God Doesn't like Puns

Bart Ehrman is a scholar in the field of Textual Criticism at Duke University. Unlike most academics, he has a compelling life story. He was raised in a conservative home and attended Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton College. He then went to Princeton to study under the great Bruce Metzger. Through his studies of textual criticism, he began to seriously reconsider his faith. He has now decided that his views on textual criticism have made it impossible to continue believing in the historicity of the words of Jesus as portrayed in the Gospels. He is a gifted writer and possesses a quality rare among academics, the ability to write for a popular audience.

His most recent work is entitled Jesus, Interrupted and argues that the New Testament writings that we have are not representative of what Jesus actually said. For an academic review of his works (seriously challenging Ehrman’s conclusions) see Ben Witherington’s evaluation here and here. For a more popular review (and more witty) see Steve Colbert here:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Bart Ehrman
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor NASA Name Contest

Tenure at SWBTS????

While reading through this recent Baptist Press article on the recent meeting of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's Board of Trustees, I came across this nugget:

Trustees approved the tenure of Ian Jones, assistant dean in the school of educational ministries' division of psychology and counseling and director of the Baptist Marriage and Family Counseling Center. This represents the first tenure approved since Patterson became president in 2003.

While I've only briefly mentioned a tenure situation at SWBTS before, this news is stunning. No tenure at all granted in five years? Either no one has come up for tenure, many people have been denied tenure, or (most likely) there was a high turnover rate right when Patterson was elected president and only now have people put in enough time to qualify for tenure.

But it still seems a little lean.

A Bad Fit (II)

But certainly in the months and years following that job rejection, I have come to see God’s hand even in that. Certainly the way that things play out, I see that I would’ve been a poor fit in that particular seminary setting. Although I never anticipated working in a state school context, I have seen my current position as a more appropriate context for me. During my time at seminary, I developed only one friendship with a faculty member. There was often the sense of a distance between faculty and students, I think a part of the reason was the adversarial nature of those times (1991-95). Faculty could never quite trust the students. There was an institutional fear among faculty (and administration) that a faculty member was only one tape recording away from a call from the trustees.*

And a lack of trust can be a problem. In an ideal setting, a class is conducted more as a dance than a debate. A seminary setting would not allow me the freedom to explore difficult issues from as many directions. Students are always aware of what the right answer is. Since students are generally unaware of my own biases until the end of the semester, I am able to advocate more than one position in order to challenge the student's presuppositions.

Scot McKnight made the (unusual) jump from seminary (TEDS) to college (Northpark) and has blogged on this very issue. I follow his thinking in this area. (At least his first three points).

I’m pleased to see God at work in this State University and feel called to be here.

As I’ve briefly noted before, I do have a sense of sadness in regards to Southwestern. Since Ashley asked, I do have a few comments:

On the matter of the letter from an anonymous seminary professor. There are certainly discontents at every university and many people unhappy with their jobs. There are also many who have axes to grind due to real or imagined slights. I have no idea of course, if any of the professor's statements are true, no doubt some of them are. I would simply say that this is not necessarily an indication that any unusual things are going on there. And despite the anonymous nature of this blog, I agree that these charges shouldn't be hurled from behind a cloak of anonymity. (Although I certainly understand why they were. SBC seminary professors are afforded minimal protection from capricious dismissals).

As to the women’s home-making program? I personally don’t see it as a necessary component of higher education. I’m not even sure what degree would credential a person to teach in that field. But ultimately, that is a decision for the ATS, not for me.

The main argument in favor of teaching it is that wives are colaborers with their husband in ministry. I certainly agree with that, and have even blogged about it. But I am unsure of its priority. I think that there are several other areas where our seminaries would better prioritize their efforts in education. For example, additional coursework dealing with any of these issues would be a start. Combined with the Klouda dismissal, it certainty seems to me that the seminary has a clear stance regarding the role of women with which I disagree.

As a sort of post script, several months ago, I ran into Ken Hemphill. He was in our community leading a workshop on his new endeavor, Empowering Kingdom Growth. I was tempted to approach him and thank him for not hiring me. But I didn’t want that come come out as too snarky, so I just introduced myself among the throngs of others.

He did me and the seminary a favor. (I did however, ask him what he thought of Ratatouille)

P.S. I neglected to mention that I left my mark at Southwestern. Literally. A few days before we moved out of our Carrol Park triplex, I engraved my initials in a plot of wet cement that is still there, forever connecting me to the institution. (And leading my father to mutter to my brother Bartolo, “Do you think he’ll ever grow up?)

*Kids, back when I went to school we recorded sound on these things called "tape."

A Bad Fit

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 the spectacle 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)

Sadness at Southwestern

DD asked for my thoughts on the recent actions at SWBTS.

I am a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I also worked in the library there and my first child was born about six miles from campus. Some of my deepest and abiding friendships were also birthed there. In our four years there, Kadie and I built a foundation for our marriage that has weathered the stresses and challenges of the subsequent eleven years.

So it is with a heavy heart that I read Wade Burleson’s blog last week detailing the refusal of the Trustees to grant President to submit for tenure, Dr. Sheri Klouda, whose sterling resume far surpasses my own. (See the Dallas Morning News’ article here.)

I would add that Southwestern hasn’t been too kind to Old Testament profs in recent years. In addition to Dr. Klouda, Dr. Scott Langston was another casualty. He wasn't fired, but left voluntarily because of the direction that SWBTS was headed.

Just this last year Dr. Timothy Pierce suddenly disappeared from faculty status under unknown circumstances. I met Dr. Pierce at a conference a few years ago and thought that he was a good man, one who we as Southern Baptists would be proud to have represent us. I note on his faculty web site that he has three kids.

Three thoughts:

1) I was discussing this situation with a friend and commented that it would never be the doctrinal stance of the SBC seminaries that would prevent me from working at any of them, it would be the capricious polity of the organization. Without a willingness to follow stated policy, I would have no desire to work there. In fact, I am less convinced that SWBTS has violated federal labor law, as Wade Burleson thinks, but I do believe that SWBTS will have significant issues with their two accrediting agencies, the Association of Theological Schools and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools if they did not follow stated policy. These agencies don’t particularly care what your policies are, but they do want you to follow them. If SWBTS refused tenure to Klouda because she is a woman and their written policy doesn't SPECIFY that being a woman is a non-tenureable "offense," then they could be in trouble with their accrediting agencies.

2) Like Dr. Klouda, I too have recently been denied tenure that I felt was unjustified. But unlike her, I was not unjustly denied tenure by an institution that claimed to be Christian.

3) These events remind me of the providence of God. I actually interviewed on two different occasions for two Old Testament positions at Southwestern in the 1990’s. I was deeply disappointed that I did not get the Old Testament job either time I applied.

4) (Added on 1/22) I am operating under the assumption that Wade Burleson's information is correct. I have seen no evidence to contradict my assumption.

But now I am thankful again for unanswered prayers. Keep Dr. Klouda and her family in yours.

December (IV) Old Friends

My brother Bartolo and his bride Bonita stayed with us through the evening of the 26 and we had a wonderful time with them. They had to hurry back because Bartolo had an interview at the Modern Language Association meeting in Philly later that week. He interviewed with a strong private university in the South and we are all excited for him. The kids enjoy their time with aunt and uncle and we all enjoyed the conversation.

The following day (Wednesday) was extremely special. We had a good visit with some old (very ooooolllllddddd) friends.

Way back in 1991, we moved into seminary housing in Ft. Worth. We moved into the ever so stylish BH Carroll Park Housing seen here. The “tour” on the site is amusing. It looks far larger on my computer screen than it was back in the day.

Our apartment was 1/3 of a triplex (the middle third) located on 4045 Sandage Avenue. Living next door to us were another couple named Bruce and Linda. Bruce and I shared seminary studies and Linda and Kadie enjoyed working and putting us through seminary. A big date night for the four of us was a trip to the $1.00 movie theater, followed by all you can eat can stand at either Cici’s Pizza or Pancho’s, ending with some cut throat ping-pong at the R.A.C.

Bruce was responsible for reenergizing my latent baseball obsession and we also cheered on the Cowboys as they hit their Super Bowl stride under Aikman, Irvin, and Smith in 92’ and 93’. Out of season we would also beat up on Mike Ditka Football or Tony LaRussa Baseball. For these reasons (among others) Kadie curses his name to this day.

He finished up seminary a year before I did (he remains by far the brighter of the two of us) and headed down to Baylor University. It was based in part on his encouragement that we applied and were accepted (I think he pulled some strings). They helped us to find a home in Waco and we continued to enjoy each other all over again for another few years.

They have always served as role models for us. They bought a Saturn, we bought a Saturn. They went to Baylor, we went to Baylor. Bruce pastored a small country church, I pastored a small country church. They had two girls, we had two girls (should we have stopped there?). One of the greatest vacations we ever took was with Bruce and Linda up to Banff, Canada back around 1996.

All of that changed in 1999 as Bruce and Linda moved out to teach in a Baptist university on the east coast. It was tough to see them go, but it is a fact of graduate life that all relationships have a four or five year boundary. By the time they moved away, we had been next door or a few blocks away from them for about eight years. Now we see them perhaps once a year for a brief time as they travel back this way to visit family. We’ve gone out there once with them and we hope to do so again this summer.

Bruce and I keep in touch with a monthly phone call or to commiserate about the Rangers or Cowboys. When He and Linda stopped in after Christmas, he traveled out with me to visit Susan Song on a Wednesday night. We continue to miss them. A couple of years ago Linda had a health scare and we thought we would lose her. By God’s grace she’s fine and her scare reminds us again how precious they are to each of us.

One of the special things about our continued friendship is that the next generation is so close. Bruce and Linda came by the Wednesday after Christmas with their beautiful daughters who (in addition to taking after Linda) are right around the age of our own girls. One of the funny things is that although our eldest daughters were toddlers when they moved away, they are still close. For some reason all four of our girls act like life-long friends whenever we are around them. When I told Scooter and Skeeter that they were coming to visit, they began jumping up and down in celebration. They seem like they are closer friends than they should be.

I guess that friendship for each other is etched into their DNA, passed on from both sets of parents.

Cruising with God

Ed. Note: Let me say from the beginning that Henry Blackaby has done more for the kingdom of God than I have done, or likely ever will do. He has excelled at his work and has built a tremendous ministry that contributes daily to the lives of thousands. I have not. Not to put too fine a point on it, he wrote Experiencing God while I write about dead tadpoles.


Since Henry Blackaby was recently mentioned on both Dave and Kevin’s sites, I was reminded of a brief seminary story that was probably my biggest gaffe while there. In addition to another job I had in seminary, I also worked in Robert’s library at SWBTS. Working in a library is great for bibliophiles and libraries are pretty low stress environments.

Usually.

Early on in my time in the library, I came across an advertisement in the Baptist Standard for an Experiencing God cruise. People paid a lot of money to go on a cruise and study through Experiencing God. The big draw on this particular cruise, as I recall, was that Henry Blackaby would be directing this group on the cruise. So the big selling point was that you could go on the cruise and learn about experiencing God straight from the horse’s mouth.

But studying Expereincing God on a cruise struck me (at the age of 23) as particularly heinous. The idea of engaging on a spiritual retreat while cruising through the Alaskan Sound gazing upon glaciers sounded more like mammon than godliness. My aggravation over this began to simmer and I started grousing about it to my cowowrkers. I then began to talk to my coworkers about the hypocrisy of turning everything over to God and “Finding where God was at work and then joining him there…on an Alaskan cruise.”

I then unleashed a terrific jeremiad that included not only Blackaby, but the entire Baptist Bookstore Lifeway chain about how they had marketed the Gospel and concluded with a thunderous statement along the lines of “If Jesus came back today and went into your average Lifeway store I bet he would start overturning tables!” And I cited all of the attendent Experiencing God merchandise as an example.

Now I’m not one usually given to much passion and perhaps I had too much Tabasco sauce that day at lunch, but it was essentially a hot headed rant. After I finished, I noticed that all my fellow librarians were watching me in an awkward combination of amusement and shock. Jim, Amy, Brian and Kerry were standing there in stunned silence.

My supervisor, a gentle soul, was the first to speak “Taran, have you met all of your coworkers?” I found that an odd question since I had been there a few weeks at that time, but I nodded.

“Are you sure you’ve met them all? Have you met…” and then she dropped the hammer

“Kerry Blackaby?”

Oh. No.


Apparently Henry B has several kids who went through Southwestern and one of them was my coworker. Kerry, for her part, grinned and didn’t say a word.

We worked together for another year and she was always too gracious to mention the incident. She was a wonderful coworker and an even better person. Five years later, when I was pastoring at Lone Oak, our Association had Henry Blackaby and his wife down for some leadership training and I met them and mentioned my connection with Kerry. At that time she was doing well and her parents were two very nice, humble people.

I suppose the post-script to this story is that next week I am facilitating Experiencing God at our church….


But not on a cruise.

An Impractical Joke

Kevin's query triggered this early marriage memory.

Flashback to February of 1992:

Kadie and I are in our first year of school in Fort Worth. I am in seminary while she is wrapping up her R.N. at TCU. Scooter, Skeeter and Squealer do not yet exist.

It is a cold morning and I am preparing to go to work at the library. We lived in B.H. Carroll Park in one of the two-bedroom apartments. I drove the 73’ canary yellow Volkswagon SuperBeetle and Kadie drove the first love of my life, a 1984 Suburban. (The wifey always gets the best car of course. Although in this case the "best" was certainly relative). Since the weather is cold, Kadie likes to allow the Suburban to heat up in the morning before she gets into it. She would turn it on, lock the doors to it, and finish getting ready in the house. (The parking lot was located very close to our apartment, maybe 25 feet away). The Suburban would then heat up and get toasty warm so that when she got in she would have a comfortable ride to school.

I expressed concern to her that it might not be the safest place to keep a running car, even with the doors locked. Someone might steal it. But we never reached a consensus in our conversation. One morning I went to work but forgot something. When I returned to our parking lot, I saw the suburban gently running, the tell-tale sign of condensation floating out of its tail-pipe.

I actually remember thinking “I’m going to teach Kadie a lesson.” [I interrupt this narrative, from the vantage point of 15 years marriage, to say that a husband should NEVER have this thought, and if he is foolish enough to think it, he certainly should never act on it]. So I parked the Bug down the street and then I returned and moved the Suburban. I parked it on the next block and then I returned to the parking lot, hiding behind some cars and watching our back door.

I shivered and waited about five minutes. While waiting, I planned on what to do next. I had thought she would walk out of the apartment and I would say something like “So, did you lose something?” amidst much laughter. But that is not quite how it turned out. There would be much less laughter than I had anticipated.

Finally, Kadie opened the door and….stopped. She stared for a moment at where the Suburban should be. Then I watched in horror as she turned, went back into the apartment and slammed the door. Now I was struck with indecision. Should I wait here for her to return? But then I realized she might be calling campus security, so I raced across the parking lot and went careening into the door as I clambered into the kitchen.

Now picture this from Kadie’s perspective. The car is missing, so she was worried about thieves. Then she went into the kitchen to call me at work to tell me what was going on. All the while she is terrified that these thieves might still be around. Then I came crashing into the kitchen, slamming open the door. (Who knew you could slam open a door?!). She immediately thought I was one of the car thieves and let out an unholy scream of terror.

She began speaking to me again last Thursday.