Caught | Seminary Student Blogger

March 05, 2013

Kate Hightower

He knew she was coming. He had been waiting around the city for it.

He could see them, somewhere in the back of His mind’s eye. Dragging her from her bed, knocking down the faceless man who would pick up his clothes and run from the rage of all of the city’s religious leaders and the mob they gathered. She watched him escape in the midst of the chaos with nothing left but the silver he came with. The feigned intimacy of the night before shattered in a moment like the breaking of glass.

She would die for it.

They yelled this as they drug her through the city, screaming obscenities and brandishing the stones of the Holy Law that they knew so well but didn’t quite understand.

He understood, though. He was there when it was written.

They shoved her ahead of them as they went, kicking her body now heavy with waves of terror, shame and despair shooting through her veins. They picked her back up again, their fingers digging into her soft, feminine skin barely clothed from the sin that now marked her. The sin that dehumanized her to no higher than some kind of diseased animal. The stones pounded her, brutal with the hatred of the force that bore them. They laughed as she cried out in agony, her blood staining the stone’s surfaces.

They were getting closer. He could hear them now. Just as He knew, they were bringing her to Him.

“Teacher!” they cried. “This woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?”

It was a test. One He wasn’t blind to. Suddenly, His body grew heavy with the weight of the Mission. They could not imagine an eternity away from Their beloved creation, no matter how twisted with darkness it had become. He bent and drew in the sand before Him. Only His death would save them now... from everything and from themselves all at once.

Breaking His reverie, the mob persisted in their questioning. She watched Him, trembling and bleeding, waiting for His answer.

He stood, frustrated with their lack of understanding. The weight of the balance of the universe crushing His shoulders. It wasn’t just her, the obvious indiscretion. It was all of them. But there was only one truth in the midst of it...

He never wanted to be without them.

“He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

His words carried over the scene, laden with His thoughts and with His purpose. He bent again to the words in the sand he had left.

They dropped her before them. She crouched low and covered her head, the sound of the stones falling aimlessly out of the hands behind her filled her ears, echoing in her chest.

They left her there and dispersed.

He stood and watched her for a moment, remembering well the expanse of the life still trembling in front of Him, and the hopelessness that led her to this point.

“Woman,” he said. “Where are they? Did no one condemn you?”

Her eyes met His and she shook her head. “No one, Lord.”

“I do not condemn you either,” He told her as He offered His hand that would soon be scarred with a nail that would save them all.

Tags: Author: Kate Hightower , biblically-grounded , equipping leaders for the church and society , student blogger , thoughtfully evangelical

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Learning from Our Church Fathers: Part 8

February 28, 2013

Dr. Donald Fairbairn

One of the figures from the early church who has sparked the most controversy is Theodore of Mopsuestia, who lived in what is today southern Turkey in the late fourth and early fifth centuries. Theodore lived his life in relative obscurity, but after his death his Christological thought (like that of his more famous student Nestorius) was condemned by the church. But scholars in the 19thand 20th centuries have argued that the condemnation of Theodore (and maybe also of Nestorius) was unjust, the product of church politics more than doctrinal inadequacies.

Part of the reason many modern scholars have sought to rehabilitate Theodore is the fact that they have regarded him as the greatest biblical interpreter in the early church. He is thought to have been the supreme example of the so-called “Antiochene school,” whose proponents sought to take the Bible literally and to take history seriously, in contrast to the “Alexandrian school,” whose proponents allegedly denigrated history through allegorical interpretation and philosophical speculation. This neat dichotomy between the two schools has been increasingly called into question by patristics scholars, but it remains very influential and still dominates most books on the history of biblical interpretation.

A couple of days ago I read a new translation of Theodore’s commentary on John’s Gospel. As I expected, I found much evidence of the concern for history that modern scholars find attractive. Theodore has a long discussion of the relation between the Synoptic Gospels and John’s Gospel. He injects many points of historical background into his exposition of specific passages. And he is particularly concerned to show how the various resurrection narratives in the four Gospels fit together without contradiction. All of these concerns are characteristic of Theodore as I knew him from other writings of his that I’ve read previously, and this historical concern is very commendable.

At the same time, this commentary also confirmed what I’ve long held to be the central problem with Theodore’s thought—he sees Christ not as God the Son incarnate, but as a man in whom the Word of God dwells. In John 3:13, 8:58, and 17:24 (among other passages), Jesus indicates that he—not just his divine nature but he as a person—has always existed and always been in fellowship with the Father. In his discussions of the first two passages, Theodore refuses to say that the Son as a person has come down from heaven or that Jesus as a person has existed before Abraham. Even more strikingly, in discussing Jesus’ statement that the Father has loved him before the foundation of the world (John 17:24), Theodore takes this to mean that the Father foreknew that he would love the man Jesus once he was born on earth, rather than taking it to mean that the Father loved the pre-existent Son from all eternity past.

These passages do indeed indicate that Theodore’s understanding of Christ was problematic (something I’ve argued on the basis of reading his other writings), but they also indicate something else. Why do scholars say that Theodore takes the Bible literally if he feels compelled to interpret some of Jesus’ most direct statements about his eternal pre-existence and eternal relationship to the Father in such non-literal ways? It is certainly true that Theodore takes many biblical passages more literally than orthodox church fathers do. But when it comes to passages on the most central affirmation of the Christian faith, Theodore seems much less literal than the orthodox church fathers. On what basis, then, should we classify Theodore’s interpretation as “literal” and others’ interpretation as “allegorical,” when the accuracy of those descriptors depends on which biblical passages one is considering?

You see, “literal” and “allegorical” are not merely neutral descriptors. They are labels with significant value judgments attached to them. To allegorize, we seem to think, is always bad. To take the Bible literally, we think, is always good. In fact, though, no one takes every biblical passage literally. All interpreters have a rationale for understanding some passages in one way and other passages in another way. When we study—and seek to learn from—the biblical interpretation of the early church, the value judgments attached to the labels “literal” and “allegorical” may hinder our task of understanding why they interpreted the Bible the way they did. Maybe we need to seek to understand more deeply, without being so quick to label patristic biblical interpretation as either “literal” or “allegorical.”

Tags: Author: Donald Fairbairn , equipping leaders for the church and society , faculty blogger

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Learning from Our Church Fathers: Part 7

February 07, 2013

Dr. Donald Fairbairn

One of the things I tell my students is that unity among Christians—real unity, that is—cannot be forged. This usually comes as a surprise, because we often speak of trying to “be uniters” or to “forge unity” among competing parties or groups. But if we think about it, we recognize that “forge” can mean two things—either “manufacture” (as in forging a wheel out of iron) or “fake” (as in forging a painting). Almost by definition, if we fake unity by ignoring substantial differences between two or more Christian groups, what we wind up with is merely the semblance of unity, not the real thing. Likewise, we cannot manufacture unity. As hard as we may sometimes work toward unity, we cannot produce it out of nothing. If it isn’t already there, we can’t make it come about. In contrast to either manufacturing or faking unity, I tell my students that real unity has to be discovered.

To say this is to admit that many times, there is a real unity between different groups of Christians but that the unity is obscured, hidden in some way. In Christian history, what has sometimes obscured whatever unity may have been present was either ill will (refusal to believe that the other side had good intentions and even that that other side might agree with us) or terminological confusion (using the same words to mean different things, or using seemingly opposing words to mean the same thing, without realizing that this was happening). As I have studied the controversies of the early church, I have repeatedly been amazed by the way these two factors have conspired to obscure how much consensus was actually present on the great theological issues of the day.

One example on which I’ve written recently (in an article coming out this April in Journal of Theological Studies) has to do with the complicated interaction between two groups in the fourth century who were both trying to articulate the relation between God the Father and God the Son. We label these groups Homoousians and Homoiousians (notice the letter “i” that distinguishes those two words). The Homoousians affirmed that the Son is “of one substance” with the Father, using the Greek word homoousios which the Council of Nicaea had used in 325 and which would eventually be retained in the Nicene Creed in 381. The Homoiousians, in contrast, preferred to say that the Son was “like the Father in substance,” using the Greek word homoios (“like” or “similar”), and their phrase was not ultimately used by the church in its creedal statements.

It may look like these two groups did not share the same view of the Son. Indeed, the Homoiousians themselves did not think they were saying the same thing as the Homoousians, because at a synod in Ancyra (Ankara today, the capital of Turkey) in A.D. 358, they actually condemned anyone who used the word homoousios to describe the Son’s relation to the Father. Some of the Homoousians (like Epiphanius of Salamis) also thought that they were not saying the same thing, and they condemned the Homoiousians.

But I suggest that the two groups—who between them comprised most of the Christian church in the fourth century—were in fact saying the same thing about God the Son. After all, “of one substance” and “like in substance” could mean the same thing, if one takes “like” to mean “exactly like.” If I’m right about this, then the consensus in the fourth-century church about the Son’s relation to the Father was greater than we often think. There was more unity than we realize—or than they realized—but that unity was obscured and had to be discovered before a consensus articulation of the doctrine of the Trinity could be achieved.

Studying issues like this forces me to ask, How much more unity is there among us—between the fractured and sometimes fractious groups of the Christian church—than we realize? Do we allow terminological differences to obscure a consensus that is actually there? Do we not even try to look for any possible unity because of our ill will toward other groups of Christians? My research in the early church has led me to believe that back then, there was more of a consensus about the faith than our books normally tell us today, and even more of a consensus than people at the time realized. Might that also be the case today?

Tags: Author: Donald Fairbairn , equipping leaders for the church and society , faculty blogger

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Struggling to Struggle | Seminary Student Blogger

December 06, 2012

Dim Alldridge

This morning I read 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10…

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.”

Paul writes those words as an encouragement to Christians who are facing persecution. God is just and justice will be done.

Perhaps some of you need to hear that today? Undoubtedly there are Christians around the world today who need to be comforted by these words. Brothers and sisters of ours who are facing terrible opposition for faithfully cherishing the name of our Lord Jesus Christ need to be reminded that God loves them and he will see that justice is done. The faithful will be saved, the guilty will be punished.

There is a time for that truth to be a message of hope.

But that’s not what struck me as I read 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 over my bowl of cereal this morning. What struck me was the sobering truth that one day…

“He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”

I struggled to read those words this morning. I struggled after reading them to pray with my wife and give thanks for those words. I struggle to accept them. I struggle to believe them. I struggle to understand them.

And here’s why I struggle.

Because I know God, and I love God with all my heart. Because I know that He is love and is the God of grace and mercy and forgiveness and justice beyond anything I can fathom.

And because I also know my family and I know my friends who don’t know God. And I love them with all my heart too.

And so I struggle, and I will continue to struggle.

But here is the question that I must ask myself, and I’m asking you. How are you struggling?

Are you struggling with the concept or the truth that…

“He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”

Or are you struggling to tell people that truth? To teach people that truth? To pray for people and to seek every opportunity to share that truth and the glorious hope of the gospel of Christ with them?

What good is it for me to struggle to understand and accept the truth of heaven and hell, which I truly believe, if I do not struggle all the more to tell people that truth?

I am sitting in Goddard Library with papers to write and exams to revise for. That’s ok, there is a place for papers and for exams. They are important. But let me remind you of something that I have forgotten too often over the last few years…they are not THAT important.

“He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”

I’m struggling with that truth. Today my prayer is that my struggle would lead somewhere.

Tags: Author: Dim Alldridge , equipping leaders for the church and society , student blogger , thoughtfully evangelical

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Learning from Our Church Fathers: Part 6

November 13, 2012

Dr. Donald Fairbairn

One of the most commonly repeated “Sunday-school” stories from the early church is that until the conversion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century, the Romans constantly and mercilessly persecuted the church. It is true that in some places and at some times, persecution was quite intense, but it was much more sporadic than constant, and persecution was rarely very systematic. Not only is the Sunday-school version of events incomplete about how widespread persecution was; it is also incomplete about how the church responded. To hear the story in Sunday School is often to come away with the impression that all Christians in those early centuries were heroes, valiantly going to the lions with the name of Christ upon their lips as they were torn limb from limb. Again, it is true that some Christians met their death in this way, but certainly not many. Far more people caved in during persecution, or sought to evade it, or something of that sort. After all, they weren’t that much different from us.

But before we disparage the Sunday-school version of events too much, we need to recognize that the early Christians themselves held up the famous martyrs as heroes for Christ. The martyr stories were the most popular and influential “biographies” of the early church, inspiring the masses of ordinary believers to be more obedient and faithful to Christ as well. What, though, did the obedience of the ordinary Christians look like? If few Christians were actually martyred, then how did the regular Christians emulate the brave martyrs who had gone to the lions?

Part of the answer to that question can be found during the most widespread persecution of the early church—the so-called “Great Persecution” that began in the year AD 303. Unlike most persecutions, this one did extend throughout the empire, although it lasted much longer in the East than it did in the West. Many martyr stories stem from events during this persecution, most commonly describing the brave Christians who refused to give up their copies of the Scriptures when the Roman officials came seeking them as part of their systematic effort to destroy the Christian Bible. In one particularly noteworthy story, a group of laypeople from the church of Abitina (near Carthage in what is today Tunisia) repudiated the action of their own bishop in giving up the church’s Scriptures, continued to hold Christian services without him, and were arrested, tried and executed for doing so. Christians have long celebrated the bravery of heroes like these Abitinian martyrs and have acknowledged the role their bravery played in the preservation of biblical texts.

But in addition to such overt acts of bravery, there were many smaller ones. Papyri sources reveal that some Christians told Roman officials that they had the Bible in their hearts (doubtless true, but probably also misleading, since there were likely to have been manuscripts somewhere as well). Others gave the Roman officials the runaround—giving names of church members who had the manuscripts, and those church members would give other names, and so on, until the officials would give up and inquire at a different church. Still other Christians gave up copies of heretical or even non-Christian writings, hoping the officials would not know the difference. And one account even indicates that a clever Christian handed over a copy of a medical textbook in the hope that the Roman official either couldn’t read or wouldn’t care, as long as he could go back to his boss with some confiscated writing.

Such duplicitous—even humorous—acts don’t make for great, inspiring reading, and it is not surprising that these were not the accounts that the church chose to preserve and pass on. But as papyri discoveries round out our picture of ancient history, we can recognize that such small deeds were acts of faithfulness nonetheless. Indeed the Lord has used the bold acts of people like the Abitinian martyrs to further his purposes and to preserve his Scriptures. But he has also used the little, ordinary actions of regular believers, who were being faithful to the degree that they thought they could.

In Finding God in Unexpected Places, Philip Yancey famously writes about “saints” and “semi-saints.” He has Ezra and Nehemiah in mind, but Christian history also has many examples of saints and semi-saints. Indeed, so does the present Christian church. And for most of us, who don’t feel very heroic and who read the stories of great saints with a bit of embarrassment and shame, maybe it is encouraging to know that God has worked—and does work—through semi-saints like us as well. Maybe the real role that the great martyr stories play in Christian history is that they inspire a lot of little acts of faithfulness—acts that, although small taken individually, amount to something when considered in aggregate. And maybe that is a sufficient reason to keep telling the Sunday-school version of the story.

Tags: Author: Donald Fairbairn , equipping leaders for the church and society , faculty blogger

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Meet Our Alumni | Mary Willson

October 23, 2012

Ever wonder what people do after seminary? We look into the life of Mary Willson who currently leads Women in Ministry at her church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Tags: Alumni , current students , equipping leaders for the church and society , future students

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Should I Stay or Go? Panel on the Problems Facing Mainline Denominations Today

October 09, 2012

Five prominent leaders at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary gathered September 27 to discuss the problems facing mainline denominations in America today. In particular they joined together to share a bit of their own journey and their decision to either stay or go in their mainline denomination. The room was filled wall to wall with people eager to hear leaders they admire speak on such a pressing subject. Each leader spoke for about 10 minutes on their own situation facing the dilemma, "should I stay or go?" I share with you their wisdom on the topic. (disclaimer: my intention is not to misquote, and if I did please hold that against me and not the panel members).

Professor Dean Borgman (Professor of Youth Ministries): Episcopalian. Dean shared his testimony, looking particularly at the many theological issues he wrestled with on his journey into, and in, the Episcopal church. Borgman shared that he is troubled and disturbed by the 40,000 denominations in this world and that the greatest denominational affiliation among students at Gordon-Conwell is non-denominational. Borgman believes both the Anglican and Episcopal church claim to be the true church (his heart is torn at these statements). The fracture of the universal church of Christ pains him. When discussing church splits Borgman had this to say, "I see schism as worse than heresy." With reference to our panel topic he said "I choose to remain in the episcopal church, to stand by the door, knowing I don't have all the answers, and catch those who are disappointed by the whole church venture."

Dr. Scott Gibson (Professor of Preaching/Th.M. Director in Preaching): American Baptist. "I'm the token Baptist here." Gibson grew up in a rural baptist church in Pennsylvania. Ordained in the American Baptist Church in the USA. Regarding his denomination: every church is on it's own, choosing to relate to each other as fellow congregations, Baptists do that through state and regional organizations. The issue of homosexual ordination has plagued the American Baptist Church since 1970. Out of this desire for fidelity to the Biblical roots, the American Baptist Evangelicals arose, a biblical and theological position within the ABC. For fifteen years, the ABE has been promoted as a call to adhere to a theological and biblical center for American Baptist Churches. It has since been dissolved because of various difficulties. He shared his sorrow for the theological lack of commitment in the ABC; this lack of a biblical center troubles him. With regards our topic, he has not left the denomination. He is still ordained in the ABC, he has remained faithful within, trying to reorient to the centrality of the Bible. "I'm a dissapointed person with the ABC, I'm a Bible person, I'm a theologically driven person, and this is what I long for the ABC to be."

Dr. John Jefferson Davis (Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics): Presbyterian. With regards our topic, Davis mentioned that this is a very complicated set of issues, there is no one size fits all answer. The church historically has valued unity and doctrinal purity. He urged students to take great care before you take pastoral leadership, be clear about your ecclesiology. Ordained in the PCUS originally. Then in 1982 joined the PCUSA after the merger and is still ordained in the denomination. Currently worshiping at an Episcopal church. He lamented over the ordination of homosexuals in our era as unbiblical. He shared a paper he wrote titled: "Could John Calvin remain in the Episcopal Church or PCUSA?" We need to be careful to talk about a heretical person and a heretical church.

John Huffman (Board Member/Minister): Presbyterian. Comes from Mennonite roots. He desired to go into politics but wanted some Biblical background. He attended Princeton Theological Seminary. God called him into pastoral ministry while studying there. It was here he felt a call to bring renewal to a mainline liberal denomination (PCUSA). His call was to the local parish as a Presbyterian pastor. As long as the confessions were orthodox, the denomination was orthodox. On our topic, he is in a dilemma with the hemmhorage of the PCUSA churches. Huffman still feels called into the mainline denomination to bring renewal. He does not pretend to tell us what to do. He agrees we need to choose carefully. Search your heart very very carefully, you have to love the people of that denomination. Our job is to lead people to Christ. Stay, serve, be faithful.

Rev. Dr. Jim Singleton, Jr. (Associate Professor of Pastoral Leadership and Evangelism): Presbyterian. Singleton believes our topic is a very complicated issue. Looking at where God is calling us as seminarians is an enormous issue. He is an ordained minister in the PCUSA. With all denominational decisions, what exactly are we leaving if we leave a denomination? Denominations are an expression of the body of Christ. All of us are part of a tradition that has already left once, if not twice. Many church splits cause people to leave each other, it doesn't have to be that way. It is a rich blessing to be at a multi-denominational seminary like Gordon-Conwell. If you are going to leave, how far do you leave? Do you stay and be a subset, or do you leave and then curse those who have stayed. It's the how we do it that makes a difference: are we self righteous, do we call them heretics, or can we have a bit of graciousness, in relationship at some level with one another. The way you walk out the back door determines whether you can come back in the front door to have a conversation. We need to learn how to disagree in a civil way. He led his former church out of the PCUSA into the new Presbyterian denomination, the ECO. He led them, he helped to form the denomination. It's obvious he has understandings of how leaving a denomination works. He also designed an organization to stay within the PCUSA, the Fellowship of Presbyterians. Some churches need to leave, because if they don't they would lose most of their members. He believes you can stay and leave and still be faithful to the call as a pastor. "Let's be mature Christians, making the best decisions we can without needing to resort to real divisive name-calling. Have a graciousness in your spirit, when that is present, all things are possible." Mainline denominations are dying, there is a virus all over the church. But other things are growing. Where is the Spirit moving and how can we join the Spirit there? Be pragmatic. "But we don't need to beat up on an already dying corpse."

The Panel Entertained Questions and Answered Them:

What is the future of denominationalism?

Huffman: Denominations, sociologically, are on a major decline. But this doesn't mean there won't be denominations or places where God will be at work. Independent churches by their very nature however have a lack of accountability.

Singleton: Associations (such as The Gospel Coalition) are as important and essential as denominations once were. In the West, independent churches outnumber denominational churches. Denominations have the blessing of procedure when things blow up, independents have to figure this out without help. It can be brutal in an independent church.

What are the criteria for deciding which denomination to join, what factors?

Gibson: It has everything to do with ecclesiology. One of the issues in evangelicalism is a weak ecclesiology. Independent circles are often where ecclesiology is the weakest. The issue for us as seminarians is doing a good job of discerning where God is calling us by talking to fellow students and professors.

Davis: Some theological issues that help you clarify your denominational distinctives: reformed or arminian, infant baptism or believer baptism, what is the role of women in ordained ministry, how does the Holy Spirit manifest in worship and the church today. You have to know yourself, both temperamentally and theologically. Need is important too, small denominations might not have opportunities to be employed, versus a larger denomination. Needs should not be downplayed.

Borgman: We need to look at the 5 functions of the church: 1) teaching the world, 2) evangelism, 3) fellowship, 4) diaconate, service, 5) breaking of the bread. These are theological distinctives that would help you figure out which denomination fits you. Some churches hold some of these as more central and others hold others as central. What has God called you to be and hold as central to your call as a minister.

Amen.

Tags: Author: JT Holderman , current students , equipping leaders for the church and society , future students , student blogger

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Sitting at the Feet of Richard Baxter | Seminary Student Blogger

October 04, 2012

As some of us begin a new year at seminary I was struck by these words from Richard Baxter in The Reformed Pastor (the capitals are from the 17th century, not me!).

“… think this one speech better deserveth a twelve month study, than most things that young students spend their time on.
O brethren! Write it on your study doors – set it in capital letters as your copy, that it may be ever before your eyes. Could we but well learn two or three lines of it, what preachers [and, we might add, students or professors or counselors or Christians] we would be!

1. Our general business – SERVING THE LORD WITH ALL HUMILITY OF MIND, AND WITH MANY TEARS.
2. Our special work – TAKE HEED TO YOURSELVES, AND TO ALL THE FLOCK.
   
3. Our doctrine – REPENTANCE TOWARD GOD, AND FAITH TOWARD OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
   
4. The place and manner of our teaching – I HAVE TAUGHT YOU PUBLICLY, AND FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE.
   
5. His diligence, earnestness and affection – I CEASED NOT TO WARN EVERY ONE NIGHT AND DAY WITH TEARS.
   
6. His faithfulness – I KEPT BACK NOTHING THAT WAS PROFITABLE UNTO YOU, AND HAVE NOT SHUNNED TO DECLARE UNTO YOU ALL THE COUNSEL OF GOD.
   
7. His disinterestedness and self-denial for the sake of the gospel – I HAVE COVETED NO MAN’S SILVER OR GOLD OR APPAREL: YEA, THESE HANDS HAVE MINISTERED UNTO MY NECESSITIES, AND TO THEM THAT WERE WITH ME, REMEMBERING THE WORDS OF THE LORD JESUS, HOW HE SAID, IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE.
   
8. His patience and perseverance – NONE OF THESE THINGS MOVE ME, NEITHER COUNT I MY LIFE DEAR TO ME, SO THAT I MIGHT FINISH MY COURSE WITH JOY, AND THE MINISTRY WHICH I HAVE RECEIVED OF THE LORD JESUS.
   
9. His prayerfulness – ICOMMEND YOU TO GOD AND TO THE WORD OF HIS GRACE, WHICH IS ABLE TO BUILD YOU UP, AND TO GIVE YOU AN INHERITANCE AMONG ALL THEM WHICH ARE SANCTIFIED.
   
10. His purity of conscience - WHEREFORE I TAKE YOU TO RECORD THIS DAY, THAT I AM PURE FROM THE BLOOD OF ALL MEN.”

We may not all be pastors, but we’ve all been given the good news to pass on, and we have all been called to ministry. He goes on to say…

“Write these on your hearts, and it will do yourselves and your church more good than twenty years’ study of those lower things, which, though they may get you greater applause from the world, yet, if separated from these, they will make you but as ‘sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal’.”

I’m not sure I want to be a “tinkling cymbal.”

Do you?

Tags: Author: Dim Alldridge , current students , equipping leaders for the church and society , future students , student blogger , thoughtfully evangelical

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Meet Our Alumni | Paul Hoffman

October 02, 2012

Ever wonder what people do after seminary? Alumnus Paul Hoffman (M.Div. '03) Senior Pastor of Evangelical Friends Church, Newport, RI shares his vision for the gospel taking hold in Newport county.

Tags: Alumni , current students , equipping leaders for the church and society , future students

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Gordon-Conwell Welcomes Three New Professors

August 30, 2012

Have you heard? We have three new faculty members joining us this fall that we'd love for you to meet.

Dr. Eckhard J. Schnabel is our Mary F. Rockefeller Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies. Noted New Testament scholar, Dr. Eckhard Schnabel joined us with over 30 years of extensive experience in teaching, ministry, research and scholarship.

Fluent in English and his native German, as well as six ancient languages and four research languages, Dr. Schnabel brings a global perspective to the Gordon-Conwell community. He was involved in cross-cultural missions in Latin America, Europe and Asia for over 20 years before moving to Illinois to engage in teaching and preaching ministry in various venues. Dr. Schnabel also taught at theological schools in seven foreign countries. Read more.

Rev. Dr. Jim M. Singleton, Jr. is our Associate Professor of Pastoral Leadership and Evangelism and brings many years of church leadership experience. He previously served on Gordon-Conwell’s faculty as adjunct professor in Presbyterian polity and history at the Hamilton campus in 1991.

Prior to his current post at Gordon-Conwell, Dr. Singleton served as senior pastor of churches in Texas, Washington and most recently, First Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs, a downtown congregation of 4,200 members. He has taught at several seminaries around the world, including ones in Virginia, Texas, Washington, Moscow and Zambia. In addition to teaching and preaching, Dr. Singleton has participated in cross-cultural missions in places like Mongolia, Ecuador, Cuba, Mexico and India, to name a few. Read more.

Dr. Matthew Kim is our Assistant Professor of Preaching and Ministry. Before joining the Gordon-Conwell faculty, Dr. Kim served as an adjunct professor (2006) and the Burnett H. and Dorothy F. Sams Visiting Professor (2008) at the Hamilton campus, and mentored the Doctor of Ministry track, Pastoral Skills: The Pastor as Preacher, Caregiver and Person at the Charlotte campus.

Dr. Kim brings over 10 years of preaching and teaching experience to his role at Gordon-Conwell. Most recently, he served as senior pastor of Logos Central Chapel in Denver, CO. He was also previously an adjunct professor at Denver Seminary and the youth pastor at Korean Church of Boston in Brookline, MA. Read more.

Tags: biblically-grounded , current students , equipping leaders for the church and society , future students , globally engaged

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Compass: Theological Expedition | Seminary Student Blogger

July 26, 2012

Dim Alldridge

‘Fresh’ from having not taken a shower for 9 days in the Adirondacks, the Compass students arrived back in South Hamilton ready for some much needed (and requested!) ablutions and facing a whole new set of challenges which we call the Theological Expedition.

Gone are the backpacks, camping stoves, blisters and bushwhacks; now our 26 students from across the U.S., who by now feel like they have been best friends for years, are pushed, stretched, built-up and sometimes even broken-down, in a completely new way.

Six big questions are tackled (and hundreds more asked):

1. Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?
2. How is a 2,000-year-old book relevant today?
3. Is Jesus really the only way?
4. What’s so great about the Church?
5. How can we live in the world, but not be of the world?
6. How can we know God’s will?

Each day, one of the Gordon-Conwell faculty members came in to tackle a subject and gently blew our minds from God’s word. We wrestled with issues, we struggled with problems, we debated and we questioned. In humility, we had to confess the things we don’t know, whilst at the same time discovering new things that we can know about our God who is far more wonderful and wise than we ever realised before.

This theological expedition couldn’t have been much more different from the wilderness expedition, but the friendship that had been built in the mountains and the trust that had been earned by the leaders in the wilderness allowed the Compass students to be ready and open to grow in their knowledge and love of the Lord. This is a good thing because after six days, we all got on a bus to Logan Airport and flew to Nicaragua for the next part of our adventure, the Ministry Expedition.

Which explains why, right now, I am sitting on a rooftop, surrounded by palm trees, with the sound of strange bird calls, the smell of great coffee, and a vita of jungle-covered volcanoes before me.

Tags: Author: Dim Alldridge , equipping leaders for the church and society , student blogger , thoughtfully evangelical

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Compass: Wilderness Expedition | Seminary Student Blogger

July 24, 2012

Dim Alldridge

Does spending 28 days with 26 kids aged 15-18 sound like fun? Not if you’re normal no, but as our American friends like to tell us, my wife and I aren’t normal! And it’s not just the way we say aluminium, car park and rubbish; it’s because we’ve chosen to spend a month of our summer holiday (that’s ‘vacation’ in English) being leaders on Compass.

Compass is a program run by Gordon-Conwell for young Christians who have been identified as showing potential as future Christian leaders and who already have an interest in Christian ministry. Needless to say they are not your average 15-18 year olds! They are, in actual fact, completely amazing as I discovered in the Adirondaks last week.

The first third of Compass, known as the "Wilderness Expedition," is spent with La Vida. La Vida is the outdoor education department of Gordon College and has a base camp close to Lake Placid, NY. The morning after the Compass kids arrived, many flying in from all over the States, we drove up to spend the next nine days team building, rock climbing and hiking in the wilderness. Six of the nights were spent camping out in the wilderness and learning to survive in the great outdoors.

During the days we climbed mountains, bushwhacked through the forest and learned how to use a map and compass, all while carrying packs which were bigger, and at times heavier, than some of the kids themselves! And we loved it! Every one of us achieved goals we never thought possible and formed some wonderful friendships.

Yet for me the best moments of all were spent around the campfire at night. We would share stories of the day, study God’s word and then tell our testimonies.

There is something about the flicker of firelight, a ceiling of stars and the warmth of a sleeping bag, not to mention helping each other to climb a mountain that day, which encourages people to share, to pray for each other and to bear one another’s spiritual burdens too.

Perhaps it’s been too long since you took a walk in the woods? I highly recommend it.

Next up, theological expedition back at Gordon-Conwell.

(If you know any young people who will be 15-18 next summer, why not talk to them about the Compass program? Find out more about what they offer.)

Tags: Author: Dim Alldridge , equipping leaders for the church and society , student blogger

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