Paige Patterson out as Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President
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Patterson was named to the paid position of President Emeritus and will live on campus as the first theologian-in-residence at the Baptist Heritage Center.
I’ve noticed that one of the first ads that appear on SI is for a book called “Ancient Wine and the Bible” and it features a prominent endorsement from Mr. Patterson. I understand that the advertisement was purchased by someone and SI is not trying to feature him, but given the circumstances it feels like that’s not the best decision.
Kirk,
The author of that book is a long time Southern Baptist. He frequently comments on SI. The fact that his book was endorsed by Patterson who was a well-known, highly respected leader is irrelevant to this situation. Whatever the hysteria going on recently about Patterson, you should not fault a man for having his book endorsed by him years ago before these recent allegations were made. I am sure that Patterson has endorsed many books.
Pastor Mike Harding
I think you should reread my comment. I don’t fault anyone for having their book endorsed by Patterson, nor do I disagree that he has endorsed many books. If I had written a book last year and could have had him endorse it, I would have. With that said, the circumstances have changed and I don’t think its wise to have a prominent advertisement with his endorsement. If I were the author of the book I would pull the ad and if I were the person deciding which ads to accept on SI I would work with the author to create a new ad. By the way, “Hysteria” is a loaded word. It implies an inappropriate response. From what I’ve read (which, admittedly, is limited…) this is a pretty cut and dry case of wrong behavior. I wouldn’t want my book, or website, to have that associaton.
https://swbts.edu/news/releases/statement-regarding-dr-paige-patterson/
The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) board of trustees is grateful for the contributions Dr. and Mrs. Paige Patterson have made since his presidency began in 2003. Further, we honor his longstanding dedication and commitment to serving the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in its mission to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and to make disciples of all the nations by leading the way for the conservative resurgence.
A special meeting of the SWBTS Board was held on May 22 to discuss our seminary, its future and our responsibility as trustees to ensure SWBTS is in the best position possible to fulfill our mission to biblically educate God-called men and women.
After much prayer and a more than 13-hour discussion regarding challenges facing the Institution, including those of enrollment, financial, leadership and institutional identity, the Board determined to move in the direction of new leadership for the benefit of the future mission of the Seminary.
The board passed a motion through a majority vote to appoint Dr. Patterson as President Emeritus with compensation, effective immediately, which he accepted. In addition, the board passed a motion to affirm the trustees’ September 2017 offer for Dr. and Mrs. Patterson to live on campus as the first theologians-in-residence at the Baptist Heritage Center, scheduled to be completed in July 2018.
The board also voted to appoint Dr. D. Jeffrey Bingham, Dean of the School of Theology, to the position of Interim President, pending his acceptance. Further, a special committee of the trustees was formed to work out all the details of leadership transition for Drs. Patterson and Bingham.
Additionally, the board affirmed a motion stating 1) evidence exists that Dr. Patterson has complied with reporting laws regarding assault and abuse, 2) the Seminary stands against all forms of abuse and 3) the board has not found evidence of misconduct in Nathan Montgomery’s employment file.
As we begin the process of ushering in a new season of leadership, SWBTS remains steadfast in its calling to assist the churches of the SBC by biblically educating God-called men and women for ministries that fulfill the Great Commission and glorify God.
https://baptistnews.com/article/metoo-controversy-takes-down-southern-b…
Under pressure from the #MeToo movement, trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, have removed a president long praised for delivering the denomination from feminism. …
The conservative resurgence is a name given to a strategy hatched by Patterson and retired Judge Paul Pressler to curb the influence of cutting-edge scholarship in Southern Baptist Convention-owned seminaries.
Buoyed by the popularity of megachurch pastors like Adrian Rogers and Charles Stanley, the movement eventually produced schism in the form of smaller spinoff groups including the Alliance of Baptists and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
Breaking with neo-orthodox theologians like Karl Barth and Reinhold Niebuhr, resurgence leaders insisted the Bible is inerrant not only in matters of faith but in history and science as well. Needing a stronger rallying cry than “saving the SBC from neo-orthodoxy,” the organized turned to the playbook of hardball politics. They labeled fellow Southern Baptists as “liberals,” thus sparking a revolution that reshaped the face of the nation’s second largest faith group after Roman Catholics.
Early on, the reformation confronted the recent-but-growing trend of women preparing for pastoral ministries at SBC schools. Amid new-fangled arguments that Bible verses long used to keep women out of the pulpit were open to re-interpretation, Southern Baptists passed a resolution in 1984 “distinguishing the roles of men and women in public prayer and prophecy” and preserving “a submission God requires because the man was first in creation and the woman was first in the Edenic fall.” …
The following year, 1998, the convention added to the consensus document of Baptist teaching language assigning the husband the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family.”
“A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ,” the amendment declared. “She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.”
The New York Times characterized the 250-word declaration among the most prominent statements on family life by a major religious organization in years.
“They hope to make June Cleaver the biblical model for motherhood, despite numerous biblical references to women who worked outside the home,” commented Baptist Center for Ethics founder Robert Parham, who died in 2017.
Patterson, who previously led Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, brought his patriarchal inclinations along when he replaced current SBC presidential candidate Ken Hemphill as Southwestern Seminary’s president 15 years ago.
The Wrath of God Poured Out — The Humiliation of the Southern Baptist Convention
https://albertmohler.com/2018/05/23/wrath-god-poured-humiliation-southe…
Excerpt:
America’s largest evangelical denomination has been in the headlines day after day. The SBC is in the midst of its own horrifying #MeToo moment.
At one of our seminaries, controversy has centered on a president (now former president) whose sermon illustration from years ago included advice that a battered wife remain in the home and the marriage in hope of the conversion of her abusive husband. Other comments represented the objectification of a teenage girl. The issues only grew more urgent with the sense that the dated statements represented ongoing advice and counsel.
We should hold ourselves to the same standard.
"Some things are of that nature as to make one's fancy chuckle, while his heart doth ache." John Bunyan
The board passed a motion through a majority vote to appoint Dr. Patterson as President Emeritus with compensation, effective immediately, which he accepted. In addition, the board passed a motion to affirm the trustees’ September 2017 offer for Dr. and Mrs. Patterson to live on campus as the first theologians-in-residence at the Baptist Heritage Center, scheduled to be completed in July 2018.
That ‘punishment’ isn’t a punishment at all. That’s a joke. I don’t know how anyone will take that seriously. It certainly seems like Patterson doesn’t, based on this email he sent out this morning. The trustees of SWBTS just dropped napalm on an oil refinery. If that’s the best they could do after a thirteen hour trustee meeting, I fear for the school’s ability to continue as a going concern.
Boz’s take on this is classic: “In what world are the consequences for covering up a serious crime and punishing the victim of that crime the granting of a “prestigious” title, continued compensation, and a free place to live??”
I had mentioned a long time ago in a different thread that I would have considered walking out of a conference or general session if I had been present for that Danny Sweatt rant at the Wilds. If Patterson addresses the entire convention in Dallas next month, I’d definitely leave mid-message to make my point clear to the attendees, and I don’t care what the consequences would be. Decorum be canned.
Shifting gears slightly - I think it’s unfair to delist the ad for the book on SI simply because Patterson endorsed it. People endorse stuff all the time. Did anyone here stop buying Nike equipment when Tiger Woods flamed out years ago? I know there are some golfers on this site.
"Our task today is to tell people — who no longer know what sin is...no longer see themselves as sinners, and no longer have room for these categories — that Christ died for sins of which they do not think they’re guilty." - David Wells
And now there are a slew of more questions that reporter Sarah Smith of the Fort Worth Star Telegram want answers to. Here’s the link to the list. They’re all very good questions.
"Our task today is to tell people — who no longer know what sin is...no longer see themselves as sinners, and no longer have room for these categories — that Christ died for sins of which they do not think they’re guilty." - David Wells
Mohler’s “wrath of God poured out” - on whom and for what? His comments on that topic are too vague to be helpful. Of course abuse is wrong. Of course we must choose words carefully and give discerning advice to anyone being abused. But some of this seems overstatement and catering to our hypocritical culture which condemns sexual abuse on one level yet pursues sexual gratification on another level. Is that what the “wrath of God” is? The self-serving condemnations by the wider culture seem hypocritical and convenient. Confusing.
Wally Morris
Huntington, IN
I agree. Mohler’s article is vague and I don’t really know what he’s talking about. It’s more a political statement than anything else. This is one reason why I prefer a more autonomous model. It’s extraordinarily difficult to generalize and say “we” (i.e. the SBC) have a problem. That’s way too ambiguous to be of any practical value. I worry about my own local church. I can handle that. I also don’t have to worry about putting out political statements.
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
Mohler has a lot to say to us. I’ve been working on a policy for my church for the past few months—almost ready and yes we are way behind the ball here—and a nasty, lingering thought is the question of “when is a new Rachael Denhollander going to pour out Hell on my church?” Mohler is correct that this is indeed judgment for generations of “trying to handle it inside.”
I don’t know of any examples, thank God, but at a certain point, it almost seems like it would be wise for a church to do a thorough review of “dirty files” and start proactively making apologies—come what may, legally speaking. Big hurdles there in terms of insurance, legal issues, all that, but if you wait, it just grows like a cancer.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
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