westminster seminary california
FALL2019
AN EDUCATION WORTHY OF THE CALLING
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SEMINARY EDUCATION & CHRISTIAN MINISTRY
FROM ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO DIVINE WISDOM
CAMPUS MINISTRY IN CHICAGO
2020 ANNUAL CONFERENCE REGISTRATION!
by Christopher Colquitt
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by David VanDrunen
by Q. Luo
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
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s our institution nears age 40 – middle-age if you will – I have been reflecting on many questions that begin with why. Why are seminaries still necessary in our modern world? Why persist in personal, residential education when seemingly there are more efficient methods of education? Why invest so much in a language-based, rigorous, and structured educational model instead of focusing simply on practical matters and flexible curriculum? In contemplating these questions, my mind goes to 1 Timothy, which begins and ends with sections warning against false teachers and teachings. In 1 Tim. 3:14-16, Paul reminds Timothy about Christ and the church. He describes the church as “the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.” In the next verse, Paul explains that the “mystery of godliness” is Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Seminaries like ours exist to serve the churches, not the other way around. We follow the tradition of seminaries of old, which functioned like structured apprenticeships that prepared experts in the Bible with the practice of pastoral ministry. We believe this model remains the best way to prepare pastors, even if it may be neither easy nor convenient. Today’s church needs the same thing it has always needed – pastors who proclaim Christ faithfully and boldly. Our calling is not about us; it is about Christ, his gospel, and his church. This is not merely a tagline for our school. It is our very calling from God. In this issue, we explore some of these "why" questions. In the featured article (p. 4), Dr. David VanDrunen considers why seminary education remains crucial for the church today. Current student Q. Luo (p. 8) describes his experience at WSC as he prepares to return home to a challenging and dangerous missions field. Alumnus Christopher Colquitt (p. 20) shares how WSC prepared him to minister to college students at Northwestern University. Finally, we get to know Dr. A. Craig Troxel, our new Professor of Practical Theology (p. 30). As we approach our 40th anniversary, we are reminded of God’s faithfulness to us through many men and women who walked before us and continue to walk with us. Thank you for your prayerful support in this important work.
“…I AM WRITING THESE THINGS TO YOU SO THAT, IF I DELAY, YOU MAY KNOW HOW ONE OUGHT TO BEHAVE IN THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD, WHICH IS THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD, A PILLAR AND BUTTRESS OF THE TRUTH.” 1 Timothy 3:14-15 2
Cordially in Christ,
Joel E. Kim WSC President UPDATE | FALL2019
FALL2019 UPDATE | FALL2019 PRESIDENT Joel E. Kim EDITOR Marcus McArthur DESIGNER Megan York
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DAVIDVANDRUNEN
PRINTER Precision UPDATE magazine is a publication of Westminster Seminary California. For address changes, duplicate mailings, or additional magazine requests, please write or call. Westminster Seminary California 1725 Bear Valley Parkway Escondido, CA 92027 PHONE (888) 480-8474 FAX (760) 480-0252 EMAIL development@wscal.edu WEBSITE www.wscal.edu PERMISSIONS: UPDATE grants permission for any original article to be photocopied and distributed, permitted that the wording is not altered in any way, no fee is charged beyond the cost of reproduction, and no more than 500 copies are made. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by Westminster Seminary California. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: This article originally appeared in UPDATE, a publication of Westminster Seminary California (WSC) and is reprinted with permission. For more information about WSC, visit www.wscal.edu or call (888) 480-8474. MISSION: The purpose of UPDATE is to showcase Westminster Seminary California’s distinctively Christ-centered, graduate education through the work of its faculty, students and alumni who are serving as pastors, teachers, missionaries, and leaders worldwide in light of our overarching mission “to glorify God through graduate theological study. . . for those who will serve in the Christian community and the larger society.” Since 1979, Westminster Seminary California has offered a distinctly Reformed and rigorous education in order to glorify Christ, promote His Gospel, and serve His Church. The strength of our degree programs lies in our faculty’s unified commitment to the inerrant Scriptures and the Reformed confessions. Westminster Seminary California is the only dually accredited seminary in the Western United States serving confessionally Reformed churches. 2018-2019 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Mr. Richard J. Blauw, Jr. Mr. Daniel J. Bryant Mr. Lyle Faber The Rev. Thomas K. Groelsema The Rev. Dr. David W. Hall Mr. Milton D. Hodges The Rev. Dr. Terry Johnson The Rev. Dr. Lloyd H. Kim The Rev. Scott R. Korljan Mr. Mark Memmelaar Mr. Brian D. Miller Mr. Pete Sara Mr. Roger A. Swets The Rev. Charles A. Tedrick Mr. Kent Van Groningen The Rev. Derrick J. Vander Meulen The Rev. Dr. Eric B. Watkins Mr. Brett A. Watson ©2019 Westminster Seminary California All rights reserved.
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20 CHRISTOPHERCOLQUITT
INFOCUS
ONMISSION
4. Seminary Education & Christian Ministry
20. Campus Ministry in Chicago 22. Alumni News
ONCAMPUS
INPERSON & INPRINT
8. From Artificial Intelligence to Divine Wisdom 10. Congratulations to the Class of 2019! 13. 2020 Annual Conference 16. WSC and the Global Church 18. Serving the Global Church
24. WSC Faculty in Greece and Israel 26. Annual Report 27. Honorarium & Memorial Gifts 28. Charitable Gift Annuities 30. Up Close with A. Craig Troxel
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INFOCUS
"MANY CHRISTIANS HAVE HIGHER STANDARDS FOR DOCTORS WHO CARE FOR THEIR TEMPORARY WELL-BEING THAN FOR PASTORS WHO HAVE CONCERN FOR THEIR EVERLASTING WELL-BEING." 4
UPDATE | FALL2019
SEMINARY EDUCATION AND CHRISTIAN MINISTRY by David VanDrunen Imagine getting prepped for major surgery. You try to make some nervous small-talk with the surgeon and ask him where he went to medical school. “Oh, I didn’t go to med school,” he replies. “But I read a bunch of blog posts, and I really want to help people. Check me out on social media.” Most people reading this article probably live in places where this sort of exchange sounds ridiculous. Our societies don’t permit untrained or self-educated people to perform major surgery, no matter how good their self-marketing skills. But if I modified a few details in the story, suddenly things might sound familiar. What if it’s not people’s physical health at stake, but their spiritual health? What if they seek not a physician for the body, but a physician of the soul? Would people entrust their spiritual welfare to an untrained or self-educated person, as long as he seemed to have good intentions and was a slick self-promoter? The fact is, people do it all the time. Many Christians have higher standards for doctors who care for their temporary well-being than for pastors who have concern for their everlasting well-being. Paul told Timothy: “what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim 2:2). This sentence is so short it’s easy to miss that there are four generations in view: Paul has taught Timothy, who entrusts Paul’s teaching to faithful men, who in turn teach it to others. Paul establishes a basic pattern for the New Testament church: wscal .e d u
each generation of faithful ministers is to train the next generation, for the good of Christ’s sheep. Of course, Scripture doesn’t give detailed instructions for how this generationby-generation training should take place. Reformed churches have generally believed that establishing schools that provide a thorough theological education is a crucial part of being faithful to Paul’s vision. In this article, we consider the enduring wisdom of this conviction and reflect on how it shapes the work of Westminster Seminary California.
the nature of the christian ministry As alluded to earlier, some Christian traditions don’t value the idea of a theologically-educated ministry. Why do Reformed churches think differently? The most basic answer is the nature of the Christian ministry, as prescribed by Scripture. Paul defended his own ministry by saying that he “did not shrink from declaring” two things: “anything that was profitable” (Acts 20:20) and “the whole counsel of God” (20:27). These must refer to the entirety of what Scripture says, for all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching and training (see 2 Tim
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“WSC NOT ONLY REQUIRES SEVERAL COURSES IN BOTH LANGUAGES, BUT ALSO REQUIRES THEM AT THE BEGINNING OF A STUDENT’S STUDY, BECAUSE THEY’RE FOUNDATIONAL FOR SO MUCH ELSE IN THE CURRICULUM." 3:16). Accordingly, Paul’s “pastoral epistles” emphasize the minister’s responsibility as preacher and teacher of the word. Ministers should devote themselves “to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Tim 4:13). They “preach the word” both “in season and out of season” (2 Tim 4:2). And since this is God’s word, they must communicate it accurately. They should “rightly handle the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15) and “follow the pattern of the sound words” they have heard from faithful teachers (2 Tim 1:13). God holds them accountable for this (2 Tim 2:15; James 3:1). Communicating God’s word is so important because people’s spiritual welfare depends upon it. Faith comes by hearing the word of God from a preacher (Rom 10:14). The preaching of Christ crucified is “the power of God and the wisdom of God,” “to save those who believe” (1 Cor 1:21-24). Conversely, false teaching is spiritually harmful. Paul warns about “fierce wolves” who speak “twisted things,” “not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29-30). In response to such threats, Paul urged his listeners to remember his own teaching and entrusted them “to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up” (Acts 20:31-32). When people don’t attend to “sound teaching,” they resort to “teachers to suit their own passions” and turn from truth to myths (2 Tim 4:3-4). Accurately proclaimed, Scripture brings life and blessing, while false teaching (whether allegedly biblical or not) brings spiritual harm. Our postmodern times tend to be skeptical toward “truth.” Yet, there remain true and false ways of understanding God, the human condition, the way of salvation, and the path of godliness in “this present evil age” (Gal 1:4). And if people do not hear the word of God truthfully proclaimed, we can be sure they will heed other, deceptive messages. 6
a well-educated ministry As we’ve just seen, Christ has appointed ministers and commissioned them to communicate his word faithfully. But does this require an extensive theological education? Isn’t Scripture sufficient and clear, such that every ordinary believer can read and understand it? Those are good questions, and keep an important truth before us. Scripture is indeed clear. It’s “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps 119:105). Ordinary believers can and should test the things they hear by searching the Scriptures (Acts 17:11). But Reformed Christianity has never taught that all things in Scripture are equally clear (see Westminster Confession of Faith 1.7). Even Peter said that some things Paul wrote are difficult to understand (2 Pet 3:16)—which we all know from experience! The clarity of Scripture doesn’t mean it’s always easy to bring together everything Scripture teaches on a topic, especially when faced with difficult questions or circumstances. And though Scripture is clear, readers of Scripture are sinners, prone to distort even simple things. It’s important to remember that when Scripture speaks of its own clarity, it never envisions isolated Christians reading Scripture apart from the church and its ministry. It envisions Christians meditating on Scripture who are in fellowship with the church and sitting under its preaching, sacraments, and discipline. There’s a reason why Scripture prescribes ministers for the church. Christ builds his church, in important part, through the labors of those with an extra measure of knowledge, experience, and maturity in reading and communicating Scripture. Hence the place for seminaries. Scripture is a big book, written in three ancient languages, over more than a millennium, in many different cultural conUPDATE | FALL2019
texts (none of which still exist). These facts alone mean that becoming an expert in the Bible requires a lot of study. An ordinary reader can pick up a translation of a book written in a foreign language and understand it in a basic way, but to be an expert in that book, one has to read it in its original tongue and know a lot about the context in which it was written. Consider perhaps the greatest work of American fiction, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Could anyone claim expertise in this book if he never read it in its original English and knew nothing about the social-political situation of the mid-nineteenth century United States? Similarly, a minister of God’s word needs good training in Hebrew and Greek and in the historical background of the ancient Near East and Greco-Roman empire. Furthermore, godly and intelligent Christians have been studying Scripture for nearly two thousand years. While it’s possible for someone to read a sophisticated book and to learn from it without knowing what anyone else thinks, only an arrogant fool would claim he can learn nothing from other people’s insights. To borrow my earlier example, we’d be skeptical about someone claiming expertise in Huckleberry Finn who had never read a book or article about that book. Likewise, learning from the church’s accumulated wisdom is invaluable for becoming an expert in Scripture. If ministers of the word try to reinvent the wheel, they will build a primitive wheel. But they become genuinely knowledgeable by learning from the church’s creeds and confessions, its councils and synods, and its theologians, past and present. Scripture is also under attack. Enemies of Christ have always opposed biblical truth, but in a globalized, high-tech world, Christians are exposed to attacks from anywhere and everywhere. Ministers, responsible for their flocks’ spiritual wellbeing, have to be alert to what their sheep are hearing and be prepared to defend the truth. This means that ministers need an understanding not only of Scripture’s cultural context but also of their own. Ministers need much more than mere theological understanding, but without theological understanding, the other wscal .e d u
things will do little good. The ordinary biblical pattern is that ministers gain this understanding through instruction by those who have gone before them. From Paul, to Timothy, to faithful men—and so on, until Christ returns.
the work of westminster seminary california Concluding this article with some words about Westminster Seminary California (WSC), I feel the weight of what I write. If a good theological education is as important for the ministry as I’ve suggested, then we WSC faculty have a very high bar to meet. We come up short, but this standard does explain why WSC is the kind of school it is. One of the things distinguishing WSC from most other seminaries is its commitment to teaching Greek and Hebrew. WSC not only requires several courses in both languages, but also requires them at the beginning of a student’s study, because they’re foundational for so much else in the curriculum. Because all students in upper-level biblical and systematic theology courses have studied Greek and Hebrew, these courses can engage Scripture at a much deeper level than would otherwise be possible. WSC also differs from many other seminaries in its interest in church history and the history of theology. We want students to read Scripture for themselves in its original languages, but also to do so in fellowship with the saints who have gone before us. Our students should learn from their achievements (and from their mistakes). Our students should consider what it means to confess Christ as part of a two-thousand-year-old church that Christ promised to preserve (Matt 16:18). Some seminaries think in terms of a choice: biblical or confessional. WSC thinks of these as complements: one cannot be truly biblical or confessional without the other. I might comment on several other fea-
Pray for WSC PREPARING STUDENTS Please pray for our faculty as they prepare students to be experts in the Bible and ever-growing in Christlike piety.
tures of WSC education, but I conclude by mentioning WSC’s continuing commitment to residential, face-to-face education. While most seminaries today embrace virtual education to greater or lesser degree, WSC has purposefully bucked this trend. In part, this is simply because God made human beings as the kind of creatures who generally learn better in person than by staring at a screen. In part, it’s also because so much valuable learning takes place among students and professors through questions and conversations after class, in faculty offices, and over meals—or maybe even on the golf course. But perhaps most important is that studying theology, in preparation for ministry, lends itself so much better to faceto-face training. Studying theology is not just learning a bunch of facts. It’s about growing in a kind of wisdom. Becoming an expert in the Bible doesn’t require simple memorization, but understanding. It’s not merely dictated, but passed along. To learn systematic theology in a way useful for the church, my students need more than a bare record of my words. I know I fall short, but I believe my students need not only to hear what I say but also to see how I say it—and how I respond to questions, how I handle difficult verses, how I address critics, how I pray. Ministers who know theology only as facts are ill-equipped. Ministers who grasp theology as wisdom are fit by Christ for faithful service. And theology-as-wisdom is learned in person, not at a distance.
DAVID VANDRUNEN is Robert B. Strimple Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics at Westminster Seminary California. He and his wife, Katherine, a WSC alumna, have one son and reside in Escondido.
ONCAMPUS
From ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE to D I V I N E W I S D O M by Q . L U O
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ince my childhood, I, like all other youngsters in that communist country, have been taught that there was no God and that religions were just the spiritual opium and lies made up by imperialistic foreigners. Swinging between liberalism and egoism, I almost wasted my whole undergraduate years on meaningless stuff. As a sinner, I realized that something was essentially wrong with my life, although I did not know what it was. To escape the sense of ineluctable emptiness, I looked outward for solutions. I contributed to establish a non-governmental institution advocating for democracy and the right of free speech in my country; I wrote articles and made speeches attempting as a modest effort to "save" the country. I read the Scriptures as part of my readings in Western culture and political thought. But just as young Augustine preferred Cicero over Paul in the beginning, I did not find the Bible relevant to me. A friend invited me to attend a Christian fellowship led by an American missionary brother who worked as an English teacher. I was curious and wanted to find out why there were people so foolish as to believe in an invisible God. I continued to read the Bible while mocking and arguing with these "superficial Christians" literally every week. I doubted the narratives and assertions of the Scriptures and considered them as fairytales. However, the more I read, the more I became aware that the Bible was substantially different from anything I had read, although I still did not feel the need for salvation. I am so grateful to the American brother who initiated the fellowship and treated me with enduring patience. He left Asia two years later, thinking his work was a total failure without any effects.
I moved to the capital for my graduate degree six months later, where I attended a "house church" and continued to be a nominal Christian. The life-changing moment finally occurred unexpectedly when I took part in a Bible course. The pastor was preaching Luke 9:21-27, and he described the suffering Jesus was about to experience on the cross and why salvation must be fulfilled in this way. I had learned these things long ago, but at that very moment, God's Word finally defeated my pride and refusal. I rushed out of the classroom, found a quiet place, knelt and cried out, "Save me, My Lord! Now I know I am such a sinner!" Spending so long in the church, I finally acknowledged that I had sinned against the sovereign God and that everlasting condemnation would be the only fair and inevitable ending of my life, but that my only hope was salvation in Jesus Christ, who had undertaken the punishment for all my sins. God's Word changed me thoroughly, and it also made me believe in the power of pure gospel preaching.
“GOD'S WORD CHANGED ME THOROUGHLY, AND IT ALSO MADE ME BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF PURE GOSPEL PREACHING."
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vocational struggle
In the autumn of 2010, I was appointed to lead a congregation planting plan of our church. It was a small assembly in serious trouble, but with the mercy of the Lord, it had grown from less than twenty to more than one hundred committed members before I moved to other planting and ministry responsibilities. More and more people began to ask whether I would like to be a full-time minister after I obtained my Ph.D. degree. It indeed had been a struggle for a while. I had published several peer-reviewed academic papers in various international conferences and journals of Computer Vision - a subfield of Artificial Intelligence. Both my ambitions and love for scientific research, and an Asian famUPDATE | FALL2019
ily's expectation for fame and wealth, hindered my further steps towards full-time devotion. Of course, considerations also included the cultural and political environment, which is hostile towards Christianity in my country. It had been part of my life as a bi-vocational minister being disturbed by police officers, dealing with angry parents whose children were learning the Bible with me, etc.; but giving up all social and financial securities and a promising career for the rest of my life? I was not sure. Approaching my graduation, I was invited to give an academic speech at a top conference in my research area at Glasgow University. Taking the excellent opportunity, I visited several churches throughout the U.K. These visitation experiences and the overall church condition of Britain were shocking. In his 1524 writing on Christian schools in Germany, Martin Luther talked about a window of occasio (“opportunity”) for the gospel in his country, warning that Germans may not have this outpouring of the gospel forever. His warnings almost became prophecies in the past 500 years. Faithful churches still exist in Europe, for sure, but has the "swiftly passing downpour" of the gospel moved away from Europe in general? How long will the occasio be left for my people? The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. With my return flight approaching the smog-covered capital city of my home country, I prayed to my Lord, "If it is your joy, allow me to serve your church here,
“RECALLING THOSE FACES OF MY SUFFERING HOUSE CHURCH, I KNOW WHY MY DESK LAMP IS STILL KEPT ON, EVEN AFTER MIDNIGHT." no matter how much time you reserve for me in the sojourn of this life." It turned out that my long struggle did not end with a heroic, self-sacrificial decision; I just realized how glorious it would be to be an under-shepherd of His flock.
preparation at wsc I am in my second year of the M.Div. program at WSC. The reason I chose WSC was not only the rigorous academic standards and confessional commitment, but also its educational philosophy that highly values a learning community like Calvin's Geneva and Old Princeton. For the past year, I found "nothing new" here; there is not a unique "Escondido Theology" discontinuous and foreign to the Reformed tradition at all. However, in another way, WSC does present the old good news in an unpopular way – emphasizing biblical languages and exegesis, and vast readings of the primary sources. This approach to theological education may not guarantee the fastest or easiest way to prepare ministers, but it is a deep and lasting way. In addition to thousands of pages of reading in the first year, I completed most of the language studies (Hebrew, Greek, and Latin). However, what have I received most of my first year at
WSC? I can say in confidence without hesitation: I love my Lord more. After serious discussions with the other ministers of my home church, I plan to pursue another theological degree when I finish my study here, God willing. The world is tearing itself apart, and apparent societal shifts are underway both in my country and the U.S. What is more important, I am fully convinced that the most effective ministerial training should take place locally against the background of local churches, as is the case at WSC. Before I left home, I helped establish a primary theological training school (underground, of course). I believe an extra theological degree will benefit the school’s growth and maturity. Still today, I continue to attend my home church's weekly ministry meeting as one of the principal leaders, as well as teaching courses at the school over the Internet. Recalling those faces of my suffering house church, I know why my desk lamp is still kept on, even after midnight. In his “Hutten’s Last Days,” Conrad Ferdinand Meyer portrayed Luther in this way: “He senses the huge rupture between ages / and he tightly grasps his Bible’s pages.” I hope that is what I am doing at WSC: tightly grasping my Bible’s pages.
VISIT. MEET. LEARN. EXPLORE. S E M I N A RY F O R A DAY
This is a free, campus-wide event that is all about prospective student visitors and offers a unique opportunity to experience seminary life. Join us at one of our upcoming events! JANUARY 17, 2020 • MARCH 13, 2020
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2019!
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estminster Seminary California’s Thirty-Eighth Annual Commencement Exercises took place on Saturday, June 1, 2019, at Emmanuel Faith Community Church in Escondido. Master’s degrees were conferred on 24 students, with 15 receiving the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree and 9 receiving the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree. Rev. Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III, Chancellor and John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, South Carolina, served as the commencement speaker. His address, titled “Equipping the Saints,” examined Ephesians 4 in encouraging the graduates “in every good work as you seek to serve him for the rest of your lives in gospel ministry however and wherever he calls you to do so.” Rev. Theodore C. Hamilton, Senior Pastor of New Life Presbyterian Church in Escondido, delivered the Invocation, and Rev. Dr. Paul Kong, father of graduating senior John Kong, read Scripture from Ephesians 4:11-13. Rev. Jesse Pirschel, Pastor of Providence OPC in Temecula offered a prayer for the graduates. Preceding commencement, on Friday, May 31, graduating seniors, family members, friends, faculty, and staff gathered at the WSC chapel for a reception honoring the class of 2019. Six
degree candidates gave personal reflections on their time at WSC, and President Joel Kim delivered a charge to the graduates. The Class of 2019 includes students from seven U.S. states and six foreign countries, including Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea, Iraq, Mexico, and Italy. These graduates represent several denominations, including the PCA, URCNA, OPC, KAPC, Anglican, and various non-denominational churches. Please join WSC in praying for these men and women as they go forth to serve as pastors, teachers, missionaries, scholars, and leaders, joining more than 1,200 WSC alumni who are using their theological education to glorify Christ, promote his gospel, and serve his church across the United States and in more than 30 countries throughout the world. Audio and video from the graduate reception and commencement are available on the WSC website. We would also encourage you to watch a video featuring 2019 graduates as they reflect on their experience at WSC. You can find these resources online at wscal.edu/commencement-2019
“THROUGH DOING BIBLICAL STUDIES I LEARNED TO READ AND STUDY GOD'S WORD PROPERLY. DAY AFTER DAY, I'M AMAZED BY HOW GOD'S GREAT PLAN OF SALVATION CAREFULLY UNFOLDS IN REDEMPTIVE HISTORY." Irene Lo, 2019 M.A. graduate 10
UPDATE | FALL2019
EQUIPPING THE SAINTS J. Ligon Duncan 2019 Commencement Address
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irst look at Ephesians 4:11, and I want you to see the gifts that Jesus gave. He gave some as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Notice there that the gifts are people. Very often, when we think of spiritual gifts, we think of capacities or activities…. But here the emphasis is the gifts are people. What Jesus gave to the church are pastorteacher-shepherd-elders. Now if you have been called by the church into service, you need to understand this—you are a gift from Christ to the church. That is a humbling thing to think about…. You are gifts of God to the church if you've been called by the church as a pastor-teacher-shepherd-elder. By the way, even if that's not your specific calling, if you're one who comes alongside the pastor-teacher-shepherd-elders, Calvin used to say, “elders do by duty what every Christian does by love.” Isn’t that interesting? So all of us as Christians, whether we’re called to be pastor-teachershepherd-elders or not, care about these things. And we want to be facilitating
these things in the congregation. It's the special duty and responsibility of elders. But every Christian ought to want to be facilitating these things. No matter how we are called in gospel ministry in relation to the church, these ought to be aspirations for us. We want to live for our people and for God's glory. We want to equip them to serve. And we want to see them grow in unity. And we want to see them grow in the knowledge of God in Christ. And want to see them grow in maturity. And what are the weapons of our warfare? Not flesh and blood but things which are able to contend with powers and principalities, the Word of the Spirit and the grace of the Spirit. And of course that means ultimately these things are out of our hands. We cannot produce Christian maturity by our own efforts any more than we can produce Christian salvation by our own
“WHAT JESUS GAVE TO THE CHURCH ARE PASTORTEACHER-SHEPHERD-ELDERS. NOW IF YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED BY THE CHURCH INTO SERVICE, YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THIS—YOU ARE A GIFT FROM CHRIST TO THE CHURCH."
ABOVE: J. Ligon Duncan giving the 2019 Commencement Address; TOP RIGHT: Graduates during ceremony; BOTTOM RIGHT: Dr. Horton congratulating M.Div. graduate
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efforts. Only God can do that. But we get to be His helpers because He is the one who chose to use means. I often look back at church history and I say, “OK, Lord, enough. You've proved it again. We didn't build Your church. You did in spite of us.” That is so true. But isn’t it marvelous that even though that's true, He still chose to use people as His helpers? What a privilege! What a responsibility. You can be assured that your friends at RTS will be rooting for you in gospel ministry. I want you to believe, when you cross the finish line in 50 years, exactly what you believe right now. Even if your heart has been broken over and over and over again in gospel ministry, I want you to believe what you believe now. In fact, I want you to believe it more. And then I want you to give yourself away, to equip the saints for the work of service.
2019 SUMMER INTERNSHIP HIGHLIGHTS Several WSC M.Div. students gave thoughtful reflections on their internship experiences at churches around the world this summer. You can read the full write-ups at wscal.edu/blog
"HAVING PATIENCE AND TAKING THE TIME TO ASK QUESTIONS MAKES THE OTHER PERSON FEEL HEARD AND LOVED AND USUALLY LEADS TO A BETTER RESPONSE ON THE PART OF THE PASTOR." CALEB JANSON | Grace United Reformed Church (URCNA), Kennewick, WA
"WESTMINSTER HAS HELPED ME BETTER UNDERSTAND THE GOSPEL SO THAT I CAN SHARE IT TO THOSE AROUND ME WITH CONFIDENCE AND CLARITY." JAMES KONG Grace Church, Sanxia, Taiwan
"YOU ARE DEALING WITH REAL PEOPLE, REAL SOULS, REAL SIN, AND REAL SUFFERING. THEY NEED YOU TO POINT THEM TO CHRIST JUST AS YOU NEED THEM." RYAN THOMAS New Life Presbyterian Church (PCA) Escondido, CA
"THIS KIND OF ENGAGEMENT WITH A CONGREGATION TAKES TIME, FORBEARANCE, AND FORGIVENESS FROM ALL THE PEOPLE INVOLVED." COLLIN WELCH Westside Reformed Church (URCNA), Cincinnati, OH
notice of nondiscriminatory policy as to students The Westminster Seminary California school admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. 12
UPDATE | FALL2019
JANUARY 17 - 18, 2020 | ON THE CAMPUS OF WSC • ESCONDIDO, CA From creation to consummation, the Bible declares the marvelous truth that God is the sovereign ruler of all. In this grand story of God’s providential care over all of his creation, we learn some very important truths about what it means that we were not only created in the image of God, but re-created by Jesus Christ, the Last Adam. This conference will explore this theme of God’s love and provision ultimately found in the Last Adam.
REGISTER TODAY!
PLENARY SESSIONS & SPEAKERS FRIDAY, JANUARY 17
Early Bird Registration ends 12/1/2019
Evening
Three ways to register now:
“Created in the Image of God” — michael s. horton “Righteousness and Life" — david vandrunen
• Online: (recommended) Visit wscal.edu/conference
SATURDAY, JANUARY 18
• Phone: Call (888) 480-8474
Morning “The Creation Mandate through the Bible” — bryan d. estelle “Creation Kingship and the World to Come” — s. m. baugh “Sojourners East of Eden” — a. craig troxel
Afternoon “Finding Hope in the Last Adam” — joel e. kim Questions & Answers — speaker panel
• Mail: Complete, detach, & mail the form below to: Westminster Seminary California Attn: Annual Conference 2020 1725 Bear Valley Parkway Escondido, CA 92027
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WHAT EXCEPTIONAL PREPARATION LOOKS LIKE AT WSC
12 faculty members
CONFESSIONALLY REFORMED Westminster Seminary California is committed to the Gospel of Christ as taught by the inerrant Scriptures and as summarized in the Reformed confessions of faith. Each of our faculty members are committed to the Reformed doctrines and practice. Our students come from a variety of geographical, theological, and church backgrounds. The unity of our faculty and diversity of our student body ensures an atmosphere of stimulating learning and discussion about theology and ministry
4 degree programs
PURPOSEFUL CURRICULUM Our rigorous, structured theological education centers on the study of the Scriptures in their original languages, Hebrew and Greek. Students are equipped with tools to understand and interpret the Word of God faithfully. Our mode of education is not innovative. It reflects John Calvin’s practices in Geneva and the Old Princeton Seminary model. The curriculum and coursework is coordinated to work together and complement coursework from each department and discipline. Classroom learning is supplemented by and applied in ministry internships.
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UPDATE | FALL2019
living in 202 residents Westminster Village
16-20
Biblical Languages Credit Hours
PERSONAL COMMUNITY
RIGOROUS EDUCATION
WSC is committed to a face-to-face education model, believing ministry preparation and academics are best done in relationship and community.
We believe that high academic standards and carefully designed curriculum best serve the Church and our students.
The seminary maintains a 1:11 faculty/student ratio and intentionally fosters personal interaction between our accomplished professors and WSC students. Our on-campus housing village enables mutual support, community life, friendships, and relational growth among students and their families.
90% M.Div. placement rate
The heart of the WSC educational experience is our outstanding and accomplished faculty. WSC’s rigorous academic standards and emphases give graduates the skills to excel and to leave well-prepared for numerous endeavors. WSC alumni have been accepted into prestigious academic programs around the world.
Alumni serving in
30
different countries
CHURCH FOCUSED
GLOBALLY MINDED
WSC exists to serve Christ, His Gospel, and His Church by preparing the next generation of pastors and leaders.
Our institutional bylaws guide us and our gateway location in San Diego positions us to engage and to serve Latin America and Asia, and the world. WSC is the only fully accredited, interdenominational reformed seminary in the western United States.
WSC is engaged in serving churches through learning resources, events, partnerships, internships, scholarships, graduate placement, and more. Generous scholarship packages and affordable housing from WSC serve churches by minimizing financial constraints upon future leaders.
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Training in a context of cultural and ecclesiological diversity is valuable for engaging a diverse, changing world with the Gospel message. WSC has been blessed to have students from over 25 countries and regularly enrolls 15-20% international students.
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“AS A SEMINARY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, WITH MEXICO AS ITS NEIGHBOR AND WITH CLOSE TIES TO ASIA, WSC HAS ALWAYS BEEN ENGAGED ACTIVELY IN MISSIONS, BOTH NEAR AND FAR." Joel E. Kim dan warne m.div., 2017 | Cuba Host of El Faro de Redención radio show
charles telfer | Mexico & Colombia
Taught a 2-week course on Isaiah at a Mexico City seminary; spoke at a pastor’s conference in Bogotá, Colombia
Alumni abroad
3 or more
International students
10 or more
Faculty speaking
WSC AND THE GLOBAL CHURCH 16
UPDATE | FALL2019
oguz alhan m.a., 2022 | Turkey Plans to plant a Reformed church in Turkey after graduation
julius kim | China & Japan Taught a course on Christ-centered preaching to house church pastors in China; gave lectures at a seminary and a denominational conference in Japan
nick brennan M.A., 2013 | Australia Lecturer at Queensland Theological College
charity akampurira m.a., 2020 | Uganda Will serve women in Uganda through biblical counseling
For nearly 40 years Westminster Seminary California has served the global church by preparing international students, equipping graduates for global missions work, and faculty speaking and preaching. This map presents a visual representation of the work our students, alumni, and faculty are doing around the world. Please pray that the Lord would continue to use WSC to bless and be blessed by the global church.
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SERVING THE GLOBAL CHURCH
A
t the end of the 20th century, scholars in the field of missions not only looked back to evaluate the past century but also looked forward to anticipate what was in store for the new millennium. Two thousand years have passed since Jesus first gave the Great Commission to his church, but the challenge and task of taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth continues. What has changed in the world since 1900? What has happened to Christianity? A hundred years ago, 90 percent of the world’s Christians lived in North America and Europe. Only 10 percent of the world’s Christians lived in continents south and east. Since the year 2000, there has been a dramatic shift. Nearly 70 percent of the world’s Christians now live in the non-Western world – that is, the majority world. Today, there are more Christians in church every Lord’s Day in communist China than in all of Western Europe. From its inception, Westminster Seminary California has existed to bless and be blessed by the global church. One of the seminary’s earliest mottos captures this focus: “Building a Base to Serve the West and Reach the World.” Such was and remains the missionary heartbeat of this institution. And now, after almost 40
years of preparing servant leaders through an academically rigorous curriculum, we look forward to what more we can do for Christ’s church “to the end of the earth, to the end of the age.” As the only confessional Presbyterian and reformed seminary in the west coast of the US, WSC has a unique opportunity and privilege with regard to the global church. Each year, several WSC graduates embark on missions work across the world. The seminary faculty regularly travel abroad to preach and teach. Seventy-four of our professors’ books have been translated into 13 different languages for the edification of the global church. Another example of WSC’s commitment to Christ’s church around the world is its representation in and support of Mission to the World (MTW), the foreign missions agency of the Presbyterian Church in American (PCA). In addition to the many WSC graduates who have and continue to serve as MTW missionaries, WSC alumnus (M.Div., 1999) and current trustee Rev. Dr. Lloyd Kim serves as Coordinator of MTW. Prior to serving as MTW’s Coordinator, Dr. Kim served as the International Director of Asia-Pacific for MTW in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The WSC community was blessed to have Dr. Kim serve as the inaugural speaker at the Dennis and Jane Johnson Lectures on Missions this November, held on WSC’s campus.
Last summer, WSC opened its campus for a week to host MTW’s West Coast Regional Trainings. Several individuals and couples preparing for missions work through MTW stayed on campus at Westminster Village while attending missionary training seminars in classrooms around campus. The seminary looks forward to hosting these MTW training sessions once again next summer. Please continue to pray for our faculty, students, and alumni as they serve Christ’s global church.
BUILDING A BASE TO SERVE THE WEST AND REACH THE WORLD. 18
UPDATE | FALL2019
building for the future
F
or forty years, Westminster Seminary California (WSC) has been uncompromising in its commitment to prepare pastors, teachers—specialists in the Bible who glorify Christ, proclaim His Gospel, and serve His Church. WSC remains committed to the inspiration and authority of Scripture as expressed in the Reformed Confessions, and to a mode of education that values rigorous academics and face-to-face interaction between faculty and students. The completion of the Westminster Village student housing in 2018 reinforced our commitment to students by providing a community of faith where education, fellowship and families flour-
ish. Through this investment, WSC will continue to attract the best and brightest students from around the world who will go forth as faithful ministers and teachers who know the Scriptures and are committed to defending them in the world. The WSC leaders long-envisioned a project that has become a reality. The Westminster Village has developed into a community of faith even more than we could have imagined. Families are forging relationships for a life-time of ministry. The Lord has provided student housing that has blessed those men and women who are called to serve Christ, His Gospel, and His Church.
WESTMINSTER VILLAGE 100% OCCUPIED
64
1, 2, & 3 bedroom apartments fully occupied for 2019-2020
202 Residents
81
Students
campaign funding progress
80%
of the funds have been raised for this campaign
20%
“THIS HOUSING PROJECT IS QUITE LITERALLY THE REASON WHY I AM ABLE TO ATTEND AND FULFILL MY CALL TO MINISTRY.”
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Children
Dustin Karzen, 2nd year M.Div.
remaining
PLEASE HELP US FINISH! You are invited to be a part of this historic initiative as you contribute to the lives of students, their families and the livelihood of Westminster Seminary California for generations to come. We thank God for the spirit of generosity and stewardship He has instilled within the Westminster family of friends. The Lord has blessed His people, has blessed WSC through you with $18 million in funding. Now another $5 million is needed to complete the funding on this initiative that is life-changing for the students and for the future sustainability of the seminary. Please prayerfully consider how you will become part of WSC’s history and future with a gift to Building on a Firm Foundation. For more details, contact Dawn G. Doorn, Vice President for Advancement at 760-480-8474, ext 130.
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ONMISSION
CAMPUS MINISTRY IN CHICAGO by Christopher Colquitt
T
he words I most remember from Westminster Seminary California came months before I even enrolled, during a Seminary for a Day panel discussion. Dr. Kim with his usual pithiness described WSC as a place where people took the gospel seriously, but didn’t take themselves that seriously. My wife and I had planned our visit to California mostly to get a few days at the beach, with the anticipated added benefit of being able to cross that quirky seminary out west off our list – but in those words, and in my interactions with the faculty that day, something clicked. In addition to proving true during my time in Escondido, Dr. Kim’s punchy tagline displays a remarkable amount of depth. At the surface, there is the surprising and refreshing personality of playfulness that characterized much of WSC. Led by Dr. Godfrey’s dry wit, Dr. Kim’s constant jesting and President Kim’s loving sarcasm, the seminary was a place of laughter. This filtered into the classroom, where laughter and lightness were never far away, even as we discussed deep and weighty topics and gazed into the glories of God’s word. Playfulness, it seems to me, is an underappreciated theological virtue, reflective of the deep biblical nature of that memorable line. We take the gospel seriously, but not ourselves. Why? Because we are but dust, radically dependent on the provision of God for everything—most of all, our salvation. What the law could not do, God did. He has done the work, every bit of it, through the all-sufficient work of Christ. We bring nothing to the table. It is all of grace. Again and again, in every single class, I heard this same marvelous story. It is a story that has implications not only for the gospel we proclaim, but the manner in which we proclaim it. A passage
often cited during seminary and now made precious to me in my own ministry is 2 Cor 4:5 – what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord. The second half of this statement was the centerpiece of the philosophy of ministry I learned at Westminster: proclaim Christ, always and from every text. And the first half reflects the humility of the minister’s call – a humility both modeled and proclaimed by my professors every day. We proclaim Jesus, not ourselves; he is the one we take seriously. I’m not sure if Dr. Kim intended all that when he chose his words, but they stuck with me and have helped shape my current ministry as Campus Minister for Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at Northwestern University. For those who may not be familiar, RUF is the official campus ministry of the Presbyterian Church in America. Local PCA presbyteries send ordained men onto college campuses to reach students for Christ and equip them to serve in his church. RUF strives to balance both outreach and discipleship, and is unique among evangelical college ministries in its close connection to the local church. I tell my students each week that if they only have one hour to give, they should skip RUF activities and go to church. Indeed, I view our ministry as something of a halfway house for young adults as we prepare them for a life of discipleship in the real world – a life that can only be lived in connection with the local church. When I left my brief career as an attorney to pursue pastoral ministry, I did so with the conviction that the beauties of the gospel, as faithfully reflected in the Reformed confessions, could take hold in those secular worlds in which I had spent much of my time as a student and lawyer. This conviction came not from a belief that God loves educated urbanites more (in-
“WE TAKE THE GOSPEL SERIOUSLY, BUT NOT OURSELVES. WHY? BECAUSE WE ARE BUT DUST, RADICALLY DEPENDENT ON THE PROVISION OF GOD FOR EVERYTHING—MOST OF ALL, OUR SALVATION."
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UPDATE | FALL2019
“MY PRAYER IS THAT OUR LITTLE COMMUNITY WOULD BE AN OUTPOST OF A BETTER WAY OF LIFE GROUNDED IN THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST." deed, if anything, the evidence suggests a preference for others), nor from a passion to transform culture by reaching the elite (having been liberated from that particular eschatological burden by Dr. VanDrunen), but from a simple trust that if the gospel is true and God is at work, then lives will be changed—anywhere. Serving with RUF at Northwestern is my grand experiment to test this hypothesis. Every day I have the high privilege of walking onto campus with the greatest news of all time. In our post-Christian context, this often means giving students their first real interaction with the things of God. And as much as I love a good theological debate, there is something so refreshing about simply introducing students to the fullness of the gospel without intramural polemics. I get to tell students about the active obedience of Christ as the precious gift that it is, not as a locus of theological disagreement. As I learn more and more about this mission field and the 18-22-year-olds who occupy it, I have found particular power in Dr. Kim’s slogan and the gospel realities that stand behind it – so much so that it is my new unofficial motto for our ministry at NU. My prayer is that our little community would be an outpost of a better way of life grounded in the gospel of Christ, a place where we can ask big questions while also laughing at ourselves a little bit. This emphasis on taking the gospel seriously but not ourselves is helpful not because college students are such fun-loving people – surprisingly they are not. What is true of this rising generation as a whole is particularly true of the high achievers at Northwestern – their lives are marked by unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. The gray, frigid days of Chicago in January and February (and wscal .e d u
March, April, and sometimes May) can be living metaphors for the spirit of this place. Students are weighed down by the need to perform and achieve, in both the classroom and their future careers. They seek this success largely alone, without strong community and friendships (partially the result of an adolescence mediated through smart phones and social media). And they do so in a spiritual environment stripped of ultimate questions and deep meaning. Behind this, I have grown to see, is an inversion of Dr. Kim’s gospel principle. Northwestern students take themselves way too seriously and give little thought, if any, to the deeper questions of existence and meaning that might lead them to consider the claims of the gospel. And this leads to all manner of problems. The very human trials of hard work and busyness in a fallen world turn into crushing anxiety when their whole sense of self is vulnerable to assault by a bad grade or a botched internship interview. Thanks be to God for his gospel that comes in to speak powerful words of comfort to restless souls! What a privilege it is to be a table servant of such a magnificent feast. And what a joy that I get to feast alongside those I serve. For if there is one thing I have learned in trying to minister the gospel, it is that I am every bit as needful of its balm as my 18-22-year-old flock. I love ministering the gospel, I love working with these college students, and I love Westminster Seminary California for training me to do both.
REV. CHRISTOPHER COLQUITT serves as Campus Minister for RUF at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, where he lives with his wife, Christen, and children Margaret, Henry, and Beth.
MORNING DEVOTION with
christopher colquitt
"In seminary, in ministry, there are always going to be a lot of eyes looking at you... do not let your own eyes be among them. Fix your eyes on Jesus, fix your eyes on his accomplished work, fix your eyes on the fact that he has abolished death... be strengthened by that and go out and lay down our lives for the sheep we are called to love." Each year, several WSC graduating seniors are asked to give a chapel morning devotion during their last semester. Christopher Colquitt was one of these seniors selected during the 2018 spring semester. You can listen to his devotion at the link below!
wscal.edu/strengthened-by-grace
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ALUMNI NEWS Send your recent updates for future magazine issues to alumni@wscal.edu. 1991 Paul A. F. Castellano will be pursuing post-graduate studies in Science and Religion at the University of Edinburgh. 1992 Christopher Andrus recently published The Meaning of the Universe, a book that calls people to become aware of their most basic beliefs, exposes many flaws in today's reigning Humanist worldview and other religions, and presents the superiority of Christianity. He has also been preaching publicly and engaging in personal evangelism along with some other Christians in the famous Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley for the past 3 semesters.
LEARN. RECONNECT. REFRESH. WSC’s Alumni Winter Refresher courses provide opportunities to learn, reconnect, and refresh. We hope a trip to San Diego will give you a chance to warm up and catch your breath in January! These week-long classes intend to serve alumni as continuing education. Alumni may audit classes for free as well as catch up with old friends, professors, and enjoy San Diego. Among the unique 2020 winter course offerings are Urban Apologetics with Carl Ellis, The Ascension of Christ in the Ancient Church with Richard Bishop, and Ministry to University Students with Rod Mays. Please also join us January 17-18, when WSC hosts its Annual Conference, "In Adam, In Christ" (see pg. 15). We hope to see you on campus! You can view the course schedule and register online.
wscal.edu/awr 22
2000 Danny Hyde has been appointed Fellow in Theology & Liturgy as well as Director of the Reformed & Presbyterian Studies Program at the Greystone Theological Institute. 2001 Daniel W. McManigal’s book, A Baptism of Judgment in the Fire of the Holy Spirit: John’s Eschatological Proclamation in Matthew 3, was published on April 4, 2019, by Bloomsbury/T&T Clark. In January, Hope Presbyterian Church (Bellevue, WA) began evening worship services in Gig Harbor, WA. 2005 Michael Preciado recently had a book published. It is titled A Reformed View of Freedom: The Compatibility of Guidance Control and Reformed Theology (Pickwick Publications, 2019). 2006 Michael Schout was installed as a church planter of Harvest OPC last October and has been laboring at Grace Fellowship OPC in Zeeland, MI, since April 2019. Jonathon Beeke successfully defended a Ph.D. (Christianity and the History of Ideas) at the University of Groningen, "Duplex Regnum Christi: Christ's Twofold Kingdom in Reformed Theology." 2007 Keith Conley and his family returned to Southern California in 2018 where Keith has started his own financial planning firm, specializing in biblical stewardship, charitable giving, and retirement planning.
2009 Austin Britton, formerly pastor of Calvary OPC in La Mirada, CA, has been called as the new senior pastor of Christ Church Anglican in Phoenix, AZ. Ariel Flores began a new position as the Oncology and Palliative Chaplain for UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center. 2010 Tommy Myrick and his wife, Abigail, welcomed the birth of their second child in June. The Myrick Family lives in Bethesda, MD, where Tommy continues to serve as Associate Pastor to Fourth Presbyterian Church. 2013 Tyler Frick completed a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology at King's College, University of Aberdeen in February 2019. Timothy Taylor was ordained as a priest in the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word (ACNA) on May 18. He has recently begun a new position as an associate priest and the Minister for Youth and Family at Holy Trinity Anglican Parish in Hillsdale, MI. 2015 Luke Gossett began a one-year pastoral internship at Christ Reformed Church, Washington, DC (URCNA), effective July 1. Matthew Eisele married Sarah Huffman in January 2019. 2016 Traever Guingrich and his wife, Andrea, welcomed their 5th child this spring, Zuzu Quincy, born on her mom's birthday. Their oldest two daughters, Adalai (10) and Remy (8), have professed faith and been baptized. Michael Spotts and his wife welcomed their second child, Shane James Spotts, in December 2018. Philip Steward was ordained Deacon at St Paul’s Cathedral, London on 29th June, 2019. He is now serving as Curate at the parish of St. Simon Zelotes, Upper Chelsea, London. 2017 Jonathan Landry Cruse and his wife, Kerri Ann, welcomed their first child, Jacob, in July of 2018. Jonathan's book, The Christian's True Identity: What It Means to Be in Christ, published with RHB in October of 2019. UPDATE | FALL2019
WSC AT 2019 DENOMINATIONAL MEETINGS
W
estminster Seminary California exists for the church, providing graduate theological education to prepare future pastors of Christian churches, especially Reformed and Presbyterian churches, and other leaders in the Christian community. This is reflected in the seminary’s curriculum that the faculty designed to provide exceptional preparation for service to Christ’s church. In addition, all WSC faculty members serve as officers in Reformed or Presbyterian churches as ministers or elders. Part of our faculty’s service to the church is being churchmen who participate in the life and governance of the church. Many of our professors attend the annual meetings of their respective denominations regularly. Below are summaries of WSC’s participation in these annual meetings. The URCNA did not meet in 2019. In June, WSC faculty, staff, and alumni volunteers attended the 47th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in Dallas, TX. There was wonderful turnout at the WSC Alumni & Friends Dessert Reception, at which 71 close friends of the seminary – mostly alumni – attended. In addition to dessert, fellowship, and conversations among old friends, WSC representatives gifted a number of prizes and books. President Joel E. Kim, Dean of Students Dr. Julius Kim, and Director of Recruitment and Alumni Relations Adam P. Smith delivered reports on the seminary and WSC alumni services. Also in June, WSC was pleased to have faculty and alumni volunteer representatives present at the 86th General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Dallas, TX. Twenty-two alumni gathered for breakfast and fellowship on Monday, June 10. The breakfast gathering included a report on the seminary from Dr. Bryan Estelle, and a number of alumni "gathered unto themselves" WSC sunglasses. WSC looks forward to reuniting with many alumni and friends of the seminary as co-laborers in Christ at the 2020 annual meetings of the URCNA, OPC, and PCA. Stay tuned for details of the seminary’s activities and events at these denominational meetings.
TOP: President Kim speaks at the WSC Alumni & Friends Dessert Reception at the General Assembly of the PCA. BOTTOM: WSC booth setup at the General Assembly of the OPC
Come on in. The office door is open. R. Scott Clark invites you to join the faculty in their offices for a discussion of issues that are important to you and the church.
Recent episodes include: Meet the Faculty | A. Craig Troxel Johann Heinrich Heidegger | Ryan Glomsrud Covenant Theology | J. Ligon Duncan VISIT WSCAL.EDU/OFFICE-HOURS OR WSC MOBILE APP
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INPERSON & INPRINT
FACULTY SPEAKING UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS
WSC FACULTY IN GREECE AND ISRAEL
F
or three weeks last May, three Westminster Seminary California faculty members participated in a teaching tour in biblical lands. More than 60 attendees, most from a local PCA church, toured historical sites throughout Greece and Israel. WSC faculty attendees included Dr. Bryan D. Estelle (Professor of Old Testament), Dr. Charles K. Telfer (Professor of Biblical Languages), and Dr. Joshua J. Van Ee (Associate Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament). Ephesus, at one time the most important Greek city and a major port city of the Mediterranean region, was one of the group’s first stops. Due to its role as a trading post, Ephesus was a key location for the spread of early Christianity. Most notably, Paul wrote the book of Ephesians to the church in Ephesus, encouraging the believers to hold firm to the pure gospel of grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. The Greece leg of the tour also featured the following stops: Patmos, where John wrote the book of Revelation during exile; Crete, whose Minoans some consider to have been the first European civilization; Athens, where Paul delivered a sermon at the Areopagus (Mars’ Hill); and Corinth, whose worldly Christians Paul rebuked and encouraged through personal visits and letters. The majority of faculty teaching took place at various historical sites in Israel. At
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En Gedi, the fertile oasis on the western shore of the Dead Sea, Dr. Van Ee taught about David’s sparing of Saul in a cave while Saul was hunting him. The Mount of Olives served as the focal point for the group’s teaching time in Jerusalem. Dr. Telfer gave an overview of the importance of Jerusalem in redemptive history. Dr. Estelle used Psalm 118 and John 12 to discuss Jesus’ Triumphal Entry, which occurred in Jerusalem shortly before the Feast of the Passover. During the trip to Mount Gerizim, following Dr. Telfer’s introduction to the region’s landscape, Dr. Estelle taught about Mosaic blessings and curses. In Deut. 27, Moses instructed the tribes of Israel to divide and assemble on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal while the Levites recited a summary of the curses of the Mosaic covenant. Dr. Estelle situated these blessings and curses in the context of redemptive history, particularly with the coming of Christ. Similarly, Dr. Van Ee used the Qumran, where Essenes utilized water from the wadi for their purification rituals, to discuss the sacrificial-ceremonial system of the law. While the trip featured many more historical sites and faculty teachings, a highlight was a roundtable discussion of how to interpret Old Testament prophecy from a Reformed, biblical framework. Through this trip, attendees not only were able to visit many historical sites from the Bible, but they were able to get a taste of the exceptional education WSC students receive daily from these pastor-scholars.
december
1 | President Joel E. Kim preaches at Theophilus OPC (Anaheim, CA). 1 | Dr. A. Craig Troxel preaches at Corona OPC (Corona, CA). 29 | Dr. David VanDrunen preaches at Harvest OPC (San Marcos, CA).
january
8-11 | President Joel E. Kim speaks at the One in the Lord Conference at Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL). 9-11 | Dr. David VanDrunen presents a paper at The Annual Meeting of the Society of Christian Ethics (Washington, DC). 12 | Dr. David VanDrunen preaches at Grace OPC (Vienna, VA).
february
6 | Dr. Julius J. Kim speaks at the Elpida Conference (Sydney, Australia). 6-8 | Dr. Michael S. Horton speaks at Global Training Initiative with White Horse Inn (Dehli, India). 9 | Dr. Julius J. Kim preaches at Sydney Living Hope Community Church (Sydney, Australia). 20 | Dr. Michael S. Horton speaks at Mission Hills Pastors Conference (San Marcos, CA). 29 | Dr. Julius J. Kim speaks at The Gospel Coalition Bay Area Conference (San Francisco, CA).
UPDATE | FALL2019
FACULTY WRITING
ENGAGEMENTS (continued) march
1 | Dr. Julius J. Kim preaches at Sunset Church (San Francisco, CA).
what is the priesthood of believers?
6-7 | Dr. A. Craig Troxel speaks at a PCA men's retreat (Palomar Mountain, CA).
The Basics of the Faith Series | by A. Craig Troxel
Every believer has a unique ministry—and the ability to carry it out. But how do we understand our priesthood in the context of the church? Do our pastors have greater access to God? If they don’t, do we need church offices at all? The health of the church depends on correctly understanding our encouraging position in Christ. Pastor Craig Troxel first lays a foundation on Christ’s priesthood and then charts an approach for living out our own priesthood every day, in whatever work God is calling us to do.
6-7 | Dr. David VanDrunen speaks at Mission OPC church conference (St. Paul, MN). 10-12 | Dr. A. Craig Troxel speaks at the Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Spring Theology Conference (Taylors, SC). 13-15 | Dr. Julius J. Kim speaks at Fourth Presbyterian Church men's retreat (Bethesda, MD). 17-18 | Dr. Michael S. Horton speaks at the Westminster Theological Seminary Richard B. Gaffin Lectures (Philadelphia, PA). 19-21 | President Joel E. Kim speaks at Ligonier National Conference (Orlando, FL). 26-28 | Dr. David VanDrunen speaks at the Protestant Theological University Moral Compass Project (Groningen, Netherlands).
april
24-25 | Dr. Michael S. Horton speaks at the West Coast Mission to the World Conference at New Life Presbyterian Church (La Mesa, CA). View more faculty speaking events at wscal.edu/news-and-events/facultyspeaking-calendar
For more faculty books, see the bookstore ad on p. 31 or visit us online at wscal.edu/bookstore.
BOOKS
ARTICLES
bryan estelle
“Motifs and Old Testament Theology,” Unio cum Christo, Vol. 5, No. 1 (April, 2019): 27-44. “Echoes of Exodus: Tracing a Biblical Motif,” Credo Magazine (Sept. 4th, 2019).
r.s. clark
"Classical Christian Catechesis" and “Evangelism,” Faithful and Fruitful: Essays for Elders and Deacons, ed. William Boekestein and Steven Swets (Grand Rapids: Reformed Fellowship, 2019). "The Synod of Dort: Keeping Venom from the Lips" in Ordained Servant (October, 2019).
michael s. horton, “The Promise
of the Gospel: Redemption in Christ,” A Faith Worth Defending: The Synod
of Dort's Enduring Heritage, ed. Jon Payne & Sebastian Heck (Reformation Heritage Books, Sept 2019). “Traditional Reformed,” Five Views on the Extent of the Atonement (Counterpoints: Bible and Theology), ed. Adam J. Johnson & Stanley Gundry (Zondervan: Gold Edition, July 2019).
david vandrunen
“Presbyterians, Philosophy, Natural Theology, and Apologetics,” in The Oxford Handbook of Presbyterianism, ed. Gary Scott Smith and Paul C. Kemeny (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019), 457-73. “Natural Law and Reformed Theology,” in Research Handbook on Natural Law Theory, ed. Jonathan Crowe and Constance Youngwon Lee (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2019), 204-22.
New WSC Resource
WATCH DR. BAUGH'S COVENANT & KINGDOM COURSE ON THE WSC APP! You can now watch the entirety of Dr. Baugh's Covenant & Kingdom course on the WSC app for free. You can download the app from the App Store or visit SUBSPLASH.COM/WSCAL/APP
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WSC ANNUAL REPORT ACADEMIC YEAR 2018-2019
ACADEMICS WSC continues to graduate more men in the Master of Divinity program than all other programs combined. christian reformed church in north america
131 TOTAL STUDENTS
independent/ reformed baptist churches
4%
of divinity 99 master
of arts 30 master
non-matriculating 2 visiting/
28%
presbyterian church in america
FACULTY 12 members
11:1 student/faculty ratio
9%
other reformed/presbyterian denominations korean presbyterian denominations
7% 12%
ALUMNI SERVING IN DENOMINATIONS
10%
20% orthodox presbyterian church
10%
ACCREDITATION association of theological schools
western association of schools and colleges
other churches
ALUMNI more than 1,200 graduates
united reformed churches in north america
FINANCES
ORDINARY INCOME
ORDINARY EXPENSES
tuition
instruction & programs
80%
40%
other
WSC does not receive direct funding from the government or from any specific church denomination
8%
$4.5 MILLION
52%
unrestricted gifts
26
$4.4 MILLION
7%
fundraising & development
13%
general & administrative
TUITION PER FULL-TIME STUDENT
$16,625 $8,000 $8,625
average total cost average scholarship/grant average net cost
UPDATE | FALL2019
HONORARIUM & MEMORIAL GIFTS Gifts Received from March 21, 2019, through November 1, 2019 IN HONOR OF Rev. Dr. Derke P. Bergsma Mr. and Mrs. Leslie J. Kolk
Rev. Dr. W. Robert Godfrey Mr. and Mrs. Allan Oudman
Col. and Mrs. Daniel S. Oh Dr. and Dr. Andrew Soh
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn Rev. and Mrs. Todd V. Wagenmaker
Mr. Mark A. Kats Mrs. Rachel D. Kats
Rev. Dr. Julius J. Kim Col. and Mrs. Daniel S. Oh
Mr. Vayden B. Easley Mr. and Mrs. Alex Watson-Wong
Rev. Joel E. Kim Dr. and Mrs. John E. Hamersma Dr. and Mrs. William J. Montgomery
Mrs. Alice Carolyn Simon Strimple Mrs. Charlotte H. Strimple Mr. and Mrs. Stephen R. Strimple
Ms. Marilyn J. Frank Mr. Burton D. Santee Jr.
IN MEMORY OF Mr. John K. Andrews
Mr. Barry Huibregtse Mr. and Mrs. James W. Onnink
Baby Miles Paauw Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn
Rev. James Y. Hwangbo Mr. Steve S. Hwangbo
Mrs. Jane E. Prins Mr and Mrs. Jacob E. Brouwer
Mrs. Jee Chul Kim Rev. and Mrs. Joel E. Kim
Mrs. Malon Smits Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn
Mr. and Mrs. Vern Meenerinck Ms. Ellen Ward
Mr. Calvin Kooistra Mrs. Mildred Cammenga Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn Mr. and Mrs. Mark Kats Mr. and Mrs. Scott Korthuis
Mrs. Alice C. Strimple Rev. and Mrs. Joel E. Kim Rev. Dr. Robert B. Strimple
Mr. Ronald B. Clippinger Rev. Dr. and Mrs. R. Scott Clark
Mrs. Donna Nathan Lau Mr. and Mrs. Alex Watson-Wong
Mr. Tony Dragt Mr. and Mrs. John H. Brower
Ms. Judith A. Lower Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn Rev. Dr. and Mrs. W. Robert Godfrey
Mrs. Annie Troost Anonymous
WSC Trustee: 2006-11; 2016-17
Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Friend Mr. Sid Baron Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Korthuis Mrs. Phyllis Brown Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn Rev. Andrew A. Cammenga WSC Trustee: 2011-2016
Mrs. Anne Garrisi Rev. Dr. and Mrs. W. Robert Godfrey Ms. Lois Hartley Mr. and Mrs. James W. Onnink
Rev. Donald McClure Mr. and Mrs. Ian McClure
Dr. Rodney W. Tussing Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn
Mr. Fred Veenstra Mrs. Joann Veenstra Mr. Charles S. Viss, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn Mrs. Joann Veenstra
Now you can remember that special someone through a tribute gift. Give “in honor” of someone special or “in memory” of someone who has died. And your gift will help support the students of Westminster Seminary California (WSC). HONORARIUM GIFTS provide an opportunity for you to celebrate a special occasion like an anniversary or birthday, wedding or graduation, to recognize an outstanding achievement, or simply show your appreciation to that special friend, colleague, or loved one. MEMORIAL GIFTS provide an opportunity to express sympathy to a family who has lost a loved one. The dictionary defines a memorial as “something designed to keep remembrance alive.”
HAS SOMEONE TOUCHED YOUR LIFE IN A SPECIAL WAY? wscal .e d u
You are invited to support the education and preparation of students for ministry with a tribute gift today. Your gift will be acknowledged with a card to the honored friend, or to the family of the deceased. Please let us know who you want to honor, or who you want to remember. Both your name and their name will be recorded in the UPDATE Magazine. (The amount of your gift remains confidential.) Call 760-480-8474 ext. 102
27
CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITIES The saying is true: It’s better to give than to receive. But what if there was a way to both give AND receive? Charitable gift annuities make this possible for you and your family. You can support Westminster Seminary California’s mission—AND receive income for life!
Establish a charitable gift annuity by gifting cash, stock or other appreciated assets to Westminster Seminary California. In exchange, you’ll receive an immediate tax deduction and then fixed payments for life for you and your loved ones.
Benefits of a Charitable Gift Annuity •
Support the important work of Westminster Seminary California while caring for the needs of you and your family.
•
Receive an immediate tax deduction for a portion of your gift, at the time your gift is made.
•
Secure fixed payments for life to you or to you and a loved one.
Charitable Gift Annuity
DONOR
Gift of Property
Tax Deduction + Fixed Payments
CHARITABLE GIFT
Remainder of Gift
Frequently Asked Questions How much will my income be? It depends entirely on your age. The older you are when you begin a gift annuity, the higher the payment will be. For example, a single person who is 70-years-old receives a payment rate of 5.6%. The rate for a single 80-year-old is 7.3%. We follow the recommended rates set by the American Council on Gift Annuities. Use the calculators on BarnabasFoundation.com to estimate income projections or tax deductions.
Westminster Seminary California 28
www.wscal.edu
760-480-8474, ext. 130
info@wscal.edu UPDATE | FALL2019
Will the amount of my payment ever change? No. Once you initiate a gift annuity, your payment amount is established for life, regardless of what happens to the economy or stock market. When will my payments begin? Choose to begin your payments as early as this year, or establish a “deferred gift annuity” to start your payments at a flexible future retirement date when you know you’ll need steady income. Will a gift annuity work for married couples?
With a charitable gift annuity, you’ll have significant Kingdom impact while providing for your family’s need.
Yes! In fact, many gift annuities are “two-life” contracts, designed to make payments for the lives of both a husband and a wife. How secure is a gift annuity? A charitable gift annuity is as secure as the organization that issues it. Westminster Seminary California partners with Barnabas Foundation for issuing and overseeing charitable gift annuities. When you establish a gift annuity through Barnabas Foundation, you can have confidence knowing that your annuity is administered by — and backed by the assets of — a trusted, well-established organization. Barnabas Foundation has been providing expert planned gift support to thousands of families and more than 200 Kingdom-building ministries since 1976. The entire amount you contribute will be held in a gift annuity reserve fund in order to make your annuity payments.
LEARN MORE This information is not intended as tax, legal or financial advice. Gift results may vary. Consult your financial advisor and legal counsel for information and advice specific to your situation.
Westminster Seminary California wscal .e d u
www.wscal.edu
Explore how charitable gift annuities can help you support Westminster Seminary California while securing income for life. Contact us today at 760-480-8474, ext. 130.
760-480-8474, ext. 130
info@wscal.edu 29
A. CRAIG TROXEL Up Close with
1
WE KNOW THAT YOU DEARLY LOVED YOUR CONGREGATION IN WHEATON. WHAT DREW YOU TO JOIN THE FACULTY AT WSC?
When a pastor falls in love with his congregation it takes tremendous effort to overturn the force of attraction between the two. I was extraordinarily privileged to serve the two churches that I pastored and to receive their forbearance and love. So the initial thought of serving here at WSC took some doing— prayer, much thought, and long conversations with my wife and co-counselor, Carol. Perhaps the greatest draw for me was the idea of working alongside this faculty—not because it is starstudded but rather due to my respect of those that I knew. The prospect of joining them was an intimidating thought, since I do not really regard myself as a scholar. Yet it also presented a bold challenge. Secondly, both of my pastorates had something in common; namely, a ministry to students. Much of that ministry was hospitality. Carol really excels in this. It excited me to think of her in this open-hearted ministry to the students of WSC, and I am eager to see it unfold. Last of all I think of our Lord’s words, “freely you have received, freely give.” I have been so blessed with such excellent life mentors: my father, particular professors, and fellow presbyters. There is a debt to repay. Teaching here provides an opportunity of giving back some of what I owe by passing on what twenty-four years of pastoral ministry has taught me.
2
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO INSTILL IN YOUR STUDENTS?
First and foremost, I hope that everything I do encourages students in their love for the one who bought them, Jesus Christ the Lord, and the Father who sent him and the Spirit who applies him. And that they would know that Christ truly is our "all in all" and is sufficient for whatever we need and do—whether for ourselves or in our service for his name. Secondly, I wish to inflame in them a love for what Christ loves—particularly his church. For any Christian, but especially for pastors, this needs to be a love that rises above the temptation to become cynical on the one hand and yet avoids the fragile thoughts of idealism on the other. We minister to fellow sinners, but those who are being transformed from glory to glory. 30
Thirdly, as for preaching, I want to do my part to instill in them a vision to be faithful and effective ambassadors for Christ, which is no small feat in our day. Fourthly, the above list can only but lead us to one obvious, important conclusion: the indispensable role of prayer.
3
WHY DO YOU THINK SEMINARY EDUCATION REMAINS IMPORTANT IN THE 21ST CENTURY?
Seminaries have been likened to teaching hospitals. Medical doctors absolutely need the competency gained from med school, but such knowledge needs to be polished by the practical experience of a residency. Similarly, seminary education supplies the exegetical, historical and theological competency that is vital for a learned ministry. But the young apprentice must also learn how to use these tools with skill through classes on practical theology and through internships. Such a well-rounded education is preparatory for a calling that is filled with an assortment of demands that are both conspicuous and subtle, and call for grace and wisdom. One does not acquire such abilities long-distance or virtually. To be sure, being an effective pastor requires much study. However, the ministry also calls for studying people—learning how to listen and how to speak with delicacy, and learning how to exercise one’s gifts of preaching, teaching, praying and counseling with humility. As long as God’s people are in need of skillful shepherds there will be a need for seminaries to prepare them. DR. A. CRAIG TROXEL, Professor of Practical Theology, started teaching at WSC in Fall 2019. Dr. Troxel previously served as pastor of Bethel Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Wheaton, Illinois, since 2007. He and his wife, Carol, have five children and one grandchild. UPDATE | FALL2019
FACULTY BOOKS AVAILABLE NOW NE W
!
What is the Priesthood of Believers? Basics of Faith Series
Basics of Faith Series
What is Man?
Saving the Reformation
by A. Craig Troxel (P&R, 2010)
The Pastoral Theology of the Canons of Dort by W. Robert Godfrey (Reformation Trust Publishing, 2019)
by A. Craig Troxel (P&R, 2019)
Journeys with Jesus
Echoes of Exodus Tracing a Biblical Motif
Aquinas Among the Protestants
Every Path in the Bible Leads Us to Christ
by Bryan D. Estelle (IVP Academic, 2018)
Edited by David VanDrunen (Wiley-Blackwell, 2017)
The Spiritual Life
2-Volume Series, New Studies in Dogmatics
by Campegius Vitringa, translated and edited by Charles K. Telfer (Reformation Heritage, 2018)
by Michael S. Horton (Zondervan, 2018)
The Majesty on High Introduction to the Kingdom of God in the New Testament
Learning to Love the Psalms by W. Robert Godfrey (Reformation Trust, 2017)
by S. M. Baugh (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017)
by Dennis E. Johnson (P&R, 2018)
Ephesians
Core Christianity Finding Yourself in God's Story
The Majestic Heart of Christian Faith and Life
by S. M. Baugh (Lexham Press, 2016)
by Michael S. Horton (Zondervan, 2016)
by David VanDrunen (Zondervan, 2015)
Evangelical Exegetical Commentary
Justification
God's Glory Alone
Preaching the Whole Counsel of God
Design and Deliver Gospel-Centered Sermons by Julius J. Kim (Zondervan, 2015)
Monday Through Friday in the Word Weekday Inspiration by Derke P. Bergsma (Christian Faith Publishing, Inc., 2018)
Rediscovering the Holy Spirit
God's Perfecting Presence in Creation, Redemption, and Everyday Life by Michael S. Horton (Zondervan, 2017)
Walking with Jesus through His Word Discovering Christ in All the Scriptures by Dennis E. Johnson (P&R, 2015)
Calvin on the Christian Life
Glorifying and Enjoying God Forever by Michael S. Horton (Crossway Books, 2014)
Visit our campus Bookstore! | wscal.edu/bookstore wscal .e d u
WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN CALIFORNIA 1725 BEAR VALLEY PARKWAY ESCONDIDO, CA 92027 WWW.WSCAL.EDU
M I C H A E L S . H O R TO N | DAV I D VA N D R U N E N | B R YA N D. E S T E L L E S. M. BAUGH | A. CRAIG TROXEL | JOEL E. KIM
JANUARY 17-18, 2020 | WSCAL.EDU/CONFERENCE 32
UPDATE | FALL2019