Scholarly, Conservative, Baptistic!

Northern Baptist Seminary will soon celebrate its one hundredth anniversary. When one reads the history of Northern, one discovers a school with a glorious past.

Northern was born during the Liberal v. the Conservative controversy, after a conservative group of pastors and scholars left the University of Chicago to form a school where the evangelical principles would be taught to men and women aspiring to the ministry.

During the 1940s, conservative groups called for a “new evangelicalism.” Northern Seminary, a school rich in scholarly and conservative tradition, provided the new leaders who promoted this new brand of evangelicalism.

Northern Seminary provided most of the leaders to the conservative movement of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Many students who graduated from Northern Seminary were among the founding faculties of Fuller Theological Seminary (1947) and Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary (1950).

Northern graduates founded organizations that revitalized American religious life after World War II. The founder of Youth for Christ, Torrey Johnson, was a graduate from Northern Seminary. The first four editors of Christianity Today, including Carl Henry and Kenneth Kantzer were also Northern graduates. J. Edwin Orr, international evangelist and historian of revival, Kenneth Taylor, who published The Living Bible, and Warren W. Wiersbe, the famous writer and minister were Northern alumni. There are also other Northern graduates who have served with great distinction as pastors, missionaries, educators, and evangelists whose names are too numerous to mention.

What made Northern Seminary the school that gave birth to so many leaders of the evangelical movement? What made Northern Seminary a great evangelical seminary was summarized in three words by Charles W. Koller, the fourth president of Northern Seminary: “Scholarly, Conservative, Baptistic!”

Charles W. Koller, the fourth president of Northern Baptist Seminary and the author of How to Preach Without Notes, a classic book on expository preaching without notes, wrote an article in the Northern, the official journal of the seminary, in which he described the work of Northern Seminary. The article was published in the in the Northern in February 1945, volume 32, issue 5. Below, I am reproducing Koller’s article as published in the Northern.

“Scholarly, Conservative, Baptistic!”

Clear aim and fixed purpose have characterized the life of Northern. “Scholarly, Conservative, Baptistic!” This ideal has been kept constantly in view. Closely related is the further statement which has become so familiar to the friends of Northern: “Student-centered in its policies; Bible-centered in its curriculum; Christ-centered in its loyalties.” These expressions have not been mere rhetorical gestures, but definite guidelines within which the life of Northern has moved.

Sound scholarship and genuine piety must go together in the preparation of ministers. A cultivated mind is no substitute for a consecrated heart; nor can piety alone compensate for the want of scholarship. And scholarship, if it is to be adequate, must take into account the professor, the student, and the curriculum. Through steady, persevering effort, Northern has risen to a position of recognized strength at all points, and stands higher today than ever before in its history. It is no small tribute to Northern’s scholarship that, in the past six months alone, Baptist seminaries and colleges have drawn from Northern four presidents, one dean of women, and three professors.

Conservatism, at Northern, means unqualified committal to Scriptural standards of doctrine and life. With unwavering conviction, the school stands upon the traditional Baptist position of orthodoxy, evangelism, and missions. The position of the apostles, as to the deity of Christ, His Messianic identity, His sinless life, His atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His promised return, and His eternal sovereignty, is the position of Northern. The separated life which Northern upholds is a life of dedication to all the Scriptural virtues. This includes both the positive virtues and the scrupulous avoidance of things not necessarily sinful in themselves but tending to dim the spiritual glow and impair the spiritual effectiveness of the minister. It is confidently believed at Northern that any return to New Testament power must come by way of return to New Testament standards. And this, in turn, calls for the propagation and perpetuation of the apostolic type of ministers.

Northern is Baptistic in its convictions and teachings. As a rule, about 85 % of the students are Baptists, although non-Baptist students are received without prejudice, on the same basis as Baptist students. Northern is likewise Baptistic in its affiliations. From the beginning, it has functioned and co-operated within the framework of the Northern Baptist Convention, and has derived support through denominational channels. Through successive denominational crises and catastrophes which have disturbed the Baptist fellowship, Northern has stood as a great stabilizer, a bulwark of Baptist solidarity. Upon its declared position of conservation and cooperation, Northern is helping mightily to preserve the Baptist heritage and to keep the Baptist brotherhood intact. On this position Northern is gaining friends constantly and is enlarging its area of service to the cause of Christ. As a “Scholarly–Conservative–Baptistic” institution, Northern seeks to merit the continuing confidence and good will of its friends, and invites their continuing prayers and support.

As Northern Baptist Seminary prepares to enter its second century of ministry to the churches, it becomes imperative that we again look at what made Northern Baptist Seminary a great school of the church. It is impossible to live on the success of the past. However, in its second century of service to the cause of Christ, Northern can recapture the three important factors that made Northern a school of renown: “Scholarly, Conservative, Baptistic!”


Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Charles Koller, Northern Seminary

A Charge to the President

On Friday, April 17, 2009, Dr. Alistair Brown was inaugurated as the tenth President of Northern Baptist Seminary. President Brown came to Northern on September 15, 2008. Before becoming president of Northern Seminary, Dr. Brown was the General Director of the Baptist Missionary Society with headquarters in Didcot, Oxfordshire, UK. Alistair Brown was born near Edinburgh. He is a New Testament scholar. His Ph.D. thesis examined the metaphors of baptism in the Pauline literature.

During the Ceremony of Inauguration, Dr. Ian Chapman, a retired past president of Northern Baptist Seminary gave the charge to the new president. The address below is Chapman’s charge to President Alistair Brown.

NORTHERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
INAUGURATION OF DR. ALISTAIR BROWN
CHARGE TO THE CANDIDATE

By

Dr. Ian M. Chapman

In one of her poems, Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote:

Upon this gilded age, in its dark hour,
Falls from the sky a meteoric shower
Of facts…they lie unquestioned, uncombined.
Wisdom enough to leech us of our ill
Is easily spun; but there exists no loom
To weave it into fabric.

These words were penned in 1939 in a “dark hour” when the menacing clouds of war were “falling from the sky.” In that year Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Great Britain and other countries declared war on Germany. The Manhattan Project began work on the atomic bomb. With these events the world was plunged into a monstrous conflict that was to destroy the lives of millions. To make matters worse, there existed no loom to make any sense of this tragic fabric.
Today some might say we live in a “dark hour”. A world-wide economic disaster is destroying the lives of millions. The specter of terrorism and piracy looms over the free world. Even the Christian faith has fallen upon hard times. A recent edition of USA Today reported that in America “faith is shifting, drifting or vanishing outright.” Newsweek’s Easter edition carried the article, “The Rise and Fall of Christian America.” “This is not to say that the Christian God is dead, but that he is less of a force in American politics and culture than in any other time in recent history.”

If we wish to be pessimistic we might conclude that in this present time there “exists no loom to make any sense of this fabric.” But that would not be true. A theological seminary is God’s loom. It is the seminary’s mission to make sense out of the madness of the world; to bring meaning and purpose to the emptiness that often daunts life; and to give perspective to those who have given up or simply lost their way. In short, the seminary, that is, the president, Board, faculty, staff, and students are called to weave the fabric of biblical faith in order to transform the church and the world.

It is my deep conviction that if a seminary did not exist, it would be necessary to invent one. A seminary is that vital to the church; it is that crucial for the nurture of every believer. It is that essential for the sake of the world. Our dear friend Brimson Grow [Northern Seminary’s former trustee] who served Northern faithfully for so many years often said, “Theological education is the greatest investment we can make for the cause of Christ.” I believe that to be true.

Alistair, God has gifted you and called you to weave the fabric of biblical faith on Northern’s loom. This is a high and holy privilege and a daunting responsibility. As you are installed this day as Northern’s Tenth President, I offer you these challenges from the early church.

1. The early church paid attention to the biblical text. You see this in the church’s deep commitment to preaching and teaching. Peter’s sermon to the Passover crowd in Jerusalem in the second chapter of the book of Acts was based on two portions of the Old Testament. In Acts 2:42, we learn that the believers “devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching….”

In 2 Peter 1:16 the author writes, “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the coming and power of our Lord, Jesus Christ.” But sadly in today’s evangelical church Scripture is rarely read and preachers rarely exegete the biblical text. They preach sermons to amuse and entertain or offer therapeutic pabulum to satisfy the congregation’s self-centered needs.

Mr. President, I challenge you to infuse in this community a love and commitment for the biblical text. The church needs more, much more than “cleverly invented stories.”

2. The early church had a story to tell. In a recent meeting the guest speaker said of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, “This is really important stuff. It’s worth our lives.” What struck me was his voice. It throbbed with passion. It was obvious that the Gospel meant everything to him. When you study the biblical record you quickly discover that the early church throbbed with a similar passion.

The passage I referred to earlier in 2 Peter continues with these words: ‘but we were eyewitnesses to his majesty.” Jesus. He was the priority of the early church and they told his story over and over again. None of us here were eyewitnesses to the “majesty of Jesus Christ.” but we can tell His story and tell it with passion and conviction.

Mr. President I challenge you to infuse in this community the passion to tell the story of the life, death, resurrection, ascension and coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is really important stuff. It’s worth our lives.

3. The early church persevered. When you read the events of the early church you cannot help but be moved by the courage of these believers. When ordered by the religious authorities not to speak further of Jesus the disciples replied, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Where did these believers find such courage? What was the secret of their confidence? They were, as scripture says, “ordinary, uneducated people.” Surely they were not the kind of people we would choose as the founding leaders of His church. The secret of their confidence was their intimate relationship with Jesus. As we read in the book of Hebrews (12:3) they followed Jesus who “endured the cross, scorned its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Mr. President, you have already been confronted by many challenges since you came to Northern. And no doubt there are more to come. During WW 2 Winston Churchill singlehandedly became the loom that weaved the fabric of hope for the British people. He encouraged, he persevered, he sacrificed, and he risked his life. In a dramatic radio address he uttered these memorable words: “Never, never, never give up” and the British people stiffened their upper lips and marched to victory.

Mr. President, I challenge you to infuse in this community the courage to endure for the sake of Christ. I believe the fabric of text, story and perseverance in Northern’s loom will design a new future for the seminary church and the world.

May God bless you.

****

I want to thank Dr. Ian Chapman for the permission to publish his Challenge to the President. His address describes well the theological task of a seminary.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Alistair Brown, Ian Chapman, Northern Seminary

Northern Baptist Seminary’s New President

Dr. Alistair Brown is the new president of Northern Baptist Seminary. Dr Brown comes to Northern Seminary from his current position as the General Director of the Baptist Missionary Society in the UK, where he has served since 1996.

Dr. Brown has prepared a video in which he sent greetings to Northern’s community and to all friends of the seminary. To watch the video and listen to Dr. Brown’s greetings, click here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Alistair Brown, Northern Seminary

Dr. Robert Webber - The Memorial Service

Picture: Bob Webber and his famous smile.


The memorial service for Bob Webber will be held on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. at Christ Church of Oak Brook.

The church is located at 31st and York Road in Oak Brook, Illinois. The church’s phone is (630) 654-1882.

The Webber Family has requested no flowers, but donations may go to:



The Robert E. Webber Center for an Ancient Evangelical Future
c/o Northern Seminary
660 E. Butterfield Rd. Lombard, IL 60148

OR

The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies
151 Kingsley Ave
Orange Park, FL. 32073

Claude F. Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Robert Webber, Northern Seminary

Dr. Robert Webber - An Obituary

The following obituary was published in Northern Seminary’s Web page:


Northern Mourns the Death of Dr. Robert Webber
April 30th, 2007

Northern Seminary is saddened by the loss of Myers Chair of Ministry, Dr. Robert E. Webber, who died Friday April 27 at age 73 at his home in Sawyer, Michigan, after an eight-month struggle with pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Webber's work and witness have impacted the evangelical world by bringing worship and ministry back to their historical Christian roots as established by the early church. Because of his influence through the publication of significant works like The Complete Library of Christian Worship, his Ancient-Future Series (The Divine Embrace, Ancient-Future Time, Ancient-Future Evangelism and Ancient-Future Faith), the "Chicago Call" in 1977 and more recently "The Call to an Ancient-Evangelical Future" in 2006, the church and a generation of pastors have been encouraged to challenge old assumptions about what constitutes an effective Christian witness in today's postmodern culture.

"Robert Webber influenced many thousands of Christian leaders through his speaking and writing," said Dr. Charles Hambrick-Stowe, Dean of the Seminary and Professor of Christian History. "Two qualities are at the heart of his teaching ministry - authenticity and accessibility. Northern Seminary students were blessed by these qualities in the classroom, in informal conversations on and off campus, and in times of prayer. We on the faculty were constantly blessed by his wisdom, his humor, and the no-nonsense way he brought the gospel to bear on everyday circumstances. We are grateful to have enjoyed Bob's presence among us these last seven years, which he described as the best years of his teaching career."

Dr. Webber was born in the Congo to Baptist missionary parents, and was raised in the Philadelphia area. Webber's educational path was denominationally diverse and unique-a BA from Bob Jones University (Greenville, NC); a BD at Reformed Episcopal Seminary; a ThM at Covenant Seminary (Presbyterian Church in America) and a ThD at Concordia Seminary (Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod).

He began his teaching career at Covenant College in 1960; Covenant Seminary in 1965; and then spent 32 years teaching at Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL) beginning in 1968 as Professor of Theology. In 1998, Webber founded the Institute for Worship Studies (now the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies) in Florida, which is a Masters and Doctorate level graduate school focused on the study of the theological, biblical, historical, sociological and missiological foundations of Christian worship. Webber retired from Wheaton in 2000 and was named Professor Emeritus upon his retirement. Also in 2000, Webber was appointed Myers Chair of Ministry at Northern Seminary and stated in his inaugural address, "Northern's commitment to develop a new kind of seminary education to prepare men and women for ministry in a postmodern world, is visionary and compelling. It's a great honor to be a part of this cutting-edge vision!"

Webber leaves behind a wife, Joanne, four children, John (Isabel), Alexandra (Jack), Stefany (Tom), and Jeremy (Susie), seven grandchildren, and a rich legacy of friends, colleagues and students.

Memorial services will be held in the Chicago area (details to follow) and at Grace Episcopal Church in Orange Park, FL on Friday, June 15 at 7 p.m., during the June session of the Institute for Worship Studies. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the Robert E. Webber Center for an Ancient Evangelical Future, c/o Northern Seminary, 660 E. Butterfield Rd. Lombard, IL 60148 or the Robert E. Webber Endowment Fund at the Institute for Worship Studies, 151 Kingsley Ave. Orange Park, FL 32073.

Northern Seminary will be erecting a Memorial page on our website to honor Robert E. Webber through the thoughts, comments and memories of his friends, students and colleagues. If you would like to submit a thought or comment for this page, please go to: Webber Memorial Page Tribute.

P. S. For more information visit www.seminary.edu

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags:


Northern Seminary,
Robert Webber

Dr. Robert Webber - In Memoriam

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15).

My friend and colleague Bob Webber died on Friday, April 27, 2007 after an 8 month battle with pancreatic cancer. He fought a valiant fight and died with great dignity. A public memorial service in the Chicago area is being planned and details about the service will be posted on Northern Seminary’s website: www.seminary.edu.

Bob Webber was a special person. He was a committed Christian who was dedicated to the renewal of the church and to Christian ministry. Bob Webber was one of the foremost authorities on worship renewal. He conducted workshops and seminars on worship and spirituality for almost every major denomination in North America through the Institute in Worship Studies located in Florida, which he founded in 1995.

In the Fall of 2006, Bob brought together a group of scholars, pastors, and church leaders to prepare a “Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future.” The result of this work was a document that challenged the next generation of evangelical leaders “to make God’s story known through the rediscovery of the church’s mission in its worship, spirituality, and life in the world.”

Bob was a prolific writer. Every year when Northern Seminary awarded the annual Faculty Award for Publication, Bob would always have two (sometimes more than two) books that qualified for the award. His vast knowledge of theology and church history was evident in his lectures and presentations. He was a great teacher.

Bob was a good friend and a great colleague. His sense of humor and his friendly attitude was manifest throughout his years of service here at Northern. To know Bob was to appreciate his friendliness, his openness, and his enthusiasm for the church. Those of us who knew Bob and worked with him will greatly miss his joy for the spiritual and his zest for life.

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “because they will rest from their work since their good deeds will follow them” (Revelation 14:13).

Claude F. Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Bob Webber, Northern Seminary

Welcome To My World

Today is the first day of class at Northern Baptist Seminary. Since the school is on the quarter system, students begin their classes during the last week of September. Today, I will welcome new students to my class on the Pentateuch.

With the start of a new quarter, students will begin their theological pilgrimage. This pilgrimage will lead them to discover the rich treasure hidden within the pages of the Bible. Christians everywhere love the Bible because it is God’s Word, and yet, most Christian’s knowledge of the Bible is limited and fragmentary.

A good seminary education will allow those who are preparing themselves to become ministers of Christ to gain a better knowledge of the Book that will become the focus of their ministry. Within the last 50 years or so, biblical scholars have developed new methods designed to help eager students to gain a better knowledge of the religious, political, economic, and social worlds of the Bible.

Students come to seminary eager to study the Old Testament. The Old Testament deals primarily with the history of the people of Israel. Other nations are also mentioned within its pages but only as they relate to Israel. The main concern of the Hebrew Scriptures is to provide the most important facts about Israel’s relationship with God.

The writers of the Old Testament were not concerned with providing neither plain facts of history nor a chronological account of the political and military events that affected the history of their nation. Rather, those who wrote the books of the Old Testament were concerned with the religious life of Israel, that is, they were attempting to understand the mighty acts of God and how Israel responded or failed to respond to God’s revelation of himself.

To study the Old Testament and to properly understand its message, takes time and effort. Over the coming months, I will keep you informed on the progress of our students. I will also provide material that will help my students and you gain a better appreciation for the Old Testament.

All along, I invite you to join us in this pilgrimage of faith. I invite you to write me with your questions and comments. Since a better understanding of the Old Testament will come through diligent study of its content, may your effort to know the Old Testament pay rich dividends. I hope you will allow me to help you in this journey of faith.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary


Tags: Bible Study, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament, Northern Seminary, Seminary Education