dignity and hope. His passion for teaching and service at Southeastern never wavered even as his body was greatly weakened.

He was loathe to miss a class and I remember on more than one occasion him falling asleep standing at the board with chalk in hand after enduring a morning round of chemotherapy. Dr. Bush was no bioethicist, but his example of how to face death and disease was very instructive.

4. What is the greatest joy that you have in your role?

The opportunity to minister in the local body to Christians facing difficult ethical situations.

5. What challenges do you face in your role?

Balancing time and priorities as I labor to complete the studies.

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Profiles

6. What advice do you have for current and future students who serve the church?

Pastors and missionaries must deal frequently with moral issues as they labor to build up healthy churches.

A good foundation in biblical theology and its application is indispensable to effective ministry.

7. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I enjoy spending time with family and friends, and I love playing the piano.

8. What was your favorite class or professor at Southeastern?

The coursework in theology in ethics was impactful, but I cannot think of any class that I did not enjoy in some measure. One class that I was pleased to see introduced during my M.Div. studies was Dr. Bruce Little’s class on critical thinking and argumentation.

9. What is one book that everyone should read?

A helpful resource in Christian ethics outside of

Scripture, I have often recommended John Murray’s book “Principles of Conduct: Aspects of Biblical Ethics.”

More recently David Jones of Southeastern has published a book that I would highly recommend “An Introduction to Biblical Ethics.”

10. What has God been teaching you lately?

Patience. We can set up schedules and agendas often with the best of intentions, but understanding that God directs our paths is truly liberating. I was once on a fast track to complete all of my studies, but found the plans derailed after a couple of extended stays in the hospital with excruciating abdominal pain. I came away with an experience that may serve in the future as a guard against sterile, non-empathetic bioethical reflections.

11. How has Southeastern equipped you to live our your faith in the midst of our changing culture?

Ethical discussions can be an excellent vehicle for engaging nonbelievers with the gospel. The law on the heart is ineradicable and begs for an answer to the questions of moral authority and why we cannot of our own will abide by standards we cannot deny with integrity.

The Great Commission Equipping Network identifies and partners with churches and para-church organizations to provide practical theological education through internships.

sebts.edu/equip 919.761.2460 equip@sebts.edu

local. sebts.edu

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Profiles

SEE HOW WE ARE GOING FACULTY

with EDGAR APONTE @EdgarRAponte

Edgar Aponte, director of Hispanic leadership development and instructor of theology at SEBTS, shares about his life, ministry and how he equips students to interact with culture.

1. Tell us about yourself.

4. On what are you currently working?

I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic.

I’m currently working on the development of more

Nagua is my hometown. I am married to Sara, a won-

institutional partnerships in Latin America, as well as

derful and godly lady, who is also from the DR. We have

cohort programs with Hispanic pastors in different re-

two children, one boy and one girl. I’ve been at South-

gions of the U.S. I’m also working on a couple of confer-

eastern for a year now.

ences and completing my Ph.D. in theological studies with a concentration in systematic theology.

2. How did you come to SEBTS? 5. What have you been reading recently?

A few years ago, I attended a 9Marks event at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and I heard Dr.

I have been reading a few books on Christianity

Akin speaking about the future of the SBC, particu-

and culture and higher education. I have also being

larly our need of unity around the gospel for the sake

doing some reading on the theology of the book of

of God’s glory and the Great Commission. Afterwards,

Revelation. I’m currently reading a novel by Robert

I asked a friend to introduce me to Dr. Akin. We met

Harris on ancient Rome and the autobiography of

that day and last year the Lord opened a door for me to

Becky Lynn Black.

join SEBTS.

3. What do you do at Southeastern?

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6. When you get home from work, what do you look forward to doing?

I serve as director of Hispanic leadership develop-

I always look forward to spending time with my wife

ment. I also teach systematic theology and hermeneu-

and children. I enjoy helping my wife in the kitchen. We

tics, mostly in Spanish.

always eat dinner together as a family. I love playing

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Profiles

catch with my son, we both like baseball. My daughter

lunch, we’d read a chapter from the Gospel of John or

is only one year old, so we play on the floor and watch

Romans, and then I’d share the gospel with them. Also,

cartoons.

when I lived in Washington, D.C., I was a member at Capitol Hill Baptist Church so I’d invite friends to church and we would also invite people to our house.

7. Who are your role models?

In Philippians 2, the Apostle Paul urges us to look at

9. What has God been teaching you lately?

Jesus Christ as our role model. He is our Lord and Savior, but also our example. Christ is our example of perfect

The last year has been a transitional year for my fam-

humility, perfect obedience and infinite sacrificial love.

ily. We have been reminded of God’s tender, sweet and

From my father, I learned about the importance of

sovereign care. Occasionally, I have felt like I have not

character, business integrity and moral commitment.

trusted God fully in how I planned and strategized. He

From my father-in-law I learned about the beauty of a

has been teaching me about the need to do things for

personal relationship with Jesus. From Mark Dever I

His glory and to trust in Him always.

learned about the centrality of the local church in the Christian life. From Dr. Akin I have learned how to lead

10. We always say that every classroom at SEBTS is a Great Commission classroom. What does that look like for your class?

in a fun, unified way.

8. You were involved in politics in the DR, serving as a diplomat to the United States, how did you follow and share Christ in that culture?

I believe mission is driven by a proper theology. If we teach the Bible well, have a sound understanding of who God is, who we are and what God has done for us

I used to do Bible studies over lunch with my colleagues and my friends. I would ask my friends to have

in Jesus Christ, that should push us to be intentional in our work to take the gospel to the nations.

KINGDOM DIVERSITY AT SOUTHEASTERN

Seeking and equipping students from every corner of the Kingdom to serve in every context of the Kingdom.

SEBTS.EDU/KINGDOM_DIVERSITY

sebts.edu

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Profiles

SEE HOW WE ARE GOING STUDENT

with LIZETTE BEARD @LizetteBeard

Lizette Beard, project manager for LifeWay Research, shares about her experience at Southeastern, and how she is applying her pursuit of a Ph.D. to her work.

1. Where are you currently serving?

For the last six years, I have served as a project manager at LifeWay Research in Nashville, Tennessee. I work with our online assessment tools and coordinate research projects. I also do a lot of qualitative research, which includes focus groups and interviews.

4. What was your most influential moment at Southeastern?

This past January, in our ecclesiology seminar with Dr. Hammett I finally felt like the hard work of the Ph.D. program was paying off. I was seeing how the all of the pieces we learned in other classes were beginning to come together. Ecclesiology is where theology and practice meet.

2. What are you studying at Southeastern?

I am in the Ph.D. program in applied theology and specifically, the North American missiology cohort. We all work full time, live in different places around the country, and we come to Southeastern a couple times a year to work together.

3. Why Southeastern?

I was interested in the f lexibility offered in the cohort Ph.D. program. I knew I wanted to get my Ph.D. but I didn’t want to leave LifeWay or relocate in order to do it. Also, I was looking for a school that is just as committed to applying theology as it is teaching theology.

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5. What is the greatest joy that you have as a researcher?

I love interacting with church planting organizations and helping them analyze church planting research and learn to use our assessment tools.

6. What challenges do you face in your role as a researcher?

Working on the same project for an extended period of time is really difficult for me. Thankfully, at LifeWay Research, we get to change projects quite frequently, but sometimes when I’ve been working on one project

Profiles

for an extended period of time, it can get challenging to stay interested and focused on the same material.

7. What advice do you have for current and future students who work full time?

It’s important to have a really good idea of why you’re pursuing your degree. I would encourage students to not get so engrossed in seminary culture that you are divorced from other areas of your life in which you may be able to apply some of what you’re learning. I think seminary students, especially those of us working full time jobs, need a balance.

10. What has God been teaching you lately?

That I’m not spending enough time reading His Word. Since I’ve been in seminary, my time in the Word has increased, but recently I haven’t been in it nearly as much as I’d like to be. I’ve just been so caught up in work and school that I was recently convicted God’s Word had become increasingly scarce or something I was “fitting in.”

11. How did Southeastern prepare you to fulfill the Great Commission?

I am a new gardener, so I’ve had a lot of fun learning how to plant flowerbeds and grow tomatoes and other plants. I’m learning the hard way that you can’t grow tomatoes too close together.

Southeastern is not only known as a Great Commission seminary, it actually is a Great Commission seminary. We are constantly confronted with the question, “Why does this matter?” Southeastern and its faculty make their students not only learn theology, but also apply theology. Since being a student at Southeastern, I have been challenged to reach out to and love my neighbors, people literally living in my neighborhood.

9. What are a couple books that everyone should read?

12. How has Southeastern equipped you to live out your faith in our changing culture?

“The Drama of Scripture” by Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen does an excellent job showing the grand narrative of Scripture. “God at Work” by Gene Veith explains the doctrine of work and has had a big personal effect on me.

I’ve always been pragmatic and occasionally dismissive of too much of what felt like “abstract theology.”

But I’m developing a love of theology here that has brought a richness to how I think about the practical application.

8. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

PhD

Doctor of Philosophy

sebts.edu/phd

Modified Residency Now Available Systematic Theology | Historical Theology | Theology and Worship | Preaching Philosophy of Religion | Apologetics and Culture | Christian Leadership International Missiology | North American Missiology

sebts.edu

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Profiles

SEE HOW WE ARE GOING DONOR

with DON & LUCY DANCER Don and Lucy Dancer share their passion for business, life, faith and culture.

1. Tell us about your family and how you came to know Christ.

Lucy: Don and I have been married for 40 years. We have two grown children, Christian and Dana, who are both married. We also have a granddaughter.

We met during college at the University of Virginia.

Don earned his law degree from DePaul University. After that, I worked in Information Technology and Don worked for General Electric (GE) for 22 years before becoming General Counsel of a semiconductor company in California. We moved frequently and spent four years living out of the country in Hong Kong and Spain.

While we have always been active volunteers, our ministry really started when we volunteered at the Los Angeles Mission serving the homeless on Skid Row. At the time we were in our 50s and more cultural Christians than followers of Christ. We starting attending a great Bible-based church that emphasized service, volunteering and missions. We had missed the idea that we had to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Don: I was drifting along spiritually. I was very successful at work, but I realized that does not matter. In California, I learned that Christ is over everything; He is the center of it all. People are often surprised that I found Jesus in California! For the last 10 years, we’ve been trying to catch up. Our pastor always talked about serving; it became part of our DNA. We were hungry to

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serve and very receptive.

Since we moved to Greensboro two years ago, we have been working to develop a missions program with our church. I also teach law courses at Elon University Law School. I am not hesitant to express my faith wherever I am, and people are often interested in hearing about my interest in mission trips.

2. How is Southeastern influencing your life and work?

Don: I initially started taking classes at Southeastern because I loved missions and wanted to know how missions could be made more successful in reaching people for Christ.

The academic atmosphere at Southeastern is certainly as rigorous and demanding as I see at the law school. I see an awareness at both schools of what is happening in the world and seeking to adapt to the massive changes that are taking place. In my recent ethics class at Southeastern, I wrote a paper on the ethical issues raised by the use of drones in war.

3. What is the greatest joy that you have as you work to impact others for Christ?

Don: The joy of recognizing that God is working and

Profiles

seeking to help him. To see God working is an amazing experience.

also enjoy following the Chicago Cubs. Being one of their fans makes you learn about hope in the midst of failure!

Lucy: You can’t underestimate the value of a changed

Lucy: I love reading and video games.

life.

7. What is one book that everyone should read?

4. What challenges do you face as you seek to reach those around you?

Lucy: One of the greatest challenges is the American dream of material success; people get hardened and prideful. They don’t understand that there is a need for God in their lives.

Don: I am challenged in my focus, persistence and awareness because sometimes you get busy and distracted and it is easier not to witness.

Don: “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren because it was the one book other than the Bible that most dramatically changed us.

Lucy: “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God” by Richard Blackaby. These books have driven us to take action.

8. What has God been teaching you lately?

Lucy: I’ve been in a wilderness for two years after be-

5. What advice do you have for current students?

Lucy: Don’t be discouraged, and try to understand that God put you in this place for a reason, to plant seeds.

Try to stay as connected to God as you can if you don’t see the results you think you should see.

Don: Sometimes you need to sit back and listen for God’s voice and recognize that God may still be preparing you for the next thing he has planned for you. I love “The Power of a Whisper: Hearing God and Having the Guts to Respond” by Bill Hybels. Hybels reminds you that God often talks to you in a quiet whisper.

Also, get the best educational foundation and the most experience that you can during this season of life.

Recognize that while you are looking to the peak of the mountain and want to get there quickly, you still need to climb the mountain.

6. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Don: I exercise a lot, especially kayaking and hiking. I

ing on the mountain top in Los Angeles serving and teaching. Now I just have to wait for God to open doors for me and not try to do it on my own.

Don: God gives us a lot of “not yets.” I am learning patience, taking time to get to know Him better and trusting that He will tell me when it is time for the next step of his plan for me.

9. Southeastern is known as a Great Commission seminary, how did Southeastern prepare you to fulfill the Great Commission?

Don: Southeastern has given me a foundation and lens for observation that I did not have before. It has helped me with serving in missions as the courses reinforce God’s mission. We have in the last several years been on global mission tips to India, Rwanda and East Timor.

This November, we are planning to go to Central Asia.

After frequently traveling internationally with GE, I feel very comfortable traveling and now see it as preparation for the mission field.

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Profiles

10. Why support Southeastern?

that we are a part of and are thrilled that this is the right place.

Don: God has abundantly blessed our lives, and we want to use the money He has given us to further His kingdom. The more we have given, the more we have received.

I can’t think of anything better than to give to an organization whose purpose is to send people out to share the gospel. Using an analogy I have heard several times, Southeastern for me is not a cruise ship, but an aircraft carrier. It is a place that prepares you, refreshes you and refuels you, and then sends you back out on your mission. Lucy and I give to organizations

11. How would you like to see the Business and Cultural Engagement Scholarship at SEBTS impact the kingdom?

Don: Help all Christians to learn how to better engage people in the workplace. There are an increasingly large percentage of people who have no intention of going to church. We have to go to people where they are.

To learn more about the Business and Cultural Engagement Scholarship and how it is helping students engage the marketplace with the gospel of Christ, please contact Daniel Palmer, director of financial development, at dpalmer@sebts.edu or 919.761.2352.

Thursday evenings 5:45-7:00 pm in Midtown Raleigh beginning January 22, 2015 Location: Crenshaw Consulting Engineering, 3516 Bush Street, Raleigh, NC 27609

SPRING 2015

Introduction to Great Commission Studies with Dr. Chuck Lawless New Testament with Dr. Chuck Quarles

FALL 2015

Old Testament with Dr. Allan Moseley Early Church Fathers and the Reformers

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SPRING 2016

Interpreting the Bible with President Danny Akin Christian Theology

FALL 2016

Current Issues in Christian Ethics

Registration opens November 2014 at sebts.edu/reti

THE GOD-GIVEN BLESSING OF

G

od blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” – Genesis 1:28 From the beginning, God’s blessing and His plan for a multiplication of worshippers to the ends of the earth has been robustly united to His charge to “subdue the earth” and to “rule” or “have dominion” over God’s creation (Genesis 1:28).

The unity of dominion and mission signaled in Genesis 1:28 is consistent throughout Scripture. Abel, Abraham, Jacob, David and Amos are just a few of the shepherds central to salvation’s story. Jesus was a carpenter’s son. Paul made tents. And, the gospel spread like wildfire primarily through Christians who were either fleeing persecution, pursuing commercial interests or both.

Biblically speaking, “mission” and “business” are inseparable. Supernatural intervention notwithstanding, people earning profits have nearly always enabled the prophets to speak (2 Kings 4:1; Matt. 10:41).

The priority of the mission fuels God-glorifying business, and God-glorifying business fuels the mission.

Southeastern is a prime example of this. We can equip students because Christian men and women have prospered in a country which has, historically, valued innovation, tenacity and hard work by allowing people to enjoy and direct most of the benefits of their labor and innovation.

In fiscal year 2014, Southeastern received approximately $7.7 million from Southern Baptist churches through the Cooperative Program and a record total of $3.9 million in direct gifts from people eager to help

train students to make disciples of all nations.

The people making these gifts are engaged in having dominion through the blessing of business – people like David, a pharmacist; Don, a retired corporate attorney; Henry, a retired banker; Edwin, a furniture retailer; Brent, a contract manufacturer of medical devices; Jim, the president and owner of an engineering firm; Joe, an inventor and entrepreneur; Jim, a retired dentist; Doug, a coal miner who employs hundreds and helps keep energy affordable; and Jack, a man in his 70s who still works and travels internationally so he can “give like he wants to.”

We affirm and pray for those who serve others in the marketplace. Where would the pastor, the seminary student, the theology professor or the missionary be without the support, which comes from people engaged in profitable businesses? Mission helps us understand the ultimate purpose of business, and profitable businesses undergird the mission.

Strong support for legitimate business is biblically consistent with strong support for God’s mission. We are free to labor for the Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven because our brothers and sisters are serving Christ in the marketplace, providing resources and platforms, which are fueling a global advance of the gospel.

In the office of financial development, we find great joy in connecting with Christians who share God’s heart for mission. If you would like us to pray for you and your business as you strive to make a Kingdom impact, please let us know at dpalmer@sebts.edu.

At Southeastern, we are thankful for our great God who purposed to rescue us, commission us and then mobilize us through the God-given blessing of business.

Daniel Palmer

Director of Financial Development sebts.edu/give @danjpalmer sebts.edu

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Have a global impact through your institution for $4 a month.

sebts.edu/alumni @SEBTSAlumni

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Changing the World, One graduate at a time

N.C. Senator Chad Barefoot, Master of Arts in Christian Ethics

W

hat does the term cultural engagement mean to you? For alumni of Southeastern this term has one specific meaning, making a kingdom impact. Pastors and missionaries are making significant kingdom impact as they share the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ to their churches and communities. At Southeastern we are commissioned to train men and women called to ministry, and this includes non-vocational ministry.

Chad, a recent graduate of Southeastern represents the Eighteenth Congressional District of North Carolina as a Senator. He is serving King Jesus in a vital role.

Chad is on mission for Jesus by being a faithful Christian in the political arena.

Christina, the director of a pregnancy counseling center, provides a voice for those who have no voice.

She is an advocate for life by counseling women and men to choose life over death.

Michael, a law professor, recently helped write prolife legislation. Hopefully, his work will one day eradicate the murder of millions of babies. Michael’s job al-

lows him to take gospel truth and apply it to legal matters in general and right to life issues. One day we will look back and see how God used Michael to change the world.

Stefanie is using her training to work with victims of human trafficking. She is giving hope and care to those who are downtrodden and broken. Human trafficking and sex slavery is becoming one of the most prolific crimes both internationally and domestically, and she hopes that one day this travesty will cease. God is working through Stefanie’s ministry to bring redemption and reconciliation to the many effected by this horrific crime.

God has called Southeastern’s graduates to bring the gospel to bear on all of life. He has commissioned us to change the world through him. I have the privilege to support and connect with Christians who are changing the world. May we all be encouraged by the kingdom impact that we see, and spur one another on as we daily take on this challenge to engage culture and reclaim all things for Christ and his glory.

Jonathan Six

Director of Alumni Development and Denominational Relations @jonathansix sebts.edu

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