Volume 70, Number 7
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Campus Newspaper of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary • Fort Worth, Texas A LOOK INSIDE »
THE SCROLL
Monthly campus worship services keep focus on God in midst of busyness pg 3 »
Patterson launches spring sermon series: ‘7 Sayings of Christ from the Cross’
NOTED PRAYER WARRIOR T.W. HUNT DIES AT AGE 85
By Katie Coleman | SWBTS
By Alex Sibley | SWBTS
Southwestern Seminary President Paige Patterson welcomed new and returning students to the new semester with the spring 2015 convocation chapel service, Jan. 22. Patterson also utilized the service to begin the first of a seven-part sermon series titled, “7 Sayings of Christ from the Cross.” Patterson opened his sermon with an invitation to students to walk with him over the course of the seven messages into the Holy of Holies. “The Bible says that when Christ died on the cross, the veil of the temple was split in two,” said Patterson. “And we have been invited by the Lord God to come boldly before the throne of grace. And so I’m going to invite you to go with me where no human being dares to go.” Patterson continued, saying that as students listen to the seven sayings of Christ from the cross and learn in the Holy of Holies, they must come in a certain way. He explained that they must leave behind everything they have. Including himself, he said, “When the president walks into the Holy of Holies, he’s not the president of this institution; he’s not the professor at an institution—he’s a nobody; a sinner saved by grace.” Preaching from John 19:28, Patterson focused on the statement, “I thirst,” explaining it signifies a physical thirst as well as the end of his journey and the fulfillment of prophecy. “Jesus knew that all that the prophets had spoken was now being fulfilled in his life, and especially
Widely recognized in Christian circles as an authority on prayer, Thomas W. (“T.W.”) Hunt, author of such books as The Mind of Christ and Disciple’s Prayer Life and former professor of music and missions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, died December 11 at the age of 85. Hunt’s granddaughter, Katherine Fruge, a doctor of philosophy student at Southwestern, characterizes his passing as “successfully finishing his race,” noting that he died peacefully with family by his side “cheering him on to victory.” “T.W. Hunt met Jesus yesterday,” Southwestern Seminary President Paige Patterson said in a statement the following day. “It was a meeting of a faithful servant and his Lord, to be sure. But in a sense, it was just a reunion of old friends, because few men ever walked with God like Enoch and T.W. Hunt. As a faculty member, as a pastor, and as a friend, Dr. Hunt was the champion of prayer and devotional walk with the Master. His family, his friends, his church, and his seminary will miss him profoundly. Now, my friend, enjoy all that God has now richly provided for you.” Hunt pg 2 »
in his death,” said Patterson. “And so the cry, ‘I thirst,’ is a recognition according to the text that all things were now accomplished.” Patterson concluded by asking students if they thirsted for God. He said, “There, as close as his physical presence could be to his heavenly father, he prayed to the Lord because he had a thirst that exceeded any physical thirst—he thirsted for his heavenly father. And that’s the thirst that you and I need to have also. Do you realize that God created you, and he created you for himself? There is only
one thing [that you need], and that is the presence of the living God, who can meet the thirst.” In addition to Patterson’s sermon, six professors were installed into existing academic chairs, and three newly elected faculty were introduced to students: Candi Finch, assistant professor of theology and women’s studies in the school of theology; Kelly King, assistant professor of childhood education in the Terry School of Church and Family Ministries; and Sarah Spring, assistant professor of English in the College at Southwestern.
Winter Welcome brings students into Southwestern family By Alex Sibley | SWBTS A campus-wide scavenger hunt, the kick-off of the semester’s student-led monthly worship services, and a sing-along version of “Frozen” were among the activities offered by Southwestern Seminary’s Student Life during the first week of the spring semester, Jan. 20-23, collectively referred to as “Winter Welcome.” While these new, fresh activities differed from those offered in the past, Garrison Griffith, associate director of Student Life, says the purpose remained the same as past “Welcome Weeks”: to connect new students with current students and faculty. “Each event seeks to connect different groups on campus in different
ways,” Griffith says. “The ultimate goal for Winter Welcome is that all of our students would feel that they are a part of the Southwestern family and that
the relationships they make would benefit their time here but would also be connections that benefit them in their future ministry.” The week kicked off with New Student Orientation, Jan. 20, which allowed new students to get acquainted with Southwestern faculty, staff and fellow students, as well as hear from President Paige Patterson. That evening, a church fair allowed students to connect with local churches to see where God may be calling them to serve. On Jan. 21, a Twitter Scavenger Hunt gave students the opportunity to see different areas of the campus and Winter Welcome pg 2 »
DARK PERIOD IN ISRAELITE HISTORY POINTS TO MAN’S NEED FOR A KING By Alex Sibley | SWBTS Judges 19-21 covers such topics as infidelity, harlotry, sexual violence, genocide, kidnapping, and sexual slavery. As pointed out by Bart Barber, alumnus and trustee of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and pastor of First Baptist Church of Farmersville in Farmersville, Texas, these chapters present a dark period in the history of God’s chosen people. Speaking during Southwestern’s chapel service, Jan. 29, Barber exposited these concluding chapters of Judges, which tell the story of a Levite whose wickedness leads to his concubine being raped and murdered. In response, he rallies the people of Israel against the perpetrators, the Benjamites, which leads to the tribe of the Benjamites nearly being wiped out. Afterward, in order to preserve the tribe, Barber pg 3 »