[1]The dates of the ethics course noted below have been corrected to Oct. 15-20.
Paige Patterson to co-teach ethics course
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP) — Paige Patterson, former president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, will co-teach a course on ethics through Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, N.C., Oct. 15-20.
Patterson will join with SES President Richard Land, former president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, in teaching “Christian Ethics: The Bible and Moral Issues.”
The week-long class will be taught in person at the campus and live-streamed. The ethics course is offered at the bachelor’s, master’s and D.Min. credit levels with differing requirements at each level. It also can be audited.
“This course will seek to apply the timeless truths of God’s Word to the moral issues of our day,” Land said, “and I am more than honored to team-teach the class with my friend and colleague Dr. Paige Patterson. SES is delighted to be able to offer Christians both here and overseas this unique opportunity to be taught by one of the most significant evangelical leaders of the past half-century.”
[2]For both campus and streaming students, the class will meet from 6 to 10:30 p.m. Eastern time from Monday, Oct. 15, through Friday, Oct. 19 and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20. Students taking the course for credit will then have 14 weeks to complete the course requirements after the week of live lectures from Land and Patterson.
For more information or to enroll, contact Dianna Williams at 704-847-5600, ext. 216, or [email protected].
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Blaising moves to SWBTS fulltime faculty
FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) — Craig Blaising has moved to the fulltime faculty at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from his administrative post as executive vice president and provost.
A seminary news release stated that “although for many years the Lord led him primarily to fulfill administrative responsibilities, the Lord is now leading him to focus on making further contributions to his academic fields” in his roles as professor of theology and Jesse Hendley Chair of Biblical Theology.
“Thankfully, Dr. Blaising will continue to serve the Southwestern family and the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention through his unique giftedness in research, writing and teaching in a more concentrated manner,” said D. Jeffrey Bingham, interim president at Southwestern. “The students of Southwestern Seminary will now have more opportunities to learn from and be mentored by him in the classroom, and students of theology will eagerly anticipate his publications.”
Blaising has served as executive vice president and provost at Southwestern since 2002.
During his 17 years in the seminary’s administrative offices, Blaising oversaw the creation of Scarborough College (formerly the College at Southwestern); the creation and implementation of a flexible-access delivery system for Southwestern’s Ph.D. program; the planning and implementation of smart classroom technology to bring live and recorded lecture content from residential courses to concurrently enrolled online students; and the development of Mandarin-, Spanish- and Korean-language courses to train a generation of pastors in their primary languages.
“Dr. Blaising has assembled a world-class faculty at Southwestern, instituted rigorous academic standards, and ensured Southwestern’s doctrinal steadfastness,” Bingham said. “…. Dr. Blaising continually ensured that the organization and structure of the Provost’s Office best met the needs of the academic division. He is a godly man, a servant-leader, an exemplary scholar, and a trusted teacher.”
George Klein, professor of Old Testament, will serve as interim chief academic officer of Southwestern Seminary in Blaising’s place. Klein previously served as senior associate dean in Southwestern’s school of theology (2002–2015), academic dean at Criswell College (1992–1998) and dean of graduate studies at Criswell College (1989–1992).
Klein will oversee the entire academic division at Southwestern, including the associate vice president for academic assessment and technology, the associate vice president for institutional research and assessment/registrar, the assistant vice president of academic administration, the administrative staff of the office of the interim chief academic officer, and the deans and directors of the academic division. Klein will also serve as the cabinet representative for the academic division.
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MercyMe to headline Union scholarship banquet
JACKSON, Tenn. (BP) — Christian band MercyMe will be featured at Union University’s 21st annual scholarship banquet Oct. 18 at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson, Tenn.
“Though the event will be a little different from what the scholarship banquet has been in years past,” Union President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver said, “we expect it to be an enjoyable and fun evening for the West Tennessee community.”
Since their debut in 2001, MercyMe has sold more than 9 million units and been nominated for multiple Grammy and Dove awards. The band’s most popular song, “I Can Only Imagine,” written by lead singer Bart Millard, made history in 2014 as it surpassed 2 million digital downloads, making it the first Christian song to go platinum and double-platinum in the digital domain. A major motion picture, also titled “I Can Only Imagine,” was released to theaters earlier this year, recounting the story behind the song.
For ticket information, contact Union’s office of institutional advancement at 731-661-5050 or www.uu.edu/events/scholarshipbanquet.