A Seminary Divided WIll Not Stand
Over my Jan Term visit to SBTS to take Baptist History, I witnessed or overheard 4 different conversations of comparisons from School of Theology students who looked down or opposed Billy Graham School (BGS) students. Now, in my days of being a student up in Louisville I heard rumblings of superiority from Theology students. However, I never encountered anyone who actually said that they try to avoid the BGS or who question its proficiency & need like I did a few weeks ago.
The attitude goes a little like this: "BGS faculty & students are theologically inept and go for practicality and methodology over Biblical faithfulness & theology." This however, is simply not true.
The strength of SBTS, the reason it is THE seminary for Evanglelicals is because of the strong marriage between the School of Theology & the BGS. Now I have no understanding of the school of music & school of leadership & don't mean to leave them out, but I am ignorant. However, I believe because man is sinful, even and especially seminary students at times, pride manages to manifest itself and to sneak in, even into a place that exists for the truth, for the church, for the world, and for the glory of God. I do not know if the rift exists among the faculty at SBTS, but I would seriously doubt it - its the oh so wise students - you know, because we know everything.
One student remarked to my friend how he wasn't sure if Thom Rainer could "get it done" at Lifeway. Last time I looked, he had a Ph.D from SBTS, several years of pastoral and business experience, and was the founding dean of one of the most active and vibrant schools at SBTS & you question his ability. He has failed nowhere, which is the grace of God using his gifts. If he taught Hebrew & yet never shared his faith, let me guess, you'd be forgiving - not only that, but pumped up about his hiring, right? Don Whitney, who I admire and respect greatly, comes out with a book a few years ago called Simplify Your Spiritual Life and it is called timely & helpful. But of course, he is now in the SBTS school of theology. Thom Rainer writes a book called Simple Church and the same people disregard it as strategy alone, as though the Bible did not shape it at all. I have both and found them to be similar in message, one is for corporate use and one is for individual use in terms of redeeming the time and shaping your church or life to the glory of God. Now I'll grant you, I'm partial to this man. Maybe my Rainer blood keeps me from accurately looking at the facts.
Taking a personal evanglism class this semester, guess what our BGS professor has as the majority of the midterm - 40 passages of Scripture to memorize - that qualifies as theology. The only other class I've had to memorize several verses for has been other BGS courses. I have become friends with many of these men & I do not question the theological depth of anyone of them. In fact, they live OUT their theology as much as anyone I have ever met. They are Shepherds, & their reason for being so is because they are so shaped by their theology and the Word.
I simply want to say, for any students who may find this post through a search or randomly, FRIENDS DO NOT NEED RECONCILING. You cannot teach correct theology without teaching how to use it & you cannot teach the outworkings of missions, evangelism and church growth without teaching the theology that motivates and is foundational for it.
SBTS is a gift from God, evidence of the work of God in its miraculous turn around - students, don't ruin it, either by watered-down theology or scholarship that never translates into action, or by pride that leads to division that leads to a fall.
The attitude goes a little like this: "BGS faculty & students are theologically inept and go for practicality and methodology over Biblical faithfulness & theology." This however, is simply not true.
The strength of SBTS, the reason it is THE seminary for Evanglelicals is because of the strong marriage between the School of Theology & the BGS. Now I have no understanding of the school of music & school of leadership & don't mean to leave them out, but I am ignorant. However, I believe because man is sinful, even and especially seminary students at times, pride manages to manifest itself and to sneak in, even into a place that exists for the truth, for the church, for the world, and for the glory of God. I do not know if the rift exists among the faculty at SBTS, but I would seriously doubt it - its the oh so wise students - you know, because we know everything.
One student remarked to my friend how he wasn't sure if Thom Rainer could "get it done" at Lifeway. Last time I looked, he had a Ph.D from SBTS, several years of pastoral and business experience, and was the founding dean of one of the most active and vibrant schools at SBTS & you question his ability. He has failed nowhere, which is the grace of God using his gifts. If he taught Hebrew & yet never shared his faith, let me guess, you'd be forgiving - not only that, but pumped up about his hiring, right? Don Whitney, who I admire and respect greatly, comes out with a book a few years ago called Simplify Your Spiritual Life and it is called timely & helpful. But of course, he is now in the SBTS school of theology. Thom Rainer writes a book called Simple Church and the same people disregard it as strategy alone, as though the Bible did not shape it at all. I have both and found them to be similar in message, one is for corporate use and one is for individual use in terms of redeeming the time and shaping your church or life to the glory of God. Now I'll grant you, I'm partial to this man. Maybe my Rainer blood keeps me from accurately looking at the facts.
Taking a personal evanglism class this semester, guess what our BGS professor has as the majority of the midterm - 40 passages of Scripture to memorize - that qualifies as theology. The only other class I've had to memorize several verses for has been other BGS courses. I have become friends with many of these men & I do not question the theological depth of anyone of them. In fact, they live OUT their theology as much as anyone I have ever met. They are Shepherds, & their reason for being so is because they are so shaped by their theology and the Word.
I simply want to say, for any students who may find this post through a search or randomly, FRIENDS DO NOT NEED RECONCILING. You cannot teach correct theology without teaching how to use it & you cannot teach the outworkings of missions, evangelism and church growth without teaching the theology that motivates and is foundational for it.
SBTS is a gift from God, evidence of the work of God in its miraculous turn around - students, don't ruin it, either by watered-down theology or scholarship that never translates into action, or by pride that leads to division that leads to a fall.
