WSC UPDATE Magazine Spring 2018

westminster seminary california

SPRING2018

TREASURING treasuring Treasuring GOD'S WISDOM wisdom God's Wisdom

by Dennis E. Johnson

TREASURING WISDOM

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SEEKING SEEKING Q&ATHE WITH THETREASURES TREASURES PRESIDENT OF OFGOD'S GOD'S JOEL WISDOM WISDOM E. KIM

by Dennis E. Johnson

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THEFROM GLORYMAKING OF GOD'S MONEY DESIGN TO MAKING DISCIPLES

by Yi Wang

by John Kong

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GOD'S SHARING AMAZING THE GOSPEL WORK WITHINTHE BERLIN OJIBWE by by Eowyn Rob Weaver Stoddard

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

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t is very fitting that Dr. Dennis Johnson contributes the faculty article on wisdom (p. 4) for this issue of UPDATE. It is fitting in part because last fall Westminster Seminary California (WSC) published a collection of faculty chapel messages from the 2016-17 academic year, The Treasury of God’s Wisdom, which Dr. Johnson envisioned and edited. But it is especially fitting since Dr. Johnson will retire from WSC at the end of this academic year, concluding 37 years of faithful service to our Lord at the seminary. Throughout his teaching career, he has taught more than 1,000 students in preaching, New Testament, and ministry courses.

More than a generation of pastors have entered the ministry seeking to heed Dr. Johnson’s call to preach Christ from all the Scriptures. Just as important, Dr. Johnson has served as a model for Christ-like humility and a servant spirit for students, faculty, and staff at WSC. Those of us who have been blessed to learn under and serve with him are thankful to God for Dr. Johnson’s faithful pointing us to Christ.

The WSC community will miss Dr. Johnson and his wife, Jane, as they move to Tennessee to be closer to children and grandchildren.

Also in this issue, current student John Kong (p. 8) recounts his story of leaving an exciting and lucrative career on Wall Street to pursue the pastoral ministry at WSC. Alumni Eowyn (daughter of former WSC professor Dr. Peter Jones) and David Stoddard (p. 16) share their experiences as missionaries in Berlin, Germany. We also provide an update on our Westminster Village construction project, which is nearing completion. Finally, WSC Trustee Dr. James Paauw discusses continuing a family legacy of serving an important oversight role at the seminary.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers as WSC prepares future leaders for Christ’s church.

Cordially in Christ,

“LET THE WORD OF CHRIST DWELL IN YOU RICHLY, TEACHING AND ADMONISHING ONE ANOTHER IN ALL WISDOM.” -Colossians 3:16 2

Joel E. Kim WSC President

UPDATE | SPRING2018

SPRING2018 UPDATE | SPRING2018 PRESIDENT Joel E. Kim EDITOR Marcus McArthur DESIGNER Megan York

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DENNIS E. JOHNSON

PRINTER Precision UPDATE magazine is a publication of Westminster Seminary California.

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Westminster Seminary California 1725 Bear Valley Parkway Escondido, CA 92027 PHONE (888) 480-8474 FAX (760) 480-0252 EMAIL development@wscal.edu WEBSITE www.wscal.edu PERMISSIONS: UPDATE grants permission for any original article to be photocopied and distributed, permitted that the wording is not altered in any way, no fee is charged beyond the cost of reproduction, and no more than 500 copies are made. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by Westminster Seminary California. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: This article originally appeared in UPDATE, a publication of Westminster Seminary California (WSC) and is reprinted with permission. For more information about WSC, visit www.wscal.edu or call (888) 480-8474.

MISSION: The purpose of UPDATE is to showcase Westminster Seminary California’s distinctively Christ-centered, graduate education through the work of its faculty, students and alumni who are serving as pastors, teachers, missionaries, and leaders worldwide in light of our overarching mission “to glorify God through graduate theological study. . . for those who will serve in the Christian community and the larger society.”

Since 1979, Westminster Seminary California has offered a distinctly Reformed and rigorous education in order to glorify Christ, promote His Gospel, and serve His Church. The strength of our degree programs lies in our faculty’s unified commitment to the inerrant Scriptures and the Reformed confessions.

Westminster Seminary California is the only accredited seminary in the Western United States serving confessionally Reformed churches.

2017-2018 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Mr. John K. Andrews Mr. Richard Blauw, Jr Mr. Daniel J. Bryant The Rev. LeRoy Christoffels The Rev. CJ den Dulk Mr. Lyle Faber The Rev. Thomas K. Groelsema The Rev. Dr. David Hall Mr. Milton D. Hodges The Rev. Dr. Terry Johnson The Rev. Scott R. Korljan Mr. Brian Miller Mr. James W. Onnink Dr. James D. Paauw Mr. Ronald W. Prins Mr. Kent Van Groningen The Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen The Rev. Dr. Eric B. Watkins ©2018 Westminster Seminary California All rights reserved.

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8 JOHNKONG

16 EOWYNSTODDARD

INFOCUS

ONMISSION

4. Seeking the Treasures of God's Wisdom

16. God's Amazing Work in Berlin 18. Alumni News

ONCAMPUS

INPERSON & INPRINT

8. From Making Money to Making Disciples 12. The Inauguration of President Joel E. Kim

20. Faculty Speaking: 2018 Annual Conference 25. Honorarium & Memorial Gifts 26. Up Close with James D. Paauw

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INFOCUS

Seeking the Treasures of God’s Wisdom

by Dennis E. Johnson

UPDATE | SPRING2016

W

estminster Seminary California strives to prepare pastors and other Christians who are biblically sound, compassionate, courageous, and…wise. God’s people need leaders who are “wise, understanding, and experienced men” (Deut. 1:13; see Acts 6:3); and all Jesus’ people are called to encourage one another “in all wisdom” (Col. 3:16). Now, cultivating wisdom in hearts and minds is a daunting enterprise. It cannot be produced merely by classroom lectures, research papers, and final exams. Rather, wisdom thrives at the intersection of divinely-revealed truth and life’s confusing experience. And we can only grow in wisdom as a community.

wisdom, the priceless prize that has few fans As I write, vivid images from the 2018 XXIII Olympic Winter Games and Paralympics in South Korea are fresh in many minds. The competitions were gripping. The feats of skill, strength, and stamina amazed us. Background feature stories gave us glimpses of the months of life-consuming training that athletes invested to prepare for those seconds or minutes of competition. Such extended, strenuous effort has a specific goal in view. Although medals of gold, silver, and bronze were awarded, the real prize was a sense of well-earned accomplishment and, of course, public recognition on a global scale.

Wisdom, like serious sports training, takes hard work. Finding it is like digging through rock in search of precious ore. …if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD

and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Prov. 2:4–6) Although wisdom is a prize that lasts longer than medals and media acclaim, wisdom attracts a smaller fan base than athletes—or, for that matter, actors or musicians or politicians, who bask in the adoration of audiences and social media “likes.” Why does wisdom have so few fans?

For one thing, wisdom lacks the flashy appeal of high-profile achievement in sports, entertainment, or politics. Ecclesiastes spins a parable of a little city saved from a great invader by the strategy of a poor wise man…who was promptly forgotten by everyone. The Preacher concludes, “The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools” (Eccles.

9:13-17). Yet the story shows that sage advice spoken calmly doesn’t grab as much attention as publicity puffs, sizzling tweets, and blistering blogs.

Moreover, wisdom takes time to cultivate. To get wisdom’s point, you have to slow down and observe, to ponder and to process. “I passed by the field a sluggard…all overgrown with thorns…and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction” (Prov. 24:30–32).

Tracing the cause-and-effect route back from a chaotic farm to a negligent farmer demands prolonged reflection. Who has time for that? Snap judgments and quick reactions are effortless and efficient, until they prove disastrous in the long run: “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame” (Prov. 18:13).

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty” (Prov. 21:5).

“MOREOVER, WISDOM TAKES TIME TO CULTIVATE. TO GET WISDOM’S POINT, YOU HAVE TO SLOW DOWN AND OBSERVE, TO PONDER AND TO PROCESS." wscal .e d u

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“WHEN WE FACE A FORK IN THE ROAD, AS WE OFTEN DO IN LIFE, WISDOM HELPS US TO PEER “AROUND THE CORNER” AND ENVISION THE DIFFERENT DESTINATIONS TO WHICH ALTERNATIVE PATHS LEAD." wisdom’s lasting value Yet the Bible commends wisdom as a priceless and enduring treasure, worth the effort and worth waiting for. Wise people have learned how to live well, through the ebbs and flows of our confusing pilgrimage through this sin-wounded world.

Wisdom sees through surface appearances, exposing reality as it actually is. Popular maxims make this point: “appearances can be deceiving,” so “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Biblical wisdom confirms this insight. In the Garden, the serpent sounded as if it had humanity’s best interests at heart: “God knows that when you eat of [the forbidden tree] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5). Yet Satan’s agenda was not human flourishing, but ruin and death. “He was a murderer from the beginning…a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Proverbs 9 presents two women, Wisdom and Folly, each inviting the naïve to enter her house and feast. Their invitations sound alike, but Wisdom’s menu gives life, whereas Folly’s guests dine with the dead. To make strategic decisions, we need wisdom’s clear perception of the reality behind superficial appearances.

Wisdom anticipates outcomes in the future. When we face a fork in the road, as we often do in life, wisdom helps us to peer “around the corner” and envision the different destinations to which alternative paths lead. In those crucial moments of decision, appearances are often deceiving: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Prov. 14:12). As Adam and Eve sadly learned, when we face competing claims about what will result from following one path or another, everything depends on whose counsel you trust and follow—your own, some persuasive tempter, or the God who gave us life and breath.

where and how do we find wisdom?

Ultimately, all wisdom comes from God himself, but he conveys it through various means: general revelation and common grace; the law of the Lord and the fear of God; and Christ, in whom are all the treasures of God’s wisdom.

General revelation and common grace. Despite our Fall into sin, God’s providence maintains order in his universe, and his common grace retains remnants of our identity as the creatures who bear his image. Consequently, both believers and unbelievers can make similar observations about how God’s wisdom works in the world. Proverbs counsels: Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.

When your eyes light on it, it is gone, 6

for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.

(Prov. 23:4-5 ESV) The Instruction of Amenemope, an Egyptian document that predates David, said it this way: Do not cast your heart in pursuit of riches….

Do not place your heart on externals….

[Riches] make for themselves wings like geese and fly away to the heavens.

Both Israelites, who knew the Lord, and Egyptians, mired in paganism, could see how stupid it is to bind your heart to wealth, since it easily sprouts wings and takes flight.

And both those who follow God and those who do not can see that there is something seriously amiss with the world, though they disagree over the source of the problem. We therefore need clearer, fuller wisdom than experience and observation can yield.

The Law of the Lord and the Fear of God. Although the universe displays God’s power and deity (Rom. 1:19-20), its message is hard to hear because of the “static” that human sin has introduced. Moreover, God’s common grace, which defers the reckoning that rebels deserve, further complicates the picture, allowing the defiant wicked to prosper throughout life, while people of integrity suffer one crushing blow after another (Ps. 73:3—14; Job 1:6—2:10). It is no surprise that the Preacher in Ecclesiastes, viewing things “under the sun,” within the parameters of this age, concludes in frustration that all is “vanity,” meaningless (Eccles. 1:2). In the short run—in our lifespan on this earth—things do not work out the way they are supposed to: “In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing” (7:15).

We need a display of divine wisdom that transcends our sense experience and thoughtful reflection, one that reaches beyond the boundary of death. We need the all-wise God to speak wisdom in words that enter our ears and hearts. Although “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Ps. 19:1, 7), we need a clearer word from God to dispel the cloud of our confusion.

In order to heed that clearer Word and to receive its wisdom, we need a deep change of heart, one that turns us around to face the divine Giver of all true wisdom: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

(Prov. 9:10) UPDATE | SPRING2018

This heart-level reorientation toward our Creator can occur only through the fullest display of God’s wisdom, his incarnate Son, Jesus Christ.

Christ, in whom are all the treasures of God’s wisdom. The Apostle Paul echoes the imagery of Proverbs 2:4 when he describes Christ as the One “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). Yet when we come to Christ—and specifically to his cross—the wisdom of non-Christians and the wisdom of Christians part ways.

To the church at Corinth Paul writes: Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor. 1:22—24) Two categories of people found the cross an unacceptable solution to what is amiss with the world. On the one hand were Jews, who “demand signs.” On the other were Greeks, who “seek wisdom.”

The Jews’ demand for signs expressed their longing for power. Greek philosophers preferred an intellectual remedy: a new theory, a fresh concept, scientific breakthroughs, and technological advances—not a crucified Christ.

But here is where both the world’s power-seekers and wisdom-seekers go wrong: the wisdom of the world is nearsighted. It sees things only on the surface, not in depth. So the world’s wisdom underestimates the gravity of the human predicament, and therefore underestimates how radical a remedy is needed to address our real problem.

The wisdom of God, revealed in the crucified Christ, goes all the way down to the heart of what is amiss with us and

the world we inhabit, to the core of what stands in the way of our well-being. God’s wisdom pierces beneath surface troubles: physical brutality, self-serving exploitation, ignorance, disease, poverty, and so on. As bad as they are, they are only symptoms of a deeper malignancy. God’s diagnosis of our disease goes right to the core of who we are by birth into Adam’s fallen race. We are rebels, alienated from our good Creator. We are guilty, deserving his righteous wrath. Our defilement and dysfunction go so far into us that no mere exercise of power—physical strength, military armaments, economic resources, political coercion—can reach them. And no merely human wisdom— philosophical, scientific, medical, technological, educational—can probe the mystery of our brokenness, much less devise its solution.

The ultimate wisdom that yields well-being entails the great exchange accomplished by the eternal, innocent Son of God on our behalf. This exchange is a gracious substitution, his righteousness credited to us the guilty, and the divine wrath that should be ours poured out on him. … in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.…For our sake [God] made [Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:19-21) It is this stunning exchange that makes Christ’s cross, which looks like the height of folly and the depth of weakness, the complete and final display of God’s mind-boggling wisdom and world-shaking power.

DENNIS E. JOHNSON is Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Seminary California. He lives in Escondido with his wife, Jane.

DOWNLOAD WSC'S NEW FACULTY EBOOK The Treasury of God's Wisdom is a collection of meditations from the faculty of Westminster Seminary California, striving to instill in students the divinely-granted wisdom that enables people to live well for God’s glory and others’ good. Our aim is to draw hearts and minds to Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3—4). Our prayer is that every reader will come to know Jesus better and treasure him as our “wisdom from God, knowledge and righteousness and sanctification” (1 Corinthians 1:30).

This volume features essays by Dennis E. Johnson, S. M. Baugh, J. V. Fesko, Michael S. Horton, Joshua J. Van Ee, Joel E. Kim, R. Scott Clark, Charles K. Telfer, Bryan D. Estelle, Zachary R. Keele, and W. Robert Godfrey. Download your copy today!

To download the free e-book, visit the link below and fill out a brief form.

wscal.edu/free-ebook wscal .e d u

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ONCAMPUS

from making money

TO MAKING DISCIPLES

by John Kong

HOMETOWN Taiwan

"G

reed is good!” “Always be closing!” Those words are not just famous quotes from movies about finance and business, but they were the mantras that I lived by while working on Wall Street for seven years. I was enamored with the glitz and glamor that came with working in an investment bank: the nice clothes, the fancy food, and the opportunities to travel around the world. It never occurred to me that I would one day leave the finance industry, much less leave it for pastoral ministry, and yet God in his providence had a completely different trajectory for my life.

I was born in Nashville, Tennessee, but I grew up in Taiwan from the age of three until graduating high school.

My dad was the pastor of a Presbyterian church there, so I was blessed to have grown up in a Christian family and come to know God at a young age. Since I was the pastor’s son, I was asked numerous times at church whether I also wanted to be a pastor when I grew up. Every time I heard that question, I would always smile and nod politely, give a gentle shrug of my shoulders, and find a way to change the subject. I was not against being a pastor, but I had always wanted to work in a job that would allow me to make a lot of

PROGRAM

3rd year M.Div.

money, and being a pastor did not seem to fit that description.

After graduating college, banking seemed like a logical career path if making money was my goal. So I started my finance career in New York, and over the next few years work relocated me to Singapore and London, and then they eventually moved me back to Taiwan. At first I relished in the prestige and money that came with the job. I could not get enough of the Michelin Star restaurants, the business class flights, or the ability to go skiing in the Alps one weekend and skydiving over the Bay of Islands the next. But as the years went by, I was slowly starting to feel that nagging sensation about becoming a pastor come creeping back. I would try to fight it off by telling myself that due to my job, I was able to give a lot of money to support various churches and missionaries around the world. I would also volunteer in church, whether it be with the youth, children, or any other ministry, in order to avoid considering going into full-time ministry, thinking that this was enough. But no matter how hard I tried to resist God’s call, the feeling just would not go away.

Eventually, after wrestling for about 12 months, God slowly but surely confirmed to me that he was calling me to

“PREACHING CHRIST FROM ALL OF SCRIPTURE WAS SOMETHING I HAD NEVER HEARD OF BEFORE COMING TO SEMINARY, AND NOW I CANNOT IMAGINE PREACHING ANY OTHER WAY."

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UPDATE | SPRING2018

pastoral ministry. A combination of listening to various sermons, daily devotions, and going on some short-term mission trips helped confirm this call. I could no longer justify to myself my goal of trying to be wealthy when the gospel was so much richer and what Christ did for me so much more valuable. Making money paled in comparison to making disciples, so I quit my job in finance and applied to seminary, and that is how I ended up at Westminster Seminary California (WSC).

My experience at WSC has been both exciting and humbling. Not only is it exciting to be able to read the Bible in the original languages, but it is also exhilarating to learn and see how Christ is central everywhere in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testament. Preaching Christ from all of Scripture was something I had never heard of before coming to seminary, and now I cannot imagine preaching any other way. At the same time, it has been humbling to realize how little I actually know and how much more room I have to grow. No matter if it is a vocabulary word I have forgotten or a theological concept I am still trying to understand, I constantly find myself being reminded of the depth and richness of God’s Word and how I have only scratched the surface.

All the knowledge I have gained since coming to seminary has been a blessing to me, and the skill set I have developed in terms of studying God’s Word and explaining it to others is invaluable. But what I treasure most during my time here at WSC is how my studies have helped me grow in my relationship with Christ.

A friend of mine once asked, “Now that you are in seminary, do you love Jesus more than you did before?” I thought it was an odd question at first, because I thought to myself, “I already gave up everything to come to seminary, how can I love Jesus more?” Yet as I learned more about what Christ has done for me, what his life, death, and resurrection has secured for me, I could not help but love him more and more. We are always taught that sound doctrine should lead us to doxology, and that has definitely been my experience studying here at WSC. wscal .e d u

“NO MATTER IF IT IS A VOCABULARY WORD I HAVE FORGOTTEN OR A THEOLOGICAL CONCEPT I AM STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, I CONSTANTLY FIND MYSELF BEING REMINDED OF THE DEPTH AND RICHNESS OF GOD’S WORD AND HOW I HAVE ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE. " Besides the wonderfully enriching classroom experience, I have also enjoyed getting to know my fellow classmates as well as my professors. The students here come from such diverse backgrounds, and hearing how God has called them to seminary and how they plan to serve him after graduating is very inspiring. The passion God has instilled in them to share the gospel with the lost people of this world never ceases to encourage me, especially when I get tired and stressed from school, as their testimonies help me to continue to persevere in my studies.

It is also a blessing that WSC is located in Southern California, and so to be able to hang out with classmates outside of school, whether it is to go surfing at the beach or hiking up a trail, are wonderful ways in which fellowship has been built and a sense of community has been established.

My experience with the faculty has been a similarly uplifting one. There is a quote many evangelicals like to say, “Preach the gospel all the time; if necessary, use words.” I like to reverse this and say, “Preach the gospel all the time; when necessary, use actions,” and that is what I feel like the professors do here at WSC. Whether it is praying with us in our prayer groups, or having students over to their house for a meal, the faculty continue to amaze me in how much they genuinely care about the students, both inside and outside the classroom. Especially for me, with my family being in Taiwan, this hospitality and generosity that the professors exhibit has had a huge impact on my experience studying here at WSC.

My plans after graduating is, Lord willing, to be a pastor at a church in the U.S. in the short term, and then go back to Taiwan to pastor and help plant Reformed churches in the long term. Having been raised in a Chinese church, I would love to see and learn how a nonChinese church shepherds its members, and hopefully be able to take what I have learned back to Taiwan. I have also been praying about missions and becoming a missionary. My family would not have heard of the gospel were it not for missionaries, and I am so thankful that God sent them to Taiwan. As Christians we always talk about how eagerly we anticipate Christ’s second coming, and yet so many have never even heard of the first!

It is my prayer that God will somehow use me in sharing this good news to those who have yet to hear it, whether it be as a pastor or a missionary somewhere among the nations.

It has been a whirlwind of a journey so far, coming from a world that is focused on money to a world focused on Christ, and there are still so many things I need to learn. But if there is one thing I have taken away so far on this journey, it is my new mantra in life: “The gospel is good!”

“Always be preaching Christ!”

Pray for WSC

OUR STUDENTS Please pray for our students as many serve churches around the country as summer interns.

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WSC INSTAGRAM TAKEOVER

On April 9-13, five WSC current students "took over" the WSC Instagram account for one day each to share what life is like as a seminarian. Below is just a small sampling of what they shared with us, so be sure to follow @westminsterseminaryca to view all the student posts!

"Preparing to give a morning chapel devotion tomorrow.

Some graduating seniors are given the honor of preparing a chapel sermon for the student body. These chapels are not just for the student body! Anyone can sit in and listen, whether in chapel or online (the WSC Facebook page streams chapel services live)." –kevin wang

"After being indoors for most of the day, I always look forward to going outside and enjoying the Southern California sunshine. Playing soccer with other students is a great way to build fellowship as well as get some exercise in!" –john kong

"Going to seminary 31 miles from the Pacific Ocean certainly has its perks. You can’t go to the beach all the time during the busyness of the semester, but it’s always there if you need a break to clear your head after a full day. Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”" –chris smith

"When my husband suggested we look into Westminster, he pretty much had me at 'Southern California.' But as much as I'm enjoying the sunshine, ocean, mountains, and palm trees, what ultimately drew us here was the school itself—particularly hearing the professors' hearts not just for academia but for Christ's Church." –kendra dahl

"Medieval & Reformation History with Dr. Clark is an indepth survey of the events and theology in history that gives students the categories and historical narratives to talk competently about these issues."

–caleb wait

"Going down to one car, squeezing our family of 5 into a 2-bedroom apartment, and living off of part-time income were all changes I was scared to make to come to seminary, but they've become occasions to marvel at God's faithfulness and provision. And moving into student housing next year will just make everything that much easier. " –kendra dahl

VISIT. MEET. LEARN. EXPLORE. Join us for a unique opportunity for prospective students to experience WSC firsthand. Join us at one of our upcoming events!

SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 JANUARY 18, 2019 MARCH 8, 2019 wscal.edu/visit 10

UPDATE | SPRING2018

STAY UP-TO-DATE!

CURRENT STAGE: INTERIOR FINISHES & LANDSCAPING

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FUTURE CAMPUS OFFICES

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In addition to these interior finishes, crews have been at work applying decorative stones to the Commons building chimney and constructing the outdoor commons area, which includes a fire FF-770.0 pit, built-in barbeques and sinks, and a trellis structure for shade. Returning and incoming students will begin moving into the new Westminster Village in June and throughout the summer months.

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CALEY MEZA

incoming student

"While Westminster Seminary California had long been my "dream school," actually attending the seminary has always seemed to be off the table for us. As a married man with BUILDING 'D' two daughters, I did not know how 1 BDRM I could attend a physical UNIT Reformed BUILDING 'C' seminary without FF-746.0 neglecting my 3 BDRM responsibilities to them in the proUNIT FF-746.0 ING cess. For those reasons, not ARK of Pout (11) E preference but necessity, we Dwere RIV planning to go the online seminary KING route. However, with this new housPAR (11) ing project at WSC, it seems that BUILDING 'B' 'I' G God has made the impossible pos2 BDRM N I ILD NS UNIT KIDS PLAY AREA BU COM G. sible for us. As my wife and I toured FF-740.0 1,930 SF D BL 742.0 FF TIOthe campus and housing recently, we PA PROJECT OVERVIEW were both in awe of the gift God has (12) PARKING set before us in WSC. We were elated BUILDING 'E' by the quality of education 3 BDRM I would DRIVE UNIT receive, the strong community we FF-742.0 (4) (6) PARKING PARKING would share, and beautiful environment and home our girls would grow BUILDING 'F' 3 BDRM up in during this season. We are so BUILDING 'G' UNIT 2 BDRM residential individual commons FF-741.0incredibly grateful for all of those UNIT buildings units building FF-739.0 who have donated to this project and have made it possible for such a prestigious seminary to be an affordable HELP MAKE HISTORY! reality for families.

See page 15 Thank you!"

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This spring, crews have turned their focus on finishing interior work on the apartments. This includes the installation of custom cabinets, quartz countertops, sinks, bathroom vanities, lighting, flooring, shower doors, window treatments, and stainless steel appliances. The apartments are finally beginning to look like homes with this finishing work.

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THE INAUGURATION OF

PRESIDENT JOEL E. KIM A historic moment in the life of WSC

On Tuesday, January 9, 2018, Westminster Seminary California celebrated the inauguration of Rev. Joel Eunil Kim as the fourth president of the seminary. He follows in the footsteps of Dr. W. Robert Godfrey, who served as president for 24 years, and Drs. Robert G. den Dulk and Robert B. Strimple, both founders of WSC. Westminster Seminary California welcomed trustees and delegates from all over the country for the inauguration. President Emeritus Dr. Godfrey charged the new president, “Keep your priorities straight. Presidents have many responsibilities [but] the most important is to remember that we are here to serve the Lord, and nothing else will matter if we fail in that task.”

Below is an excerpt from the transcript of President Kim’s Inaugural Address.

I

n turning to Paul's letter to the Colossians, throughout chapter one, although we only heard a portion of chapter one, I hope to highlight the characteristics and traits that we hope to see in our institution, traits of our institution among our graduates as we pray that WSC continues to be an instrument in the hand of God to renew the church. This is our prayer for us. Those traits are: thankfulness, humility and confidence. Thankfulness for what God has done. Humility in witnessing what God is doing. Confidence in knowing what God promises to do….

Many of these blessings of grace are the people and the places that the Lord has brought together. Thirty-seven years

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ago there was no plot for a campus. No students. And frankly, no faculty members. Affectionately called the two Bobs, Robert Strimple and Robert den Dulk, you might have noticed that all three of my predecessors are named Robert. Unfortunately, I can’t follow that pattern. Thus my immediate predecessor, Bob Godfrey, now calls me Joel Robert Kim to rectify that situation.

These two Bobs were sent out by Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia to establish a new Reformed seminary in the West Coast. Their simple mandate was to go West. Now we give thanks for not just two Bobs but three Bobs. Robert Strimple, who was president from ‘82 to ’88, most of us know him as the first academic dean and the first president, who in the midst of his busy schedule, published landmark works on 2 Philippians, women deacons, and Roman Catholicism. But many of the students here and I remember him as the professor who each year invited the seniors to his home to talk about infant baptism, a topic near and dear to his heart.

You may remember Robert den Dulk who was president from 1988 to 1993. Most of us know him as the second president who tirelessly built relationships and established financial support for the new seminary…. You hear about his influences in surprising places. At a missions conference in Georgia last year I met Mark Casson, the head of Metanoia, which is a prison ministry in the PCA. When he began with his personal story, he spoke emotionally about two people.

Their names were Bob and Nellie den Dulk, who ministered to him when he himself was in prison.

Robert Godfrey is the third president, 1993 to 2017, and most of us know him as the long-serving president of Westminster Seminary, champion of confessional reformed theology and a star speaker (a word he doesn't like very much) at conferences throughout the world. But I remember him as a UPDATE | SPRING2018

speaker who did not shy away from coming to a state school in California called UCLA to speak to 18 through 21 year olds about infant baptism. He won the hearts of many Christian young men and women that day, including the one who stands here. We give thanks….

As we continue to build upon the foundations laid, we count on, in fact, desperately depend on this promise of God. In an UPDATE article after his retirement, Robert Strimple spoke of his and Robert den Dulk’s amazing, innocent confidence when the school began.

That’s what he called it – “amazing, innocent confidence.” This innocent confidence was built on his trust in the Lord, as he says, “I believed that God had called us to this and that he would provide." Thirty-seven years later, he was exactly right. God has provided, and he will provide. It is no longer innocent nor naïve confidence but humble confidence knowing that God is at work.

And humble confidence because we have seen and we have witnessed the work of the Lord.

Therefore, as an institution, and all of us who are members and participants

in this wonderful work of God taking place at Westminster Seminary in a small city called Escondido, California, we call upon and remember the promises that God gives to Joshua when he says, “No

same yesterday, and today and forever.”

And He goes before us—both Westminster Seminary California and all of us who hold onto him for our dear lives.

Friends, may the Lord continue to bless Westminster Seminary California, that we may produce pastors and leaders who are thankful for what God has done, humbled by witnessing the presence of the Lord, and confident in believing what God will do. Pastors and leaders who are known not for their popularity but their prayers, not for their fame but their faithfulness, and not only by their gifts but also their godliness. We sincerely covet your prayers for us as we serve Christ, his gospel, and his church. Thank you for honoring us and encouraging us by being here this afternoon. We ask that you continue to remember us in your prayers.

Thank you very much.

“ PASTORS AND LEADERS WHO ARE KNOWN NOT FOR THEIR POPULARITY BUT THEIR PRAYERS, NOT FOR THEIR FAME BUT THEIR FAITHFULNESS, AND NOT ONLY BY THEIR GIFTS BUT ALSO THEIR GODLINESS."

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man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous. Only be strong and very courageous. Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous? Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” We hold on desperately and confidently to the promises of God. In Hebrews 12:8 he says, “Jesus Christ is the

For the inauguration ceremony audio and video, visit us online: www.wscal.edu/inauguration-2018

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2018 ALUMNI WINTER REFRESHER

REV. DR. JON PAYNE DELIVERS DEN DULK LECTURES In 1993, Westminster Seminary California established the Robert G. and Nellie B. den Dulk Lectures on Pastoral Ministry in honor of Dr. den Dulk and his wife, founders of the seminary. The annual lecture series brings an experienced pastor to campus each year to address current and future ministers in order to encourage and offer wise counsel regarding the rigors and joys of shepherding Christ’s flock. The seminary established the lectures in appreciation for the den Dulks’ years of service to WSC and in recognition of their passion for the preparation of pastors to preach the Word of God faithfully and powerfully.

On March 6-8, 2018, WSC welcomed Rev. Dr. Jon D. Payne to deliver the den Dulk Lectures. Dr. Payne is the Senior Minister and organizer of Christ Church Presbyterian (PCA) in Charleston, South Carolina, where WSC alumnus Rev. W. Ross Hodges (M.Div. 2013) also serves as Associate Pastor. In his lectures, Dr. Payne focused on three crucial aspects of the 21st-century Reformed pastor – piety, proclamation, and prayer. Current WSC students, faculty, and local pastors attended the lectures, while people around the world participated online. Dr. Payne encouraged and challenged listeners to serve the Lord faithfully through their daily lives, bold proclamation of the Gospel, and utter dependence on God. On the last day of his visit, Dr. Payne fielded questions from students at a special luncheon on campus. WSC is thankful for Dr. Payne sharing his wisdom and counsel with the seminary community.

You can listen to each den Dulk lecture online at: wscal.edu/den-dulk-2018

Each January Westminster Seminary California offers Alumni "Winter Refresher" opportunities. This allows alumni to audit, for FREE, courses which are of particular interest and value to them. Courses in January regularly include topical electives that are not part of the recurring curriculum.

In addition to these continuing education opportunities, this provides an opportunity for alumni to connect personally with WSC faculty, staff, other alumni, and current students, and to be encouraged by San Diego weather and food in January. Many participants also attend the WSC Annual Conference, which also takes place in January.

In January 2018, 23 WSC alumni participated in five special interest elective courses. Courses by WSC faculty included Dr. Michael Horton’s “Holy Spirit,” Dr. Ryan Glomsrud’s “Karl Barth and the Reformed Tradition,” and Dr. Marcus McArthur’s “History of American Presbyterianism.” WSC alumni and students also took advantage of the expertise of outstanding visiting professors. Dr. S. Steve Park brought to our campus a course on “Ministry in the Korean-American Context,” and Dr. Ted Powers offered a course on “Church Planting.”

join us next year!

Now is the time to start making plans to join us in January 2019 for a course and for our Annual Faculty Conference, Remembering the Canons: After 400 Years. Be on the lookout in Fall 2018 for the list of courses that will be offered. Any questions can be directed to alumni@wscal.edu.

Dr. Horton with alumni auditors of his "Holy Spirit" course

Notice Of Nondiscriminatory Policy As To Students The Westminster Seminary California school admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

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UPDATE | SPRING2018

DID YOU KNOW? Westminster Seminary California’s beautiful 64-unit on-campus housing village opens this summer!

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ONMISSION

GOD’S AMAZING WORK IN BERLIN

by Eowyn Stoddard

Y

ou never know where God may take you. God led David and me to each other during our time at Westminster Seminary California between 1995 and 1999, where we both earned degrees. We loved our time there! David got to learn how to preach from Ed Clowney, and I soaked it all up with the warm California sun. We regularly joined in with Dennis Johnson’s missions prayer group, including others like Lloyd Kim, who is now the coordinator of Mission to the World (MTW). We came to seminary each sensing a call to missions and were purposefully training for crosscultural engagement. We were married in December 1997.

After graduation, David started working at New Life PCA in Escondido as an assistant pastor. The congregation was most generous, allowing us to pursue the calling on our lives to go into missions while still serving at the church. We were able to raise our support as the church let us go visit other churches once a month for a period of almost a year.

We made a scouting trip to Eastern Berlin in the summer of 1999 with our little son, Jesse, who at the time was 10 months old. We did not like what we saw. Berlin was a spiritually dark desert. In the East there were hardly any churches, and most of them were struggling. We felt repulsed by the spiritual oppression we felt there. It was during that time that my father, Peter Jones (New Testament professor at WSC at the time), sent us an email sharing words attributed to Martin Luther: “Go where the battle is raging!” We felt like reluctant Jonah. We knew God was calling us to go to Berlin in spite of it all, or maybe especially because of the deep darkness and lostness.

We arrived in cold Berlin in January of 2001. Within days of our arrival, David became very ill. The following months were quite difficult. David had to learn the language, and we had to start a new life with 2 young children, living in a 5th floor apartment without an elevator. It was then that we started experiencing demonic oppression, for which we were not prepared in the least. That experience made us realize how little control we had over things and how desperate we were for the Lord to intervene. And that he did. After our

team came and prayed with us in our apartment, the harassing gradually ceased. We moved to another area of town after the two-year mark in order to be part of a church-planting project in a former East German district called Pankow. God stretched us to our limits during that time too. Most people we encountered had never met a Christian before in their life.

We were an oddity, both culturally and spiritually. We worked very hard without seeing much fruit.

For the longest time our team used to describe working in Berlin as “plowing in concrete.” We were driven to our knees. This continued for months and years until cracks began to form in the concrete. We started to see some growth and openness. Some non-Christians were coming to discussion groups, evangelistic events, brunches, grill-outs, etc. Then the Lord opened an amazing door to a location right at the center of that part of town. It was in a building that was being renovated. We walked through an absolute mess of a place, littered with plates and seven-year-old scraps! It was horrendous. But the owner let us keep all the pub’s cutlery and flatware for the church. As we sorted through things, we found in some drawers of the office what had been at the center of the bar’s business and clientele: neo-Nazi propaganda. History revealed the owner had been stabbed to death, leaving the place unclaimed for years. Rumor had it that no one dared take it over. We learned God does not shy away from redeeming the darkest of places or people to display his sovereign grace all the more. He delighted to turn a neo-Nazi bar into a place of worship.

As we renovated the place, onlookers came in and asked about the church. The mayor came to our inaugural service and thanked everyone for the “good influence” we were having in the neighborhood. A Christian midwifery moved into the rooms and used them during the week, which gave us a steady flow of contacts to young families. Light and life were pouring out from that place into the surrounding darkness. People who had simply enjoyed the fellowship of all the events started showing true interest in spiritual things and coming to the services. Most slid into the Kingdom slowly, and some who probably thought they might already be Christian discovered the gospel of grace for the first time. David preached Reformed theology without them knowing it. By the time we left that church, it was a solid group of about 40-50 people. It is now pastored by one of the graduates of the Martin Bucer Seminary campus in Berlin, which David helped start. Today, the Paul Church has a great reputation in Pankow as “the church that loves the neighborhood,” and it continues to grow. In fact, they are looking for a new facility. The name “Paul Church” came from the church members. They wanted to reflect that

“GOD BROUGHT TOGETHER A GROUP OF EAST AND WEST BERLINERS IN THEIR CHURCH, AND THEY EXPERIENCED UNITY ONLY THE GOSPEL CAN BRING."

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UPDATE | SPRING2018

the gospel tears down dividing walls, in particular as it applied to East and West Berlin. God brought together a group of East and West Berliners in their church, and they experienced unity only the gospel can bring.

Now, many years later, our first child who visited Berlin with us as a 10-month-old is now at university, and God has called us to a new project. It is as different as it gets. We are currently working with refugees from countries like Iran, Iraq, and Syria. We are experiencing unusual times to say the least.

While it would take many years for an atheist Berliner to come to faith, these displaced people are hungry to know Jesus, and many of them testify to the fact that God is the one who brought them to Germany to get to know him. Our theology of God’s sovereignty has reassured us many times when we have doubted.

Now it is being made clear that God is moving very powerfully through the refugee crisis that started in 2015. Here is a testimony that I heard just recently at a baptismal class from an ex-Muslim woman: “I didn’t know who Jesus was and knew nothing about him. I decided to pray and ask him to let me know who he is. The following night I had a dream.

A man stood behind me whom I could wscal .e d u

“GOD HAS USED OUR WESTMINSTER SEMINARY CALIFORNIA TRAINING IN VERY VERSATILE WAYS: FROM CHRIST-CENTERED PREACHING AND TEACHING TO EVANGELISM AND APOLOGETICS, FROM SEMINARY WORK TO THEOLOGICAL WRITING.” not see and said to me: you have asked who I am. I tell you that I am who I am.

That was the end of the dream.” She woke up and knew it was Jesus, though she found out only later that this is how God revealed his Name to Moses! This is the kind of stuff you cannot make up! Jesus is living, active, and revealing himself to lost sinners today in real and amazing ways.

God may yet bring revival to the dead German church through people like this woman who now loves the Lord passionately. Please pray for many more to find Jesus and come out of Islam. We are confident that the great mover of people has done this so that many would find him!

Our journey so far has not been dull; God has done amazing things. Though far from sunny southern California, God has used our Westminster Seminary California training in very versatile ways:

from Christ-centered preaching and teaching to evangelism and apologetics, from seminary work to theological writing. But most of all, it has given us a personal framework for understanding God and his faithfulness more and more, learning to lean on him in complete and utter dependence for ministry, and encouraging others to trust in the God of the Scriptures, build their lives on the truth, and live with and for him.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Eowyn and David Stoddard have been serving with MTW in Berlin, Germany, since 2001. David is the International Director for MTW’s work in Europe. They have 5 children, ages 11-19.

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ALUMNI NEWS 1987 Jeff Stull recently moved to Dahlonega, GA, while continuing to partner in ministry with Creekstone Church PCA, Dahlonega, and GracePointe PCA, Cumming, GA, through the counseling ministry of Access Grace.

DOWNLOAD THE WSC MOBILE APP! A convenient new way to stay connected with WSC resources Did you know that WSC has developed a brand new mobile app designed to compile all your favorite content right at your fingertips? Stay up to date with the latest resources and events as new content will be added weekly!

EASY, QUICK ACCESS TO...

• Office Hours • Morning Devotions & Lectures • WSC blog • WSC video productions • Simple online giving • Upcoming WSC events • Prospective student resources • Livestream access for Annual

Conference and other WSC events

To download the app, visit the app store and search for:

WSC Mobi l e

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1990 Earl Vanderhoff officially retired from the Army as an OPC Chaplain on September 29, 2016, after 28 years of service.

1998 Stephen Lewis, by God's grace, defended his PhD dissertation at WTS, "Narrative Analogy and the Theological Message of Esther: Israel's Conflicted Relationship with an Angry Sovereign."

2001 John Carter recently completed a Master of Theology degree from Duke University, including a thesis on the impact of the Korean War on Presbyterian Missions. He was also promoted to Commander in the Navy Chaplain Corps, and is currently serving as the Supervisory Chaplain at Arlington National Cemetery.

2005 Michael Preciado is the senior pastor at Christ Church Presbyterian in Irvine, CA (PCA), and was recently awarded his Ph.D. in Philosophical Theology from the University of Aberdeen in 2018.

Fred Kabenge, in addition to previous roles at Westminster Christian Institute Uganda (WCIU) and as coordinator of Trinity Center for World Missions for East and Central Africa, in July last year while attending the International Conference for Reformed Churches (ICRC) in Jordan, Ontario, Canada, the member churches of ICRC from the African continent appointed him to serve as ICRC Africa Region's Secretary.

2012 Alex Eppstein took a call as the pastor of Bethel Reformed Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Sparta, IL. In late October, his wife, Amy, gave birth to their second son, Ezra Alexander.

Kristopher Marriage led his previous church (Grace Bible Church Banks, Oregon) to closing down in December 2017, and in May will be called as an Associate Pastor at Timberline Baptist Church in Lacey, Washington.

2013 Josh Feil and his wife, Cynthia, moved to the Portland area soon after graduating in 2013. After spending several years volunteering in a local PCA church, he took a position at St. Stephen's Academy, a classical Christian school in Beaverton, OR. He teaches Bible and Theology full time for a variety of grades in the upper school. He and his wife recently became members of Grace United Reformed Church in Milwaukie, OR. 2014 Mike Awtry was ordained on February 4 as Assistant Pastor at North City Presbyterian Church, Poway, CA. Nicholas Davis was installed as Lead Pastor of Redemption Church (PCA) in San Diego, CA, in February 2018.

2016 Ryan Sean Cavanaugh has been called as the church planter of Northwest Indiana Mission Church (OPC) in Merrillville, IN. Bulut Yasar and Ayrian Yasar (Moore) were married in January 2017.

Bulut was ordained and installed as the co-Pastor at New Life Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Williamsport, PA. Dan York and his wife, Megan, celebrated the birth of their first child, Ephraim Dan, on October 15, 2017.

UPDATE | SPRING2018

2017 Jason Vander Horst was ordained as a minister in the URCNA to serve Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC, Canada on March 2, 2018.

Joseph Kim was ordained as Assistant Pastor on December 10, 2017, at Dae Hueng Presbyterian Church in Gardena, CA.

A chance to experience a Westminster Seminary California course in Orange County For the first time in the history of Westminster Seminary California, a WSC course was held outside of North County San Diego last September. Dr. J.V. Fesko, WSC Academic Dean and Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, taught a one-credit course on covenant theology. This April, WSC held its second WSC in OC course at New Life Fullerton (PCA). President Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Church History, Dr. W. Robert Godfrey, taught a course titled, “Saving the Reformation: The Pastoral Theology of the Synod of Dort (1618-1619).”

This Synod, which convened in Dordrecht, Holland, was the only genuinely international ecclesiastical assembly in the history of the Reformed churches, and it prepared a formal rewscal .e d u

Stephen Sprague was ordained as Assistant Pastor in March 2018 at Oak Hills PCA in Shawnee, KS.

Send us your recent updates for future issues of the magazine at alumni@wscal.edu.

Dan Warne recently took the position of Director and Speaker of Spanish Ministries at Haven Today, hosting a 30 minute Christ-centered radio program reaching Cuba, the Caribbean, and far

beyond. Dan and Mariana are expecting a little girl June 24th.

sponse to the Arminian challenge to Calvinism. The Synod of Dort is part of the Three Forms of Unity (in addition to the Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism), to which Reformed churches subscribe. It is a fitting topic considering this year marks the 400th anniversary of the Synod of Dort commencing its work. It is also fitting that Dr. Godfrey taught this course considering he wrote his dissertation at Stanford University on the Synod of Dort and is working on a new book on the same topic.

Dr. Godfrey led students and auditors in studying the background, work, and conclusions of the Synod.

The Synod’s broader context includes the Dutch Reformation and the teachings and legacy of Jacobus Arminius. In 1610, followers of Arminius, known as the Remonstrants or Arminians, presented their views to the States General in the form of five articles. These “Five Articles of Remonstrance” included affirmations of universal atonement, that man can resist God’s saving grace, and that a believer can lose his salvation. The Synod of Dort sought to correct these unbiblical tenets, issuing the Canons of Dort. The substance of the

Canons, which have come to be known as the TULIP of Calvinism, included affirmations of total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints.

While most Reformed Christians are aware of the significance of the Synod of Dort for its defense of the “five points” of Calvinism, many do not appreciate the pastoral nature of the Canons. Dr. Godfrey pointed out that the Canons stress the importance of the faithful preaching of the Word of God, the free and sincere offer of the gospel, the seriousness and effects of sin, and that the regenerate must strive for personal holiness. In addition, the Canons address the topic of assurance repeatedly. This defense and affirmation of a believer’s assurance of salvation provides deep comfort that our salvation depends in no part on our own works.

Instead, as the Heidelberg Catechism puts it, our only comfort in life and death is that we are not our own, but belong with body and soul to our faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who will preserve us to the end.

Stay tuned for details about our next off-campus course.

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INPERSON & INPRINT

FACULTY SPEAKING

2018 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The Bible: His Stories. Your Life.

Westminster Seminary California’s 2018 Annual Conference commenced the evening of Friday, January 12, and continued through Saturday afternoon.

This year’s conference attracted nearly 300 people to campus from across the United States. Many others tuned in online via livestream from the Philippines, United Kingdom, Canada, and Israel. Emcee Dr. Ryan Glomsrud and other members of the WSC faculty – President Joel E. Kim, Drs. W. Robert Godfrey, Dennis E. Johnson, Bryan D. Estelle, David VanDrunen, and Joshua J. Van Ee – explored the conference theme, “The Bible: His Stories. Your Life.” Each speaker considered God’s stories from a particular perspective, such as literary artistry, history, theology, preaching, and the interconnectivity of the biblical narratives.

President Kim opened the conference by discussing God’s stories as literary artistry. In his plenary, President Kim explored not only what the Bible says, but how the Bible says it, focusing on the

narratives of the Bible. He demonstrated how each narrative is a carefully-crafted historical story of Jesus Christ, a story that employs the artistic and literary conventions of the time and told by authors who offer their unique and personal perspectives. As President Kim explained, “When you read the Scriptures, the narratives point us to the greatest story ever told. Each of the individual stories fit into the larger story.”

He continued, “Even when you read the Old Testament stories, you should read with a peripheral vision looking toward the New Testament.” Reading the

stories does not mean that they read like a newspaper account or a modern history book. The way the authors of scripture wrote history, Dr. Van Ee explained, is different in many ways from what we expect. Thus we need to examine carefully how the Bible writes history, lest we misinterpret it as we bring our assumptions to the text.

Saturday’s sessions began with Dr. David VanDrunen, Robert B. Strimple Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics, speaking on God’s stories as theology. Dr. VanDrunen demonstrated that the stories of Scripture provide more than just information or a broad background for understanding biblical truth. These stories not only allow us to see our doctrine in action, but in many cases they actually become part of our doctrine itself. The truth of our doctrines rely on the truth of the Bible’s stories. Dr. VanDrunen explained, “Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection are not an illustration of the doctrine of atonement, they are not an instance of the doctrine of atonement. They are the doctrine of atonement!”

Dr. Bryan Estelle, Professor of Old Testament, followed with a plenary on the interaction of God’s stories through the literary device of allusion. Bible readers recognize that biblical writers

“WHEN YOU READ THE SCRIPTURES, THE NARRATIVES POINT US TO THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD."

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narratives more carefully can help us to read and enjoy the Word of God more.

Dr. Joshua Van Ee, Associate Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament, concluded Friday’s plenaries by exploring God’s stories as history. Dr. Van Ee affirmed that it is essential to the Christian faith that we affirm the historical nature of God’s stories in the Bible as testimonies and witnesses to real people and events.

Yet affirming the historicity of the Bible’s

UPDATE | SPRING2018

frequently refer to other biblical books in a wide variety of ways: direct quote, subtle citation, allusion, or “echo” or “reminiscence.” Dr. Estelle provided a summary of the latest theoretical work on understanding how allusions function in literature, including biblical literature.

After explaining how one can develop “allusion competence” when reading biblical narratives, Dr. Estelle illustrated through specific biblical examples how the archeology of allusion hunting can result in a richer understanding of biblical narratives from both the Old Testament and New Testament.

President Emeritus Dr. W. Robert Godfrey then turned to a consideration of how reading good stories outside of the Bible can help us in our understanding of biblical stories. Good stories are never just stories, Dr. Godfrey explained.

Authors, by what they include, what they exclude, and how they structure their stories, are doing more than developing a plot; they are making a point. Reflecting on the narratives of great literature can help us learn more from the narratives of the Bible. Dr. Godfrey made a case for the legitimacy and value of good fiction, observing that a part of how we are God’s image-bearers is in communication and our creative art of writing fiction. And reading good books of literature will lead us to read the Bible more carefully and more profoundly.

Dr. Dennis Johnson, Professor of Practical Theology, concluded the

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“ THIS BRIEF EPISODE THAT IS YOUR LIFE ON THIS EARTH IS INTEGRAL TO THE COSMIC CONFLICT OF THE AGES, WHICH OUR BROTHER AND CHAMPION HAS CONQUERED FOR YOU!” conference plenaries by examining how to preach the Bible’s stories. The Bible’s historical narratives present preachers with pitfalls and with glorious opportunities to introduce our listeners to the great Hero, Jesus Christ. Dr. Johnson identified some of these pitfalls: abstracting timeless truths and life lessons from the real drama experienced by flesh-and-blood people; letting imagination run amok to add color and flavor to familiar plotlines; and casting ourselves as stars in the spotlight, leaving Christ in the shadow as our supporting actor. Yet, he continued, preaching biblical narratives well means seizing the opportunity to introduce multidimensional, broken people to the multidimensional, all-sufficient Lord and Savior, setting the very event into its proper context in the big Story of God’s redemptive enterprise. According to Dr. Johnson, “Every biblical narrative must be read in the context of Genesis 3:15.”

And the history of redemption is our history, too. Dr. Johnson explained, “Our brief, ordinary stories find their focus as subplots in God’s ultimate story. This

brief episode that is your life on this earth is integral to the cosmic conflict of the ages, which our Brother and Champion has conquered for you!”

Following the lectures there was a question-and-answer session with the faculty panel, which allowed the audience and those watching via livestream to submit questions concerning the Bible and the topics addressed during the conference. It was a wonderful time of conviction, refreshment, and encouragement as the faculty reminded listeners that history truly is His Story and that God has included us in His glorious plan through Christ Jesus, the One to whom all Scripture points.

Please plan to join us next January for the 2019 Annual Conference. The conference theme, “Remembering the Canons: After 400 Years,” focuses on 400th anniversary of the 1619 Canons of Dort, which form part of the Three Forms of Unity that Reformed churches around the world confess.

For the 2018 Annual Conference resources, visit us online: wscal.edu/conference-2018

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By the Numbers Westminster Seminary California faculty frequently travel around the country and the world serving the church by preaching and speaking. Here are some numbers from our faculty preaching and speaking travels this academic year.

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wsc faculty members

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS june

october

6 | Dr. Michael S. Horton speaks at San Diego Church Planter's Meeting & Lunch (San Diego, CA).

5-7 | Dr. J. V. Fesko speaks and preaches at Omaha Bible Church Conference and worship service (Omaha, NE).

8-9 | Dr. W. Robert Godfrey speaks at Ligonier West Coast Conference (Seattle, WA).

5-7 | President Joel E. Kim speaks at Cornerstone Lecture Series (Medford, OR).

9 | President Joel E. Kim speaks at International Theological Seminary Commencement (Arcadia, CA).

13-14 | Dr. R. Scott Clark speaks and preaches at Northwoods PCA Reformation Conference and worship service (Cheyenne, WY).

10-17 | Dr. W. Robert Godfrey speaks at Ligonier Alaska Study Cruise (Alaska).

18-22 | Dr. S. M. Baugh speaks at the Family Camp Conference of the Northern CA Presbytery (Boulder, CO).

26-29 | Dr. J. V. Fesko speaks at the Reformed Theological Seminary conference (Atlanta, GA).

9

countries

18 states

32

churches

conferences/ lectures

90

speaking engangements 22

26-27 | President Joel E. Kim speaks at Zion URC Conference (Ripon, CA).

november

july

2-4 | Dr. W. Robert Godfrey speaks at Ligonier Circle Retreat (Miami, FL).

6-7 | Dr. David VanDrunen presents a paper at the Australasian Society of Legal Philosophy (Gold Coast, Australia).

5-6 | Dr. J. V. Fesko speaks at Southern CA Reformed Baptist Pastors Conference (La Mirada, CA).

9-12 | Dr. Michael S. Horton speaks at NAPARC Youth Camp (Idyllwild, CA).

6-11 | Dr. Michael S. Horton speaks at Encounter of the Reformed Faith Conference (Manaus, Brazil).

10 | Dr. David VanDrunen presents a paper at the Julius Stone Institute of Jurispudence (Sydney, Australia).

13-14 | Dr. David VanDrunen presents a paper at the Theology Connect Conference (Sydney, Australia).

19-21 | Dr. Michael S. Horton speaks at the Global Training Initiative (GTI) Conference Africa (Nairobi, Africa).

23-24 | Dr. J. V. Fesko speaks at the Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies Seminary (Fort Worth, TX).

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18-20 | President Joel E. Kim speaks at Midway Presbyterian Church Worship Conference (Powder Springs, GA).

august 3-5 | Dr. Dennis E. Johnson speaks at Chinese Reformed Church (San Diego, CA).

9-10 | Dr. W. Robert Godfrey speaks at Ligonier Regional Conference (Lancaster, PA).

13-15 | Dr. J. V. Fesko and Dr. Michael S. Horton speak at the Evanglical Theological Society Annual Meeting (Denver, CO).

3-15 | Dr. Bryan D. Estelle presents his paper at the Institute for Biblical Research (Denver, CO).

View more faculty speaking events online at wscal.edu/news-andevents/faculty-speaking-calendar

september 1-3 | President Joel E. Kim speaks at Korean Presbyterian Church of Baltimore (Baltimore, MD).

28-29 | Dr. Dennis E. Johnson lectures at Covenant OPC (Vandalia, OH).

UPDATE | SPRING2018

FACULTY WRITING BOOKS

ARTICLES

JOURNEYS WITH JESUS Every Path in the Bible Leads Us to Christ

by Dennis E. Johnson On this eye-opening journey through the Old and New Testaments, Dennis Johnson shows how recurring themes are always pointing us to Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of all God’s promises and all humanity’s hopes and longings. He shows us how to read on the alert, paying attention to the clues, examining their context, and interpreting them correctly.

ECHOES OF EXODUS Tracing a Biblical Motif

by Bryan D. Estelle Israel’s exodus from Egypt is the Bible’s enduring emblem of deliverance. It is the archetypal anvil on which the scriptural language of deliverance is shaped. More than just an epic moment, the exodus shapes the telling of Israel’s and the church’s gospel. In Echoes of Exodus, Bryan Estelle traces the motif as it weaves through the canon of Scripture.

THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE The 19th-Century Debate Over the Holy Spirit and the Westminster Confession

by J. V. Fesko In The Spirit of the Age, J. V. Fesko explores the differences between the pre-Enlightenment theology that formed the original Westminster Confession and the post-Enlightenment theology that called for its revision.

The faculty has produced a variety of books, essays, and reviews since spring 2017:

S. M. BAUGH

“Greek Periods in the Book of Hebrews,” Novum Testamentum 60 (2018): 24-44.

R. SCOTT CLARK

“‘Subtle Sacramentarian’ or Son? Calvin’s Relationship to Martin Luther,” The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 21/4 (2017): 35-60.

BRYAN D. ESTELLE

“Ark of the Covenant,” Tabletalk, December, 2017.

J. V. FESKO

“Do This and Live: The Reformation of Biblical Exegesis,” Hapshin Theological Journal 6 (2017): 9-28.

MICHAEL S. HORTON

“Preaching Solus Christus," Expositor, ed. Steven J. Lawson (OnePassion Ministries, Nov/Dec 2017): 34-39.

DENNIS E. JOHNSON

“Reformation Today: What's Needed?” Christian Renewal (November 3, 2017), p. 16.

CHARLES K. TELFER AQUINAS AMONG THE PROTESTANTS edited by Manfred Svensson and David VanDrunen The kingdom of God is not an isolated theme or topic in the Bible but its central reality, and therefore the center of all creation. In fact, the kingdom of God which the Lord Jesus put into place permanently at his first coming is nothing less than the new creation, the new heavens and new earth.

Designed for the non-specialist, this book introduces the reader to the kingdom of God and to its foundational issues.

+ wscal .e d u

“Campegius Vitringa (1659-1722), Exemplary Exegete in the Reformed Tradition,” Hapshin Theological Review 6 (2017): 67-90.

DAVID VANDRUNEN

“The Reformation of Civil Government,” New Horizons (October 2017): 5-6.

for more faculty books, see the bookstore ad on p. 27 or visit us online at wscal.edu/bookstore.

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w. robert godfrey

HONORARIUM In 2017, WSC established the W. Robert Godfrey Honorarium to celebrate President Dr. W. Robert Godfrey’s 36 years of faithful service to the seminary.

Gifts Received from September 22, 2017 through April 30, 2018

Mr. Gary B. Adams Mr. and Mrs. Craig Akridge Mr. Joe Amato Mrs. Sonia Amato Mrs. Janice R. Berkompas Rev. and Mrs. Richard J. Blauw Mr. and Mrs. Edward Boersma Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Bohrer Dr. and Mrs. Phillip C. Bom Mr. and Mrs. Greg Born Mr. and Mrs. S. Ben Bosma Mr. and Mrs. Mark Bousema Ms. Dorothy Briggs Mr. and Mrs. Glen Brouwer Mr. and Mrs. John H. Brower Rev. and Mrs. Andrew A. Cammenga Dr. James D. Carson Rev. and Mrs. LeRoy Christoffels Dr. and Mrs. R. Scott Clark Mr. and Mrs. John P. Clelland Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Pete De Jong Dr. and Mrs. Tom DeMeester Mr. and Mrs. Tiddo Den Boer Rev. and Mrs. C. J. den Dulk Mrs. Nellie B. den Dulk Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn II Dr. and Mrs. Grant M. Duncan Fr. and Mrs. Neil R. Edlin Mr. and Mrs. David V. Edling Esq. Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Faber Dr. and Mrs. Nicholas T. S. Ganas Mr. and Mrs. Dale Glomsrud Dr. and Mrs. Ryan D. Glomsrud Rev. William C. Godfrey Mr. and Mrs. Ben Goedhart Mr. Donald Granger Rev. and Mrs. Thomas K. Groelsema Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Haan Mr. James Hicks Mr. and Mrs. Mike T. Hillebrecht Mr. and Mrs. Milton D. Hodges Mr. and Mrs. Gerrit Hofstee Mr. and Mrs. Case Houson Rev. and Mrs. Jack Huttinga Dr. and Mrs. Dennis E. Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Edward Johnson Rev. and Mrs. A. Barry Jones Mr. and Mrs. Michael Kiledjian Rev. and Mrs. Joel E. Kim Dr. and Mrs. Julius J. Kim Mr. and Mrs. Craig A. Knot Mr. and Mrs. Scott Korthuis Rev. and Mrs. Richard E. Landry Dr. and Mrs. Marcus McArthur Dr. and Mrs. Wendell McBurney

Dr. Lawrence T. McHargue Mr. and Mrs. Arlan F. Memmelaar Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Memmelaar Rev. and Mrs. Richard C. Miller Dr. and Mrs. William J. Montgomery Mr. and Mrs. John R. Muether Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel M. Nave New Life Presbyterian Church of Escondido Mrs. Karin G. Norlin Mr. and Mrs. Elmer R. Nymeyer Dr. and Mrs. Patrick J. O'Banion Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Oeverman Mr. and Mrs. Ronald J. Ornee Mr. and Mrs. Donald Phillips Mr. Ronald W. Prins Dr. and Mrs. Alexander Ramig Miss Judith E. Riddell Dr. and Mrs. Kim Riddlebarger Rev. Wendell L. Rockey Jr. Mr. and Mrs. William Rowland Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Rowlands Mr. and Mrs. Pete Sara Mr. Greg L. Smith Rev. and Mrs. Sam S. Suh Mr. and Mrs. Roger A. Swets Esq. Mrs. Florence Tam Rev. and Mrs. Charles A. Tedrick Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Tiemeyer Dr. and Mrs. Nick Uwarow Mrs. Bea Van Dam Mr. and Mrs. Andy Van Die Rev. and Mrs. Dale A. Van Dyke Rev. and Mrs. Bernard J. Van Ee Mr. and Mrs. Kent Van Groningen Rev. Robert Van Hofwegen Mr. and Mrs. Henk Van Nieuwenhuyzen Miss Lila Van Ravenswaay Mr. and Mrs. Norman J. Van Solkema Mrs. Joyce E. Van Berkum Rev. and Mrs. Derrick J. Vander Meulen Mr. and Mrs. Sylvester Vander Tuig Dr. and Mrs. Mark VanDrunen Mr. Harry Vant Voort Mr. and Mrs. Ben Veenendaal Mrs. Joann Veenstra Mr. Mike Vellinga Mrs. Charlotte Verhoeven Ms. Ellen von Seggern Richter Ms. Ellen Ward Rev. and Mrs. Thomas L. Wenger Sr. Mr. Steven D. Whitener Mr. and Mrs. Ty Willis Mrs. Beatrice Zandstra

UPDATE | SPRING2018

HONORARIUM & MEMORIAL GIFTS Gifts Received from September 22, 2017 through April 30, 2018

IN HONOR OF...

Dr. Derke P. Bergsma Ms. Diann Otten Dr. R. Scott Clark Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Wolfe Dr. Dennis E. Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Edward Brower Mr. and Mrs. Craig A. Knot Rev. Joel E. Kim Dr. and Mrs. William J. Montgomery Mr. and Mrs. Clyde P. Lems Mr. and Mrs. Christopher J. Kuperus Dr. and Mrs. Robert B. Strimple Mrs. Kathryn K. Culver Mr. and Mrs. Robert Telfer Dr. and Mrs. Charles K. Telfer

IN MEMORY OF...

Mr. John K. Andrews Dr. and Mrs. R. Scott Clark Mrs. Nellie B. den Dulk Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn II Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gavey Dr. and Mrs. Ryan D. Glomsrud Dr. and Mrs. W. Robert Godfrey Rev. William C. Godfrey Grace United Reformed Church, Torrance, CA Mr. and Mrs. David W. Hein Rev. and Mrs. Joel E. Kim Mrs. Carol Lindstrom Mr. and Mrs. William H. Lockyear Dr. and Mrs. Marcus McArthur Mr. and Mrs. Stewart C. McPherson Mr. and Mrs. James W. Onnink Dr. and Mrs. James D. Paauw Mr. Ronald W. Prins Mrs. Mimie Shanahan Mr. and Mrs. Tommie Sloan Mr. Lewis Aukeman Mr. and Mrs. Edward Brower Dr. and Mrs. W. Robert Godfrey Mr. Andrew J. Bierling Mr. and Mrs. Rick Bierling Mrs. Sharon M. Vos wscal .e d u

Mr. Jon Ray Bushnell Mrs. Julia Bushnell Mr. and Mrs. Ben Veenendaal Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn II Mr. James M. Cawley Dr. Susan E. Whitmore Mr. Jim F. Gordon Rev. Dr. and Mrs. R. Scott Clark Mrs. Henrietta De Groot Mr. and Mrs. Arlan F. Memmelaar Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn II Dr. and Mrs. W. Robert Godfrey Mr. Howard Faber Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn II Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Faber Dr. and Mrs. W. Robert Godfrey

Mr. E. S. Dupree Mr. Daniel J. Epstein Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Faber Dr. and Mrs. W. Robert Godfrey Rev. and Mrs. Robert M. Godfrey Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Korthuis Mr. and Mrs. Wesley H. Kraft Dr. and Mrs. Marcus McArthur Mr. and Mrs. Arlan F. Memmelaar Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Oeverman Mr. and Mrs. James W. Onnink Ms. Shirlinda J. Pareti Mrs. Deborah Patterson Mr. and Mrs. John Rau Mr. and Mrs. Norman J. Van Solkema

Mrs. Patricia Haan Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Haan

Dr. R.C. Sproul Mr. and Mrs. Edward Brower Dr. and Mrs. R. Scott Clark Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn II Dr. and Mrs. W. Robert Godfrey

Mrs. Margaret Hoppe Dr. and Mrs. R. Scott Clark

Mr. and Mrs. Paul T. Strimple Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Porter

Mrs. Thelma (Jo) Horton Dr. and Mrs. R. Scott Clark Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn II Dr. and Mrs. W. Robert Godfrey Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Miller Mr. Ronald W. Prins Mr. and Mrs. Andy Van Die

Rev. Aubrey Van Hoff Dr. and Mrs. R. Scott Clark

Mrs. Pieternella J. Kesting Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn II Dr. and Mrs. W. Robert Godfrey Dr. Meredith G. Kline Dr. and Mrs. Charles L. Irons Mrs. Marcia Lynne McHargue Dr. and Mrs. W. Robert Godfrey Rev. and Mrs. Don Poundstone

Mr. Keith Vander Pol Dr. and Mrs. Jerome W. Bentz Mrs. Deborah Patterson Mrs. Sjoerdje (Shirley) Vander Stelt Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn II Dr. and Mrs. W. Robert Godfrey Miss Ada Vos Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Korthuis Mr. Alfred Vos Mrs. Sharon M. Vos Mr. Joel Brian Vos Mrs. Sharon M. Vos

Mrs. Mary M. Nemeth Rev. and Mrs. Robert M. Godfrey

Mr. Edward Wilgenburg Jr Mr. and Mrs. Allan Oudman

Mrs. Jane E. Prins Mr. and Mrs. Jack E. Brouwer Mr. and Mrs. Edward E. Brower Mr. and Mrs. Ken Buiter Rev. and Mrs. LeRoy Christoffels Mr. and Mrs. John De Raadt Mrs. Nellie B. den Dulk Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doorn II

Baby Cora Zuiderveen Mr. Ronald W. Prins Thoughtful friends may honor either living or departed friends through gifts to the seminary. Those honored will be notified, as will the family of those honored at death. The amount of the gift is kept confidential and is tax deductible.

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UPCLOSE with J a m e s D . P a a u w

1

HOW DID YOU COME TO SERVE ON THE WSC BOARD?

In December of 2002 my father, Donald Paauw, asked me if I was interested in flying to southern California to join him at the January Westminster Seminary California Board meeting and associated activities. He had been involved with likeminded Christians in the founding of WSC in 1979 and was completing what would be his last—his 18th—year on the Board of Trustees. I sensed that my dad desired that his love for WSC and her effort in advancing the work of Christ’s kingdom would be shared by future generations. I joined him in Escondido that January and immediately also fell in love with the Seminary and her mission. Two years later I was participating in my own first WSC Board meeting, in what Dr. Godfrey called “the Paauw seat” facetiously, but I was very honored nonetheless.

2

PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE SERVING ON THE BOARD OVER THE YEARS

I am now completing my 12th year as a Board member, and each year I have gained a further understanding of how vital the ministry of WSC is. I have been privileged to serve on several different committees, which has allowed me insight on how the mission to advance the faithful preaching and teaching of God’s Word is integrated into every aspect of the Seminary, indeed the very reason for her existence. It has been a great privilege to serve—and become friends—with like-minded men on the Board, men who, permit me to say, remind me much of my father; indeed, the depth of biblical knowledge among Board members and the passion for advancing the same can be both intimidating and inspiring. Getting to know the faculty has been a wonderful and eye-opening experience, godly men who are thoroughly versed in Scripture but also in teaching young men to be faithful pastors to God’s 26

people as well as preachers of his Word. I am very impressed each year when I read the testimonials of the graduating class describing the close personal relationships shared with their professors. If I can add a personal note, our family and those of other Board members have been through some particularly difficult times over the past few years during which the Seminary body has been more than faithful in lifting us up in prayer and support. The prayers of the righteous are indeed powerful—and greatly appreciated.

3

WHAT MAKES WSC EDUCATION IMPORTANT IN TODAY’S CULTURE?

I was raised in a generation where Christianity was acceptable, even honorable. Not so today; I have great concern for the generations that follow me, including my own children and grandchildren, who will be under great duress to abandon their faith.

They will need pastors—shepherds—who are thoroughly based in sound doctrine who can faithfully, compassionately lead their flocks in the pure truth of the gospel, the only antidote for the poison of today’s culture. More so, this country and the world are in need of those godly men who will preach the Word in season and out of season. In this era of institutional slippage and worship innovations, WSC is uniquely established to produce the type of faithful pastors our churches—and our culture—desperately need. I have had the opportunity to sit under the preaching of a fair number of WSC graduates and have been uniformly blessed by a sound, biblically-based approach to the gospel. Theirs is a message that rings clear in a cacophony of worldliness.

4

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO SUPPORT SEMINARY EDUCATION?

One of my dad’s favorite passages was Rom. 10: 14-15. I am very grateful that my dad impressed on me how relevant this passage is today, especially regarding

"IN THIS ERA OF INSTITUTIONAL SLIPPAGE AND WORSHIP INNOVATIONS, WSC IS UNIQUELY ESTABLISHED TO PRODUCE THE TYPE OF FAITHFUL PASTORS OUR CHURCHES—AND OUR CULTURE— DESPERATELY NEED." WSC. A 2013 memoriam to him in this publication stated: “He wanted to make sure to pass down the heritage of strongly supporting the training of faithful preachers of the gospel to future generations of his family.” It has been very heartwarming for me to see the children of some of our recent Board members graduating to be sent out into the world as faithful pastors in their own right, truly a testament to the work of godly parents. Daily prayer for all aspects of the seminary and securing financial support are important parts of being a Board member, but I am also committed to working diligently to pass my dad’s heritage along to my own children and the generations that follow them. I encourage our readers to do the same: “one generation shall commend your works to another.” What could be more important than this?

DR. JAMES D. PAAUW has served on the WSC Board for 12 years. He practices internal medicine in Grand Rapids, MI, where he lives with his wife, Elizabeth.

UPDATE | SPRING2018

FACULTY BOOKS AVAILABLE NOW NEW!

Journeys with Jesus

Every Path in the Bible Leads Us to Christ

by Dennis E. Johnson (P&R, 2018)

NEW!

NEW!

Echoes of Exodus

The Spirit of the Age

Tracing a Biblical Motif

by Bryan D. Estelle (IVP Academic, 2018)

The 19th-Century Debate Over the Holy Spirit and the Westminster Confession

Aquinas Among the Protestants Edited by David VanDrunen (Wiley-Blackwell, 2017)

God's Perfecting Presence in Creation, Redemption, and Everyday Life

by Michael S. Horton (Zondervan, 2017)

God's Glory Alone

The Majestic Heart of Christian Faith and Life

by David VanDrunen (Zondervan, 2015)

Death in Adam, Life in Christ The Doctrine of Imputation

The Trinity and the Covenant of Redemption

by J. V. Fesko (Mentor, 2016)

by J. V. Fesko (Mentor, 2016)

Preaching the Whole Counsel of God

Walking with Jesus through His Word

by Julius J. Kim (Zondervan, 2015)

by Dennis E. Johnson (P&R, 2015)

Design and Deliver Gospel-Centered Sermons

Discovering Christ in All the Scriptures

Introduction to the Kingdom of God in the New Testament

Learning to Love the Psalms

by W. Robert Godfrey (Reformation Trust, 2017)

by S. M. Baugh (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017)

by J. V. Fesko (Reformation Heritage Books, 2017)

Rediscovering the Holy Spirit

The Majesty on High

Knowing Christ through His "I Am" Sayings

Who Is Jesus?

Evangelical Exegetical Commentary

Ephesians

Core Christianity

by J. V. Fesko (Reformation Heritage Books, 2016)

by S. M. Baugh (Lexham Press, 2016)

by Michael S. Horton (Zondervan, 2016)

Calvin on the Christian Life

Divine Covenants and Moral Order

The Theology of the Westminster Standards

by David VanDrunen (Eerdmans, 2014)

by J. V. Fesko (Crossway Books, 2014)

Glorifying and Enjoying God Forever

by Michael S. Horton (Crossway Books, 2014)

A Bibical Theology of Natural Law

Finding Yourself in God's Story

Historical Context and Theological Insights

Visit our campus Bookstore! | wscal.edu/bookstore wscal .e d u

1725 BEAR VALLEY PARKWAY ESCONDIDO, CA 92027 WWW.WSCAL.EDU

REMEMBERING THE CANONS After 400 Years

j o e l e . k i m | w. r o b e r t g o d f r e y | m i c h a e l s . h o r to n r. scott clark | charles k. telfer

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UPDATE | SPRING2018 January 18-19, 2019 | details coming sept. 2018 at wscal.edu/conference