Midwestern Magazine - Issue 41

BIANNUAL MAGAZINE O F M I D W E S T E R N S E M I N A RY AND SPURGEON COLLEGE

MBTS.EDU THEY STILL SPEAK: WISDOM TODAY FROM THE VOICES OF YESTERDAY

ISSUE 41

ISSUE 41

WINSTON CHURCHILL | CHARLES SPURGEON | HERMAN BAVINCK | PERPETUA | LEMUEL HAYNES | LUCY HUTCHINSON

Residential Education Meets Ministry Experience The Timothy Track: For The Church, With The Church The Timothy Track offers select residential M.Div. students at Midwestern Seminary inthe-field ministry training in a local church context. In addition to their regular studies, students in The Timothy Track spend their first two semesters participating in an internship with one of Midwestern’s partner churches. Plus, along with gaining valuable ministry experience, all Timothy Track students receive a 50% tuition scholarship.

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Midwestern Magazine Issue 41

AT A G L A N C E

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ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT Jenny-Lyn de Klerk

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STUDENT HIGHLIGHT Tyler Holloway

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IN FOCUS Fellowship Kansas City

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FACULTY HIGHLIGHT Geoff Chang

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AROUND CAMPUS A review of news and events

at Midwestern Seminary

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BOOKS IN BRIEF Recent and upcoming

books published by Midwestern faculty and staff

Jason K. Allen

FROM THE PRESIDENT

4 Winston Churchill

Geoff Chang

Jason G. Duesing

John Mark Yeats

ARTICLE

ARTICLE

ARTICLE

8 William Carey

12 Charles Spurgeon

16 Perpetua

Keeping the grand end in view

Looking through the “Prince of Preachers”

20 Lemuel

26 William

30 Lucy

Jared C. Wilson

Michael McMullen

Jenny-Lyn de Klerk

Haynes

Wilberforce

Hutchinson

Standing faithfully for Christ alone

34 Herman

Bavinck & B.B. Warfield

38 Carl

F.H. Henry Jesse M. Payne

Ronni Kurtz

View past issues of MIDWESTERN MAGAZINE at mbts.edu/magazine.

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FROM THE

President JASONKALLEN.COM

he 21st-century church finds itself navigating a rapidly changing culture amidst a rapidly secularizing world. As we do, those Christians best positioned to navigate the future will be those most acquainted with our past. If we ignore church history, we may well repeat the same mistakes of old. If we refuse to learn from it, we will forfeit the immense wisdom available to us through our Christian forebearers. The benefit of looking back to see more clearly into the future is true for all of humanity, but it is especially true for the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is why we have dedicated this issue of the Midwestern Magazine to the wisdom we find when we study history. This issue will examine different figures from history and demonstrate how Christians can still benefit from those figures today. If you are one who thinks history is boring and better forgotten, then I challenge you to read this magazine in full and learn from the rich

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 JASONKEITHALLEN

 JASONKALLEN

stories contained within. If, on the other hand, you enjoy reading history, you’ll doubly enjoy this issue. In either case, read this magazine for your own edification and encouragement.

My prayer is that every reader will come away from these pages wiser, more equipped, and more inspired for whatever may come in the days ahead. Christians have much in the future for which to prepare. Let us look to our past so we are better positioned to seize our future.

Sincerely,

JASON K. ALLEN, PH.D. President Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

ED I T O R’S N O T E ISSUE 41

ADMINISTRATION Jason K. Allen PRESIDENT

Jason G. Duesing PROVOST

James J. Kragenbring

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR

INSTITUTIONAL ADMINISTRATION

Charles W. Smith, Jr.

James 1:17 tells us that every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights. Among his array of underserved gifts, God has given his people the opportunity to listen in on a centuries-old conversation about Christ. This is what attention to church history affords us—an opportunity to eavesdrop on faithful brothers and sisters of the past in order that we might be faithful today. In this, the 41st issue of Midwestern Magazine, we aim to do just that.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR

INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONS

EDITORIAL Dave Wright

VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

AND BRAND STRATEGY

Ronni Kurtz CHIEF EDITOR

Mike Brooks

We hope to traverse the hallways of history in order to take lessons in wisdom from saints-gone-by. Each article in this issue will examine a different figure from church history. The figures represented are wideranging; we will examine systematic theologians, poets, political figures, pastors, missionaries, martyrs, and more. Furthermore, the historical figures in this issue are men and women who span centuries, continents, and languages. The diverse cast comes together with one voice, as a cloud of witnesses, instructing us to press on towards faithfulness in Christ.

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

ART Jason Muir Jon Woods

LAYOUT & DESIGN

Joel Whitson ILLUSTRATION

Daniel Day Kaden Classen Scott Meadows PHOTOGRAPHERS

As always, this issue would not have been possible without the cast of authors, editors, photographers, and designers who put it together.

Serving as chief editor of this magazine is an honor simply because these talented individuals are honorable. For this issue, I particularly want to thank local artist and Midwestern Seminary student, Joel Whitson. We commissioned Joel to hand draw each figure’s portrait and the fruit of his hands enhanced the beauty of the issue multifold.

We pray that the content of this issue, They Still Speak: Wisdom Today from the Voices of Yesterday, leads us all into greater wisdom and faithfulness.

For the glory of God and the good of his people,

© 2021 Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.

5001 N. Oak Trafficway Kansas City, MO 64118 (816) 414-3700 Midwestern Seminary maintains professional and academic accreditation with two accrediting associations: The Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada and The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC).

Ronni Kurtz Chief Editor, Midwestern Magazine Managing Editor, For The Church Assistant Director, Marketing  RonniKurtz

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CHURCHILL and C H U R C H LEADERSHIP

by J A S O N K . A L L E N

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

t first reflection, Winston Churchill and church leadership seem like an odd fit.

In fact, Churchill’s churchmanship was clearly lacking. He famously quipped he was “not a pillar of the church, but a buttress, supporting it from the outside.”

Some Churchill biographers, like Paul Reid, depict Churchill as an agnostic, or something similar.

More charitable assessments, like that of Stephen Mansfield, argue Churchill was—though private about his faith—a believing Christian.

The truth, I believe, lies somewhere in between.

Though we can’t peer into Churchill’s soul, we can read his books and hear his speeches. Moreover, we can familiarize ourselves with his times, his presuppositions, and his inherited and articulated beliefs. Churchill’s embraced worldview—or as Charles Taylor might say, his “social imaginary”— was, indeed, clearly Christian.

Churchill spoke movingly of the Christian faith and of Christian civilization. His speeches were littered with references and allusions to the King James Bible. Most pointedly, he saw the Allied efforts in World War II as an endeavor to preserve Christian civilization.

Among Churchill devotees, assessing the great man’s true spirituality is something of a parlor game. In the final analysis, it’s impossible to know the state of another man’s soul. However, we can see their spiritual fruit, or lack thereof, and draw conclusions accordingly.

Though Churchill’s relationship with Christ is unclear, the fact that God raised him up and used him to save “Christian civilization” isn’t. Churchill’s life and leadership provide key lessons—five in particular—for those who lead, especially those who lead the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

MAINTAIN MORAL CLARITY To be sure, Churchill was a man of his times. He exhibited many of the preferences and prejudices of one who came of age in the late-Victorian era.

He was a committed imperialist, and he, at times, romanticized military conquest. He consumed too much alcohol and had an explosive temper. In short, Churchill was not a bastion of biblical morality.

Yet on the biggest moral question of his age—Adolf Hitler and the rise of Nazism—he was right, early and loudly. However, Churchill’s prophetic accuracy

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cost him. Before his prophetic voice rallied his nation, it alienated them. Before his prophetic warnings brought him the premiership, it sent him to the back bench in the House of Commons.

As William Manchester noted, Churchill was a Manichean. He saw the world, and World War II, as a great struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness. Churchill was amongst the first to discern what most would eventually come to acknowledge—Hitler epitomized the forces of darkness.

officer and served a stint in France near the Front Line.

Even as Prime Minister in World War II, when the air-raid sirens blared over London and others hustled to basements and bomb shelters, Churchill often rushed to the rooftop to watch the air attack as it unfolded. Foolish? Possibly. Needlessly risky?

Perhaps. Courageous? Absolutely.

“Even for the gospel minister, personal courage is indispensable. Ministry is not for the faint of heart.”

Churchill’s prophetic courage throughout the 1930s meant that he was the singular leader with national credibility, and he also demonstrated the personal fortitude necessary to lead his people. When the hour of trial came, so came the man.

Gospel ministers must maintain moral clarity as well. In a more localized sense, their struggle is often good versus evil. Informed by biblical truth, you must have the moral clarity to know right from wrong, truth from error.

Our generation has taken it upon itself to reimagine and reinvent the most basic realities of life, truth, sexuality, marriage, and a host of other issues. From the pulpit, our church members must hear a clear word and, through our leadership, they must see it.

DEVELOP PERSONAL COURAGE If Churchill was anything, he was courageous.

His courage is most often seen in the crucible of the Battle of Britain, but that courage was a lifelong development. As a young man in the British Army, he pursued conflict and rode into battle. As a journalist in the Boer Wars, he knowingly endangered himself, leading to his own capture and daring escape. As a middle-aged man in World War I, after resigning as First Lord of the Admiralty, he became a commissioned

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Churchill’s well-earned reputation of personal courage enhanced his ability to lead his nation and inspire its armed forces. Churchill’s gallantry and valor made him an easy leader to follow into battle.

Regardless of the arena, in times of conflict, courageous leadership is essential. Even for the gospel minister, personal courage is indispensable.

Ministry is not for the faint of heart.

As a general rule, the larger the platform God entrusts to you, the more courageous you must be.

Temptation, criticism, resistance, and accusation will all be known by the faithful minister, and that is in good times. In more severe times, persecution may well be in play.

For the minster, we must not confuse courage with abrasiveness. We are called to be brave, not needlessly belligerent. But we must have the courage of our convictions, and Churchill inspires us toward this end.

CULTIVATE PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY Churchill was indefatigable. Throughout his life, he burned the candle at both ends. While in

office, he often maintained multiple full-time jobs, supplementing his government income by also working as an author and public speaker.

Churchill reflected on how to maximize his own productivity. He broke up his day with an afternoon nap, recharging himself for what amounted to a second workday. Additionally, he maintained hobbies that would rejuvenate him for greater levels of productivity and new seasons of exertion. Churchill observed that one who worked primarily with his mind needed hobbies that used his hands. Along these lines, Churchill took up painting, masonry work, and gardening.

Throughout his life, Churchill threw himself into his work. This was especially true throughout his first stint as Prime Minister during World War II. Though he entered the premiership at the age of 65 and held it the next five years, he outworked men half his age. This pace was indicative of his entire life. Churchill worked productively and sacrificially.

Ministers often get typecast as lazy. Critics suggest they only work on Sundays, envisioning the ministry as a life of leisure. For the faithful minister, nothing could be further from the truth.

Let us incorporate a touch of Churchill into our own lives and ensure that is the case.

STEWARD YOUR WORDS WISELY Like Churchill, the pastor is a communicator.

We preach, teach, and write biblical truth for God’s people. Churchill’s proficiency with words strengthened his people during the darkest hours of the Battle of Britain. In fact, Edward R. Murrow famously observed that Churchill “mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.”

Gospel ministers, too, exercise a stewardship of their words. They speak the oracles of God, trying to rightly preach truth without any mixture of error. The more faithfully and thoughtfully they do so, the more they mobilize the Word of God and send it into battle.

REST IN GOD’S PROVIDENCE Though Churchill’s personal faith in Christ is questionable, his high view of the providence of God is not. In fact, Andrew Roberts’ widely acclaimed biography of Churchill picks up on this theme, so much so that he named his work Churchill: Walking with Destiny.

Nowhere is Churchill’s view of the providence of God more clearly witnessed than in his journal entry the night King George VI invited him to form a government and, in so doing, become Prime Minister. Churchill journaled, “I feel as though I am walking with destiny, and that my whole life has been in preparation for this moment and this trial.”

Churchill sensed God was with him, his people, and the Allied forces. That confidence propelled him forward with the assurance that “in God’s good timing,” they would prevail.

Christian minister, you are walking with destiny, too. If God has called you to be His servant, He is with you. He will lead you. He will protect you. He will accomplish His will through you.

As gospel ministers, we will never be called upon to lead our nation through global conflict. But in the eyes of eternity, we are called upon to do something consequential in its own right: to lead our churches—and the souls who comprise it— through spiritual warfare and to point them to the safe harbor of the Word of God and the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

DR. JASON K. ALLEN | President, Midwestern Seminary & Spurgeon College

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KEEPING the GRAND END IN VIEW:

WILLIAM CAREY

by J A S O N G . D U E S I N G

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e keeps the grand end in view.”

After arriving in India in September 1796, John Fountain used these words to describe his first impressions of William Carey (1761-1834).1 A missionary pioneer, organizer, catalyst, survivor, and inspiration, Carey lived 73 full years and changed the modern world. J. H. Kane argues that Carey’s missions tract, An Enquiry, was “a landmark in Christian history and deserves a place alongside Martin Luther’s Ninety-five Theses.” Carey would not agree with this assessment. In his words, if one were to “give me credit for being a plodder, he will describe me justly. Anything beyond this will be too much. I can plod.”2 Born in a small village to a devout Anglican family, Carey regularly attended church but experienced no major life transformation. By his teens he apprenticed as a shoemaker in a neighboring town and through the persistent witness of his co-worker, John Warr, Carey saw his need for a Savior. Soon after his conversion, he left the Church of England and attended a Congregationalist church while intently reading and studying the Scriptures. When faced with the quandary of defending from the Bible his own infant baptism, Carey sought aid from John Ryland Sr., the pastor of College Lane Baptist

Church in Northampton. In October 1783, Carey received believer’s baptism from the pastor’s son, John Ryland Jr. Shortly thereafter, another pastor encouraged Carey to preach for a small congregation while maintaining his shoemaking trade. By 1785, Carey accepted a vocational pastorate in Moulton.

There he established a friendship with Baptist pastor Andrew Fuller of neighboring Kettering.

During this time, Carey’s regular reading of the voyages of Captain James Cook opened his eyes to the world. In addition, Robert Hall Sr.’s Help to Zion’s Travellers, a doctrinal primer molded from the evangelical theology of Jonathan Edwards and distinct from the hyper-Calvinist climate in England among Baptists, helped shape Carey’s theological thinking more than any other book outside the Bible. With a theology that held the sovereignty of God in balance with the responsibility of man and a growing zeal to see the saving message of the Lord Jesus taken to the ends of the earth, Carey set out to organize his thoughts for accomplishing this task. After wrestling with the Great Commission in Matthew 28, Carey raised the notion of global evangelism at a minister’s meeting in 1785, but was told he “was a most miserable enthusiast for asking

1

“From Mr. Fountain to Mr. Fuller,” November 8, 1796, in Eustace Carey, Memoir of William Carey, D.D. (Jackson and Walford, 1836), 286.

2

E. Carey, Memoir, 623.

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“Studying the life and ministry of William Carey is a wonderful way to encourage present and future Christians in their service to the churches of God.” such a question.” Despite the discouragement, Carey continued to plod.

In 1789, Carey went to pastor the Harvey Lane Church in Leicester. By May 1792 he published An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens, an argument that the Great Commission remained as a mandate for all churches. This was novel in Carey’s day for the accepted understanding was that the Great Commission was fulfilled by the Apostles and no longer applicable to believers.

Carey, instead, read the text plainly and applied what he first learned from Robert Hall’s doctrinal primer to foreign missions. In the Enquiry, Carey answered common objections to the idea of crosscultural evangelism as well as documenting, in detail, the vast numbers of people outside of Christ.

At the next meeting of the Baptist Association, Carey preached a sermon from Isaiah 54 calling for the transmission of the gospel overseas, encouraging his hearers to “Expect great things.

Attempt great things.” Lest one think the staid work of church business meetings are a hindrance for gospel advance, consider that the launch of the most wide-reaching missions movement began in a small free church association meeting following a sermon with the formal passing of a resolution that read, “Resolved, that a plan be prepared against the next Ministers’ meeting at Kettering, for forming a Baptist Society for propagating the Gospel among the Heathen.”

In October 1792, the Baptist Missionary Society was formed, and Carey stepped forward to join

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the first deployment to India. Of that day Fuller recounted, “Our undertaking to India really appeared to me…to be somewhat like a few men, who were deliberating about the importance of penetrating a deep mine…We had no one to guide us; and, while we were thus deliberating, Carey, as it were, said, ‘Well, I will go down if you will hold the rope.’”3 Carey and family arrived in Bengal in November 1793 and endured immediate hardship. In October 1794, the Careys lost their five-year-old son, Peter, to illness, and this tragedy, along with other trials, wreaked havoc on both Careys, especially his wife. Further, the first seven years saw very little spiritual fruit. Writing to his sister in November 1798, Carey said, “No one expects me to write about experience…nor to say anything about the Doctrines of the Gospel, but News, and continual accounts of marvelous things are expected from me. I have however no news to send, and as everything here is the same, no Marvels… at best we scarcely expect to be anything more than Pioneers to prepare the Way for those who, coming after us, may be more useful than we have been.”4 However, in 1799 Carey moved his family to Serampore and joined with two other missionaries, Joshua Marshman and William Ward. Known now as the Serampore Trio, the three established the Serampore Mission and, in 1800, saw their first convert.

While Carey’s legacy grew from there through Bible translation and as the trailblazer for scores of future missionaries, he also impacted the culture and country where he lived. In one

Joseph Belcher, ed., The Complete Works of Rev. Andrew Fuller, Vol. 1 (American Baptist Publication Society, 1845), 68.

“William Carey to Ann Hobson,” November 27, 1798 in Timothy D. Whelan, Baptist Autographs in the John Rylands University Library of Manchester, 1741-1845 (Mercer, 2009), 91-92.

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instance, Carey writes first about observing the practice of suttee [sati], wherein the wife will cast herself on the funeral pyre of her dead husband.

In April 1799, Carey wrote “As I was returning from Calcutta I saw … a Woman burning herself with the corpse of her husband, for the first time in my life …. I asked [the people assembled] what they were met for. They told me to burn the body of a dead man. I inquired if his Wife would die with him, they answered yes, and pointed to the Woman …. I asked them if this was the woman’s choice, or if she were brought to it by an improper influence?

They answered that it was perfectly voluntary. I talked till reasoning was no use, and then began to explain with all my might against what they were doing, telling them it was a shocking Murder…But she in the most calm manner mounted the Pile, and danced on it with her hands extended as if in the utmost tranquility of spirit.”5

Christianity leads one to see the work of God to preserve and expand his church (Matthew 16:18) from generation to generation. God’s plan is bigger than, although it certainly involves, individualized ministries, but as the life of Carey shows, our Lord has designated his churches as the vehicles to carry out the Great Commission. There is no Carey and modern missions movement if a group of cooperating churches did not gather to send him.

But Carey did not give up his advocacy and in December 1829, he wrote, “On the 4th of this month a regulation was passed by The Governor General in Council to forbid the burning or burying alive of Hindu Widows with their husbands. This is a matter of utmost importance and calls for our loudest thanks.”6

William Carey died in 1834, leaving instructions on his tombstone that read, “A wretched, poor, and helpless worm, On thy kind arms I fall.” Despite world-reaching legacy and fame, Carey departed in faithfulness, looking to Jesus, the head of all churches, and the founder and perfecter of his faith (Hebrews 12:2). Carey kept the grand end in view.

Studying the life and ministry of William Carey is a wonderful way to encourage present and future Christians in their service to the churches of God. Indeed, the proper study of the history of

JASON G. DUESING | Provost and Professor of Historical Theology, Midwestern Seminary

“If the study of church history does anything, it should lead one joyfully to see the churches of God as more important than himself.”

Studying church history this way allows the reader to see that the barometer of faithfulness in Christian ministry is judged not by what one may bring as an individual to the work of the kingdom, but rather what one contributes as a servant in the churches of the kingdom, whether known or in obscurity. If the study of church history does anything, it should lead one joyfully to see the churches of God as more important than himself (Philippians 2:3).

William Carey to Ryland, Mudnabati, April 1, 1799, in Terry G. Carter, ed. The Journal and Selected Letters of William Carey (Smyth & Helwys, 2000), 79-80.

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William Carey to Sisters, Dec. 17, 1829, Serampore, in ibid., 84.

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LOOKING THROUGH

SPURGEON

by G E O F F C H A N G

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The Spurgeon Library at Midwestern Seminary is one of the most beautiful spaces on campus, containing 6,000 volumes from C. H. Spurgeon’s library, along with various letters, manuscripts, and historical artifacts related to his life and ministry. But for all that we have here, it is only a small glimpse of his extraordinary life.

Spurgeon pastored the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, a congregation of over 5,000 members, the largest evangelical church in the world in the heart of the British empire.

Throughout his 40 years of pastoral ministry, he preached up to 13 times a week and sold over 50 million sermons. His sermons were translated into nearly 40 languages and distributed throughout the empire and beyond. With the support of his church and his sales proceeds, Spurgeon founded the Pastors’ College, which trained nearly 900 men for pastoral ministry.

These graduates went on to plant or revitalize about 200 churches in Britain alone. But Spurgeon was not only a pastor, preacher, and college president, he was also a philanthropist.

In 1884, one deacon counted 66 charitable ministries operating out of the Tabernacle, including two orphanages, almshouses, a book fund for poor pastors, a clothing bank, street missions, various Sunday Schools for poor children, and more.

It would be easy to regale visitors of the Library with stories of his life and ministry, but to

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merely leave a visitor with a sense of Spurgeon’s greatness would be to miss the point. From the founding of the Spurgeon Library, our goal has been to preserve the life and legacy of C. H. Spurgeon, not that we might look to Spurgeon but through Spurgeon.

THE DANGER OF LOOKING TO SPURGEON For many pastors, Spurgeon’s ministry has taken on a legendary status in their imagination.

After all, which pastor would not want to see thousands converted under his preaching, millions of copies of his sermons published, and the city transformed by his church’s efforts? Of course, such a desire would not necessarily be wrong. However, it is strange when I encounter a reverence for Spurgeon and his methods that border on superstition. I once heard of a pastor who purchased a vial of water (supposedly) from the River Lark where Spurgeon was baptized and used it to “anoint” himself before preaching!1 However, this kind of pragmatic or superstitious view of Spurgeon’s ministry misses the point in two significant ways. First, the power of his

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In full disclosure, we also have a bottle of murky water taken from the River Lark on display at the Spurgeon Library

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ministry laid not in any of his methods but the work of the Holy Spirit. What Spurgeon experienced in his day was nothing less than a Spirit-wrought revival. Certainly, he believed in the Spirit’s use of means, like the preaching of the Word and the consecration of the preacher.

But Spurgeon rejected all worldly pragmatism that compromised the purity of the church and the truth of the Word. Despite the many self-anointed revivalists of his day, Spurgeon repudiated the idea that a revival could be manufactured. Instead, he believed that every conversion was a miracle effected by God’s sovereign grace through the gospel.

who he was and what he accomplished. Instead, our goal should be to look through Spurgeon.

THE GIFT OF LOOKING THROUGH SPURGEON When I was deciding what to work on for my doctoral dissertation, one of my mentors encouraged me to study Spurgeon—“Edification guaranteed!” It turns out he was right. I could not think of a better way to spend four years than reading Spurgeon’s sermons and writings.

However, to my surprise, it was not just his teaching that I found encouraging. I was encouraged and challenged by his life just as much.

Looking through Spurgeon means seeing in Spurgeon a model of faithfulness.

This does not mean growing “Spurgeon rejected all worldly pragmatism a beard or mimicking his that compromised the purity of the church personality. Rather, it means obeying Paul’s command to and the truth of the Word.” imitate our leaders as they imitate Christ. As a pastor who Second, we must not forget that Spurgeon was a preached week after week, conducted membership needy sinner like every one of us. He confessed interviews, counseled members, led his elders and to his struggle with pride. As he took on more deacons, practiced church discipline, trained other projects, he became overworked and struggled pastors, experienced opposition, and much more, to delegate his responsibilities. He was not Spurgeon provides for pastors today a partner and always careful in his choice of words. Not mentor in ministry, who modeled faithfulness only that, but Spurgeon dealt with all kinds of amid many challenges. suffering. Due to the tremendous pressure, he battled with depression and other psychological Of course, not only pastors but all Christians can trauma from his ministry. Throughout his life, benefit from looking through Spurgeon. For those he dealt with gout, kidney stones, smallpox, who will take time to read his many sermons and many other ailments. In other words, and books, what they will see first and foremost Spurgeon did not see himself as some kind of is Spurgeon’s Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. superman. Rather, he was deeply aware of his In his first sermon in the newly constructed need for God’s sustaining grace. This, perhaps, Metropolitan Tabernacle, Spurgeon declared: was the secret to his ministry: not his strength, but weakness. These struggles forced him to I would propose that the subject of the depend on God in prayer every moment he got ministry of this house, as long as this up to preach. platform shall stand, and as long as this house shall be frequented by worshippers, To merely look to Spurgeon is actually to shall be the person of Jesus Christ. I am never misunderstand the most fundamental things about ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist…I do not

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VISIT THE “To merely look to Spurgeon is actually to misunderstand the most fundamental things about who he was and what he accomplished. Instead, our goal should be to look through Spurgeon.”

SPURGEON L I B R A RY AT M I D W E S T E R N S E M I N A R Y

The Spurgeon Library at Midwestern Seminary hesitate to take the name of Baptist…but if I am asked to say what is my creed, I think I must reply—“It is Jesus Christ.”

and Spurgeon College holds Charles Spurgeon’s personal library. The Library has numerous annotated

This is why Spurgeon remains so relevant in our day. He did not merely address the contemporary issues of his day, but he preached the eternal gospel. Though dead, he still speaks, and he points all Christians to the riches found in Jesus Christ.

volumes with his personal handwriting along with a number of personal artifacts.

The Spurgeon Library is also a working library with places for

The story is told that on one occasion, a group of American pastors decided to travel to London in the 1880s and they decided to hear the two greatest preachers of their day. One Sunday, they went to a prominent church in London, with a congregation of over 3,000 members. The Americans were struck by the preaching, and they left marveling and saying, “What a great preacher! What a great preacher!” The following Sunday, the pastors went to the Metropolitan Tabernacle to hear Spurgeon preach. This time, they left, marveling and proclaiming, “What a great Savior! What a great Savior!” In this, Spurgeon sets a worthy goal for all of our ministries. May we help others look not to us, but through us, to see our great Savior.

students and friends to study.

LEARN MORE

Spurgeon.org

GEOFF CHANG | Assistant Professor of Church History and Historical Theology; Curator of the Spurgeon Library

Learn more about THE SPURGEON LIBRARY at spurgeon.org.

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MINE WAS THE VICTORY PERPETUA

by J O H N M A R K Y E A T S

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The jeers from the crowd in the arena were overwhelming as Perpetua and her friends quickly took in the sights and smells from the Carthage arena.

This was it. Their moment.

A few weeks prior, new believers gathered for worship and fellowship. Perpetua, a 22-year-old, wealthy, married woman who had recently given birth, joined with her friends Saturninus, Secundulus, Revocatus, and Felicitas. Given the cultural moment, they were well aware they were under the watchful eye of the magistrate and asked the church to baptize them. A few days after boldly declaring their faith in Christ in the water, soldiers came and arrested the members of their small group and took them away to their death.

In one of the earliest testimonies written by a woman, Perpetua kept a journal of her time in prison. She records how her father came and pled with her to think of her son, her mother, and her family. Could she not simply renounce Christ for the sake of her family?

Pointing to a simple water pitcher in her cell, she asked, “Can it be called by any other name than that which it is?”

He answered in the negative.

“So neither can I call myself anything other than that which I am, a Christian,” Perpetua replied. With this response, her father left her and Perpetua steeled herself for her impending judgement from the magistrates.

The day of sentencing came. Perpetua and her friends were marched along with other Christians to the public forum. The tribunal attracted a large crowd and, one by one, the Christians were asked to renounce Christ.

None did. Person by person, they confessed Christ alone as their Lord and King.

As Perpetua moved toward the front of the line, she saw her father who began again to plead with her to renounce her new-found faith and offer the sacrifice to the prosperity of the Emperor. As Perpetua stood before the tribunal, she confidently declared, “I am a Christian!”

With her public confession joining the chorus of other believers being judged that day, the governor sentenced them to death in the arena—to be put to death by beasts at games in celebration of the Emperor’s birthday.

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Perpetua records that they all “went cheerfully back into the dungeon” to await the fateful day.

Perpetua records moments of intense prayer both alone and along with the other believers as they waited. They fellowshipped and encouraged each other in their faith. In answer to their prayers, Felicitas gave birth to the child she was carrying when they were arrested. They found favor with the soldiers who managed the prison and many of them came to faith in Christ.

Perpetua’s journal finishes with an amazing dream where she fights and defeats a great warrior in the very arena where she was scheduled to die the following day. As she awoke from her dream, an overwhelming sense of peace flooded her. “I understood that I should fight, not with beasts but against the devil,” she stated. But her final words betrayed her full confidence in Christ.

“I knew that mine was the victory,” she wrote.

The next morning, as an editor picks up the story, Perpetua and her friends were escorted into the arena in Carthage. As they entered, they strode with confidence—like gladiatorial champions onto the competition floor. Perpetua sang, conveying the joy she felt as part of the chosen Bride of Christ. As she and her comrades stood once again before the tribunal, they confessed Christ together and prophetically spoke to the governor how the Lord would judge him. Soldiers were summoned and the believers were whipped for their insolence in addressing the governor.

After their scourging, animals were released into the arena to the delight of the spectators. Perpetua

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and Felicitas were knocked down by an enraged bull, but both encouraged each other and stood back up. According to the narrative, Perpetua fixed her hair and her torn clothing before the next assault, demonstrating her composure even in the midst of the chaos of the arena.

Eventually, as the beasts wore out, the surviving believers were brought to the middle of the arena near the bodies of their friends. They gave each other the traditional kiss of peace, the greeting they would have used at church, and the soldiers ran them through. Perpetua, pierced between the ribs, cried out in a loud gasp. The young soldier who ran her through looked frightened as he retracted his sword, but Perpetua, looking him straight in the eyes, guided his shaking sword to her throat and he completed her martyrdom.

The account of the Martyrdom of Perpetua is an incredibly special narrative that records the boldness of a woman of faith—something the culture could not comprehend. The fact that the claims of Christ superseded everything— wealth, social status, and even family—provided a testimony to the truth of Christianity that reverberated well beyond the provincial confines of North Africa. As spectacular as the death of Perpetua in AD 203 was, it was simply yet one more voice in a growing choir of men and women of all ages choosing Christ above all.

Stories like that of Perpetua and her friends may seem distant and remote, but we can find encouragement even for our own day within the lives of those who journeyed before us. As I walk through this narrative with my students, we tend to find some threads that are key for believers of any era:

“Stories like that of Perpetua and her friends may seem distant and remote, but we can find encouragement even for our own day within the lives of those who journeyed before us.”

1.

Discipleship and small groups have always mattered. Perpetua’s arrest came on the heels of her meeting with a small group as part of her catechumenate training. This discipleship structure took place to help new believers deepen in their faith before becoming members of the local church. Their church still functions in the background of the narrative as deacons come and visit, secure better care for them in prison, and help ensure Perpetua’s child has every need met. But it is together, this small band of believers encouraged each other in the faith prior to imprisonment, during imprisonment, standing before the tribunal, and even on the battlefield of the arena.

2.

Christians bend the knee to no one except Christ. Perpetua’s father pled multiple times with her to simply cave momentarily to the demands of the authorities. For her father, if Perpetua would perform the meaningless cultural ritual, she could be free. She could even choose Christ again once she was out of prison. In the narrative, Perpetua’s father never understood her devotion to Christ nor her commitment to follow Him above all others.

3. Finally, personal identity is abandoned to Christ. In The Acts of Perpetua and Felicitas,

the claim by Perpetua to her father, “I am a Christian,” echoes the broader Acta Martyrum.

In these accounts, Christians, when asked for their identity, refused to give their name as anything other than “Christian.” They understood their personal identity was defined by nothing else save for Christ. How fitting in our day when culture presses us to define ourselves by multiple labels. In the narrative, we are told of the social status of Perpetua (wealthy) and Felicitas (slave), but neither of these define them. Rather, in Christ, they transcend the cultural markers laying claim to their one Lord. For the early church, there was only one identity—Christ.

As men and women who follow Christ, our hope in the 21st century is no different from those in the first or third century. May we stand faithfully in Christ alone.

JOHN MARK YEATS | Professor of Church History; Vice President of Student Services; Dean of Students and Student Success; and Title IX Coordinator, Midwestern Seminary

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IS IT SEASONABLE? LEMUEL HAYNES & BIBLICAL JUSTICE

by J A R E D C . W I L S O N

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Lemuel Haynes is one of the most significant figures in American (and church) history that most people have never heard of.1 Born July 18 in 1753 the son of a black man and a white woman, Haynes was abandoned by his parents in the home of a family friend who sold the infant Haynes into indentured servitude. By the providential hand of God, however, young Lemuel was placed into a devoutly Christian home, whereby all accounts, including his own, he was treated as a member of the family.

Growing up in colonial Vermont, Haynes worked hard and studied hard, proving himself quite adept at intellectual pursuits despite mostly needing to self-teach. He has affectionately been called a “disciple of the chimney-corner,” as that is where he would spend most evenings after work, reading and memorizing while other children were out playing or engaging in other diversions.

Haynes’ commitment to theology began in that chimney corner, and eventually he was born again. Not long after his conversion, he turned his followship of Christ and his intellectual bent into a serious endeavor to write and preach. An oft-told anecdote about Haynes concerns a scene of family devotions at the Rose household, where he was indentured. Given his adeptness at reading

and his deep concern for spiritual matters, the Rose family would often ask Haynes to read a portion of Scripture or a published sermon. One night, Haynes read one of his own without credit.

At the end, members of the family remarked at its quality and wondered, “Was that a Whitefield?”

“No,” Haynes is said to have replied. “It was a Haynes.”

The few sermons we have from Lemuel Haynes prove he was an exceptional expositor in the Puritan tradition, similar to an Edwards or Whitefield, simpler than the former but more substantive than the latter. And yet, what Haynes may lack in eloquence compared to his contemporaries, he more than makes up for in biblicism and applicational insight.

Officially licensed to preach in 1780 by the Congregational Association, Haynes soon thereafter preached his first public sermon (on Psalm 96). Ordained in 1785, Haynes later received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Middlebury College.

Haynes was a theologian of the New Light school, or the “New Divinity.” He was also a patriot—he enlisted in the Continental Army in 1776 and marched with colonial troops to Ticonderoga, among other assignments. His military service was no mere distraction or aimless diversion but representative of his heartfelt affection for the

Historian Richard Newman unabashedly called him “the most significant Black man in America prior to the emergence of Frederick Douglass.”

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American experiment. He was described thusly by his first biographer, Timothy Mather Cooley: “In principle, he was a disciple of [George] Washington.”

A CONCERN FOR JUSTICE The theme of justice appears in Haynes’s earliest writing, including a poem he wrote in 1775 on “The Battle of Lexington,” in which we find these somber lines, written while Haynes pondered soldiers’ tombs: “We rather seek these silent Rooms / Than live as Slaves to You.”

These two most significant truths about Haynes’s philosophical convictions—his Puritan theology and his American patriotism—were the two most powerful drivers in his life and ministry. He did not see these viewpoints as contrary, but as complements.

Haynes believed, for instance, “Haynes believed that the abolition of slavery was not that the abolition of slavery was just a true move of human righteousness in reflection not just a true move of human of the real belief in the Providence of God but also the righteousness in reflection of the real belief in the Providence of truest form of faith in the American experiment.”

God but also the truest form of faith in the American experiment.

And what kind of preacher was Lemuel Haynes? Biographer Timothy Mather Cooley remarks that “Never did he wait to inquire whether a particular doctrine was popular. His only inquiries were, ‘Is it true? Is it profitable? Is it seasonable?’”

Thus, in Haynes’ work, we may have a model for preaching to divisive politico-cultural contexts today. While we no longer struggle with legalized slavery in America, we are nevertheless still torn over political and cultural issues of justice, human relations, and related concerns.

At once a Christian may feel drawn toward a sub-gospel approach to justice issues, in which doctrine takes a back seat to human concerns of flourishing and liberation, or equally drawn toward a non-applicational theology that divorces the gospel from its social implications.

Right now in American evangelicalism we are experiencing a great balkanization, some of which involves fracture lines along issues of social justice or racial reconciliation. One would think we would be beyond the concerns addressed in more rudimentary terms in colonial America, but here we are. Our preaching must take the timeless Word into our troubled world.

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Haynes’ earliest known sermon was a familial homily on John 3:3. With its simple division of commentary and application, the astute reader can see how, in the application stage especially, Haynes is already thinking of the import of the gospel to the social contexts of those reborn. “Have we got that universal benevolence which is the peculiar characteristic of a good man?” he asks.

Elsewhere in that sermon, he connects love for God with benevolence to man, which is the essence of biblical justice. This earliest sermon of Lemuel Haynes demonstrates his early infatuation with the impact of the spiritual kingdom of Christ here in this world.

A later Haynes sermon titled “The Prisoner Released” was inspired by a peculiar “true crime”-type episode of which Haynes found himself at the center. This sermon includes some of Haynes’ most direct words to a Christian congregation on Providence and justice. For instance, consider the import of this claim: “Every decision is dictated by infinite wisdom and infinite goodness: he can by no means clear the guilty or condemn the innocent. ‘God will judge the people with perfect equity, and justice

and judgment are the habitation of his throne,’ Psal. lxxxix.,14.”

As justice is discussed, however, the focus is always on the cross. Haynes even contrasts human justice with the Lord’s. Haynes writes, “The emancipation granted by human courts is only a reprieve of the body for years, months, or days— perhaps hours or moments...But the act of the Almighty frees the soul from the terrors of the first and second death.”

Justice is also the largest concern of what is now Haynes’ second most popular written work, the essay “Liberty Further Extended.” Richard Newman has called it “the most important discovery of Black writing in this century.”2 In this remarkable early political discourse, Haynes argues on the grounds of both biblical theology and natural law that the enslavement of the African and the employment of slavery in the American colonies is a sin against both God and mankind and ought to be ended.

In it Haynes writes: “Liberty is a jewel which was handed down to man from the cabinet of heaven.”

In this essay, Haynes argues that “Liberty, and freedom, is an innate principle, which his unmovably placed in the human species” and that “those privileges that are granted to us by the Divine Being, no one has the least right to take them from us without our consent.”

Haynes further cites the Golden Rule as the purest conception of a system of law and argues that the proliferation of slavery taints the potency of Christian mission. It is an inelegant essay in style and grammar, but Haynes’ elegant theology shines through as he declares that human beings are pronounced innately free by “the immutable Laws of God, and indefeasible Laws of nature.”

In his lesser-known political essay, “The Influence of Civil Government on Religion,” Haynes’ interest

2

in justice marches on. “He that ruleth over men must be just,” he writes, “ruling in the fear of God.” He also goes on to explicitly connect divine justice to civil justice and he applies the Scriptures to the politico-cultural context of the time.

While these latter writings from Haynes are not sermons, nor are they directly written for an explicitly religious audience, the doctrinal foundation of “Liberty Further Extended,” and even its pointed approach to persuasion, would prove recurring features of Haynes’ sermons. The major themes of Providence and justice are here in bald form, even as they would later appear latent in his preaching.

In his sermon “Divine Decrees,” Haynes makes some of his most explicit connections between divine righteousness and social justice. In his concluding remarks in the sermon, he writes: There is no external duty that is spoken of in Scripture that is so evidential of our love to God as imparting a portion to the necessities of the souls and bodies of men. It will be publicly held up at the day of judgment, as a test of the sincerity of the righteous: “For I was an hungry [sic], and ye gave me meat.”

A PASSIONATE “RIGHT-SIZING” OF POLITICS How strong was Haynes’ interest in political matters? This is a subject of some debate even today.

Cooley mentions that Haynes indicated a disinterest and even distaste for politics, reprinting a letter in which Haynes writes: “Dissensions about politics have had an unfavourable influence on religion as they have greatly tended to alienate the affections of the people from each other, at least in many towns in the state.” In a subsequent letter, he mentions that he feels reluctant to mention political subjects

Richard Newman, Lemuel Haynes: A Bio-Bibliography (New York: Lambeth Press, 1984), 4.

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in his sermons, and still later that he believed “political distraction...has extinguished the flame” of revival in his church.

Haynes never seemed overtly political in his sermons. However, he did not seem to eschew politics at all. He merely seemed to make a conscious effort to devote his explicitly political remarks to explicitly political arenas. In addition to his published work against slavery and the like, there are numerous quips and secondhand recollections regarding his political viewpoints.

In his foreword to Saillant’s historical analysis of Haynes, Mechal Sobel notes, for instance, Haynes’ opposition to the War of 1812, calling it “unjust.”3 But Haynes’ political thinking seemed less a diversionary interest in power or sport and more a part of his thoroughgoing concern for justice. It pervades his sermons, his essays, and his letters.

He seemed to believe that no matter his audience, the politico-cultural context of his day required some instruction in how God’s holiness impacts our ways with each other.

HAYNES AND RACISM Richard Newman’s curious “bio-bibliography”

of Haynes includes a biographical sketch that gathers some important evidential reminders that to be black in early American history, no matter the political or cultural context of your immediate surroundings, was inevitably to suffer racism. As an example, Mechal Sobel notes the responses to Haynes’ famous homiletical riposte to the universalist Hosea Ballou: There were several published attempts to answer Haynes’ sermon, but these are of interest now more for the racist aspect of their polemic than for the theological importance of their arguments. David Pickering...spoke of Haynes, “between the shade of whose mind, and whose external surface, there exists such a striking similarity,” and explained the joke in a footnote: “The author of the discourse in question is a coloured man.” In Joseph H. Ellis’ A Reply to Haynes’ Sermon, the devil was pointedly referred to as “this black gentleman,” “his complexion is as dark as ever,” etc.4 Scholar Richard Brown situates Haynes in the midst of a “complexity of whites’ attitudes toward blacks in the New England of the early republic.”5

Mechal Sobel, “Foreword,” in Black Preacher to White America: The Collected Writings of Lemuel Haynes, 1774-1833, ed. by Richard Newman (Brooklyn: Carlson, 1990), ix.

3

4

Ibid., 14.

Richard D. Brown, “‘Not Only Extreme Poverty, but the Worst Kind of Orphanage’: Lemuel Haynes and the Boundaries of Racial Tolerance on the Yankee Frontier, 1770-1820,” The New England Quarterly 61, no 4 (December 1998), 504.

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That is Haynes’ politico-cultural context: a complex society of conflicting convictions about non-whites. It was unavoidable for him in lilywhite Vermont. Brown even mines the story of Haynes’ courtship and eventual marriage to his wife, who was white, for evidence of the racial animus at work in Haynes’ own life.

Historian John Saillant examined Haynes’ views of divine Providence in relation to the slavery issue and claims that Haynes, “in decrying the slaveholders’ and slave traders’ selfishness,” was merely “echoing” his teachers in the New Divinity.

In the end, Saillant sees in Haynes a sort of protoLiberation Theology, which is unfortunate given Haynes’ theological commitments. His gospel is not a social gospel, but it is certainly a gospel with social dimensions.

CONCLUSION How might we best preach to our divisive, volatile, polarizing politico-cultural contexts, and what can Lemuel Haynes teach us about that?

I believe there is a great opportunity here to do a great service to church history and also to the work of preaching the gospel and the mission of God in the world. Lemuel Haynes’ writing is

indeed a great resource to this end. He was a black preacher in a white world.

Haynes was certainly a man of his time, and he knew that his times called for a certain kind of preaching. Indeed, he knew that all times call for the gospel-centered kind of preaching. Yet applying the eternal gospel to the particular times was of keen interest. As Saillant writes, “His sense of blackness was articulated in a drive to unearth historical and theological meanings pertinent to the situation of blacks...”6 He puts it in broader perspective elsewhere thusly: the “antislavery stand became part of a larger pattern of social protest against the modernizing and liberalizing tendencies of late eighteenth-century New England.”7 Our contexts might be different, but our concerns should be the same. What does the Scripture say about this context? What does the Scripture say, timelessly, to these times? We ought to ask of our own preaching what, according to Timothy Mather Cooley, Haynes asked of his own: “Is it seasonable?”

JARED C. WILSON | Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry, Spurgeon College

John Saillant, Black Puritan, Black Republican: The Life and Thought of Lemuel Haynes, 1753-1833 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), 20.

6

John Saillant, “Lemuel Haynes and the Revolutionary Origins of Black Theology, 1776-1801,” Religion and American Culture 2, no 1 (Winter 1992), 82.

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An

AGENT of USEFULNESS:

WILLIAM WILBERFORCE

by M I C H A E L D . M c M U L L E N

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T

he story of William Wilberforce is fairly well-known, especially since the renaissance of popular interest in him birthed by the movie “Amazing Grace.” But it is his spirituality, his personal walk with Christ, that is less known or appreciated. We learn much of this primarily from his own Spiritual Journals, which I will publish for the first time later this year, with Christian Focus Publishers.

William Wilberforce was born in Hull, England in 1759, the son of a wealthy merchant, enjoying all the privileges that wealth and position afforded him. He became a member of Parliament but until his evangelical conversion in 1785/6, he had no real driving passion except pleasure. Once converted Wilberforce would never be the same.

He was counseled and mentored by the likes of John Newton and John Wesley, and soon became the leader of the parliamentary campaign for the abolition of slavery. He saw the slave trade abolished at age 47, and slavery itself at age 73, dying only three days after it was achieved.

In his initial speech on slavery and abolition that he gave to Parliament in 1789 he said, “When I consider the magnitude of the subject and when I think at the same time on the weakness of the advocate who has undertaken this great cause, when these reflections press upon my mind, it is impossible for me not to feel both terrified and concerned at my own inadequacy to such a task. As soon as ever I had arrived this far in my investigation…I confess…so enormous, so dreadful did its wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for the abolition… let the consequences be what they would, I from this time determined that I would never rest till I had effected its abolition.”

I am convinced that his words, passion, drive, and character are needed now more than ever, especially when one thinks, for example, of such issues as abortion and human trafficking. At the same time, I believe Wilberforce has been a massively neglected Christian voice, that, as JI Packer rightly stated, we would be foolish to neglect: “William Wilberforce was a great man who impacted the Western world as few others have done. Blessed with brains, charm, influence and initiative, much wealth…he put evangelism on Britain’s map as a power for social change. To forget such men is foolish.”

As a believer, Wilberforce reflected much on his walk with Christ, especially his prayer life, and in all his self-assessment and introspection, he was his own worst critic. His very detailed journals were his way of keeping a detailed check on his life, character, and spirituality. He loved to read Scripture, learning much of it by heart and in Greek. His constant fear and battle was that people might see him as he saw himself, a man constantly failing in his own spiritual life.

He loved to read, so when he was unable to do so because of his eye disease, or when he was getting ready in the morning, he hired ‘readers’ to read Scripture and Christian books to him— these became the equivalent of 18th century podcasts for him.

Wilberforce recorded in his Diary that God had set before him “two great objects”: the abolition of the slave trade and the reformation of manners— an incredible Christian impact on the culture of his day. Pursuing those became his focus for the rest of his life: he sacrificially gave all he had— time, wealth and health—and never took the easy road. Wilberforce became a very active, involved,

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determined, and sold-out Evangelical at the very time he was needed, and he never gave up! When the opposition he faced was fiercest, he simply relied all the more on Christ.

Wilberforce had powerful enemies and he experienced actual physical assaults, in addition to receiving several death threats, necessitating him traveling with an armed bodyguard. He had numerous lies told about him, including that he had secretly married a black slave and had children by her. He also battled the sickness and frailty of his own body, which included Ulcerative Colitis, a genetic and debilitating eye disease, an opium addiction because of the pain, and a painful curvature of the spine.

Wilberforce was generous to a fault, illustrated by the fact that because he was unable to fire servants when they became old or infirm, his house soon resembled an unofficial retirement home. He also funded so many causes, much of it done without fanfare or public knowledge. In the end Wilberforce died in a house that was not his own, having been forced to sell what he had owned to pay debts that were not his but those of his son, William Jr. Wilberforce assembled around him or, maybe more accurately, attracted a group around him that would become his encouragers, mentors, supporters, and enablers in all the causes he championed. This ‘Clapham Circle’ believed exactly what Wilberforce wrote in his only book Real Christianity, that, “It is the true duty of every man to promote the happiness of his fellow creatures to the utmost of his power.” Little wonder then that Wilberforce was always looking for ways to share Christ with friends and influencers.

He was also an incredible family man who loved his children and loved kids generally, being described by several who knew him as childlike but never childish! He chose a wife with a similaroutlook as he—a committed Evangelical—that

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they might encourage each other and bring up their children in a house of faith. He was 37; Barbara was 26. He proposed after only eight days and they were married within a few weeks, and so began in his own words, “thirty-five years of undiluted happiness.” Within a decade they had four sons and two daughters and he was devoted to all seven of them! Guests were amazed as the children treated him as one of them, as he joined in their various games: marbles, Blindman’s Buff and running races, and all this in a day when fathers rarely even saw their children.

“I am convinced that his words, passion, drive, and character are needed now more than ever, especially when one thinks for example of such issues as abortion and human trafficking.”

His family and the cause of abolition took much of his time, but he was also very active pursuing the second of his “great objects,” impacting society with the gospel. He was an active creator, member, leader, or supporter of at least 69 very active societies. He campaigned for the poor, for chimney sweeps, the uneducated, and for children in mines and factories. He helped found the Church Missionary Society, the British and Foreign Bible Society, and the London Missionary Society, which would send Eric Liddle to China and Livingstone to Africa.

He sacrificially supported dozens of evangelical and humanitarian institutions including fever hospitals, asylums, infirmaries, and prisons.

He founded schools for the deaf and the blind, lending libraries, and schools for the poor. He helped to found the School for the Blind in York, the National Gallery in London, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution—all four of which are still flourishing. He financially

supported the artist William Blake; Patrick Bronte through school; Mrs. Charles Wesley in her widowhood; and many missionary and ministry candidates who were too poor to finance themselves.

Within hours of his death, more than 100 highprofile figures in Britain, wrote to request the highest honour Britain can afford someone, that they be buried in Westminster Abbey, and there he lies today.

As we reflect on his life and impact, we should see Wilberforce as being an example for believers today that we should: • give our all to Christ: time, talents, and treasure.

• use every opportunity to share the gospel.

• discern God’s direction for our lives, and be obedient to whatever we are called to do, including the very important work of politics.

• seek out mentors, encouragers, prayerwarriors, and accountability partners.

• expect opposition and suffering.

• repent as soon as we fail, then continue to follow God. • nurture a Christian home and family.

• be generous and a blessing to all.

• be winsome.

• never give up, and having done all, to stand.

• be faithful in meeting with other believers for worship.

• read and memorize Scripture, and read challenging and encouraging Christian books.

Wilberforce referred to himself an “Agent of Usefulness.” What an understatement that turned out to be!

MICHAEL D. McMULLEN | Professor of Church History, Editor, Midwestern Journal of Theology

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LUCY HUTCHI

LEARNING CHURCH COMMITMENT

from

Lucy Hutchinson

by J E N N Y- LY N D E K L E R K

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One of the greatest benefits of learning from Christians in past eras is that it changes you as a person.

Thus, even if you can explain who historical figures were and what they did, you know in your heart that this explanation is a bit of a sad attempt to paint a picture of real humans who, like yourself, are just too complex and wonderful to describe in words. If I attempted to write what I have learned from the Puritan author, poet, and theologian Lucy Hutchinson, I could not perfectly communicate all that it entails. The best advice I could give is to read her yourself, and be changed yourself, and yet, I have to try.

I think on a regular basis about how Hutchinson fully appreciated the importance of committing to care for the church despite its weaknesses, and how she had a deep sense of personal responsibility to do this as a lay person and mother. This comes through best in her theological treatise, “On the Principles of the Christian Religion,” which Hutchinson wrote

for her daughter Barbara, after she married and moved away to start an independent life as an adult in order to reinforce her love bond with the church. Something that parents today may take less seriously, Hutchinson lost sleep over, as she described this document as: “a testimony of my best and most tender love to you who cannot consider the age and temptations you are cast upon without great thoughts of heart and earnest prayers for you.”1 Yet, she was not only concerned for Barbara but also Barbara’s own children and employees, to whom Hutchinson instructed her to pass the faith. Interestingly, Hutchinson wrote this document during the most burdensome time of her life, when, after her husband died, she was left to secure financial stability for herself and her children.

It is remarkable to think about how Hutchinson wrote her most theologically technical document

Hutchinson, “On the Principles of the Christian Religion,” in The Works of Lucy Hutchinson, vol. 2, Theological Writings and Translations, part 1: Introductions and Texts, ed. Elizabeth Clarke, David Norbrook, Jane Stevenson (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018), 2:193.

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for this purpose and at this time, and it is equally striking to see how, in it, she continually recognized both the difficulties of church life and the necessity of maintaining love between fellow believers.

For example, she told Barbara: Sects are a greate sinne and Christians ought all to liue in the vnity of the spiritt and though it cannot be but that offences will come in the Church yet woe be to them by whom they come. It is the Apostles rule that wee should not haue the faith of Christ with respect of persons and he warns vs that wee should not follow them further then they are followers of Christ Loue is the bond of perfectnesse and they that breake the Communion of saints walke not charitably and will be accountable to God for it...In his name therefore I beg of you to study and exercise vniversall loue to euery member of Christ vnder what denomination soeuer you find them.2 Elsewhere, in one of her statements of faith, she similarly affirmed that the catholic church is made up of believers who are united by the same Spirit and love and added, “all whose true members vnder what errors or weaknesses souer they be I desire to owne as brethren and sisters in Christ and to exercise towards them all offices of charity.”3 Hutchinson claimed that though the visible church contains true believers and hypocrites, it is so beneficial to meet together that each member is required to uphold this as best they can. Thus, she also suggested that it was convenient for Christians in the same neighbourhood to gather together, since they had

2

Hutchinson, ‘Principles,’ Works, 2:191.

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Hutchinson, ‘My owne faith and attainment,’ Works, 2:119.

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“The truth is, before 2020, there were many things that threatened to loosen our love bond with the church, and there will be in years to come.” so many opportunities to care for one another in practical ways by living near each other.

After almost one year of being prevented from fulfilling some of our regular duties of meeting together as believers, the goodness of coming together, taking care of one another, and owning each other as family despite weaknesses, rings true from Hutchinson’s writings. The truth is, before 2020, there were many things that threatened to loosen our love bond with the church, and there will be more in years to come.

What Hutchinson inspires me to do is recognize my own neediness for these people, renew my commitment to them, and encourage others to do the same—through personal contact or other ways—whether it be those in my own local congregation, those in my neighbourhood who are part of a different denomination, or those who live in other areas of the world, who are perhaps suffering or are in danger. Whatever difficulties and temptations arise this year, I hope you can think of Hutchinson as your own mother, a spiritual one, pleading with you to walk charitably instead of becoming lax or finding excuses to argue and divide.

JENNY-LYN DE KLERK | Puritan Project assistant at Regent College in Vancouver and Assistant editor for Books at a Glance

Earn Your Ph.D. for the Church All of our Ph.D. programs, including historical theology and biblical studies, are offered in residential and modular formats.

The Ph.D. program at Midwestern Seminary provides opportunities for advanced research and preparation in theology in an environment passionate about the local church. Choose from multiple emphases, benefit from competitive tuition rates and, with our modular program of study, you can remain in your current ministry setting.

Take the next step.

mbts.edu/phd

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A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

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B AV I N C K & WA R F I E L D :

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he year 2021 marks the centennial anniversary of the passing of two titans of theology—Herman Bavinck and Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield.

The two theologians—one American and one Dutch—helped shape a generation of theologians behind them. While Warfield was three years Bavinck’s elder, the two great Christian thinkers both passed in 1921—Warfield in February and Bavinck in July.

Death Comes to Princeton and Amsterdam In a letter written to his mother, J. Gresham Machen wrote of Warfield’s death noting, “It

seemed to me that the old Princeton—a great institution it was—died when Dr. Warfield was carried out.”1 It was at this “great institution” that Warfield served as professor of polemic and didactic theology for 34 years. While there, the great American theologian trained thousands of students, wrote hundreds of periodicals and articles, and spent many of his days promoting orthodoxy. However, on February 17th, 1921, The New York Times reported Warfield, “died suddenly at his home last night”2 and the earthly chapter of the “Lion of Princeton” came to a close.

Unlike his Dutch counterpart, Abraham Kuyper, Herman Bavinck intended to die quietly. He did not want a news spectacle nor major commotion.

As recent biographer, James Eglinton, points out, even Bavinck’s tombstone has a kind of simplicity,

J. Gresham Machen to Mary Gresham Machen, February 20, 1921 (Machen Archives, Westminster Theological Seminary) quoted from Stephen J. Nichols, “The Vital Processes of Controversy: Warfield, Machen, and Fundamentalism,” B.B. Warfield: Essays on His Life and Thought, ed. Gary L.W. Johnson (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007), 192.

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“Dr. B.B. Warfield Dead” The New York Times, February 18, 1921.

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“Against the modern stream of theology proper in his day, Bavinck emphasized and articulated classical doctrines such as immutability, simplicity, aseity, impassability, and the like.”

reading only, “Dr. H. Bavinck, b. 13 Dec. 1854, d. 29 July 1921.” Eglinton suggests that an appropriate addition, and one that demonstrates just how grand a character Bavinck was, would be: “Here lies a dogmatician, an ethicist, an educational reformer, a pioneer in Christian psychology, a politician, a biographer, a journalist, a Bible translator, a campaigner for women’s education, and eventually, the father, father-in-law, and grandfather of heroes and martyrs in the antiNazi resistance movement.”3

Who God is and How He is to be Studied: Appreciation for Bavinck and Warfield Given the significance of Bavinck and Warfield’s academic ministry, a multi-volume project detailing their role in advancing theological wisdom would not suffice. Therefore, it is a near maddening task to outline a word of appreciation for these two titans of theology in a brief article.

For the sake of brevity, I have decided to highlight one way each man has aided my theological development in hopes of demonstrating how others might benefit today from reading these two voices of yesterday.

Reminding readers that “mystery is the vital element of dogmatics,”4 Bavinck plunges into a theological treatment of the doctrine of God. Beginning with the caveat of God’s incomprehensibility, and, therefore, the grace of dogmatic theology, Bavinck discusses the vital topic of who God is. Contrary to the common modern theological tendency to posture God as a mere grander version of his creation, Bavinck

I have found in the pages of Bavinck something of a mentor. While separated by generations (Bavinck was placed into the ground nine years before my paternal grandfather would be brought into the world), I began to look to him for direction in answering the question: “Who is God?” There seemed to be a direct relationship between the structural integrity of my copy of Bavinck’s The Doctrine of God and the clarity with which I thought about the grandeur of God. As my book fell apart, my doctrine of God did the opposite; the more I read, the more the theological fog lifted. What I witnessed, page after page, is that Herman Bavinck’s God is big. In line with his thoroughly Dutch theology, Bavinck’s God was big enough to move into every sphere of his life.

Though Warfield is a fellow American, I did not take a deeper dive into his work until my doctoral program. In the variegated works of Warfield, I found what felt like a theological confidant.

As anyone familiar with Warfield knows, the polemical context of his writing makes tracking down his published articles something of a treasure hunt. Yet, as I read, it was confirmed over and again that this is a hunt worth pursuing.

Personally, Warfield has instructed my theological development on a number of finer points of doctrine. For example, his work on the inspiration

James Eglinton, Bavinck: A Critical Biography (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2020), 291.

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understood the transcendental otherness of God. Against the modern stream of theology proper in his day, Bavinck emphasized and articulated classical doctrines such as immutability, simplicity, aseity, impassability, and the like.

Herman Bavinck, The Doctrine of God (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1977), 18.

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of Scripture and the soteriological consequences of Christological realities have made a deep impression on me.

Yet it is not necessarily the what of Warfield’s theology that has left the longest lasting impression; rather, it has been the how of his theology. While Bavinck taught me who God is, Warfield was instructive in demonstrating how this God is to be studied. In short, for Warfield, the theological enterprise must be riddled with worship.

Take, for example, the instruction he gives his students in The Religious Life of Theological Students: A minister must be learned on pain of being utterly incompetent for his work. But before and above being learned, a minister must be godly. Nothing could be more fatal, however, than to set these two things over against one another…Sometimes we hear it said that ten minutes on your knees will give you a truer, deeper, more operative knowledge of God than ten hours over your books. ‘What!’ is the appropriate response, ‘than ten hours over your books, on your knees?’ Why should you turn from God when you turn to your books, or feel that you must turn from your books in order to turn to God? If learning and devotion are as antagonistic as that, then the intellectual life is in itself accursed, and there can be no question of a religious life for a student, even of theology.5 Or, again, as he stated elsewhere, “It is wonderful how even the strictest grammatical study can be informed with reverence…And the doctrines— need I beg you to consider these doctrines not as so many propositions to be analyzed by your logical understanding, but as rather so many precious truths revealing to you your God and

God’s modes of dealing with sinful man?”6 Warfield has a right-sized view of theology as a trusted vehicle traversing towards the glory of God. There was never an uncomfortable relationship between academic excellence and Christian piety in the theology of B.B. Warfield. Students of theology today would do well to emulate Warfield’s insistence on devotional scholarship.

“There was never an uncomfortable relationship between academic excellence and Christian piety in the theology of B.B. Warfield.”

It is grace upon grace that we, Christians in the 21st century, get to join in the cosmic conversation about Christ with the chorus of saints long gone. I am eternally grateful for the religious lineage I have been grafted into. Without a doubt, members like Herman Bavinck and Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield make this chorus more melodic. It has been 100 years since these two titans of theology were laid to rest, yet their theological legacies move onward. At this, the centennial anniversary of their passing, we take time to remember and appreciate both theologians but, more importantly, we take this opportunity to marvel at the great God they served.

RONNI KURTZ | Chief Editor, Midwestern Magazine; Managing Editor, For The Church Assistant Director, Marketing

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B.B. Warfield, “The Religious Life of Theological Students” in Selected Shorter Writings, vol. 2 (Phillipsburg: P&R, 2005), 411.

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Quoted from David Calhoun, The Princeton Seminary, Vol. 2. (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1994), 323-324.

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L AST I N G I N F LU E N C E of C A R L F. H . H EN RY The

by J E S S E M . P A Y N E

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Various interests occupied Carl F. H. Henry throughout his life.

He was a journalist as a young man, ascending the newspaper ranks as he covered athletics, politics, and local stories on Long Island.

He was an illusionist, an act he trotted out at parties and gatherings. Later, travel consumed his schedule, and he was fascinated by the diversity that dots the globe.

More than anything, Henry was occupied by a singular fascination from his conversion in 1933 until his final breath in 2003.

It gripped him early and did not relent.

He was the happy captive of this amazing thought: the Trinitarian God of all creation saw fit to reveal himself to fallen man.

God voluntarily spoke and revealed himself in the

incarnate Son and inscripturated Word. Henry was a man of the Book, and a man amazed by the Book—not only for what it said but that it existed at all. God was under no obligation to present himself so clearly and graciously to his creation. God’s revelation was revolutionary for Henry’s world, and he recognized the ramifications of such a reality. It meant that the Bible, breathed out by God himself, was relevant for all areas of life. Nothing escapes its reach. This controlling thought led Henry to pen some of the most important contributions to American evangelicalism as he emerged as one of the movement’s key figures.

Carl F. H. Henry (1913—2003) was an American Baptist theologian primarily remembered for his writings on the nature of Scripture, the relationship between the church and wider culture, Christian ethics, and for his role in the establishment of important evangelical institutions in the mid-20th century, such as Fuller Theological Seminary and Christianity Today. He also traveled the world providing theological education for pastors and students from China to Romania to Latin America.

What does Henry offer by way of encouragement and instruction today? Because of his massive output, it is impossible to summarize all that Henry affords in a few words, but certain themes do arise in his work, themes that continue to arise in our world today. Three of his convictions seem especially relevant in 2021: the power of the gospel, a theologically-informed mind and ministry, and a commitment to the Great Commission.

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“Henry intended to draw attention to the importance of theological accuracy, faithfulness, and beauty for the Christian life.”

The Power of the Gospel Henry understood that the gospel demands a personal response, but that it is not limited to an individual appropriation of biblical truths. He thought the gospel should shape people, families, churches, communities, and institutions. In The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism, Henry highlighted the social dimension of the Kingdom of God, a dimension he thought was important for Christians to recognize and give attention to. One of his favorite designations for God was “The God of Justice and Justification.”

Henry thought God spoke to both issues, and, therefore, Christians should as well.

As believers today grapple with issues surrounding the relationship between the church and the wider culture, politics, systemic social sin, the nature of justice, and the gospel’s ramifications for institutions and structures, Henry has much to offer. The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism provides pertinent insight into these very issues—issues at the forefront of today’s dialogue. As one not easily pigeonholed into any contemporary ideological camp, Henry’s voice provides clear and compelling reflection on the very issues that confuse and divide evangelicals today—all from over 70 years before our current moment.

A Theologically-Informed Mind and Ministry Much of Henry’s ministry was devoted to correcting aberrant views of Scripture that were gaining steam in American evangelicalism. He was convinced that to combat deviant theology, one needed to construct and articulate rich, rooted, and informed theological positions.

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He was not interested in simply tearing down; he wanted to produce thoughtful theological reflections that engaged the best of modern theology from around the world.

Christianity Today was designed to help translate advanced theological conversations into digestible articles for leaders and lay-readers. Why give himself to this project that consumed so much time and energy? Because he was convinced that Christians ought to think theologically about the issues of the day. He thought doctrine deserved a seat at the table of every Christian’s discipleship.

Some of Henry’s work is theologically heavy and philosophically winding. I would not start with Volume I of God, Revelation and Authority, for instance. Nevertheless, Henry intended to draw attention to the importance of theological accuracy, faithfulness, and beauty for the Christian life.

A Commitment to the Great Commission Throughout his career, Henry championed cooperation for the Great Commission. He kept the bumpers on various denominational lanes low because there was a greater game at play than denominational squabbling. He was a theologian; he took theological convictions seriously. He didn’t diminish or avoid them; he sought to cooperate, not quarrel. He included in his circle leaders from a wide swath of denominational backgrounds who affirmed the Reformation understanding of the gospel. He knew the danger of requiring rigid agreement to the nth degree. He saw that firsthand and was unimpressed by it. He was committed to a different path forward. Henry’s approach deserves continued attention, and, where possible, adoption.

Much more could be added regarding Henry’s importance for today. Reading him firsthand on these issues and more, one wonders, “How could he see this coming?” Pick up The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism. It is a great place to start, and you will work through it at a good clip. He wrote reams of Christianity Today articles and editorials, available in their online database. God, Revelation and Authority awaits the willing reader. There you will encounter detailed and formidable doctrinal thought undertaken with a devotional heart. It is an investment, but the return on reading Henry firsthand is significant.

By God’s grace, that is what I did about ten years ago as a seminary student. I was fresh out of a secular English undergraduate program at a state university. I did not have the traumatic experience one often hears of; my faith wasn’t challenged at every turn. I did, however, leave with questions about how best to read texts—could I trust them?

Did what the author intended matter, or was meaning constructed elsewhere—in my mind, experience, or community? I knew the Bible was God’s word, but I had some uncertainties about interpretation. My seminary professors helped iron out these wrinkles, but Carl F. H. Henry was the lasting influence I did not expect. Because of him, I too remain amazed that God has revealed himself to us in the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Scriptures. That thought has not relented yet, and I pray it never does.

JESSE M. PAYNE | Discipleship Pastor, Lakeland Baptist Church, Lewisville, TX

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ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT

Jenny-Lyn de Klerk

PH.D., HISTORICAL THEOLOGY | 2020

A recent graduate of Midwestern Seminary’s Ph.D. program, Dr. Jenny-Lyn de Klerk serves at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, as the Puritan Project assistant. Dr. de Klerk also holds a B.A., M.A., and Th.M., along with her Ph.D., and her doctoral work focused on the theology and writings of John Owen and Lucy Hutchinson.

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MBTS First, thanks for joining us for this issue’s Alumni Spotlight and congratulations on your recent graduation! You graduated in December 2020—could you tell us which program you were in and the subject of your dissertation?

JENNY-LYN DEKLERK Thank you! I graduated with a Ph.D. in historical theology and wrote on John Owen’s and Lucy Hutchinson’s theological understandings of loving neighbor, as applied to their involvement in the English civil wars.

Most research on the Puritan view of love focuses on loving God, but I found that the Puritans said so much about loving people that deserved to be highlighted and could also be used to speak into some debates concerning their perspectives on things like war and society.

MBTS As you have mentioned, the Puritans were an important point in your research.

This issue of the Midwestern Magazine aims at demonstrating how voices of the past can aid us in the present. How would you suggest reading the Puritans might help Christians today?

JLDK Really in the same ways that reading any other group of Christians in the past can: they can help you develop a sense of spiritual belonging to the invisible church, show you how many of your trials are common to Christians throughout the centuries and how to deal with them, and generally inspire you to keep living a faithful life even if you are tired, bored, or scared. The Puritans, in particular, are remembered for their attempts to apply the Bible to all areas of human life and they were experts in holiness. If you are wanting to grow in these areas, they are a great group to learn from.

briefly reflect on what Packer and his ministry have meant to you personally?

JLDK Well, it sounds a bit over-the-top, but Dr. Packer’s work on the Christian life and the Puritans has really motivated and shaped all of my research since the end of my undergraduate degree when I discovered theology for the first time. I see my writing and ministry as an outworking of studying him and the Puritans over the years. It was an immense privilege to meet him in person.

The main thing I will remember for the rest of my life—and think about on most days—is how living the Christian life is so worth it! If Dr. Packer was the embodiment of years of worshipping God, serving the church, and studying Scripture, then all of life—enjoying each day, even getting old and rickety and going through some hard times—can be a joy for the Christian.

MBTS As you have recently finished your Ph.D., what advice would you give a student who is just beginning the doctoral journey?

JLDK Use your Ph.D. as a means of serving God, not yourself. There are so many ways you can secretly use it to do the latter, like caring more about your personal success than being involved in your local church, valuing the praise of people more than God, or allotting unlimited amounts of time to your work and constantly taking away from time spent with God, your family, or your neighbors. It will not be worth it in the end if you have cherished idolatrous desires the whole way through, but it will be very exciting and satisfying if you do it to serve God!

MBTS You currently serve with the Puritan Project at Regent College, which has a close relationship with the late J.I. Packer. Could you

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IN FOCUS: FELLOWSHIP KANSAS CITY

FELLOWSHIP KANSAS CITY LOCATION: Kansas City, Missouri

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idwestern Seminary exists for the Church. Consequently, in every issue of the Midwestern Magazine, we highlight a church doing faithful work. For this issue, we caught up with some of the staff and pastors at Fellowship KC, a church in Parkville, Mo., just outside of Kansas City. Fellowship KC is pastored by Dr. Wesley Vance, a two-time graduate of Midwestern Seminary.

MBTS Tell us a bit about the origins of Fellowship KC. When did it start and what have been a few highlights since planting of the church?

FELLOWSHIP KC The story of The Fellowship Kansas City is truly a remarkable story. The initial vision for the church began with Steve Dighton, the founding pastor of Lenexa Baptist Church, in order to reach an area of Kansas City underserved by churches. Serving alongside Pastor Steve at Lenexa Baptist, we began the tenacious work of casting a vision of what we believed God was doing. Along the way, we saw the beauty of what it means to be Southern Baptists. We saw the sacrificial stewardship of Southern Baptists giving through the Cooperative Program to support us through the North American Mission Board, the Missouri Baptist Convention, and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Many do not know that in the early days of Dr. Allen’s administration, he was a champion not just in word but in deed for the church. In August 2013, we planted the church in the newly completed Chapel Building at Midwestern Seminary. From that outpost of ministry, we began to labor to reach the 250,000 people in northern Kansas City in need of the gospel. The church consistently saw healthy

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growth to the point that, in November 2015, we were able to relocate and replant a declining church in a nearby area. Since then, we have witnessed the life-changing impact of gospelcentered ministry as the church has grown both numerically and spiritually each year

MBTS What has been the vision behind Fellowship KC? What mission drives the people and the pastors of the Church?

FKC Since the inception of The Fellowship Kansas City, we have been resolute in reaching the 250,000 people who live in the Northland of Kansas City without Jesus. They are dads and moms who live next to us, they are young professionals who we recreate with, and they are children we educate and champion in our community. They live under the damning effects of sin and desperately need more than a morality pick-me-up; they need salvation through Jesus Christ alone. From business leaders to teenagers, we are indiscriminate about the church sharing the gospel. In fact, three words drive every ministry of our church: multiplying disciples together. These three words provide the ministry framework for our children and students. We cultivate next-generation leaders and disciple new believers with this approach. The phrase is also how we evaluate effectiveness. Are we truly multiplying disciples together? This is what drives and moves us as a church.

MBTS Fellowship KC is in close geographical proximity to Midwestern Seminary in the Kansas City metropolitan area. What is unique about pastoring near a seminary?

FKC There is a sweet joy in pastoring near MBTS. While I know pastors around other seminaries and Bible colleges do so with weariness as know-it-all students infiltrate their church with a textbook knowledge and self-described expertise, that could not be further from the truth for us. The students of MBTS genuinely love and want to serve the local church. They approach the church with humility, graciousness, and civility. As their pastor, I have the privilege of cultivating Midwestern students for ministry through our Pastoral Fellowship and Timothy Track Programs. With intentionality, we invite students and their spouses into our home to share meals, discuss ministry, and encourage them all because we want to see them succeed. We want to provide a place for them to safely wrestle with theological truths and provide opportunities for practical ministry.

Pastoring both professors and students is an honor but, ultimately, we are called to be their pastors who care for them and their families in a manner that honors Christ.

MBTS This particular church highlight interview is unique in the sense that we’ve recently endured a global pandemic. While many of our readers are well aware of the difficulties of leadership during the pandemic, is there anything that makes you hopeful as a result of this difficult season?

FKC The pandemic has taught us many lessons, but it has also revealed the resilience of the Bride of Christ. It has forced the church to pause, reflect, and, in many ways, recapture the practices of the early church. It has pressed the church to articulate the importance of the Ordinances and the significance of the church gathered. In all of this, we have seen the church, once busy with the activities of life, begin to live with an urgency of eternity as they look with hope to a heavenly homeland secured by Jesus. As we look beyond the pandemic with hope, there is a joyfulness in seeing how the church found her confidence not in programs but in our Christ.

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STUDENT HIGHLIGHT

Meet

TYLER HOLLOWAY If you are looking for an example of what it looks like to be both plugged in to the seminary community and be a servant leader, Tyler Holloway is a great example. Tyler is a Timothy Track student—meaning a portion of his on-campus experienced takes place in the local church getting real life ministry experience—and he currently serves as vice president of the seminary’s Student Leadership program. We had a chance to sit down with Tyler and talk about his experience thus far at Midwestern Seminary.

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MBTS Thanks for joining us, Tyler. Tell us a bit about which program you are pursuing and how far along in the journey you are.

MBTS While you are not at the end of your schooling, how has formal theological education aided you thus far in training for ministry?

TYLER HOLLOWAY Thank you for having me!

I am currently pursuing my M.Div. through Midwestern’s Timothy Track program. I am only one year into my program.

TH It has helped by providing access to such a vast pool of scriptural resources and books to help in various ministry situations. This has provided a breadth of ministry resources that I would not have gotten elsewhere and tools to supply myself in coming days in ministry.

MBTS This year, you also serve as the vice president of the Student Leadership program.

How has the program helped you as a leader and a member of the Midwestern and Spurgeon College community?

TH Serving as vice president has been such a blessing to me this semester. The role has helped me as both a leader and community member in terms of how I relate and communicate with people in various forms of ministry life. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone at Midwestern and Spurgeon College wants to be a pastor in a local church.

Some want to be missionaries and some want to work in higher education, just to list two examples. Learning how to lead and relate to these types of men and women has been a valuable lesson to absorb.

MBTS For those prospective students considering Midwestern Seminary or Spurgeon College, what piece of advice would you give them as they consider their options or as they start their educational journey?

TH Look for ways to get connected immediately with the Midwestern and Spurgeon community. The community here is edifying and vibrant. I would not trade anything for the friendships I have made through the programs here at Midwestern, including the Timothy Track and Student Leadership. It can be easy to come to seminary or college and remain comfortable by sitting alone; take a chance and interact with those around you. You will not regret it.

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FACULTY HIGHLIGHT

Geoff Chang ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF CHURCH HISTORY AND HISTORICAL THEOLOGY; CURATOR OF THE SPURGEON LIBRARY

Dr. Geoff Chang recently joined the Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College faculty and serves as assistant professor of church history and historical theology. Dr. Chang is also the curator of the Spurgeon Library, which houses around 6,000 volumes of C.H. Spurgeon’s personal library. In each issue of the Midwestern Magazine, we choose a faculty member to highlight and it was a joy to sit down with Dr. Chang for this issue focusing on saints of the past.

Dr. Chang, thanks for joining us for this interview. It has been a busy year for you and your family as you have graduated with your Ph.D., moved to Kansas City, and started a new role at Midwestern.

Tell us a bit about your dissertation and the current role you are serving in at the institution.

MBTS

GEOFF CHANG My dissertation explores the doctrine of the militant church in Spurgeon’s ecclesiology and pastoral leadership. Even though Spurgeon hated war and leaned towards pacifism, he did not hesitate to teach that the church was engaged in a spiritual war against evil. This truth shaped Spurgeon’s imagination and influenced his practice of church membership, discipleship, preaching, and more. One of the things I love about studying church history is the way it often challenges our modern sensibilities. Here in the 21st century, we are nervous about any martial imagery associated with the church. Yet the Bible is full of these

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images and is constantly pointing us to the reality of spiritual warfare. I think there is a lot here that could be of help to pastors and churches.

After finishing my Ph.D. at Midwestern this past spring, I have had the privilege of joining the faculty this fall as assistant professor of historical theology. Having served as a pastor for the past ten years, I have come to see that church history truly is a pastor’s best friend. I am looking forward to helping students connect church history to their faith and ministry. Additionally, I also have the privilege of serving as the curator of the Spurgeon Library, which is probably the coolest space on campus. My hope is that this place continues to grow as a center for exploring the treasures of Spurgeon for the church.

MBTS As curator of the Spurgeon Library, you have some rare and important books just steps away from your office. What are a few of your favorite volumes from Spurgeon’s personal collection?

GC There are so many wonderful volumes in the Spurgeon Library. Just the sheer fact that these near 6,000 volumes were owned by the “Prince of Preachers” himself makes every one of them valuable. One of my favorite volumes is Spurgeon’s copy of Calvin’s Institutes. Not only is this one of the earliest English translations of the Institutes, but it was also previously owned by Benjamin Beddome, a leading Baptist pastor in the 18th century. Another important part of our collection are Spurgeon’s copies of The Sword and the Trowel, the monthly magazine that he edited. There are a few other libraries in the world that can claim to have a complete set of these magazines, but we are the only one that has the set that belonged to Spurgeon, complete with his handwritten marginalia in them. The heart of the Spurgeon Library is the books that came from Spurgeon’s personal library and we are constantly looking for new acquisitions. This past fall, we have acquired a collection of more than fifty handwritten letters and manuscripts, as well as a near complete library of his publications, along with many other historical artifacts.

MBTS Given Spurgeon’s fame, many people are surprised to hear there are still a number of underdeveloped areas of research concerning his life and ministry. For those interested in researching Spurgeon, what areas would you enjoy seeing developed in the future?

GC This surprised me when I was choosing a dissertation topic. For someone as significant as Spurgeon, it was shocking that so little academic work has been done on him. In the past decade, a new wave of Spurgeon scholarship has arisen, led in large part by the Spurgeon Library. However, much work remains to be done. For those interested, I would encourage them to look for a way to combine an area of interest with their study of Spurgeon. In all likelihood, there is a large field of research still unexplored in those areas. For those who are more theologically-minded, this might look like being part of the effort to organize his theology and analyze his theological method.

For others who prefer historical work, there is still so much to explore in terms of the impact that Spurgeon had on his context and vice versa. Also, it goes without saying that if you are interested in researching Spurgeon, there is no better place to do so than Midwestern Seminary!

MBTS During your student years and now in your time spent as part of the faculty, what have you grown to appreciate about the Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College community?

GC We lived on campus during our first few months in Kansas City, and, I must say, this is a wonderful community for families with small children. My kids loved the nearby parks and playgrounds and fishing ponds. As far as the seminary, I have grown in my appreciation of Dr. Allen’s vision of being “for the church.” As a doctoral student, I got to see how that vision shaped the classroom. Now, as a faculty member, it has been encouraging to see firsthand how it shapes the faculty, administration, and even the student body. I have also been encouraged by the students that I have met and their commitment to the local church and missions. My wife and I are looking forward to building relationships here for many years to come.

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Midwestern’s Spurgeon Library receives substantial resource donation

by M I C H A E L S . B R O O K S

The Spurgeon Library at Midwestern Seminary recently added to its growing collection of resources courtesy of a generous donation from Leroy Cole, a former longtime pastor in the Flint, Michigan area.

The donation adds hundreds of new volumes and historical artifacts to the Spurgeon Library, including original editions of Spurgeon’s own publications and secondary sources written about the 19th century Baptist preacher.

Library curator Geoffrey Chang and the seminary were connected

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to the donor, Leroy Cole, through a longtime friend of MBTS, Gary Long. Long serves as pastor of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Springfield, Mo. and as president of the Particular Baptist Press.

Through a series of phone calls and in-person meetings last fall, the two sides finalized the donation.

The collection was transferred to the seminary’s campus located in Kansas City, Mo., in November 2020.

Cole’s contribution to the Spurgeon Library is unique, in part, because of his own background and

passion for training future ministers.

Cole trained for ministry at Bible Baptist Seminary in Arlington, Tx. in the 1960s before beginning work as a bi-vocational church planter and pastor and as a toolmaker by trade. In 1967, he founded Cole’s Machine Inc., an automation and tooling service center, and subsequently planted Emmanuel Baptist Church in Otisville, Mich., along with a committed core group. The church in Otisville still meets for regular worship services, and the machine company’s operations are

ongoing, managed now by members of the Cole family in nearby Davison, Mich.

Though different, Cole’s two career trajectories meshed in unexpected ways.

In his first year of seminary, Cole was introduced to several noteworthy theologians, among whom were figures such as John Calvin and Charles Spurgeon. The early exposure to Spurgeon’s writings began for Cole a lifelong fascination with the famed Baptist minister’s life and ministry. Cole estimated by the time he and his wife moved from Arlington, he had amassed a library of roughly 2,000 volumes, a large percentage of which were books written by or about Spurgeon.

After seminary, Cole dove headlong into entrepreneurial efforts in business and in church planting.

The similarities between the two were not always obvious but did exist. “In the trade I was in, for anything I did, I wanted the tools to do it with. (In ministry), the books are the tools. (Libraries) are toolboxes for pastors and Christians.”

Cole’s perspective and passion for resourcing ministers resembles Spurgeon’s own ministerial philosophy. Spurgeon was well-known for his desire to train men aspiring to the ministry, most notable through the founding of The Pastor’s College in London, known today as Spurgeon’s College. Cole found an outlet for a training post of his own via his “Clergy Cave”—a 2,400-square-foot library adjacent to his home in Goodrich, Mich.

“One day, I looked around and thought why did the Lord give me this? What does he want me to do?

Why did he put me in this place?”

Through the line of questioning,

“We are just beginning to understand Spurgeon’s ministry. The more we understand it, the more we will benefit from it.”

— Leroy Cole

Cole began entertaining the idea of ministering to other pastors, particularly young pastors just beginning in ministry.

Eventually, Cole moved his substantial personal library to a building adjacent to his home and extended an open invitation to pastors and men in ministry to use the space for personal retreat.

Cole views the space as an opportunity for pastors to have temporary reprieve from the daily pressures of pastoral tasks and responsibilities.

“I know there are times being a pastor where things come at you and you just need to get away to someplace. You need half a day or a day to just catch your breath. All pastors experience that. So, I wanted this to be a place for that. It’s always open; anyone can come.”

Over the last decade, Cole has held men’s morning fellowships in the space, hosted a number of prominent theologians, church historians, pastors, and authors at his home, and, at times, has continued to purchase more books to add to his collection. It is not uncommon for visiting pastors, at Cole’s urging, to walk away with a box filled with books from the collection to keep and use in their own ministry. Cole’s posture towards equipping the next generation via the written word made for an apt connection with

Learn more about THE SPURGEON LIBRARY AT MIDWESTERN SEMINARY at spurgeon.org

Midwestern’s Spurgeon Library.

Last summer, when the opportunity to donate his Spurgeon items was presented, Cole says he was honored at the prospect. Speaking to Library curator Geoffrey Chang, Cole observed: “You want these sorts of things to be taken care of beyond yourself. (At the Spurgeon Library), you are already on the path. You have the substance, dedication, and support for the Library. What we have seen is absolutely wonderful.”

Chang expressed gratitude for Cole’s donation and for similar support: “We are continually encouraged by the support of our work at the Spurgeon Library. The generosity and eagerness of those who aim to help is remarkable and ensures students and those interested in Spurgeon’s life and ministry will have no shortage of resources at their disposal for years to come.”

Chang added that donations like Cole’s bode well for the ongoing work at the Spurgeon Library and for future forays into further Spurgeon research. “We are just beginning to understand (Spurgeon’s) ministry. The more we understand it, the more we will benefit from it.

To understand Spurgeon, you have to understand the times he lived in. You can have students check on different aspects of Spurgeon’s ministry and the ministry at the Tabernacle. The goal is not to remake Spurgeon in our day, but to see him for who he is. We realize we have the same gospel, we serve the same Lord, and we’re given the same tools in terms of God’s Word.”•

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AROUND CAMPUS

Midwestern Seminary adds new free courses to For the Church Institute offerings

by M I C H A E L S . B R O O K S

Midwestern Seminary announced the addition of two new courses to its growing catalog of free theology courses via the For the Church Institute—an online training platform designed for local churches.

The spring course additions include “The Trinity” with Matthew Barrett and “Old Testament I” with Jason DeRouchie.

Nathan Harris, director of institutional relations initiatives at

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Midwestern, sees the new online courses as one-of-a-kind opportunities for Institute participants. “We are excited to have Dr. Barrett and Dr. DeRouchie participating in For the Church Institute. Both men bring unparalleled knowledge, experience, and passion to the task of teaching.

“Through these courses, students will not only learn more about Scripture and doctrine but will also grow in their love and thankfulness for the

goodness and grace of God.” Based on his forthcoming book publication, Simply Trinity, releasing March 21 with Baker Books, Barrett’s “Trinity” course covers various points of historic Trinitarian doctrine.

Barrett hopes the course and book project will encourage serious study and deep reflection on an important Christian doctrine.

“We have drifted away from the orthodox Trinity of the Bible and

we have manipulated the Trinity, recreating the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in our own image. It is my hope that these 10 lectures and the accompanying study content will encourage those who participate to lean into what the scriptures and church history tell us concerning this fundamental doctrine.”

The 10 sessions of the Trinity course cover different facets of Trinitarian doctrine including ways in which the doctrine has been modified according to modern definitions and the recovery of important doctrinal positions from leading theologians in the early Church.

DeRouchie’s Old Testament I course frames the Old Testament narrative as “Israel’s story in Jesus’s Bible.” In the course, DeRouchie

argues the Old Testament was written for Christians and that Israel’s story of promise and failure anticipates Jesus at every step.

“This new course will help people grasp the overall flow of the Old Testament storyline,” DeRouchie said. “I hope it helps participants gain interest in digging deeper into individual books and see and savor Jesus Christ as the hoped-for savior king who would deliver the world.”

The 10 sessions of the Old Testament I course cover the first 14 books of the Old Testament, Genesis-Daniel, and guide participants in grappling with parts of the Old Testament story, including creation, the exodus, and the protection and preservation of God’s chosen people.

The For the Church Institute launched in the summer of 2020 as a free resource from the seminary for use by individuals and groups in local church contexts. The Institute’s original slate of courses included: Being a Christian with Jason K. Allen, The Story of Everything with Jared Wilson, Theology I with Owen Strachan, and Church History I with John Mark Yeats.

The initial course offerings were well-received, with over 2,400 individuals registering for classes in the first six months following the Institute’s launch.

“The response to the Institute has been overwhelming in the best way imaginable,” said Jordan Wilbanks, who serves as director of church partnerships at Midwestern. “Pastors, church groups, and many wishing to study on their own have all taken part. Many have shared with us about fruitful conversations that have arisen from time studying within FTC Institute courses. We are thankful to hear the resource is fostering real disciple-

Learn more about the FTC INSTITUTE at ftcinstitute.com.

The resource is a natural extension of Midwestern’s mentality and vision. If we are for the church, then we are not only for training church leaders, but we are also for helping strengthen churches for the long-haul.

ship amongst local church members.”

Wilbanks added the opportunity to provide free theology courses through the Institute flows naturally from the day-to-day work of Midwestern Seminary.

“The resource is a natural extension of Midwestern’s mentality and vision. If we are for the church, then we are not only for training church leaders, but we are also for helping strengthen churches for the long-haul.

This resource aims at true biblical literacy and at helping Christians grow in knowing God. Offering these free courses is one way we aim to use the resources entrusted to us for the sake of the health, maturity, and growth of local churches.”

Commenting on future plans for the Institute, Harris and Wilbanks noted more course additions are in the works. The Institute aims to provide a full library, beginning with courses comprising a “base theological education” for the average Christian. Follow-up portions to existing courses are planned, including Theology II, Old Testament II, and Church History II. The Institute will also add courses covering the New Testament and courses in Christian leadership, interpreting the Bible, and more. •

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AROUND CAMPUS

MBTS expands commencement programming; hosts in-person ceremonies to recognize graduates

by M I C H A E L S . B R O O K S

The parking lots on Midwestern Seminary’s Kansas City campus were less cluttered this December, and fewer seats than usual were occupied in the Daniel Lee Chapel. Still, during four separate ceremonies spanning nine hours, the Midwestern Seminary community recognized and celebrated the accomplishments of its graduating students, as the school held its 68th commencement exercises on Dec. 11.

President Jason Allen reflected on the unique scene: “Historically this time of the year, our staff and faculty are managing end-of-the-year responsibilities with an eye toward celebrating our students’ momentous accomplishments alongside them and with their visiting family members.

“This year called for an audible in many respects. Yet we are grateful we still were given the opportunity to recognize our students and confer their degrees, even if the day looked atypical overall.”

In keeping with state officials’ advice and city-issued health guidance, pulling off the in-person ceremonies required creative thinking and adaptation on the school’s part.

Students were allowed to invite a limited number of guests, and family units were scattered throughout the chapel to allow for social distancing.

To limit the capacity in the chapel space at any given time, the proceedings were expanded from the traditional single service to four, and attendance was limited to students,

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their invited guests, and essential seminary personnel.

Midwestern’s commencement exercises began with an 8 a.m. ceremony recognizing students who earned certificates in the institution’s Contextualized Leadership Development program. A second ceremony was held at 10 a.m., recognizing doctoral graduates. Master’s and undergraduate students, along with individuals earning certificates in the Midwestern Women’s Institute, were honored in two afternoon services.

Two hundred and three students from the Fall 2020 graduating class were awarded degrees and were commissioned into ministry service as the next generation of pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders. Additionally, a number of students from the Spring 2020 graduating class were given the opportunity to walk and receive their degrees. The seminary’s spring commencement ceremonies were pre-empted due to precautions taken in light of the coronavirus outbreak.

This December, Midwestern also celebrated 39 Spanish-speaking students who earned certificates for completion of the seminary’s Contextualized Leadership Development program.

“The challenges facing these Midwestern and Spurgeon College graduates in the year 2020 have been unique to say the least. Yet we cannot be more pleased that these men and women have worked so

hard and accomplished so much during their time with us,” Dean of Students John Mark Yeats said.

“I am encouraged by our students’ resiliency and am thankful they are pursuing their calling. The perseverance and commitment displayed here bodes well for the future ministry activities each of them will be involved in for years to come.”

The day’s ceremonies featured a condensed version of the school’s traditional commencement exercises and included an abbreviated address from President Allen.

In his opening remarks, Allen acknowledged the effects of the pandemic on the proceedings but expressed hope despite them. “Indeed, this is an unusual commencement service. COVID-19 has clearly upended so much about our lives, even this morning, marking a limitation on our capacity to gather. Yet God’s grace is here and witnessed in this service.”

Allen’s address, entitled “First Things First,” focused on the priorities outlined in the Great Commission passage found in Matthew 28:16-20. “Commencement days here at Spurgeon College and Midwestern Seminary are moments to call us to faithfulness, resilience, courage, and focus in life and ministry. The Great Commission does just that.”

Further, Allen added, the current year gives warrant for a specific type of re-centering in one’s life and ministry: “Moreover, our ministry

moment in the year 2020 calls us to remember and recommit ourselves to first things, to first priorities, to the first priority: the Great Commission. Both as individuals and as churches, as ministers and as ministries, the Great Commission pulls us upward and onward. It pulls us forward with focus, resolve, and with added momentum.”

The Great Commission passage is familiar to many and Allen noted the verses were likely the impetus for why many among the graduating class were sitting in the room. Yet despite its familiarity, the message of the passage is always timely. “It is always right to go back to the basics,” Allen stated.

“The Great Commission is God’s plan to reach the world for Christ. It is Plan A. There is no Plan B, regardless of distraction, attacks, fears, or even other intriguing opportunities.”

Allen’s explanation of the Matthew passage centered on the authority with which believers move forward into the world to accomplish their God-given mission.

First, Allen exhorted students to “remember the authority (they) have been granted.” In verse 18, Jesus stated all authority had been given to Him. This, Allen noted, has great implications in the lives of believers and for how our local churches are led.

Ultimately, Christ leads the church.

Employing a military analogy, Allen stated, “You can’t have rogue agents or independent decision-making.

Everyone can’t be a general.”

Christ’s leadership and authority over the church is a great comfort as well. “The One who commands our respect and who holds all authority is indeed authoritative over all. Nothing can stop His church. No one can stop His will, nothing can stop His

plan, from the outer extremities of the cosmos to you, your church, your home, and your life.”

What is more, the authoritative One in the passage calls believers to action, charging them to go in light of his authority and to make disciples. “‘Go.’ There’s an activity to that expectation, not merely to wait and receive disciples, or observe disciple-making, or to pray for disciple-making, or to teach or hope for disciple-making, but to go and make disciples.”

Reflecting on the enduring command to go make, baptize, and teach disciples, Allen pointed out the startling reality of Christianity’s resilience over two millennia. “It is mind-boggling when you think about the Son of God issuing this call two thousand years ago, giving this Great Commission. His apostles, His followers had been scattered, struck down, and scared to death. Jesus appears before them, seals confidence in them, gives them this command and, in Acts 2, the Spirit comes and emboldens them.

“Here we are, two thousand years later, in a scattered chapel hall, reflecting on the Great Commission. Nothing explains that except the authority and power and promise of Christ.”

To view ALLEN’S COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS, visit mbts.edu/fa20graduation.

Christianity’s staying power is what makes it unique, according to Allen. He recalled ancient sects and religious groups that would surface and dissolve as quickly as they appeared.

“But not Christianity. Two thousand years later, the church marches forward. And we, as His servants, get to be about the exhilarating business of preaching and teaching the gospel and doing the work of evangelism, fulfilling the Great Commission.”

Allen concluded his address by reminding graduates that this work is all done with the promise that Christ will be with them. “However the church seems to be doing century to century, season to season, region to region, He is with His bride.”

“As you graduates go forth from this place, He is with you. He’s not preoccupied with another galaxy, lacking time for you or your ministry. This isn’t a generic promise for generic people. This is a promise that can be made specific to us.

“If it were up to human ingenuity, human wisdom, human gifting, and human strategizing, the church would have run off the rails centuries ago. But it is Christ’s church, Christ’s promise, and Christ’s presence that is with us.” •

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AROUND CAMPUS

Spurgeon College to offer a new, expedited “Degree in Three” pathway

by M I C H A E L S . B R O O K S

Spurgeon College recently announced the addition of a new, three-year degree-earning pathway for incoming undergraduate students.

The new “Degree in Three” pathway will allow students to earn their undergraduate degree within a community of like-minded individuals in only three years. Students taking part in the three-year track will benefit from significant cost-savings when compared to traditional fouryear degree pathways. In addition, the new pathway enables students to move into their chosen field faster.

“We are delighted to launch the new ‘Degree in Three’ pathway,” said Jason Allen, president at Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College. “In so doing, we’re hopeful to better serve future Spurgeon College students, and to expedite their paths to the marketplace and to ministry.”

“Spurgeon College exists to train students for Kingdom service,” added Jason Duesing, the institution’s academic provost. “The adoption of this new pathway only helps students deploy in a timelier fashion in order to apply their education for the Kingdom.”

Spurgeon College Dean Sam Bierig added that the new pathway represents a step forward in the fulfillment of the college’s mission.

“Spurgeon College continues to make strides in training and equipping students to fulfill their current and ongoing roles as ambassadors for Christ’s Kingdom in the Church, on

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the mission field, in the marketplace, and at home,” said Bierig.

“With ‘Degree in Three,’ we are thrilled to offer a new way forward that allows students to press on in their calling without many of the cost and time-related hindrances often associated with college education. The pathway represents an efficient option for students without sacrificing the quality of education they will receive.”

Spurgeon’s “Degree in Three” offers students a guaranteed pathway toward completion of select undergraduate degrees in just three years of study with personalized assistance from the college’s academic advising team.

Additionally, through the strategic use of condensed semester periods and

“We are thrilled to offer a new way forward that allows students to press on in their calling without many of the cost and timerelated hindrances often associated with college education.” intensive course options, students are able to maximize their time at Spurgeon College while saving a significant amount in tuition and fees.

The college projects the new three-year option will allow students to save up to $6,500 in estimated savings

over the course of a student’s degree program. There are no additional costs or fees associated with the “Degree in Three” option.

“We all know that students and their families are facing a myriad of challenges with the cost of college education steadily increasing yearby-year,” said Assistant Dean Andrew King. “Our new three-year pathway allows for significant savings on the front end and the potential for early income-earning opportunities.

More than this, we are excited to see our students deployed for kingdom service even sooner.”

King added the pathway is more than an average degree completion option and sees additional value in its emphasis on learning in community with the full support of the oncampus resources Spurgeon College has to offer. “‘Degree in Three’ is not for the faint of heart, but we believe it will be a tremendous benefit to each student enrolled. The pathway is for motivated students, ready to declare their intention to participate within their first semester. Along the way, students will profit from access to priority registration periods, connection with peers on the same learning track, and the full scope of academic resources provided by the faculty and leadership at Spurgeon College.”

The three-year bachelor’s degree pathway will be available to incoming students beginning in the Spring ’21 semester. •

learn more about the DEGREE IN THREE pathway at spurgeoncollege.com/3years.

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Spring Convocation addresses faithful ministry, pressing onward in Christ

by M I C H A E L S . B R O O K S

President Jason Allen opened Midwestern Seminary’s spring semester with an Academic Convocation message calling believers to press on in Christ. The service took place in the Daniel Lee Chapel on Jan. 19.

Additionally, four newly-elected seminary faculty members signed the institution’s Articles of Faith during the service. The four new faculty members were: Geoffrey Chang, Andrew King, Charles Smith, and Patrick Schreiner.

In his convocation sermon, Allen, recounting the past year, observed the unique sense of hope and expectation many are experiencing in the new calendar year. Citing the ongoing pandemic, challenges of an economic recession, and political and social

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unrest, Allen acknowledged that, while the nation’s fault lines have deepened and hardened, Christians have reason to be hopeful.

“We have good news today. As Christians, we confess our Lord reigns.

His sovereignty has extended overall.

He will build his church. Thus, as individuals and as a seminary community, we have much to be hopeful for much to be confident in. We have much to be cheerful about.

“On this day of convocation, we stand with our convictions intact; our commitment to the great commission, undeterred; our vision for the church, resolute; our hope in Christ, renewed.”

Through an exposition of Philippians 3:12-14, Allen reminded the

seminary community that though the Apostle Paul was writing to the church at Philippi while under house arrest, he delivered a message of joy found through Christ. Allen reminded hearers of the opportunity Christians have today to experience the same joy Paul experienced and the responsibility Christians have to cultivate joy despite trying circumstances.

From the text, Allen made three observations. “First,” Allen noted, “the Bible assumes our growth as Christians. There is no such thing as a stagnant, digressing healthy Christian. Second, Christianity is lived in the future. Third, faithfulness in the Christian life does not just happen; it takes intentionality.”

Additionally, Allen proposed three steps for believers to take in light of observations made from the passage.

Reflecting on verse 12, Allen pointed out Paul’s willingness to take an honest evaluation of himself and the need for believers to do the same. “We are a people of distraction and constant motion. We have no idle second.

But an inward look requires such.

“It requires notifications being turned off, the Bible being opened, our room being quiet, and putting ourselves in contexts where we’re free from distractions so we can actually reflect on God’s word and in prayer on the Lord’s work in our lives and where he desires to move us towards greater maturity.”

Allen argued the sort of inward reflection modeled by Paul is beneficial for individuals as well as institutions. For individuals, asking questions related to spiritual growth in Christ or where repentance is needed is a healthy exercise, according to Allen. For Midwestern, questions related to staying on mission, the presence of potential distractions, and the unity being experienced within the campus community are all worthy of being asked.

The next step after looking inward, Allen suggested, is to cultivate a forward-looking focus. While Christians are called to remember God’s faithfulness, choosing to intentionally forget past sins in light of the redemption of Christ is a necessary part of the Christian life, according to Allen. He added forgetting one’s past service to Christ is also necessary at times and that Christians should constantly be reflecting on what they are doing now for the cause of Christ.

Allen reminded hearers that this sort of future-mindedness is what

undergirds the seminary community at Midwestern. “As students, you are here not to reach your end during an M.Div. degree but to be prepared for a greater end. As faculty and staff, we are here not to reach our end with the signing of a confessional book or with election to faculty or some other academic milestone but to train ministers and missionaries for future service.

It is a glorious opportunity and I pray we never get over God’s unique calling to do this work.”

Allen closed the convocation sermon reflecting on what forward-thinking means for the seminary community at Midwestern by reminding of the Seminary’s mission statement and strategic plan.

“We are praying that we will maintain the right convictions. We are praying that we will continue to project the right vision for the church and for the kingdom. We are praying that God would give us an ever-strengthening faculty through not only their scholarship, but their churchmanship and their love for students and for Christ. We are praying for things like constituency and goodwill, that we will serve our churches well with humility and we will engender their trust and their affection.

“We are praying that God will give us a healthy, attractive campus community, the type that students, faculty, and staff will see and want to be a part of. We are doing these things for the church. That is what we are after institutionally. That is what we are leaning into. That is what we are forward-focused on. That is what we are investing in, what we are strategizing towards, and that simplifies what we do. It is not our calling to scour the world, looking to right every wrong, to solve every problem, to engage

To view DR. ALLEN’S MESSAGE in full, visit mbts.cc/spring21convocation.

“We are praying that we will maintain the right convictions. We are praying that we will continue to project the right vision for the church and for the kingdom. ” — Jason K. Allen

every fight, to answer every question.

Yes, true dangers must be confronted, but there are also true distractions that would hinder our work and they must be avoided. Knowing the difference is key.

“Pianists return again and again to ‘Middle C.’ Athletes return again and again to the fundamentals of the game.

We return again and again to our vision for the church.”

Prior to Allen’s message, Chang, King, Smith, and Schreiner signed the institution’s Articles of Faith.

Chang serves as assistant professor of historical theology and curator of the Spurgeon Library. King serves as assistant dean at Spurgeon College and as assistant professor of Old Testament.

Smith serves as senior vice president of institutional relations and assistant professor of Christian leadership. Schreiner serves as associate professor of New Testament and biblical theology.

All four members were elected by the Board of Trustees in October 2020.

The seminary’s Articles of Faith consist of the confession of faith of the Southern Baptist Convention, The Baptist Faith & Message 2000, and three institutional guiding documents: the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and the Nashville Statement on biblical sexuality. •

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CAMPUS LIFE

SPURGEON KNIGHTS BASKETBALL

BONFIRE

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PROFESSORS IN CHIEFS

MOVE-IN DAY For MORE CAMPUS EVENTS AND PHOTOS visit our events page at mbts.edu/events.

SURPRISE CHAPEL EVENT

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RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Books in Brief New and upcoming releases from the Midwestern Seminary community

SUCCEEDING AT SEMINARY: THE MOST OUT OF

THE LOST SERMONS OF C. H. SPURGEON VOLUME V:

YOUR THEOLOGICAL

HIS EARLIEST OUTLINES

EDUCATION

AND SERMONS

by Jason K. Allen (Moody Publishers)

BETWEEN 1851

12 KEYS TO GETTING

Available Now Prepare for your calling and make the most of your theological training with Succeeding at Seminary. Seminary president Jason K. Allen provides guidance for incoming and current seminary students on how to maximize their education experience.

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AND 1854

by Jason Duesing, Geoffrey Chang (B&H Academic) Available Now Written for scholars, pastors, and students alike, The Lost Sermons of C. H. Spurgeon will add approximately 10 percent more material to Spurgeon’s body of literature.

SIGNS OF THE MESSIAH AN INTRODUCTION TO JOHN’S GOSPEL

by Andreas J. Köstenberger (Lexham Press) Available Now In Signs of the Messiah, Andreas J. Köstenberger—veteran New Testament scholar and expert on the Gospel of John—guides readers through John and highlights its plot and message. John’s Gospel is written to inspire faith in Jesus.

By keeping the Gospel’s big picture in view, readers will see Jesus’ mighty signs and be compelled to trust more fully in the Messiah.

40 QUESTIONS ABOUT BIBLICAL THEOLOGY

by Jason DeRouchie (Kregel Academic) Available Now

40 Questions About Biblical Theology provides resources to answer these key questions in order to guide readers in their own study and practice of biblical theology. Other vital topics the authors address include how to understand typology, key themes in biblical theology, and how Christians should relate to Old Testament promises.

Bringing the Whole Counsel to Bear in Biblical Counseling

Midwestern Seminary’s biblical counseling program offers undergraduate (B.A.), graduate (M.A.), and post-graduate (Ph.D. and D.Min.) biblical counseling degrees.

These degrees are designed for significant training in the principles and methods of biblical counseling, preparing you for service in a local church, in a biblical counseling center, or in a wider ministry setting. Our goal is to equip ministers and laypersons to minister biblically within their local churches and communities, making the church the first place people go for help, rather than a last resort.

Take the next step.

mbts.edu/counseling

5001 N. Oak Trafficway Kansas City, MO 64118 800.944.MBTS (6287) MBTS.EDU