Recent articles have caused me to do some thinking and reflecting. In late 1998 I interviewed for an Old Testament position at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. At the time I was only a few years removed from my completed MA degree at SWBTS and the idea of returning to Fort Worth was incredibly attractive. All other things being equal, “Foat Wuth” remains our favorite place to have lived. To get a chance to go back there would’ve been a dream come true.
After an extended discussion with the faculty in OT, they asked if they could put my name forward for the position. They scheduled an interview with President Hemphill and with Provost Tommy Lea (who sadly died that following year). It was an intimidating experience. As the OT faculty arrived in the room to observe thespectacle interview, it dawned on me that their credibility was on the line as well. They had after all recommended me.
The conversation with the president and the Dean was very congenial and thorough. They asked me questions about my testimony and call to the teaching ministry. They asked me about the newly revised Baptist Faith and Message and if I could teach in accordance with its principles.
The only “huh?” moment in the process was when President Hemphill started off a question “Due to the recent movie about the Exodus, there’s been renewed interest in the JEDP theory. What do you think about Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch?”
What!? My stance on Mosaic authorship is a fair question to ask, but I was flummoxed by its supposed connection to a cartoon. I haven’t known too many biblical scholars who take their cues from Dreamworks.
But despite that non sequitor by the end of the conversation, I had a good feeling. Dr. Lea did most of the questioning and led us all through my views on various topics. Finally President Hemphill stood up and thanked me for coming. The Old Testament faculty were silent through the whole experience. As I filed out with the faculty into the hall, a mentor of mine slapped me on the back and said “Taran, you just hit a home run.” I turned to him smiling, but then he continued “Unfortunately your team is losing by 15 runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.”
Apparently the other candidate for the position was interviewed right before me and was the clearly preferred candidate by President Hemphill. In fact, the other candidate was invited to lunch after his interview by the President. (When the person interviewing you asks the other job applicant to lunch, it’s not a good sign.) The other candidate was a longtime professor at Criswell College and (in retrospect) was a better fit for the direction of the Seminary that was I. The years have born that out as he has risen successfully into upper administration at SWBTS.
I received the official rejection letter a few days later and our whole family was heart broken by the news. (More tomorrow)
After an extended discussion with the faculty in OT, they asked if they could put my name forward for the position. They scheduled an interview with President Hemphill and with Provost Tommy Lea (who sadly died that following year). It was an intimidating experience. As the OT faculty arrived in the room to observe the
The conversation with the president and the Dean was very congenial and thorough. They asked me questions about my testimony and call to the teaching ministry. They asked me about the newly revised Baptist Faith and Message and if I could teach in accordance with its principles.
The only “huh?” moment in the process was when President Hemphill started off a question “Due to the recent movie about the Exodus, there’s been renewed interest in the JEDP theory. What do you think about Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch?”
What!? My stance on Mosaic authorship is a fair question to ask, but I was flummoxed by its supposed connection to a cartoon. I haven’t known too many biblical scholars who take their cues from Dreamworks.
But despite that non sequitor by the end of the conversation, I had a good feeling. Dr. Lea did most of the questioning and led us all through my views on various topics. Finally President Hemphill stood up and thanked me for coming. The Old Testament faculty were silent through the whole experience. As I filed out with the faculty into the hall, a mentor of mine slapped me on the back and said “Taran, you just hit a home run.” I turned to him smiling, but then he continued “Unfortunately your team is losing by 15 runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.”
Apparently the other candidate for the position was interviewed right before me and was the clearly preferred candidate by President Hemphill. In fact, the other candidate was invited to lunch after his interview by the President. (When the person interviewing you asks the other job applicant to lunch, it’s not a good sign.) The other candidate was a longtime professor at Criswell College and (in retrospect) was a better fit for the direction of the Seminary that was I. The years have born that out as he has risen successfully into upper administration at SWBTS.
I received the official rejection letter a few days later and our whole family was heart broken by the news. (More tomorrow)
2 comments:
I'm not exactly sure where you're headed with this, but I thought of you and Kadie when a recent article came out about the new homemaking degree that wives can get at SWBTS...
I'll stay tuned.
I love these edge of your seat serials.
Also, I heard that General Motors, in desperation, has tapped the creators of Pixar's "Cars" for some design advice.
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