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Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

WINTER ’09 VOL.37 NO.2

WHO IS

Jesus?

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BOARD OF TRUSTEESMr. Joel B. AarsvoldDr. Claude R. Alexander Mrs. Linda Schultz AndersonDr. Richard A. ArmstrongDr. George F. BennettRev. Dr. Garth T. BolinderRev. Dr. Richard P. Camp, Jr.Mr. Thomas J. Colatosti, ChairMr. Charles W. ColsonRev. Dr. Leighton FordMrs. Joyce A. GodwinDr. William F. GrahamRev. Dr. Michael E. HaynesMr. Herbert P. Hess, TreasurerMr. Ivan C. HinrichsRev. Dr. John A. Huffman, Jr.Mr. Caleb Loring IIIRev. Dr. Christopher A. LyonsMrs. Joanna S. MocklerFred L. Potter, Esq.Shirley A. Redd, M.D.Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Jr. David M. Rogers, Esq., Vice ChairmanMr. John SchoenherrMrs. Virginia M. SnoddyMr. John G. Talcott, Jr.Joseph W. Viola, M.D., SecretaryJ. Christy Wilson III, Esq.Rev. Dr. John H. WomackWilliam C. Wood, M.D.

EMERITI MEMBERSDr. Allan C. Emery, Jr.Mr. Roland S. HinzRev. Dr. Robert J. LamontMr. Richard D. PhippenRev. Dr. Paul E. TomsDr. Robert E. Cooley, President Emeritus

PresidentDr. Dennis P. Hollinger

Vice President of AdvancementMr. Kurt W. Drescher

Acting Director of Communications and MarketingMr. Michael L. Colaneri

Senior Communications Advisor and Editor of Contact Mrs. Anne B. Doll

Graphic DesignerMs. Nicole S. Rim

WriterMrs. Ruth Hawk

PhotographyMr. Tom KatesMs. Nicole S. Rim

Inquiries regarding CONTACT may be addressed to: Editor, CONTACT Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary130 Essex Street, S. Hamilton, MA 01982 Tel: 978.468.7111 or by publicrelations@gcts.eduwww.gordonconwell.edu

GORDON-CONWELL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF RACE, GENDER, NATIONAL OR ETHNIC ORIGIN, AGE, HANDICAP OR VETERAN STATUS.

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On the Front Lines – The Cost of Following JesusAnne B. Doll

Who Is This Man? Sean McDonough

Jesus in the Old Testament Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.

Is Jesus Really the Only Way to God? Dennis P. Hollinger

Jesus in the City Alvin Padilla

Deconstructing Jesus: Separating Fact from Fiction Rollin Grams

Faculty Profile: Tom & Donna Petter

Student Profile: Zachariah Delma and Mardochee Nadoumngar

Seminary News

Focus on Alumni/ae

Opening the WordGary Parrett

contentsThe Ministry Magazine of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary I Winter ’09 Vol.37 No.2

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When a Gordon-Conwell graduate returned to his native Ethiopia after

completing his degree in New Testament, he knew full well he would face

religious persecution. He had lived in its shadow for most of his life.

By Anne B. Doll

Editor’s Note: The individual interviewed for this article must remain anonymous to protect his identity and the identities of those with whom he ministers.

“If you follow Christ, you should expect suffering,” he comments matter-of-factly. “We are all called to bear our cross. If our Lord was persecuted, who won’t be persecuted?” Now the leader of a Christian school in Ethiopia, he accepted Christ in high school during Communism’s grip on Ethiopia. Throughout those perilous years, all churches were closed, and government-sponsored persecution prevailed. “For 17 years, the persecution from the Communist regime was very, very difficult,” he recalls. “So many people were tortured, imprisoned and beaten. They were attacked because of their faith so that they would recant and say, ‘There is no God.’” Those who refused to recant “paid a high price,” he adds. “So many people died during the Communist time.” As a university student, he and fellow Christians experienced intense persecution first-hand, especially from

the Communist student association. “Because of the Communist ideology, we were not allowed to declare our faith, to worship God openly,” he explains. “We were not allowed to pray in the cafeteria or in our dormitories. We could not sing, or do anything that was religious, and we were highly followed by the student association.” As a freshman, he faced a defining moment in his faith journey when he and several fellow Christians were called before the dean of students to face charges by the student association that they were “anti-Communism, unpatriotic and had been hired by imperialist America.” The purpose of the charges was to have the Christians dismissed from the university and even sent to prison. The night before their meeting with the dean, the students gathered to pray. Many were frightened, particularly because some of their friends, facing similar harassment,

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had abandoned their faith. The believers also knew that university expulsion would forestall any future opportunities for employment. “That was scary personally for me,” he says. “At that time, I was a younger man. I trusted in the Lord. I believed in the Lord. I knew he was my Savior, and I did not believe in the Communist ideology. But now I was in a situation: to follow Jesus or deny my faith.” The next day, when the group appeared before the dean, she looked at the list of accusations by the Communist student association and finally asked, “What are you going to say about this?” The students replied, “We will not deny our faith. We will not deny Christ. You can expel us from the university, but we will continue worshipping the Lord.”

Impressed by the students’ response, she commented, “I know that you are very faithful and honest students, and they are jealous of you—jealous of your performance. So the only thing I would advise you is: please be wisein your worship and don’t expose yourself to these dangers.” The alumnus suffered yet another assault when he graduated from the university. Included in a standard reference letter affirming that he had met all requirements was an addendum: “But we want to mention that he is a follower of a cult.” Evangelicals were seen as cultists. Looking back, he says that growing up under Communism “was good, because it refined our faith. It purified us. At that time, we were worshipping underground. Many people lost their eyes. Their arms were amputated. Some paid their lives. We have experienced all of this.”

When Communism fell in 1991, millions of Ethiopians came to the Lord—approximately 14 percent of the population. But persecution did not end. Today in Ethiopia, two religious groups are recognized as official religions: the 35 percent comprising the traditional Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and the 35 to 40 percent who are Muslims.Persecution is waged by both groups when their members convert to Christianity. As he says, “The two groups call it ‘sheep stealing.’” Converts from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church are ostracized, threatened, attacked and beaten, and their homes are burned, especially in rural areas. Converts from Islam face even harsher persecution. “The Lord is bringing thousands of Muslim converts

into his Kingdom,” he explains. “When these Muslims become Christians, they experience serious persecution from their family members and friends.” Persecution can include ostracism—a hardship in a country where identity is found in the community. Converts may also suffer loss of property such as cattle, destruction of their harvests and the burning of their homes. “If again they endure,” he says, “the radical Islamic fundamentalists tell the local authorities that the converts are anti-government so that they can be imprisoned. All this so that people will abandon their beliefs.” New believers are cautioned not to expose their faith and immediately join a local evangelical church, and some continue to attend services in their mosques, becoming part of what he calls an “Insider’s Movement.” But if new believers are identified, they are warned by Christians not to

“We are all called to bear our cross. If our Lord was persecuted, who won’t be persecuted?”

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stay in the area because some converts have been poisoned. Others have disappeared and are assumed dead. “Islam is a very, very strong religion,” he comments. “People are like in iron bars. It’s very hard to penetrate. But what is happening in Ethiopia is that some people are coming to the Lord through dreams and visions. Sometimes the Lord himself appears and tells them this is the right way.” He says this happened recently to a young college student. “She was tied with a strong rope and somehow the Lord untied her in the night, and she escaped through a window. She took a bus and came to the city and asked the Christians for shelter.” Eventually, her new Christian friends may be able to send her back to college. “Muslim converts in Ethiopia nowadays are paying a high, high price,” he says. “The most important thing is to help them endure through this persecution. It’s knowing the truth. Once they see the light, it is very hard for them to turn their backs. So when they come out of Islam, our graduates who are ministering to Muslims tell them that following Jesus has a cost. They warn them, ‘You will be persecuted.’ But compared to knowing Jesus and the price they pay, it is nothing.” How do Ethiopian Christians like this Gordon-Conwell graduate hold firm under such persecution? “The Holy Spirit helps you to stand in those difficult circumstances,” he replies. “When you make that decision [to stand], you know that there is nothing above the Lord, that if they take your property, they kill you, absolutely your life is in the hands of the Lord. As the Apostle Paul says in Romans 8, ‘nothing will separate [you] from the love of Christ.’ “So it’s knowing God. It’s knowing His love and what He paid on the cross, the price He paid for us in redeeming us. It’s having a Heavenly mindset, knowing that you are in God’s Kingdom, that this earthly kingdom is temporary and that this persecution will pass.” He urges fellow Christians to pray for their brothers and sisters in Eritrea, where severe persecution by the government is rampant, and 3,500 are imprisoned for their faith in Jesus. He also seeks prayer for his school. Many students come from poor churches that cannot support them, and occasionally go for several days without food. After graduation, they return to the same poor churches and serve without pay. Teachers at the school also suffer privation. But what sustains them, he says, is “the fruit we see. Our graduates go out, and they minister the Lord. And when we see the Kingdom of God stretched across Ethiopia and other countries because of the ministry of our graduates, it keeps us going. We need your prayers.”

“...you know that there is nothing above the Lord, that if they take your property, they kill you, absolutely your life is in the hands of the Lord.”

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who is jesus? Like many parishioners, this question (or its more non-committal cousin, “Who was Jesus?”) makes seasonal appearances at Christmas and Easter, usually on the covers of news magazines looking for a holiday angle. Most readers of these magazines are likely to have a ready answer: He is God’s Son, the Savior of the world, the everlasting King of creation. We may feel, in fact, that the question is no longer worth asking. As Bible-believing Christians, we already know who Jesus is. But when we turn to read the Bible we believe, we find that it frequently poses the same question as Time magazine or ABC News–even if it is much more ready with a definitive answer. It is found on the lips of disciples and skeptics alike. It is impossible to faithfully read the gospels without asking afresh: Who is Jesus? A few selections from the gospels will serve to illustrate the ongoing relevance of the question.

who is this boy?The opening chapters of Luke’s gospel are among the most joy-filled in all the Bible. Like the cast of a musical, the characters are so inspired by the moving of God in their midst that they keep bursting into song. Jesus’ Mary is, in many respects, at center stage. But for all her joy at

questions answered and promises kept, the final story of the sequence–the 12-year-old Jesus’ appearance in the temple–features Mary questioning the activity of her son: “Child, why are you treating us like this? Your father and I have been in anguish looking all over for you!” (Luke 2:48). Jesus answers her with a few questions of his own: “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be in my father’s house?” (v.49). Christians today would tend to echo Jesus’ words, and add a few more for good measure: “Mary, don’t you remember this is God’s Son? Have you forgotten about the angels and shepherds and wise men?” But Mary’s concerns should rather remind us to meditate on the full humanity of Jesus. He was no flannel-graph icon with thin connections to his earthly family. He was so fully a part of everyday life that even Mary, it seems, could sometimes lose sight of the things she had treasured in her heart. It is also worth pointing out that, for all his insight, he was no irritating 12-year old “know-it-all.” He asks the teachers questions, and gives answers, and the teachers are clearly delighted to have such a winsome and able student in their midst (2:46-7). Mary had to learn again just who her little boy really was. Might it be that the same holds true for us today?

who is thisSean McDonough, Ph.D., Associate Professor of New Testament

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who is this man?As we move to consider the adult Jesus, we may focus on his stilling of the storm (Matt. 8:23-7, Mark 4:35-41), a story that has comforted countless Christians tossed by literal and metaphorical tempests. It is the disciples’

response to the miracle that most interests us now: “And they were greatly afraid, and they said to one another, ‘Who is this that the wind and the sea obey him?’” (Matt. 8:27, Mark 4:41). The alert reader is not meant to simply reply, “Yeah, he’s really something.” She is instead supposed to rack her biblically informed brain and realize that the answer is in fact there to be found in the Scriptures: “Lord God of hosts, who is like you! You are mighty, Lord, and your faithfulness surrounds you! You rule over the power of the sea – when its waves rise, you calm them” (Ps. 89:8-9).Who is this man? Who, indeed? It is perhaps not surprising that the answer to the disciples’ question is not directly given in this passage. Biblical scholars have long spoken of the “messianic secret.” Especially in Mark’s gospel, Jesus repeatedly tells his disciples and others not to make known that he is the Messiah. Some under-faithed readers have imagined that this motif is just a cover-up invented by Mark to hide the fact that Jesus never really said he was the Messiah. But a much more persuasive answer lies close to hand: Jesus did indeed claim to be the Messiah. But he did not want people assuming that they already knew what the

Messiah must be and what the Messiah must do. For Jesus, “Messiah” was a question in need of a response; and if you wanted to find the answer, you had to follow him and find out. The puzzle-posing, parable-speaking Jesus of the first three gospels turns out to be the ultimate parable himself.

The Truth Righteous One Prince and Savior Almighy I AM King of Kings Lamb w

ithout Blemish Christ, the new Adam Image of God Son of God Word Light of Men

Lord of All Offspring of David Logos Holy One Lamb of God Passover Lamb Righteous One

Teacher High Priest Bright and Morning StarChief Cornerstone The Life

True Vi ne Lamb that was Sl

ain Resurrection &LifeTemple

Spiritual R

ock Son of the Highest Righteous JudgeLord of Lords Prince of Life Lion of Judah Image of The Invisible God

Power of God Firstborn of all CreationGood Shepherd Bridegroom

Alpha &Omega Living Stone Bread of Life King of the Jews

Hor

n of Sa

lvation Head of the ChurchWisdom of God Mediator

The Way Pr

ophet Light of the World Blessed Hope

Jesus

Son of Man Author of Life Be

lov

ed S

on

Chose

n of

God Offspring of David

Who is Jesus?

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st. john and the crossJohn may seem to offer a completely different way of looking at Jesus from Matthew, Mark and Luke—a Christology without questions. In a sense, this is true. In the very beginning of the gospel, we learn that the Word was with God at the very beginning of the world. In the ensuing narrative, Jesus repeatedly affirms his divine identity: “I am the resurrection and the life;” “I am the true vine;” “Before Abraham was, I am.” Only a fool could miss the point. And yet…people throughout the gospel cannot seem to grasp what seems so startlingly obvious to us as readers. We might understand this when it comes to Jesus’ opponents. Even when they eventually catch on to what Jesus is saying, their response is to try to kill him. But Jesus’ best friends seem equally obtuse at times. What does John expect us as readers to make of all this misunderstanding? One natural human reaction is to have a bit of a laugh at the expense of the characters in the gospel: we know something you don’t know! But do we really possess so much more native spiritual insight than Peter or James or John? Ought we so quickly to jump into the role of Jesus and lament the blindness of those in the past (and present) who fail to see who he really is? If we are at all honest, we will realize that the disciples’ sandals fit us a lot better than Jesus’…and if the sandals fit, as the saying goes, wear them—and walk in them. As with our reading of the synoptic gospels, the first step is to remind ourselves of the full humanity of Jesus. He is the Word that became flesh, a man who eats and sleeps and weeps just as we do. We must not imagine we can jump over Jesus’ humanity to get to the “real” divine Christ. If we are to find his divinity (as we surely must), we need to find it in the revelation he offers in his humanity. The point is worth stressing. It is all too easy for Christians to imagine that Jesus could do miracles because he was God, and not like one of us. This admittedly involves an act of faith. But the earth shattering reality is even greater, and consequently involves an even greater level of spiritual understanding. Jesus is like one of us, and he equally is who God is. Those who spoke with him and ate with him and touched him needed no convincing he was a human being. The problem was what to do once Jesus dismantled their assumption that he was only another human being. But there is yet another twist in John’s telling of Jesus’ story. The problem was not simply that Jesus dismantled people’s assumption about what he was capable of doing. The more troubling issue was that he himself was dismantled on the cross. Did this not lay waste to his claim to be the chosen one of God?

It is precisely here that John reveals Jesus’ identity in the most dramatic fashion. He could have relayed the words and stories of Jesus to demonstrate that Jesus reveals his divine identity even though he was crucified. Instead, he does something still more remarkable: He shows us that Jesus reveals his divine identity precisely in and through his crucifixion.1 It is in his moment of greatest human weakness that he most clearly shows the extent of his divine power. The paradox is captured most beautifully in John 12:32: “And I, when I am lifted up, will draw all men to myself.” This must mean victory! Jesus will be exalted like a champion athlete lifted up by the cheering crowd, exalted like God himself on his celestial throne. But John is quick to disabuse us of this notion. The very next verse explains what is really in view: “He said this to signify what death he was going to die.” So is this mere irony? No, because his humiliating death on the cross really is a victory, for it is here that Jesus finally breaks Satan’s stranglehold on the world. By dying for our sins, he liberates us to serve God in newness of life as we follow in the footsteps of the Son. But we may suggest something further. The cross is not only the place where Jesus defeats Satan; it is also the place where his divine identity is most fully revealed. God, as John tells us elsewhere, is love (1 John 4:8). And where is God’s matchless love more evident than on the cross? John is pressing us to respond to the crucified Jesus. Is he a defeated, no-account rebel, or the paradoxically enthroned king of glory? And if the latter, what sort of people ought we then to be?

who is jesus?The question will not go away. Who is Jesus? It is a blessing to know the answer, and to receive through the Spirit the assurance that he is indeed Lord and Savior, fully God and fully man. But it is equally a blessing to keep asking the question, because as we reflect upon it day by day, we move deeper into the mystery of who God is, and who we are meant to be.

Dr. Sean M. McDonough, Associate Professor of New Testament, joined the seminary in 2000 after serving as Chair of the Biblical Studies Department and lecturer in New Testament at Pacific Theological College in Suva, Fiji. He is active in his local church and also a speaker for MedAir, a Christian relief organization. He received his Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews. Dr. Mc-Donough is author of several books, including Christ as

Creator: The Origins of a New Testament Doctrine, due for release in early 2010 by Oxford University Press.

1 On all that follows, see the powerful reflections by Richard Bauckham in his book, God Crucified.

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Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Ph.D., President Emeritus

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There is no finer teacher on whether Jesus is to be found in the pages of the Old Testament than the teaching of our Lord Jesus himself.

Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Ph.D., President Emeritus

He it was who said in John 5:39, “You [Jewish people] diligently study the Scriptures [which at that time were the 39 books of the Tanak/Old Testament]…. These are the Scriptures that tes-tify about me.” That should settle the question. But even more famously, Jesus rebuked Cleopas, and that other unnamed disciple, as they walked along the road to Emmaus on that first Easter Sunday, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the [Old Testament] Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:25-27). Even King David predicted the resurrection of Jesus back in 1000 B.C. as he, too, saw what was ahead, namely, that Jesus would not be “abandon[ed] … to the grave, nor [would he] let his Holy One see decay” (Ps 16:8-11; Acts 2:30-31). Therefore, it is not unexpected that we, too, should find Jesus present in the events and the predictions found in the Old Testament. It is only right that we should find that Jesus was both actually present in the Old Testament

and accurately predicted, and that he would come first as our Savior, and then in a later sec-ond coming, would appear as the King supreme over all the earth. Such an unusual state of affairs is possible because he was, he is and he is the One to come. But sad to say, all too many miss both his real presence in the Old Testament narrative and the numerous predictions of both his first and second advents/comings. To remedy this, let us turn first to those places where he appeared in a Christophany in the Old Testament times. Then we will sample some of the numer-ous predictions of his comings.

old testament appearances of christ Jesus is first seen in the Old Testament as the person who appeared as “the Angel of the Lord” in his sudden confrontation with Sarah’s maidser-vant, Hagar (Gen 16:7). Thereafter, he continued to appear intermittently throughout the earlier books of the Old Testament. These real occur-rences, initiated by God, were characterized by the fact that they were convincing revelations of his person and work, as much as they were also

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transitory, fleeting, but audible and clearly visible appear-ances. He came temporally in the form of a human, much before his final incarnation as a babe in Bethlehem, yet this same “Angel of the LORD” is called and is addressed often as “the LORD/Yahweh” himself (Gen 12:7; 17:1; 19:1; etc.). This “Angel of the LORD” was a title that stood for his office, but it did not describe his nature. The Hebrew word for “angel” (mal’ak) had the basic idea of one who was “sent,” a “messenger.” Of the 214 usages of the He-brew term used for “angel,” about one-third of them refer to what is labeled by theologians as a “Christophany,” a temporary appearance of Christ in the Old Testament. It is certain, however, that this special angel of the Lord is divine, for Hagar “…gave this name to the LORD, who spoke with her [as the Angel of the LORD]: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ as she observed, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me’” (Gen 16:13). 1

Other instances of Jesus’ appearances in the Old Testa-ment can be seen representatively in Genesis 22:11, 15, where it was the Angel of Yahweh who spoke from heaven to Abraham when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, and stopped him from proceeding. Again, it was the Angel of Yahweh who appeared to Moses in the flame of fire in Exodus 3:2. Throughout the dialogue at that burning bush, it was also declared that he was no one less than “Yah-weh,” who spoke at that time, causing Moses to hide his face from him (Ex 3:6). Later, it was the same Angel of the Lord who appeared to the wife of Manoah (Judg 13:2-25), mother of Samson, whom she reported to her husband was indeed a “man of God” that had appeared to her. When Manoah asked for the “Angel of the LORD” to also appear to him as he had appeared to his wife, the Angel repeated the appearances and his conversations to him, after which he ascended in the flame of the altar (Judg 13:20), implying the sacrifice was in worship of the Lord himself! Moreover, this “An-gel” is regarded as a “Redeemer,” who saves Israel from evil (Isa 63:9). How can readers of the Old Testament doubt that these sample instances, along with a host of other such descrip-tions in the earlier Scriptures, were anything less than pre-incarnate appearances of our Lord Jesus in real flesh, even if it was in those days only a temporary in-flesh-ment/incarnation for the immediate needs of the people until he would come and take on flesh permanently? Oftentimes Jesus came to earth to help his people in their distress and their need for direction. The only examples of the

1 See James A. Borland. Christ in the Old Testament. Ross-shire, UK: Christian Focus Publications, 1999.

Angel of Yahweh turning against Israel occur in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21, where the Angel is the agent of God’s punishment of David, because he disobeyed God and conducted a national census.

old testament predictions of the coming messiah In addition to the real presence of Jesus as the Angel of the Lord/God, J. Barton Payne2 listed some 574 verses in the Old Testament that had direct personal messianic foretellings. Payne found 127 personal messianic predictions involving some, 348 verses that had any or all types of real and typological prophecies of Jesus’ first or second coming. This number was exceeded only by Alfred Edersheim,3 who noted that in some 558 rabbinic writings in pre-Christian times, there were some 456 separate Old Testament/Tanak passages used to refer to the Messiah or to messianic times! In my own book, The Messiah in the Old Testament,4 I was able to identify 65 direct predictions of Jesus’ com-ings in the Old Testament. Few will dispute that there are at least six direct Messianic predictions in the Pentateuch: Genesis 3:15; 9:27; 12:2-3; 49:8-12; Numbers 24:15-19; and Deuteronomy 18:15-18. Eve was promised in Genesis 3:15 that a male descen-dant from her line would crush the head of the serpent, i.e., the Devil himself, and win completely over evil, as the prince of evil, Satan, would be finally vanquished. Then in Genesis 9:27, God would come and live/dwell in the tents

2 J. Barton Payne. Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy. New York: Harper and Row, 1973, 667-68.3 Alfred Edersheim. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. 2 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1953, 2:710-41.4 Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. The Messiah in the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995, 237-239.

...the relationship

between the Old

and New Testaments

is one of strong

continuity and a

progressive revelation.

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of Shem, the Semitic peoples. But which one of the Semites did God intend: the Arabs or the Jewish people? Abraham settled that question, for God called him to go from Ur of Mesopotamia to Israel, and he was to be a blessing for all the nations on earth in Genesis 12:3. This promise could be narrowed down even further for the tribe of Judah. Son number four of Jacob would be the one God would invest with the scepter of ruling and the one from whom the line of Messiah would descend (Gen 49:8-12). In fact, this coming one from Judah would be “A star [that would] come out of Jacob, a scepter [that would] rise out of Israel” (Num 24:17). Moreover, the Messiah who would come would also be a “prophet” (Deut 18:15) as well as a “king” (Ps 72). If the book of Job is to be placed in the period of the patriarchs (c. 2100 – 1800), as we believe he is to be placed, then there are four texts in Job that should be added to the six in the Pentateuch. There Messiah is called an “angel” and a “Mediator” (Job 33:23-28). Add to these 10 direct Messianic prophecies another five from the times both prior to and during the Davidic period. He is seen as the “Anointed” one in 1 Samuel 2:1-10 and the “faithful Priest” in 1 Samuel 2:35-36. But the most outstanding text by far is the Davidic Covenant text found in 2 Samuel 7 (repeated in 1 Chron 17) and elaborated on in Psalm 132, which pointed to the dynasty/house of David as the place where God would originate his throne, dynasty and kingdom forever. The promise given to King David was so astounding that David cried out in 2 Samuel 7:19c that “This is the law/charter for [all] humanity.” In other words, God had just now conferred on David an enlargement of the promise he had originally made with the patriarchs.5

There is not enough space to relate how 11 Psalms celebrate the person and work of the coming Messiah, but even though he would be rejected (Ps 118), and betrayed (Pss 69, 109), die and be resurrected (Pss 22, 16), he would come as Conqueror and Enthroned Ruler (Pss 2, 110), as Planner and Groom (Pss 40, 45), and as Triumphant King (Pss 68, 72). In addition to the previous 15 direct references to the coming Messiah, there are some 39 predictions of the Mes-siah in the Old Testament prophets. A sample of these announcements before they happened would include these facts. First, it was predicted that Messiah would be born of a virgin (Isa 7:14; cf. Mt 1:33). His birthplace would be

5 See the full elaboration of this theme in Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. The Promise-Plan of God: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008.

Bethlehem (Mic 5:2; cf. Mt 2:1, 6), and John the Baptist would be his forerunner (Isa 40:3-5; Mal 3:1; cf. Mt 3:3, Mk 1:3; Lk 3:4-6). It was further announced ahead of time that Messiah would enter Jerusalem [what turned out to be Palm Sun-day] in Triumph as the crowd shouted “Hosanna” (Zech 9:9-10; Ps 118:25-26; cf. Mt 21:9; Mk 11:9; Lk 19:38;Jh 12:13). But in less than a week, he would be betrayed [by one of his own disciples, Judas, as it turned out] (Ps 69:25; cf. Acts 1:20). Messiah’s side would be pierced (Zech 12:10; cf. Jh 19:37), and he would suffer vicariously for the sins of the world (Isa 53:6, 9, 12; cf. I Pt 2:21-25; Rom 4:25). Even more dramatically accurate was the fact that Jesus would be killed with the “wicked” ones (Isa 53:9a, note the plural noun in Hebrew) [as he hung between two thieves], yet he would be buried with the rich one (Isa 53:9b, note its singu-lar form in the Hebrew). But that was not the end of the matter for the predic-tions about Jesus in the Old Testament, for Messiah would return to earth a second time (Daniel 7:13; cf Mk 13:26; Lk 21:27), and he would one day rule in the city of Jerusalem as King of kings, as the nations would go up to that city to be taught in his ways, never more to “train for war any-more” (Isa 2:3-4). As far as the case for the Messiah in the Old Testament is concerned, the relationship between the Old and New Testaments is one of strong continuity and a progressive revelation. The seminal seeds of the doctrine of the person and work of Jesus bloom and blossom in the New Testa-ment even though the Old Testament often carried in semi-nal seed form much that eventually developed out of the Old. What a gracious, revealing God, and what a wonder-ful gift of a Savior who has come to earth once, but who is due to return once more in all his fullness and glory!

Dr. Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., President Emeritus, served the seminary for nine years as President and Colman M. Mockler Distinguished Professor of Old Testament. He previously taught at Wheaton College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where he also was Senior Vice President and Academic Dean. He is the author of more than 30 books, and his articles have appeared

in numerous journals. He continues to write prolifically, and teaches and preaches throughout the U.S. His Ph.D. is from Brandeis University.

16 Winter 09

Is Jesus Really

the Only Way to God?

Dennis P. Hollinger, Ph.D.President & Coleman M. Mockler Professor of Christian Ethics

Last year, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life published a major study on religious affiliation, beliefs and practices in the United States. One of the

significant findings was that 70 percent of all Americans believe that many religions can lead to eternal life, including 65 percent of all self-identifying Christians. Perhaps the most surprising finding was that 56 percent of all Evangelical Christians believe that there are many paths, other than faith in Christ, to God and eternal life (See http://pewforum.org). Many were so shocked by these numbers that the Pew Forum went back and did further polling to make sure that by religion, respondents did not have in mind other Christian bodies or denominations. Their earlier results were essentially confirmed. In this most recent study, large numbers of Americans believe that actions or a combination of beliefs and actions can lead people to God. Even among the 30 percent of Americans who say that eternal life depends on one’s belief, nearly half designate belief in God, a higher power or other generic beliefs as sufficient for salvation. Among Evangelical Christians, only 45 percent clearly affirm that a personal belief in, or relationship with, Christ is essential for eternal life. Increasing numbers of Americans, Christians and even Evangelicals are questioning the long-held commitment of the Church that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ. Among all Americans affiliated with a religion, 52 percent believe that Islam leads to eternal life with God, 53 percent believe

that Hinduism leads to God and 42 percent even believe that atheism leads to God. Among Evangelicals, the numbers are 35, 33 and 26 percent respectively. Clearly in recent years, in the midst of growing cultural and religious pluralism, large numbers of Christians are troubled by, or ignore, the claim of Jesus, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn. 14:6). What are we to make of all this? Is Jesus really the only way to God? In a pluralistic world, why shouldn’t we accept an inclusivity that embraces multiple ways to salvation? Isn’t it arrogant to believe otherwise?

Our Pluralistic ContextThe perspective that there are many ways to God is essentially one variant of universalism, the belief that ultimately all humans will be embraced by God and experience eternal life. To be sure, it is an old belief that was occasionally found early on in Christianity. In the 3rd century, the theologian Origen contended that in the end God would restore the whole of creation, including Satan, to a perfect state. This meant that people who never trusted Christ would be saved. Origen’s beliefs were condemned by a Church council in the 5th century. Over the years, and in our own time, there have been many arguments for a universalism, or at least religious pluralism, which question the uniqueness of Christ for salvation. Some argue that it is arrogant and triumphalistic

17Winter 09

to believe that any one way is essential for salvation. Others contend that surely God is a God of love and mercy who will accept people into his presence who don’t believe in Christ. The mercy of God trumps all other characteristics of God. Some contend that all religions are essentially the same, simply using different names for the divine and different emphases in following the divine path. Still others attempt to articulate a religious pluralism or universalism on biblical grounds, citing texts such as Colossians 1:18-19, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Christ], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross;” or Romans 11:32, “For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.” But perhaps the most significant factor for the growing belief in many paths to God is the pluralism of our social context. By pluralism I don’t mean merely the existence of multiple nationalities, races, ethnic groups or religions in a society. More fundamentally, pluralism means that varying worldviews, belief systems and moral frameworks exist side by side in a given culture. With pluralism, we now rub shoulders daily with people who put their world together in vastly different ways. There are varying perceptions of God, the good life, salvation and human nature. There are varying ways of life reflecting these worldview assumptions. As we daily live with a plethora of worldviews, we experience these folks to be exceptionally fine people, who often reflect integrity, high morals and outstanding contributions to our communities. For a democracy to work, we recognize that these multiple frameworks all need to have a voice in the public square, and all religious and moral frameworks need to be assured of essential rights under the law. In the milieu of social and legal pluralism, it is quite easy to glide into a religious pluralism which questions the uniqueness or truth claims of Christian faith. When we experience people of other religions as good, moral people, it becomes increasingly difficult to entertain any notions other than multiple paths to God and salvation. When we encounter the plurality of the public square, it becomes almost second nature to believe that such plurality must exist with regards to truth and paths to eternal life. Moreover, when we look around us, many who are exclusive in their beliefs often appear to be arrogant and intolerant. Religious pluralists appear to be kind and accepting, and exhibit a tolerance needed for a pluralistic world. The reality of this sociocultural pluralism makes it difficult to maintain a belief in, and commitment to, Christ as the only

way to God. Our context of multiplicity tends to undermine the long-held belief that salvation is found only in Jesus.

How Do We Respond?Given the contexts of our time, what do we do with the question, “Is Jesus really the only way to God?” As we respond to this question, we need first to note that Jesus thought himself to be unique and the only way to a personal relationship with God. In Jesus’ teachings, he made very direct claims about himself and his work which clearly reveal his own identity:

All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son…. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Mt. 11:27-28).

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this; to believe in the one he has sent” (Jn. 6:29).

I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never thirst…. My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day (Jn. 6:35, 40).

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (Jn. 8:12).

I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die (Jn. 11:25-26).

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well (Jn. 14:6-7a).

Such statements may not sit well with a postmodern mindset which is squeamish about truth, and particularly any claims to truth. As C.S. Lewis once pointed out, many are willing to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher but not his unique claims to be God. In Lewis’ memorable words he responds:

18 Winter 09

That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God (Mere Christianity, p. 41).

Not only did Jesus himself believe that he was the only way to God, being one with God the Father, the early followers and apostles believed the same. Peter, in one of his early sermons, said, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The apostle Paul had hated Christians before he became one. After his conversion, he spoke frequently about Christ with clear conviction that he was the only way to salvation. Speaking of Jesus he said, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil. 2:10, 11). In similar fashion the apostle John wrote, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah is born of God…God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (I Jn. 5:1, 11-12). Since the days of the apostles, the historic Christian Church has affirmed the uniqueness of Christ in his identity and in his role as the only savior for human sin. There has, of course, been substantial variation regarding particular doctrines among the various families and denominations of Christianity. But Roman Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism have historically been in agreement that salvation is found in no other than the person of Christ. The recent trends are contrary to those convictions.

ConclusionThe growing number of Christians who are troubled by Jesus’ claims to be the single course to salvation indicates how much the world has come to live in us as we attempt to live in the world. We easily allow the push and pull of our culture to define our beliefs, commitments and way of life, even while giving lip service to the name of Jesus. Perhaps the Pew Forum poll will be a wake-up call as to how much

Christians have allowed the world to shape their sentiments. Affirming the uniqueness of Christ for salvation and eternal life does not, of course, answer all our questions. There is much that God has not told us about the mysteries of life, death and eternity. We naturally wonder what happens to those who never had opportunity to embrace Christ. To such quandaries, we must simply trust in a Savior who is both loving and just, and whose understandings are far beyond ours. We must acknowledge that from Scripture we know relatively little about heaven and hell. What we do know is that Jesus, the apostles and the historic Church in all its variations have affirmed that Jesus is the only true way to God. And it only makes sense that if a person didn’t want Jesus as Savior and Lord on this earth, they would hardly want to spend forever with Him. To affirm the uniqueness of Christ for salvation is not cause for arrogance and boasting. In fact, Scripturally it is exactly the opposite. Our salvation has nothing to do with our attainments, efforts and native beliefs. In salvation we do not find God through our own ingenuity. Rather, God finds us as we respond to his loving mercy in Christ as evidenced on the cross. The embrace of Christ as Savior and Lord can never be touted as cause for human triumph, smugness or self-assertion. It is not a sign of our superiority, or cause for triumphalistic efforts in society. The uniqueness of Christ is a sign that the triune God of the universe cares so deeply for his wayward creatures that he mercifully provided a path to forgiveness—a way to the Father’s embrace. It is in the Father’s embrace through Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, that we come to realize that we can never pull the Triune God apart. For indeed to know Christ is to know the Father, and to know the Father is to know the Spirit, who enables us to stay true to the One Savior in the midst of a pluralistic world.

This article first appeared in the Spring 2009 edition of Knowing & Doing, a

quarterly publication of the C.S. Lewis Institute.

Dr. Dennis P. Hollinger is President and Colman M. Mockler Professor of Christian Ethics. He formerly served as President of Evangelical Theological Seminary; as Provost, College Pastor and Professor of Christian Ethics at Messiah College; and as a professor at two additional seminaries. He has also been a visiting professor at seminaries in the U.S., Ukraine, Russia and

India, and a full-time pastor at three churches, including an urban church on Capitol Hill. He speaks extensively in the U.S. and internationally, has written or co-edited eight books, and has authored more than 65 articles. His Ph.D. is from Drew University.

18 Winter 09

19Winter 09

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Rollin G. Grams, Ph.D., Associate Professor of New Testament; Director of the Robert C. Cooley Center for the Study of Early Christianity at Gordon-Conwell—Charlotte

Separating Fact from Fiction

19Winter 09

20 Winter 09

These are exciting days in Jesus studies. Much is being written on the historical Jesus, and intriguing studies in New Testament Christology have recently

been published. Yet some of the works making it to print are intentionally trying to deconstruct the Jesus of orthodox Christianity. This article intends to address a few such challenges while recommending recent publications worth reading. Deconstructing the Jesus of faith has been around in Modernist and now Postmodernist forms for some time.1 Herman Reimarus’s Apology or Defence of the Rational Worshippers of God (1778) argued that Jesus was a pious Jew who called people to repentance and got himself killed in Jerusalem. His disciples then decided to steal His body and claim that He had risen from the dead so that they would not have to go back to work. Secrecy, conspiracy and scandal are not new to studies on Jesus. For those denying Jesus’ resurrection, such theories are standard fare (cf. Mt. 28.11-15). Deconstructive Postmodernist scholars, however, seem willing to float theories primarily for the results they produce. The game is to construct alternative scenarios and see what happens: move Gnosticism into the 1st century, argue for different dates of manuscripts, imagine that Jesus’ tomb has been discovered, and so forth. New theories—ones touting secrets, conspiracies, and scandals—also sell well, as authors, publishers and bookshops have discovered. A number of works, such as those by Bart Ehrman, are aimed at undergraduates to unsettle their faith. His titles promote hype around secrecy, conspiracy and scandal, using words like “lost,” “battles,” “betrayer,” “misquoting Jesus” and “Bible fails.” Consider how one deconstructs Jesus in a Postmodern age.2

First, argue that orthodox Christianity is less credible and perhaps even later than certain heresies because there were contending views on Jesus from the start. It is, of course, quite true that from the very beginning there were any number of responses to Jesus. The idea that Christianity first had a solid, orthodox trunk and only afterwards developed branches reaching out in heretical directions is clearly false. But the correct picture is not of an upside- down tree, with branches in all directions at the beginning and then a particular branch emerging from the mix as orthodoxy. There was a “normative Christianity” from the beginning.3 Five lines of argument are worth considering.

1 In Rival Versions of Theological Enquiry (Prague: International Baptist Theological Seminary, 2005), I explore the Modernist, Postmodern Deconstructive and Postmodern Tradition versions of theological enquiry.2 In addition to several works cited elsewhere in this article, see also Ben Witherington, III, What Have They Done With Jesus? Beyond Strange Theories and Bad History—Why We Can Trust the Bible (New York: HarperOne, 2006); Darrell Bock and Daniel Wallace, Dethroning Jesus: Exposing Popular Culture’s Quest to Unseat the Biblical Christ (Thomas Nelson, 2007).3 Arland J. Hultgren, The Rise of Normative Christianity

1. Orthodox churches in the 2nd century could trace their lineage back to their apostolic foundations (cf. Tertullian, Prescriptions Against Heresies; Polycrates, bishop of Ephesus (Eusebius, H.E. 5.24.2-7)).

2. Our canonical Gospels present the testimony of eyewitnesses.4

3. Normative New Testament Christology is built out of its Jewish, especially Old Testament, roots.5

4. Orthodox Christian tradition was preserved with due care for accuracy.6 Consider the important role of teachers in the community, the likely memorization of sayings of Jesus, the role of eyewitnesses in the community and the community’s high value of accurate memories of Jesus. Also consider the importance placed on apostolic custodians of the Church’s tradition, the assumption by New Testament authors that the churches knew traditions about Jesus, the Gospels’ historical interests in their choice of the genre of biography, the tendency to check prophecy with tradition and the control that a community exercised on the right telling of a story.

(5) The early Church held a high Christology (e.g., Jesus seen as divine) from as early as we can tell. It did not develop from low (e.g., Jesus seen merely as a prophet) to high Christology over the rest of the 1st century. The evolutionary view is inherent in the title of Maurice Casey’s book, From Jewish Prophet to Gentile God. Key 20th century works assumed it: Wilhelm Bousset’s Kurios Christos, John Hick’s Myth of God Incarnate and James Dunn’s Christology in the Making.

Recently, however, strong challenges to this evolutionary view have appeared. Larry Hurtado notes that the earliest Church’s devotion to and worship of Jesus testify to its high Christology.7 Richard Bauckham argues that the earliest Church held a high Christology through its interpretation of the Old Testament.8 Gordon Fee argues exegetically that the New Testament’s earliest author, Paul, consistently held to a high Christology that was already in

(Wipf & Stock Pub., 2004).4 Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewit-ness Testimony (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006).5 N. T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God, Christian Origins and the Question of God, Vol. 2 (Augsburg Fortress, 1997).6 James D. G. Dunn, Jesus Remembered, Christianity in the Making, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2003).7 Larry Hurtado, Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christi-anity (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2005).8 Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the God of Israel: God Crucified and Other Studies on the New Testament’s Christology of Divine Identity (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2008).

21Winter 09

the Church tradition.9 And Sean McDonough of Gordon-Conwell argues that the often neglected miracles of Jesus explain the early Church’s view that he was the agent of creation.10

A second way to deconstruct Jesus is to rearrange the evidence from primary sources. What if one could argue that 2nd century Gnostic sources11 were either from the early 1st century or that they represent an early version of Christianity?12 What if the 200 or so verses that Matthew and Luke have in common, called ‘Q’, were taken as a complete perspective on Jesus held by a community, and then one focused on what was not in this imaginary

document—Jesus’ death and resurrection!13 What if the Gospel of Thomas14 was actually written around AD 50—before the canonical Gospels? One essential feature of Postmodernist deconstruction is to see truth as communally (or locally) constructed. So, why not put forward 2nd century Gnostic works, even if one does not subscribe to such views oneself, as an equally true or even preferable representation of Jesus? All this requires some discussion of the dating of documents. Consider, for example, the date of the Gospel of Thomas. Craig Evans has argued rather convincingly that the GT should be dated after AD 170, over against the view that it predates the canonical Gospels,15 as key scholars in the “Jesus Seminar” have maintained. Two of Evans’ arguments might be noted. First, to state the obvious, the GT quotes or alludes to various New Testament works,

9 Gordon Fee, Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-Theological Study (Pea-body, MA: Hendrickson, 2007).10 Sean McDonough, Christ as Creator: Origins of a New Testament Doc-trine (Oxford University Press, forthcoming December 2009).11 Works often under discussion are: a Hebrew Gospel of Matthew, The Dialogue Gospel, The Apocryphon (or Letter) of James, The Secret Gospel of Mark, a so-called Cross Gospel (part of the Gospel of Peter), the Gospel of Mary and, most recently, the Gospel of Judas.12 So, e.g., some have argued that Jesus married and had a son or that Jesus’ family formed a dynasty in the Church. Cf. James Tabor, The Jesus Dynasty; Margaret Starbird, The Women With the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail (Bear and Company, 1993). Starbird identifies Mary Magdalene with Mary of Bethany and claims that Jesus, in the line of King David, intentionally mar-ried a Benjaminite in the line of King Saul. And, of course, this was all kept secret.13 Q ranges in agreement between Matthew and Luke from 100 percent to 8 percent of the time. It seems highly unlikely that we can consider it a single docu-ment presenting a complete theological perspective.14 The Gospel of Thomas was found in 1945 in Nag Hammadi (Egypt), along with other Gnostic works. 15 Craig Evans, Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gos-pels (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006).

including the four Gospels! One must assume that there was an earlier version of the GT—but we have no such document. Second, the GT’s units of Jesus’ sayings are linked by Syrian catchwords, and it often depends on Tatian’s Syrian Diatessaron, which was compiled around AD 170. It is surely a late 2nd century, Syrian work that shows Gnostic influences—hardly an early, reliable source for the historical Jesus. A third way to deconstruct Jesus comes through archaeology. We should expect that archaeology will continue to provide us with further helpful discoveries to assess events in the Scriptures, including those in Jesus’ time. There is a lot more digging still to do in Israel! Yet archaeology’s revelation of “secrets from the earth” can also play into the deconstructive agenda. Some speculation is relatively innocuous, such as the discovery of a cave supposedly used by John the Baptist in Suba in 1999.16 Other speculation intends to deconstruct Christian faith, such as the claim that Jesus’ ossuary (bone box) has been discovered, along with family members, in a tomb in Talpiot.17 Judaism practiced a two-stage burial of the

dead: an initial burial over the first year until only the bones were left, and then a second burial of the bones in a stone box. If Jesus’ bone box were to be discovered, that would be the end of Easter for most of us. Numerous problems with such a view have ably been pointed out by Craig Evans and Ben Witherington. In conclusion, the peculiar arguments in recent deconstructions of Jesus are not simply the rehashing of views met already in Reimarus in the 18th century as the Enlightenment was coming to a close. They come in new packaging for a consumerist, iconoclastic age, but also with new arguments. Yet more credible analyses of Jesus in the light of ancient texts and archaeology are providing us with exciting evidence about Jesus, the Messiah of Israel and the Lord of all creation.

Dr. Rollin G. Grams is Associate Professor of New Testament and Director of the Robert C. Cooley Center for Early Christianity at the Charlotte campus. He served for many years as a missionary in theological education in Kenya, Ethiopia, Croatia and Singapore, and lectured and tutored at the Oxford (England) Centre for Mission Studies. He is currently a lecturer/doctoral program supervisor at a seminary in Prague, and SIM-USA theological education

coordinator. He holds a Ph.D. from Duke University.

16 Shimon Gibson, The Cave of John the Baptist: The Stunning Archaeo-logical Discovery That Has Redefined Christian History (NY: Doubleday, 2004).17 James Tabor, The Jesus Dynasty: The Hidden History of Jesus, His Royal Family, and the Birth of Christianity (Simon and Schuster, 2007). He also believes that the ‘James Ossuary’ belongs to this tomb. A trial over this ossuary’s possible forgery is still in session in Israel.

The idea that Christianity first had a

solid, orthodox trunk and only afterwards

developed branches reaching out in

heretical directions is clearly false.

22 Winter 09

Jesusand the City

Dr. Alvin Padilla, Ph.D., Dean of Gordon-Conwell–Boston& Associate Professor of New Testament

23Winter 09

It is generally accepted that the Hellenistic world was significantly urban. As Alexander the Great expanded his empire eastward, he envisioned the emergence of a civilization emblazoned with Greek culture. One of the critical components of this Hellenization was the founding of Greek cities, which would serve as emanating centers of Hellenistic cultural elements. It seems that thousands of years before the advent of urban studies, Alexander understood the importance of the city as the axis of fashion, music, language, politics, lifestyles, commerce, trade, etc. Today, that fact is lost to many in the Church—particularly to women and men who are called to serve in leadership roles. While there are many reasons for this disregard, I am of the opinion that the major impetus for it is the modern polarization of the urban and rural worlds evident in many industrialized societies. However, if we are to judge by the use of the term polis, the importance of the city was not lost on Jesus. Let us take a

cursory glance at Jesus’ “urban mission,” which can be particularly discerned in the Gospel of Luke. During the time of Jesus’ ministry, 1st century Judea had its share of cities. Describing southern Galilee, the Jewish historian Josephus writes, “the cities lie very thick and the very many villages that are here are everywhere so full of people by the richness of their soil that the very least of them contained about 15,000 inhabitants” (War of the Jews, 3.43). In southern Galilee, one could not live in the villages and escape the ramifications of urbanization. Jesus clearly embraced the idea

of the importance of the city for the

proclamation of the advent of the Kingdom of God. His central message is that the promises of God have begun to be fulfilled in His own person. He has arrived on the scene as the divine King ready to reclaim, redirect and redeem His people. To the cities, Jesus sends his disciples with a message: the Kingdom of God is at hand. In the Synoptic Gospels we find that Jesus’ geographical focal point, his destination, is the city of Jerusalem—the city that dominated the social, cultural, economic and religious landscape of the entire region. Of course, there will be those who are quick to point out that Jerusalem as the focal point is a consequence of its status as the cultic center in Judaism. And that is precisely my point. A cultic center of such importance can only be located in a city. The presence of the Temple in David’s royal city, which was the center of religious and political spheres of influence, could only lead to the rise to eminence of that city. It is not possible in this brief essay to

fully present Jesus’ urban mission. A quick journey through the Gospel of Luke must suffice for the present. The noun “city” (polis) is used 160 times in the NT. Half of this usage is found in Luke and the book of Acts. This interest in the polis can be discerned in the way that Luke employs that label to designate localities not so characterized in the other Gospels. Bethlehem is called a “village” by John (7:42), whereas Luke calls it a city (2:3-4, 11). According to Mark, Bethsaida is a village (8:23), while Luke considers it a city (9:10). This usage might suggests that Luke is dogmatically employing the term polis as a synonym for kome (village, town), and this appears to be the

To the cities, Jesus sends his disciples with a message: the Kingdom of God is at hand.

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thinking of the NIV translators who on numerous occasions translate polis as “town.” However, Luke uses the term kome to refer to the hostile Samaritans (9:52), the home of Mary and Martha (10:38); the home of the colt ridden by Jesus upon entering Jerusalem (19:30) and the destination of the two dejected disciples who were traveling on the road to Emmaus (24:13, 28). Whereas Matthew and Mark in their rendering of the parable of the soils (Mark 4:1//’s) rightly draw attention to the crowds who came to hear Jesus, only Luke notes that they came from various cities (8:4). In Luke, the angel Gabriel is sent to the “city” of Nazareth and as soon as Mary hears the angelic message, she departs for the home of Elizabeth who lives “in a polis in the hill country of Judea” (1:3)1. The first synoptic

healing narrative (Mark 1.21//’s) takes place in Capernaum. Only Luke designates Capernaum as a “polis of Galilee” (again we should note that the NIV translates this as “town”). The widow’s son is raised from the dead in the city of Nain (Luke 7:11). The woman who anoints and kisses the feet of Jesus is from “that city” (7:37). Crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus heals a demoniac living in the tombs and says that the man came from the city (8:27). And whereas Mark employs the proper name Decapolis to refer to the region (Mk 5:20), only Luke says that after his deliverance the man bore witness of Jesus throughout the whole city (8:39) After the tumultuous events on Calvary, some of Jesus’ followers take down the body of their Master for burial. Once again, only Luke designates Arimathea as a “city of the Jews.” The central section of the gospel of Luke (9:51-19:27) focuses on Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, the city of the great king (9:41; 22:10; 23:19; 24:49). Jesus will fulfill his mission only when he arrives in that city and gives His life as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of humanity. This central section is a long processional towards the city as ultimate goal. Throughout this journey, Luke reminds his readers of the pilgrimage’s final goal—Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem (Lk 9:51, 53;13:22; 17:11; 19:11). The redemptive plan can only be accomplished in the city of the Great

1 In both instances the NIV uses the English word “town” to translate the Greek polis.

King. As the King enters His royal city, the city in which He will offer his life as a sacrifice for many, only Luke notes that Jesus pauses to weep for the city (19:41). What are we to make of this urban emphasis in Luke’s gospel? First, it should not lead us to conclude that Luke places more importance on the city over against the countryside, or rural areas. The use of polis in the third gospel does not suggest that Luke did not care for the countless villages that dotted the known world. Rather, it suggests that as an urbanite Luke well understood the influence that the polis exercised over the surrounding rural regions. Focusing evangelistic attention in the polis results in evangelistic efforts in the surrounding regions as well. The early Christian missionaries understood this concept quite well. Paul and other itinerant preachers gravitated to the cities of the Roman world as Acts, Luke’s second volume, bears witness. Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian official provides a good example that is often neglected by those studying the urban-rural dichotomy, for at first sight it appears to support a rural focus to Philip’s evangelistic efforts. However, a contextual reading of the story reveals that Philip is busily engaged in ministry in the nearby city of Samaria (Acts 8:5) when he is pulled from that ministry for a momentary encounter with the Ethiopian official (Acts 8:26-39).2 After the conversion of the Ethiopian, Philip returns to his preaching in the cities until he reached Caesarea (Acts 8:40). For his part, the Ethiopian joyfully returned to his home, certainly a city, for we cannot imagine Candace, the queen of Ethiopia, ruling from the countryside. Second, this Lucan emphasis should encourage the modern Church not to ignore the city, but rather, to actively seek the “peace of the city” and to labor for its welfare. The presence of the Church in the city will impact with the message of the Kingdom of God the men and women who rule over us, set economic policy, compose the music we listen to and fashion the lifestyle that the rest of the region emulates.

Dr. Alvin Padilla, Ph.S., is Dean of the seminary’s urban ministry campus in Boston, and Associate Professor of New Testament. He formerly taught at Nyack College and at the Spanish Eastern School of Theology in Swan Lake, NY, a school he founded. He also pastored the Washington Heights Presbyterian Church (USA) in New York City. He received a Ph.D. from Drew University Graduate School.

2 I have always imagined how ludicrous this would have seemed to Philip—to abandon the receptive crowds of Samaria and go to an uninhabited region at high noon.

Focusing evangelistic attention in the polis results in evangelistic efforts in the surrounding regions as well.

From Students to Professors: A Journey Taken Together

Michael L. Colaneri, Acting Director of Communications

Drs. Thomas and Donna Petter joined the Gordon-Conwell faculty in 2006, but their relationship with the school was forged more than a decade ago. The two, who are now Assistant Professors of Old Testament, were also students in the early ‘90s. They developed such a fondness for seminary that, in Donna’s words, “...we kept our bank account open in the hopes that God would lead us back here someday!” The Petters have followed a remarkably similar trajectory leading to their current faculty positions. They served and worked with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) and attended the organization’s School of Biblical Studies before pursuing M.A.R. and M.A. degrees at the seminary. Subsequently, each earned an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto’s Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations. “But what led us to Gordon-Conwell in the first place,” Tom emphasizes, “was a call to teach the Word, the Bible, and more specifically, to teach the Old Testament from the standpoint of the Hebrew language. “The focal point was always to be trained to do exegesis. And then to be able to teach others to be competent exegetes.” That desire began two decades ago at YWAM. “I did the School of Biblical Studies in 1986,” Tom remembers, “and during that time, we went through an in-depth study of the English Bible. After finishing, I realized that I needed more than just that one year of study.” While at Gordon-Conwell, the couple’s vision further crystallized when both fell in love with biblical Hebrew. Tom relates that for him, “It started with a study in the history of interpretation with Dr. Garth Rosell. I wanted to understand the way the Scriptures have been interpreted throughout Christian history. That was a great experience, but I also took classes with Dr. Doug Stuart and Dr. Gary Pratico, and the whole field of Ancient Near Eastern history was opened up to me.”

Donna continues, “I was taking an elective in biblical Hebrew with Dr. Pratico, and the way he opened up even simple vocabulary words to us made me think, ‘I want what this guy has.’ Walking out after the first class, I thought, ‘This is it.’” According to Donna, who also directs the seminary’s Hebrew Language program, “It is really difficult to express how amazing it is that we are teaching here. It was our dream. Initially, we were somewhat conflicted as to whether we would teach in a seminary or return to work with YWAM. But God had us in the right place at the right time. We came in on a Team Ministry Grant and now we’re team teaching the Old Testament.” The Petters, whose family includes nine-year-old Marcus, are also ministering with another Gordon-Conwell graduate, David Cook, M.Div. ’09, to plant the North Point Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Peabody, MA. Earlier this year, Tom and Donna realized yet another dimension of their dream when YWAM asked them to speak at the SBS consultation, an event held every four years. This event brings together missionaries across the world, from Uzbekistan to Africa to South America, to be encouraged and equipped. Tom and Donna were asked to headline this year, speaking on the state of theological education. “One thing I realized is that while we left SBS, it never left us,” says Donna. “And everything I do here is infused with the biblical literacy so important in that program.” The Petters teach that biblical literacy through the Hebrew language, as well as through exegesis courses. Both are passionate about the importance of learning the original languages, specifically Hebrew. “I think that when you go into the pulpit, mission field or wherever God calls you, as a graduate of Gordon-Conwell you have the confidence to teach the detail of God’s word, not just the gist,” Tom comments, “because even a very good translation will not be able to communicate the full meaning of the text. For example, one of the emphases of the Suffering Servant song in Isaiah 53 occurs with the personal pronouns ‘he’ and ‘us.’ ‘He’ does something for ‘us.’ You can see that in the original grammar, but it is easily missed in an English translation.” Donna adds, “To learn Hebrew is not just to make another translation, but learning it helps you understand that the language carries and presents meaning. For example, in 2 Samuel 11, Bathsheba is only mentioned by name a couple of times. Mostly, she is referred to as ‘she’ or ‘The wife of Uriah the Hittite.’ The emphasis of the narrative, through the language, stresses the misconduct of David and Bathsheba.” She concludes, “Learning the original languages will add depth to any teaching or sermon. And that is not because you say, ‘Oh, the Hebrew says this or the Greek says that,’ but because you are able to give the details. And those who are listening have their souls fed. They know they’ve had a good meal.”

FACULTY PROFILE

25Winter 09

STUDENT PROFILE

African D.Min. Students Put Training to Work

Ruth E. Hawk

Gordon-Conwell D.Min. students Zacharie Delma and Mardochee Nadoumngar are very busy people. Delma runs a continuing Christian education program that produces Sunday School curriculum and offers train-ing seminars for all the churches in his country of Burkina Faso. Nadoumngar is Director and Professor of New Tes-tament at an evangelical theological school in Chad and an assistant pastor in a local church. Yet, for Delma, in his last year of the D.Min. in Pasto-ral Skills, and Nadoumngar, in his first, these ministries, far from hindering their schooling, necessitate it. Delma, for instance, needs to be able to teach other leaders. Through producing Sunday School curriculum, teaching seminars, publishing a church magazine and overseeing the extension site of the West Africa Advanced School of Theology (WAAST), his ministry equips leaders to empower the church. “We have to focus on the leaders so they can take what we are giving them to the people,” he said. He credits the D.Min. program with giving him the knowledge he needs to do that better. “The [D.Min.] program helps me study more and know more,” he said. “Because I came into this program, I have new insights to excel in my ministry.” Nadoumngar, on the other hand, anticipates using his D.Min. training most in his role as assistant pastor in a lo-

cal Plymouth Brethren church, where he sees firsthand the brokenness from which many of his parishioners suffer. He plans to learn from his D.Min. training how to more effec-tively counsel these parishioners. “I expect it to help me not only teaching, counseling, pastoring in the Bible college,” he said, “but also as I am an assistant pastor in a local church, it will help me work-ing with church members who are struggling.”

Both men heard about the D.Min. pro-gram through connec-tions to Gordon-Con-well. A Gordon-Con-well D.Min. alumna who is an instructor at the WAAST introduced Delma to the program. Nadoumngar learned about the program dur-ing a trip to Gordon-Conwell arranged by Gordon-Conwell pro-fessor Dr. Scott Hafe-mann, who has taught at Shalom for the past six years.

Both men face more than just time constraints in studying for their D.Min. degrees. Both also face language difficulties (English is Delma’s fourth language), and finan-cial difficulties when coming to the U.S. for the annual, two-week residency classes. Nadoumngar remains unsure who will pay for his plane ticket when he returns next year. However, the men remain undeterred. “Sometimes it is really hard to leave what I am doing,” Delma said, “but you have to.” For information about the Doctor of Ministry program, visit: www.gordonconwell.edu/dmin

Zacharie Delma

Mardochee Nadoumngar

26 Winter 09

Why Would Anyone Partner with Gordon-Conwell?

Kurt W. Drescher Vice President for Advancement

I came to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary five months ago after 23 years in the marketplace. This followed several years of some heavy

soul searching, asking God and myself questions like: “Am I using my God-given giftedness to its fullest potential?” and “What does God want me to do with the rest of my life?” These are hard questions, but questions well worth asking, because what we do matters to God. Let me tell you why I felt called to partner with Gordon-Conwell. Plain and simple, I love the Church. Our great God, in his infinite wisdom, chose to do his work in this world through his people: the Church. I love our little “c” church where our family has worshiped for 19 years, and I love the big “C” church all over the globe. Gordon-Conwell exists to build up the Church. One of the things that I love best about my new role is that this institution is laser focused to do everything we can for the Kingdom by strengthening the Church. Our vision statement is not a tagline. It is at the very core of who we are: “To advance Christ’s Kingdom in every sphere of life by equipping Church leaders to think theologically, engage globally and live biblically.” I left a somewhat comfortable and successful career in large part because I believe to my very core that this vision is something that I can give my “head, heart and hands” to every day of my life. Gordon-Conwell has touched my life in tangible ways, and I have benefited directly and indirectly through this ministry. My childhood pastor is a Gordon-Conwell graduate. He invested in my life when it mattered most. I came to love the church through his influence and the influence of my parents. As a teenager, I watched our church grow and stretch physically, relationally, intellectually and spiritually, and I grew as well. Our pastor was trained well to lead his congregation, and I thank God for that gift to me and to our family. Fast forward 30 years to our present church, Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts, where my pastor is also a Gordon-Conwell graduate, and where my wife and I serve side-by-side with many Gordon-Conwell graduates. We partner with these folks to do Christ’s work in the world in our communities, in our region and all

over the globe. These people are not only our friends. We stand on the frontline with them in ministry. It is humbling, rewarding, sometimes overwhelming but always real. I love the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. No one wants to be the one-talent servant in this parable. The master’s response is very harsh. For me the question might be, “What is the difference between the five-talent servant and the two-talent servant?” The master’s response to both the five- and two-talent servants is identical. The difference is what the master entrusted to the servants in the first place. Gordon-Conwell has been entrusted with an enormous responsibility, and we treat that with the seriousness and urgency of the five-talent servant. We believe to whom much is given much is required. Why do you or why might you partner with Gordon-Conwell? If you love the Church–which I trust you do–partnering with us seems like the next logical step after your partnership with your church. We are constantly investing in, debating about, planning for, teaching and engaging with the Church and its future leaders. Our great God has uniquely blessed this institution for that single purpose. It is just that simple. Please do not hear these words as just one more appeal for a donation. For the sake of advancing the Kingdom, we need your prayers most, your partnership and yes, of course, your financial support.

DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

27Winter 09

SEMINARY NEWS

Evangelical conference draws more than 500 pastors, theologians and students Dr. Richard Lints, Andrew Mutch Distinguished Professor of Theology

Gordon-Conwell honored the legacy of Dr. David F. Wells’ longstanding contributions to the seminary with a major conference in October on the theme “Renewing the Evangelical Mission.” Dr. Wells, who is now Distinguished Senior Research Professor,

served for many years as the Andrew Mutch Distinguished Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology. The 10 plenary speakers, Mark Noll, Cornelius Plantinga, Miroslav Volf, Tite Tiénou, J.I. Packer,

Lauren Winner, Os Guinness, Bruce McCormack, Kevin Vanhoozer and Michael Horton, addressed three clusters of topics: Renewing the Global Mission, Renewing the Theological Mission, and Renewing the Ecclesial Mission. The conference, attended by more than 500 participants, underscored both the dangers and the opportunities facing evangelicals in the present cultural environment. The temptations of evangelical cultural captivity were emphasized throughout the conference. The reminders of the resilience of Christianity in the global south, and most especially in persecuted lands, served as a powerful witness of the necessity to recover a larger vision of God by North American evangelicals, not domesticated by consumerism and materialism. Many of the plenary speakers drew attention to the surprising renaissance of interest in the Church as a distinctive theological community in North American evangelical circles, and the need to keep intertwined its confessional commitments and its spiritual practices. A challenge presented in several of the sessions was to keep the theological identity of the movement clear, rigorous and integrated—a challenge for Christians in every age.

Left to right: Os Guinness, Miroslav Volf, Lauren Winner, Tite Tiénou

28 Winter 09

SEMINARY NEWS

New Art Journal Fosters Community and Shalom

Kalos, a new art journal at Gordon-Conwell published in the fall of 2009, has no small goal: to strengthen the Gordon-Conwell community; connect faith and art; encourage the artist within each person; and break down the false dichotomy between sacred and secular. “Art has this unifying power—it has the ability to bring the community together,” says John Meinen, a second-year M.Div. student,

co-founder and senior editor of Kalos. “We want to create more space at Gordon-Conwell for people to connect with each other and with God.” The idea for Kalos was born at an art/craft fair at Gordon-Conwell in December 2008, where John noticed art’s unique ability to bring people together. In response, he and friend Andene Christopherson, a Gordon-Conwell graduate, and co-founder and senior editor of Kalos, began to envision a publication that would use art to foster community. However, Kalos is much more than bringing people together. The idea of shalom and art’s role in it is central to their vision. “Kalos was birthed in earlier conversations about the sacredness of all of life,” John explains. “The Gospel is what heals and restores a broken world. As such, it brings shalom—that is, wholeness and human flourishing. This idea of wholeness includes music, dance, painting—‘culture.’ As the recipients of the Gospel, are we exercising shalom at Gordon-Conwell?” Andene and John hope that Kalos, by celebrating the artistic presence at Gordon-Conwell, will foster shalom.

In keeping with this desire, the journal’s name and first theme, “What is Beauty?” arose.

“Kalos means good, or beauty,” Andene notes. “These words are diluted by overuse, and in a fallen world, it’s difficult to be observers of, or contributors to, our world’s goodness and beauty. But as Christians we can artfully reveal the tension of hope in the midst of brokenness through works of creativity.” “Our culture tends to

compartmentalize morality and beauty,” John adds. “But the one word kalos expresses their intrinsic unity, which is owed to the existence of God and the nature of who He is.” Ultimately, more than 40 submissions were pared down to a 32-page journal featuring the poetry, artwork, photography and creative writing of 32 students, faculty, staff and spouses. “Within Gordon-Conwell, people are given space to use gifts God has given them that would not normally be encouraged within the traditional classroom,” Andene says. “People outside Gordon-Conwell want copies of Kalos.

“To hear of a seminary engaging with the creative arts is an encouragement for artists who sometimes feel their work is not affirmed within the Church. And to have that validated is good, it’s kalos.” John and Andene want Kalos to be a twice-yearly publication that comes out at the beginning of each fall and spring semester. They are currently planning the second publication of Kalos to be published February 2010 and are looking for both submissions and benefactors who can help support the journal’s production. The theme of the February issue is “Light.”

Tree of Life by Ellie Cho

Yellow Gem by Deborah Hafemann

Painted Koi by David Cumbie 29Winter 09

Anne Graham Lotz Awarded Honorary Degree

Anne Graham Lotz received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell during the commencement exercises of its Charlotte campus on May 16. She also served as the commencement speaker.

Lotz is the daughter of renowned evangelist Rev. Billy Graham and is founder of AnGeL Ministries, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the distribution of Bible exposition through her speaking, tapes and books. Lotz has spoken at conferences, seminaries, churches and universities on six continents. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. She is the author of nine books and holds an honorary doctorate from King’s College.

SEMINARY NEWS

President Hollinger Named to Fill Mockler Faculty Chair Dr. Dennis P. Hollinger is now President and Coleman M. Mockler Distinguished Professor of Christian Ethics. The Board of Trustees, in concurrence with the Faculty Person-nel and Policy Committee, named Dr. Hollinger to the faculty chair previously held by Dr. Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., President Emeritus. According to Provost Dr. Frank James, “GCTS has a long tradition of distinguished academic leadership and the appointment of Dr. Hollinger to the Mockler chair contin-ues that strong heritage.” The endowed chair was established in memory of the late Colman M. Mockler, Jr., former Chairman and Chief Ex-ecutive Officer of The Gillette Company. Gordon-Conwell’s Mockler Center for Faith and Ethics in the Workplace was also created to honor Colman Mockler’s deep interest in is-sues of faith, values and ethics in business.

Gordon-Conwell Names New Provost

Dr. Frank A. James III, a former President of the Orlando, Florida, campus of Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS), has joined Gordon-Conwell as Provost and Professor of Historical Theology.

Dr. James has taught at Villanova University and Westmont College and was Visiting Professor at the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Oxford University for 12 years. He has been a guest lecturer or guest professor at seminaries in the Czech Republic, Turkey and Canada, and at universities in Switzerland and Italy. Currently he serves as General Editor of the Peter Martyr Library, is on the Editorial Board for the Reformation Commentary on Scriptures, is Contributing Editor at Christian History Magazine and is the author of eight books and more than 50 articles. Dr. James holds a D.Phil. degree in Modern History from Oxford University and an M.A. in Religion and Ph.D. in Historical and Theological Studies from Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He is married to Carolyn Custis James, a popular speaker and author of books for Christian women, founder of Synergy conferences and President of Whitby Forum. They have one adult daughter.

30 Winter 09

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary has received a major deferred gift to create a future academic chair, the Robert E. Cooley Chair in Early Christianity, at the seminary’s Charlotte campus. Additional current gifts of $525,000 have also been pledged to fund the new professorship by the fall 2010 semester. A search committee is recruiting nationally for a professor to fill the new position, and fundraising is on-going to support this position until the endowment is fully established. The endowed chair honors Gordon-Conwell’s second president, Charlotte resident Dr. Robert E. Cooley. Dr. Cooley, who was President of Gordon-Conwell from 1981 to 1997, and is now President Emeritus, is internationally known for his 50 years of study and excavations in the Middle East. He is a frequent lecturer and has taught at many colleges and universities. During May 2009, he participated in the U.S. Department of State-sponsored Interfaith dialogue with the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land.

SEMINARY NEWS

Gordon-Conwell Sister School in Korea Awards Honorary Degree to Dr. Robert E. Cooley

Pyongtaek University in Seoul, Korea, recently conferred an honorary Doc-tor of Divinity degree on President Emeritus Dr. Robert E. Cooley for his contributions to theological education, and named in his honor the Robert E. Cooley Lecture Hall at the university’s Pierson School of Theology.

In an introduction to these honors, Pyongtaek officials wrote: “Historically speaking, Korea was brought good news from distant countries. Paul, the great Apostle and Evangelist, expresses ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.’ .....One hundred years ago, we received this good news of salvation from Dr. Arthur T. Pierson, the second president of the Boston Missionary Training Institute [the school that was to become Gordon Divinity School and subsequently Gordon-Conwell].

“The foundation upon which Pyongtaek University was built up is the gospel, the good news of salvation… Today the whole community of Pyongtaek University, a spiritual offspring of Dr. Pierson, is honoring the heritage which he left. That is to preach the good tidings of salvation to all corners of the world.” Dr. Cooley has provided support to Pyongtaek since 1986. He has visited numerous times, attending the uni-versity’s 75th anniversary celebration, assisting with board education programs, presenting papers at the Annual Pier-son International Symposium, and providing ideas for the development of a new campus in Pyeongtaek City. According to Dr. Cooley, “At our first visit, the school had 300 students and seven professors. Today they have 6000 students with over 60 degree programs and more than 400 professors. GCTS and Pyeongtaek University have a sister-school relationship authorized by our board in 1989. Since then we have exchanged students and faculty, hosted student groups for a joint summer institute with Gordon College, and entertained their leaders on campus numerous times.”

Major Gifts Fund New Chair in Early Christianity at Gordon-Conwell—Charlotte

31Winter 09

SEMINARY NEWS

Dean of Enrollment Management and Registrar Selected for Hamilton Campus

Scott Poblenz, M.Div., has been named Dean of Enrollment Man-agement and Registrar for the South Hamilton campus. Scott joined the seminary community as a Master of Divin-ity student in 1998, earning his degree in 2004. He has worked

continuously in the Registration Office since 1999 as Assistant Director for Enrollment Management and Records. He has also been heavily involved in youth ministry, volunteering at First Presbyterian Church in Ipswich, MA. A Michigan native, Scott earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Wayne State University in Detroit and served for a year with a chemical firm at the end of his college years.

Hamilton Campus Appoints Acting Academic Dean of Faculty

Carol M. Kaminski, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, has been named Acting Academic Dean of Faculty for the Gordon-Conwell-South Hamilton campus. She also continues to teach Old Testament courses at the campus. Dr. Kaminski is the author of the

Casket Empty Bible Series, a timeline and a study guide (forthcoming, fall 2009) for understanding the meta-narrative of the Old Testament based on the acronym CASKET (Creation, Abraham, Sinai, Kings, Exile, Temple). Her dissertation has been published as From Noah to Israel: Realization of the Primaeval Blessing After the Flood, and she is currently writing a book entitled Was Noah Good? Finding Favor in the Flood Narrative. Her public speaking engagements focus on in-depth biblical teaching for laity. Originally from Australia, Dr. Kaminski holds an M.A. and an M.A.R. from Gordon-Conwell and a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. She is a member of the Institute for Biblical Research, the Evangelical Theological Society and the Society of Biblical Literature.

CUME Gains New Instructor in Old Testament

Quonekuia Day, M.Phil./Ph.D. (cand.), has become a full-time Instructor in Old Testament at the Boston campus of Gordon-Conwell. Prof. Day, who holds an M.Div. and a Th.M. from Gordon-Conwell, joined CUME in 2004 as Coordinator of Student Advisement and Mentored Ministry, and as a teaching assistant and adjunct

professor teaching Hebrew and Old Testament courses. Prior to teaching at Gordon-Conwell, Prof. Day, a licensed clinical social worker, worked in healthcare as a family treatment specialist/substance abuse counselor, case management social worker and a clinical social worker. She has also used her social work skills in ministry at Greater Love Tabernacle in Roxbury, MA. A licensed evangelist of the International Church of God in Christ, Prof. Day has been a speaker and is currently District President in Boston for the denomination’s Young Women’s Christian Council.

New Vice President for Advancement Joins Seminary Community

Kurt W. Drescher joined the seminary community in August as Vice President for Advancement. A graduate of Gordon College, Kurt has more than 20 years of experience as a sales and marketing executive in the printing industry. Much of his work has been with clients in the field of higher

education, including New England schools like Babson College, Simmons College and College of the Holy Cross. Kurt has also been an active member of Grace Chapel in Lexington, MA, for nearly 20 years. As a volunteer, he has served as an elder, coordinated communications for two capital campaigns and a church-wide initiative and served on ministry teams. His other church leadership roles have included chairing a church-wide initiative and co-chairing a church-wide evangelical/outreach event.

32 Winter 09

Dr. Todd Johnson Co-Authors New Atlas of Global Christianity

The Atlas of Global Christianity, edited by Dr. Todd M. Johnson, Gordon-Conwell Research Fellow in Global Christianity, and Kenneth R. Ross, Council Secretary of the Church of Scotland World Mission Council, was released in October 2009. The full-color atlas examines Christianity since the “Edinburgh

1910” World Missionary Conference. It is the first atlas to show the shift of the center of Christianity to the Global South. It covers every Christian denomination and includes historical essays by authors from each region of the world. A CD of all maps, charts, graphs and tables is included. Dr. Johnson is Director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell and Editor of the World Christian Database, which provides statistical information on Christianity worldwide. The atlas is available in North America through Columbia University Press.

Gordon-Conwell Program Director Receives Discernment LeadershipInitiative Award

Rev. Dr. Stephen Macchia, Director of the Pierce Center for Disciple-Building at Gordon-Conwell, received a Discernment Leadership Initiative Award from George Fox University’s Spiritual Discernment as Christian Leadership Initiative. The award, given to 15 pastoral, educational and denominational/

organizational leaders, provided a small grant to be used through fall 2009 to gather local leaders for discussions on spiritual discernment. Each grant recipient attended a conference in June, where Dr. Macchia presented a workshop on Spiritual Discernment, and a consultation in October. Grant recipients will share their findings with each other in order to raise awareness of all that spiritual discernment entails for individuals, ministry teams, educational institutions and congregations.

SEMINARY NEWS

Michael Colaneri Appointed Acting Director of Communications and Marketing

Michael Colaneri, Assistant Director of Communications, was named Acting Director of Communications and Marketing, effective November 1. Michael joined the seminary in 2004, after serving in Müllheim, Germany, as Communications Coordinator for Euro-Team, a division of Greater Europe

Missions. In that capacity, he produced publications and created promotional videos from numerous locations throughout Europe. He has also served as Writer/Desktop Publisher for Aquidneck Management Associates, Ltd. in Newport, RI, where he led and supported projects for government and commercial clients, and was Public Relations Assistant for the Providence, Rhode Island, Public Library. Michael received a B.A. in Communications from Rhode Island College in Providence.

Ockenga Institute Relaunches Online Store After a much needed overhaul, the Ockenga Institute relaunched it’s online store this summer. The Ockenga Institute offers a wide variety of events and resources for pastors, church leaders and the entire church community. The store offers you the opportunity to register for events and purchase audio and curriculum resources including non-credit Semlinks, Dimensions of the Faith, the Builders’ Series and Pulpit Talk.

Check it out at store.gordonconwell.edu.

33Winter 09

Alumni/ae Gather at Four Events

Daryl Olson, Coordinator of Alumni/ae Relations

During September and October, four separate Gordon-Conwell alumni/ae gatherings took place, bringing together alumni/ae from all three campuses and every decade since the 1950s.

North Carolina Mountain Region Alumni/ae DinnerMontreat, North Carolina The Charlotte campus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary held a kick-off event in Montreat on October 10 for its newly-formed North Carolina Mountain Region alumni/ae network. Alumni/ae and student families from the Carolinas and Tennessee gathered with Gordon-Conwell faculty and staff in the historic stone fellowship hall of Montreat Presbyterian Church for barbecue and fellowship. The Mountain Region Alumni Council was introduced, and Charlotte Academic Dean Dr. Tim Laniak led an after-dinner discussion. The gathering is part of Gordon-Conwell—Charlotte’s initiative to form regional alumni/ae groups that meet locally for fellowship and encouragement within the larger context of Gordon-Conwell’s growing effort to build life-long relationships with its graduates.

Pictured, from left to right, are Mariana R. Glass (’01 MACC), Rev. Bob Chuprevich (’05 MACC), Terry Hanna (’98 M.Div), James Walters (’02 M.Div.), Dr. Tim Laniak (‘89 M.Div., Academic Dean of the Charlotte campus), Dema Barishnikov (’05 M.Div.), J. Michael Brown (’01 M.Div), and Bob Mayer (‘97 D.Min., Senior Librarian, Charlotte campus). These are the members of the newly-formed North Carolina Mountain Region Alumni/ae Council of Gordon-Conwell—Charlotte.Text and photo were provided by Mrs. Beth McKnight of Charlotte, NC.

Alumni/ae Lunch (Renewing the Evangelical Mission Conference) South Hamilton, Massachusetts

Approximately 140 alumni/ae and spouses gathered for lunch on October 14 in conjunction with the Renewing the Evangelical Mission Conference at the Hamilton campus. The lunch was held in the former BookCentre to accommodate the large numbers, and included a panel

discussion with Gordon-Conwell faculty members Dr. John Jefferson Davis (‘72 M.Div.), Dr. Carol Kaminski (’96 MA, ’96 MAR), and Dr. Sean McDonough (‘93 M.Div., ‘94 Th.M.), as well as Dr. John Huffman, long-time Gordon-Conwell trustee and former Senior Minister of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, CA. President Hollinger served as moderator for the panel, which addressed the importance of theological education and continuing education, among other topics.

Gordon Divinity School Class of 1959 ReunionSouth Hamilton, Massachusetts

Twelve classmates from 1959 gathered at the South Hamilton campus October 22-23 for a 50th reunion. Classmates traveled from far and wide to reconnect and reminisce, tour both Gordon-Conwell and Gordon College, and visit classes. A booklet was produced in conjunction with the event which gave updates on many of the class of 1959 alumni/ae, including a number who were unable to attend the event. The Alumni/ae Office staff is excited that these four groups recently gathered, and is pleased to announce upcoming events in the near future:

DECEMBER 27-31, 2009Urbana Student Missions Conference Alumni/ae GatheringSt. Louis, Missouri

Plans are underway for an alumni/ae gathering at the ’09 Urbana Student Missions Conference in Saint Louis, MO.

FEBRUARY 12-13, 2010Southeast Region Alumni/ae ReunionCharlotte, North Carolina

Alumni/ae in the Southeast region of the country will gather at the Charlotte campus for several activities on February 12-13, highlighted by the installation of Dr. Timothy Laniak (’89 M.Div.) as Academic Dean of the Charlotte campus.

FEBRUARY 22-24, 2010Timothy ProjectSouth Hamilton, Massachusetts

The Timothy Project is for alumni/ae of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in their first 10 years of ministry. It is a time for reflection, conversation, evaluation, and encouragement and is offered at minimal cost annually in the winter.

For more information or to register for upcoming events, call 1.800.294.2774 or visit www.gordonconwell.edu/alumni. While you’re at the website, sign up to receive InCommunity, the monthly alumni/ae e-newsletter, which provides the latest in alumni/ae happenings.

FOCUS ON ALUMNI/AE

34 Winter 09

FOCUS ON ALUMNI/AE

Pictured, from left to right, Ectet wisl iriliqui te tet, quate min ex exerosto odolutpate modigna feuis num zzriliq uiscin utpat

Greater Chicago Area Alumni/ae DinnerWheaton, Illinois

Nearly 50 alumni/ae, spouses and guests gathered at College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, on September 24, for dinner with President and Mrs. Dennis Hollinger. Dr. Hollinger testified to what the Lord is doing in and through the seminary, including some special opportunities for gospel advancement. In addition, colorful stories and priceless memories were shared among long-time friends. Rev. Chris Castaldo (M.Div. ’99), alumni/ae host for the evening, writes,

“Perhaps the best one of all was recounted by two grads from the 1950’s. During their seminary years, they both helped to fill the pulpit of the same church. On one occasion, the person telling the story received a call late on a Saturday night from the pastor’s wife asking if he could fill in for her husband the next morning. When the student asked whether everything was okay, the wife explained how the pastor had been ill [and vigorously vomiting] to the point that he actually spit out his false teeth, which the wife then unwittingly flushed down the toilet. His sermon manuscript was ready, but the teeth were gone.”

Alumni/ae Gathering in South Korea

President Hollinger and his wife Maryanne traveled to South Korea where Dr. Hollinger spoke at a number of churches and schools. In addition, he joined Gordon-Conwell alums at the Onnuri Presbyterian Church on Monday, November 2 in Seoul.

Pictured, from left to right, Ectet wisl iriliqui te tet, quate min ex exerosto odolutpate modigna feuis num zzriliq uiscin utpatue tat, core deleniat. Ut loreet, consequat lute vulluptat adio cor sequat, quismod min hendre vullutem in heniametuer sim iurero consenit lutet velit utat, vullam dignim ad eugue dolenim nonsequis dolorer alit irit lutpati smoluptatue feugue mod eugue tatum ing et, quismodio od magniscin henibh exerit wis eu faccum qui eum velit, corerostrud do od del do eriure esequat. Wissed magnibh ex

35Winter 09

In Memoriam Betty Lee Lovelace, beloved wife of Dr. Richard Lovelace, Professor Emeritus of Church History, died in Northampton, MA, on April 30, 2009, while praying with her husband. The Lovelaces had been married for 50 years and reared three children. Betty is remembered as a very sweet and much-loved woman who was extremely supportive of her husband’s teaching and interest in spiritual renewal in the Church. A memorial service was held June 5 in Northampton.

Margaret Montjane, MATS, ’86, passed away April 7 in Johannesburg, South Africa. A memorial service was held July 12 in Topsfield, MA.

1950s Morris Inch, M.Div., ‘51, recently published Pain as a Means of Grace (Wipf & Stock) and Space/Time Odyssey: A Christian Perspective (Eloquent Books). A third book, The Wonder of It All: Mystery & Meaning in Scripture (University Press of America), is forthcoming.

1970sFulton Chin, M.Div., ‘70, retired again from Christian Witness Theological Seminary in California to Vancouver, BC, as of July 2, 2009. He plans to spend some of his retirement on 3-month missions trips, possibly to Mongolia, Northern Thailand and/or Kenya.

Ramez Atallah, M.Div., ‘72, General Secretary of the Bible Society of Egypt and Program Chair for the Lausanne III World Congress, will be the Bible Expositor at Urbana 09. The major missions event will be held at the America’s Center and the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, MO, Dec. 27-31, 2009. David Chandler, MATS, ‘72, received the Franklin College Faculty Teaching Excellence Award at the school’s 2009 commencement ceremonies. Dr. Chandler is a professor of philosophy and religion.

Stephen Hayner, Th.M., ‘73, has been appointed President of Columbia Theological Seminary, where he has served as Associate Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth since 2003. Robert Lowery, Th.M., ‘75, published the book Revelation’s Rhapsody: Listening to the Lyrics of the Lamb (College Press, 2006). Neil Lebhar, MATS, ‘76, has been elected the first bishop of the Gulf Atlantic Diocese of the newly formed Anglican Church of North America.

Wesley Smith, M.Div., ‘76, Senior Pastor of Phillips Memorial Baptist Church, was mentioned in an article about the church that appeared in the Warwick Beacon.

David Renwick, M.Div., ‘77, and First Presbyterian Church in Spartanburg, SC, where he is pastor, were highlighted in an article on GoUpState.com about the 166-year-old church’s addition of a more casual worship service called MorningSong. Daniel Buttry, M.Div., ‘78, an American Baptist International Ministries global consultant for peace and justice, was honored with a Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) degree by Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Shawnee, KS. Ed Kenerson, MATS, ‘78, has published two books, The Cabin in the Woods (Xulon) and Reaching Teenagers For Christ: The Cheshire Teens Story (Xulon). The books are available at Amazon.

1980s Lucinda Secrest McDowell, MATS, ‘80, published the book Spa for the Soul: Rejuvenate Your Inner Life (CrossBooks). Geoff Hubbard, M.Div., ‘81, was elected to his third term as President of the Bedford County (VA) Ministerial Association. Geoff and his wife, Marilyn, also celebrated the birth of their first grandchild, Zane Telsch, on March 4. Elizabeth Kazan, MATS, ’82, graduated summa cum laude in May from the University of New Hampshire Graduate School with a Masters in Education, Early Childhood, Special Needs. Ronnie Booth, MATS, ’83, President of Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton, SC, delivered the college’s summer commencement address on August 6. David Henderson, MATS, ’84, has joined Woodstone Consulting in Steamboat Springs, CO, as an executive performance consultant. John Barnes, M.Div., ‘87, has been appointed Senior Pastor at Thomson First United Methodist Church in Thomson, GA. David Alves, M.Div., ‘88, has been awarded “Editor’s Choice” by Publisher iUniverse.com for his newest book, We’re the “sons of God”. . . So What?

ALUMNI NOTES

36 Winter 09

1990s Adam Linton, M.Div., ‘90, has concluded his service as Rector of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Ogden, UT, to begin as Rector of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, Orleans, MA. Adam and his wife, Lori, will reside in Orleans. William Ferguson, M.Div., ‘91, has been ordained by Byfield Parish Church in Georgetown, MA. Rev. Ferguson has been serving as Chaplain at Landmark High School in Prides Crossing, MA, for 22 years. Robert Ruckert, M.Div., ‘91, has been called to pastor Rockport Presbyterian Church in Port Murray, NJ. Peter G. Heltzel, M.Div., ‘98, has published his first book, Jesus and Justice: Evangelicals, Race, and American Politics (Yale University Press). Dr. Heltzel credits Dr. Jack Davis, Dr. Dennis Hollinger and Dr. David Wells with influencing the argument in his book. Susan Gleason, M.Div., ‘99, wrote two advent prayers that will appear in the upcoming lectionary aids issue of Call to Worship, a publication of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Daniel M. Gurtner, M.Div., ‘99, published his fourth book: Second Baruch: A Critical Edition of the Syriac Text (London: T&T Clark), about a late first-century Jewish apocalypse, similar to Revelation. Gurtner is Associate Professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary (St. Paul, MN). Kadiker Rex Dahn, MACE, ‘99, has published Learning from the Lives of Exiled Liberian Women: An Oral History From 1979 to 2006 (VDM Verlag, 2009).

2000sBrian Grassley, D.Min., ‘00, M.Div., ‘76, preached his first sermon June 7 at First Presbyterian Church of Denton, TX, where he is Interim Pastor.

Juan Hernandez, Th.M., ‘00, M.Div., ‘98, was the only junior American scholar to present at the Codex Sinaiticus Conference in London July 6-7. His research is titled, “Codex Sinaiticus: The Earliest Christian Commentary on John’s Apocalypse?” Juan Hernandez, Th.M., ‘00, M.Div., ‘98, was awarded the 2008 Prize for Biblical Research by the Armin Schmitt Foundation for Biblical Research, associated with the University of Regensberg, Germany. Dr. Hernández was honored for his dissertation, Scribal Habits and Theological Influences in the Apocalypse (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck 2006). The award includes a grant of 4000 to support his ongoing research.

Peter Sung, M.Div., ‘00, has been appointed Director of Church Planting in the Department of Church Growth and Evangelism of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Chris Castaldo, M.Div., ‘02, has published his book Holy Ground: Walking with Jesus as a Former Catholic, published by Zondervan in October 2009. Josh Davis, M.Div., ‘02, is now a correctional chaplain at the Federal Correctional Complex, Pollock, LA. He and his wife, Margaret, have purchased their first home in central Louisiana. Their son, Paul, will attend kindergarten in the fall. His younger sister, Grace, turned one in February. Virginia Viola, M.Div., ‘02, is the author of Living in Two Economies: Following Christ into the Marketplace (Xlibris), a Bible study guide for those seeking to integrate faith and life in the marketplace. The study guide contains 20 lessons under 10 topics with leader’s notes. It is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Mike Thedford, M.Div., ‘03, has been appointed Assistant Pastor of Community Life at Community Church of Joy in Glendale, AZ.

Keith Boyd, D.Min., ‘05, M.Div., ‘88, received a Lilly Grant for a pastor’s sabbatical. He and his wife, Dee Ann, and their three children served in Rwanda for the summer. Jonathan Dodson, Th.M., ‘06, M.Div., ‘05, spoke at the LEAD09 Conference in Auburn, ME, October 9-10 and will speak at the Regional Missional Network Gathering November 10-11 in Kansas City.

James-Michael Smith, M.Div., ‘06, is a National Religion & Spirituality Examiner at the news website Examiner.com.

John Daniels, D.Min., ‘08, is serving as Lead Pastor at Life Church in Starkville, MS. The church will hold its first worship service on Sept. 20. Aaron Jarvinen, M.Div., ‘08, and Rachel Gronewald were married November 7, 2009, at Trinity Evangelical Free Church, Lakeville, MN. Dean Glover, D.Min., ‘09, MAYM, ‘96, is featured in an article on the SeaCoastOnline website about how he became a pastor. William Hayes, MAR, ‘09, is the Assistant Chaplain at Ohio Wesleyan University. He is serving with the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO). Timothy Oakley, MACC, ‘09, CFO of iContact, has been recognized by the Triangle Business Journal as one of the Triangle’s top CFOs of the year.

ALUMNI NOTES

37Winter 09

38 Winter 09

Opening theWord

The Word about the Word

“And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)

As He walked with two downcast and deeply disturbed disciples on the road to Emmaus, the risen Jesus opened the word for them in a powerful, transforming way. Their hearts burned within them (Luke 24:32) as they came to realize that the Scriptures testified to Jesus, and the truth of the Gospel transformed their despair into a sure and living hope. Jesus’ use of the Scriptures in this way was not an isolated incident. Again and again, He engaged His hearers with biblical texts in ways that pointed to himself. This was altogether fitting, for as Jesus said in John 5:39: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” The Apostles shared this approach. When they opened the written word, they did so to point to the glories of the incarnate Word. As we read their sermons in the book of Acts, this is abundantly clear. Their extended written sermons and teachings—in the form of the New Testament letters—also reveal that they understood the Scriptures principally as concerned to testify about Jesus. How does our own reading of, study of, contemplation upon and proclamation of the Scriptures—both Old and New Testaments—compare with Jesus’ and the Apostles’ practice? Are we opening the word to point to the Word? I recently heard a sermon on an important Old Testament character. We were challenged by this biblical hero’s passion and

faithfulness. It was a convicting message, but the only mention of Jesus was a passing reference in the first sentence of the sermon’s introduction. No mention was made of the fact that only in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is there power to save and transform our lives. Beyond a sense of conviction, I wonder what my fellow believers took away from the message. After a few days or weeks of a renewed effort to live more faithfully, I wonder how they felt when they realized they were unable to live up to their aspirations. I wonder, too, about any unbelieving visitors who may have heard that sermon. Perhaps some had finally mustered the courage to visit a church, sensing that something was amiss in their lives. Did some walk away convinced that, “Yes, that’s it—I need more passion in my life!”? If so, I can only hope that they dared to return to services in subsequent weeks and that on those occasions Christ was more adequately proclaimed. Sadly, I have come to recognize that in the many years of my own preaching and teaching, I have not always exposited the Scriptures in ways that pointed plainly to the incarnate Word. Now and henceforth I pray that whenever I open the word—especially in service of others—I may resolve, as Paul put it, always and only to preach Christ (Col. 1:28; 1Cor. 1:23; 2:2).

Gary Parrett, Ed.D., is Associate Professor of Educational Ministries and Worship, and Chair, Division of Ministry of the Church. He has taught at Gordon College, and for 20 years served churches in Boston, New York City, New Jersey, Seattle and Korea. He is a regular speaker at conferences, retreats and Christian education workshops, and has written books and articles

for national publications. He has also written numerous hymns and choruses for congregational worship. He holds an Ed.D. degree from Columbia University.

Gary Parrett, Ed.D., Professor of Educational Ministries and Worship; Chair, Division of Ministry

38 Winter 09

39Winter 09

After college, Wendy Der had a “perfect job” lined up—

until she sensed the Lord’s call to missions in Mexico

City. She went for one year and stayed for four, serving

in local churches and ministering in their language.

Encouraged to pursue Missiology training, Wendy chose Gordon-Conwell “because it had a lot more to offer in terms of diversity, urban ministry and community life.” As a student, she led short-term missions teams, and had “many ministry opportunities that helped me put into practice what I was learning in the classroom.” She is now a missionary with Latin America Mission, partnering with evangelical churches throughout Mexico in evangelism, discipleship and global missions.

Wendy says her degree gave her “tremendous perspective on missions, including its history and strategy within a biblical framework. This helped me see the bigger picture of what God is doing around the world. Gordon-Conwell helped turn a short-term missions trip into a lifetime commitment to global ministry.”

“Gordon-Conwell helped turn a short-term missions trip into a lifetime commitment to global ministry.”

SOUTH HAMILTON • CHARLOTTE • BOSTON • JACKSONVILLE

www.gordonconwell.edu1.800.428.7329

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Gordon-Conwell’s Missions Resources for Students

• International faculty

• New Islamic Studies track

• Overseas Missions Practicum

• Missionary Loan

Repayment Program

• Center for the Study of

Global Christianity

• J Christy Wilson Jr. Center for

World Missions led by Doug

Birdsall, Lausanne Executive Director

• Cross-cultural Plunges and Discovery Weekends

• Missionaries-in-residence

Missions Degrees

• Four MA in World Missions and Evangelism tracks• D.Min. in Missions & Cross-Cultural Studies• Joint Th.D in Missiology with Boston University

Wendy Der, MA in World

Missions and Evangelism, ‘05

40 Winter 09

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Let the

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dwell in you richly.... colossians 3:16

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