Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Course Syllabus HIS6811ONL The Southern Baptist Convention Summer 2015 Nathan A. Finn, Ph.D. Director, Center for Spiritual Formation and Evangelical Spirituality Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Baptist Studies Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary http://www.twitter.com/nathanafinn Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary exists to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission. 1
THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION Course Time and Location June 16 17, 2015 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, OH Catalog Description A study of the history, structure, and work of the Southern Baptist Convention. Students are required to attend the SBC annual meeting as a part of this course. This course is worth 3 semester hours and is graded pass/fail. SEBTS Core Competencies Southeastern has adopted five core competencies. Each course should help students to develop as many of these core competencies as appropriate. 1) Spiritual Formation: Demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue an authentically Christian way of life, manifested by trust in God, obedience to Christ s commands, and love of God and neighbor. 2) Biblical Exposition: Demonstrate the ability to properly and effectively interpret, apply, and communicate the Scriptures. 3) Theological Integration: Demonstrate the ability to understand and apply the doctrines of Christianity to life and ministry. 4) Ministry Preparation: Demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and Christian disposition necessary for ministry and leadership in the church and the world. 5) Critical Thinking and Communication: Demonstrate the ability to think critically, argue persuasively, and communicate clearly. Learning Outcomes for This Course v Students will become familiar with Southern Baptist history, theology, and polity and identify and assess their relevance for contemporary ministry. (cc 3, 4) v Students will attend the SBC Annual Meeting and participate in discussions with various SBC leaders. (cc 4) v Students will learn how to pray for the SBC and do so every day leading up to the convention meeting and will attempt to share the gospel with at least one non- Christian during the time of this class. (cc 1) Statement of Academic Expectations Though this is a travel course that is graded pass/fail, it is still a church history elective that is comparable in its academic expectations to traditional electives in church history. As such, each student should plan to spend at least two hours outside of class time in reading, research, writing, and/or completing other assignments, for every hour inside of class. For the purposes of this course, in- class time includes the lecture material (both live and recorded) and three days of attending SBC- related events. 2
Reading Requirements I have chosen two textbooks and several individual essays. Each plays a different role in helping you to meet the student learning outcomes for this course. The essays will be posted in Moodle. Your readings for this course total approximately 800 pages. Textbooks Blount, Douglas K. and Joseph D. Wooddell, eds. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000: Critical Issues in America's Largest Protestant Denomination. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. ISBN 978-0742551039. Dockery, David S. Southern Baptist Consensus and Renewal: A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Proposal. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2008. ISBN 978-0805447408. Essays Akin, Daniel L., Axioms of a Great Commission Resurgence Dockery, David S., Convictional Yet Cooperative: The Making of a Great Commission People Dockery, David S., Looking Back, Looking Ahead Finn, Nathan A., Southern Baptists and Evangelicals: Passing on the Faith to the Next Generation Finn, Nathan A., Priorities for a Post- Resurgence Convention Finn, Nathan A., Southern Baptist History: A Great Commission Reading George, Timothy, The Future of Baptist Theology Mohler, R. Albert Jr., A Call for Baptist Evangelicals and Evangelical Baptists: Communities of Faith and a Common Quest for Identity Mohler, R. Alibert Jr., The Future of the Southern Baptist Convention Patterson, Paige, The Southern Baptist Conservative Resurgence: The History, the Plan, the Assessment Stetzer, Ed, The Missional Nature of the Church and the Future of Southern Baptist Convention Churches Each student is also required to subscribe to a state Baptist paper. Please feel free to subscribe to the paper from any state you would like. If you are uncertain of which state paper to subscribe to, I would highly recommend you subscribe to the Biblical Recorder, the state paper in North Carolina (http://www.brnow.org/subscribe/individual). Participation Requirements You must complete the following participation requirements to receive passing credit for this course: 3
You are required to watch the video lectures from the on- campus meeting that will be held on May 11. Those videos will be available in Moodle within a week after the on- campus meeting. Plan on watching approximately eight hours of lectures. You are required to pray every day for the SBC from May 12 through June 17, 2015. Please see the prayer guide included later in this syllabus. If you pray for the SBC for just a couple of minutes per day, you will spend over an hour in prayer for the SBC leading up to the Annual Meeting. You are required to attempt to share the gospel with at least one non- Christian in between May 12 and the conclusion of the SBC. I would encourage you to participate in Crossover Columbus, a citywide evangelistic campaign the week before the SBC. You are required to attend the Executive Committee meeting and the subsequent panel discussion with Executive Committee staff on Monday, June 15. The tentative time for these events is 2:00 4:00 PM (You will find out the location for that meeting closer to the SBC). Please arrange your travel so that you can arrive at the Convention Center by 1:00 PM on June 15 to meet with your instructor before the Executive Committee meeting. You are required to attend the SBC Annual Meeting in Columbus on Tuesday June 16 and Wednesday June 17. The Convention will begin Tuesday morning at 8:00 AM and will last until around 9:00 PM on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, the Convention will begin at 8:00 AM and last until around 5:00 PM. You are required to be present for the entirety of the Convention. Please arrange your travel so that you do not depart until after the Convention is over. On Tuesday and Wednesday, you are required to be present in the Convention Hall for the following portions of the program: o Executive Committee reports (both of them) o Southeastern Seminary report o NAMB report and presentation o IMB report and presentation o ERLC report and presentation o LifeWay report and presentation o President s address o Convention sermon o All business sessions o All Resolution s Committee reports You are encouraged, but not required, to be in the Convention Hall for all of the parts of the program not indicated above. If you are not in the Convention Hall during part of the program, it is assumed you are in the Exhibit Hall or at a meal during a break. You should plan to spend a total of approximately twenty hours participating in SBC- related activities on June 16 17. You are required to attend the Southeastern Seminary Alumni and Friends Luncheon on Wednesday June 17 from 12:00 2:00. Students are responsible for the 4
cost of the luncheon. You can register for the luncheon on the SEBTS website. Please note that if you do not register, you will not have any food, but will still be required to attend the event. You are required to attend at least one additional auxiliary meeting on June 16 or 17. Suggested possibilities include the Baptist 21 Luncheon, the Send North American Luncheon, the 9 Marks at 9 meetings, an ERLC event, or a friends and alumni meeting of a Baptist college or university. A full list of auxiliary meetings, times, and locations will be made available on the SBC Annual Meeting website (http://www.sbcannualmeeting.net/sbc15/default.asp). You are encouraged, but not required, to attend the Pastor s Conference on Sunday June 14 and Monday morning June 15. You are required to participate in an online discussion via Moodle the week following the SBC. The instructor will post some discussion questions. Please contribute your own reflections and interact with at least one fellow student. The discussion will be available on Moodle from 6:00 AM on June 22 through 11:55 PM on June 27. Writing Requirements Write a reflection essay on the 2014 SBC Annual Meeting. The reflection essay should be 6 8 pages. The essay must be double- spaced and use Times New Roman 12 point font. Please include a cover page. In the essay, please summarize your experience at the SBC, including what sessions and other activities you attended, your impressions, and how your participation has influenced your own sense of Southern Baptist identity (either positively or negatively). Feel free to share any other insight you learned from participating in this year s SBC Annual Meeting. Please note that you do not need to interact with any sources in this essay; just share your reflections. This assignment must be uploaded to Moodle by 11:55 PM on Friday July 10, 2015. Write a constructive essay about the future of the Southern Baptist Convention. The constructive essay should be 8 10 pages (not counting footnotes). The essay must be double- spaced and use Times New Roman 12 point font. Please include a cover page and a bibliography. In the essay, please mention any concerns you have about the health of the SBC and make at least five suggestions related to how you believe Southern Baptists as a whole could be strengthened over the next decade. Feel free to be as creative as you would like in your suggestions. Please interact specifically with the arguments of the various authors whose writings you have read for this class. This assignment must be uploaded to Moodle by 11:55 PM on Friday July 10, 2015. Write a critical book review of 4 5 pages of a recent scholarly book related to Southern Baptist history or theology. Please select your book from the list provided later in this syllabus. Further instructions about the critical book review will be posted in Moodle. Please note that because this is a pass/fail course, the quality of your review must be C or higher in order to receive credit for this course. This assignment must be uploaded to Moodle by 11:55 PM on Friday July 10, 2015. 5
Prepare a one- page paper that includes the following information, to be uploaded to Moodle by 11:55 PM on Friday July 10, 2015: A statement that you have read 100% all of the assigned readings with reasonable care A statement that you have subscribed to a Baptist state paper please tell me which one and the date you subscribed A statement that you prayed for the SBC everyday from May 12 through June 17 A statement that you have attempted to share the gospel with at least one non- Christian during the month leading up to the annual meeting; for this one, please give me a paragraph telling me the name of the person, the date you talked, a description of the conversation, and any spiritual decision resulting Things to Remember Please keep in mind the following items as you participate in this course: You are responsible for your own travel, lodging, and meals while in Columbus You should inquire with your local church about the possibility of serving as a messenger and having a voice in the business of the convention If you do serve as a messenger and choose to speak during a business session, please remember that you represent both your church and Southeastern Seminary (think before speaking!) You are highly encouraged to spend time at the Southeastern Seminary booth mingling with alumni and prospective students You are encouraged to find Dr. Akin and ask him to share any behind- the- scenes commentary that he is willing to pass on (you won t be disappointed) SBC Prayer Guide Please make use of the following prayer guide as you pray from the SBC daily between May 12 and June 17, 2014: Sundays pray for your local church and at least one other SBC church or church plant (please pray for different churches each week) Mondays pray for the International Mission Board (president David Platt) Tuesdays pray for the North American Mission Board (president Kevin Ezell) Wednesdays pray for Southeastern Seminary (president Danny Akin) Thursdays pray for the other five seminaries: Southern (president Albert Mohler), Southwestern (president Paige Patterson), New Orleans (president Chuck Kelley), Golden Gate (president Jeff Iorg), and Midwestern (president Jason Allen) Fridays pray for Ronnie Floyd (SBC President) and Frank Page (president of the SBC Executive Committee) Saturdays pray for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (president Russell Moore), LifeWay Christian Resources (president Thom Rainer), and GuideStone Financial Resources (president O. S. Hawkins) 6
Suggested Titles for the Critical Book Review Allen, David L. and Steve W. Lemke, eds. Whosoever Will: A Biblical- Theological Critique of Five- Point Calvinism. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2010. Chute, Anthony L. A Piety Above the Common Standard: Jesse Mercer and the Defense of Evangelistic Calvinism. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2004. Durso, Keith E. Thy Will Be Done: A Biography of George W. Truett. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2009. Flowers, Elizabeth H. Into the Pulpit: Southern Baptist Women and Power since World War II. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2012. Hankins, Barry. Uneasy in Babylon: Southern Baptist Conservative and American Culture. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 2002. Harper, Keith. The Quality of Mercy: Southern Baptists and Social Christianity, 1890 1920. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 1996. Morgan, David T. The New Crusades, the New Holy Land: Conflict in the Southern Baptist Convention, 1969 1991. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 1996. Newman, Mark. Getting Right With God: Southern Baptists and Desegregation, 1945 1995. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 2001. Pratt, J. Kristian. The Father of Modern Landmarkism: The Life of Ben M. Bogard. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2013. Stricklin, David. A Genealogy of Dissent: Southern Baptist Protest in the Twentieth Century. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2000. Waggoner, Brad J. and E. Ray Clendenen, eds. Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialog. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2008. Willis, Alan Scott. All According to God's Plan: Southern Baptist Missions and Race, 1945 1970. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2004. Wilson, Mark R. William Owen Carver's Controversies in the Baptist South. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2010. Wills, Gregory A. Democratic Religion: Freedom, Authority, and Church Discipline in the Baptist South, 1785 1900. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. 7