Southeastern plans trip to help rebuild tornado-ravaged Union

by Lauren Crane

Southeastern students, faculty and staff will have the chance to help rebuild the campus of Union University during spring break, as Union tries to move on post-tornado.

The Southern Baptist university, located in Jackson, Tenn., sustained heavy damage to the campus after an F-4 tornado ripped through on February 5. Estimates of damage to campus exceed $40 million dollars. In an effort to help the school continue the rebuilding process, Southeastern will be sponsoring a trip to help with landscaping and grounds repair.

The trip will take place April 24-26, which is the end of Southeastern’s spring break. Meals, transportation and lodging will be provided for Southeasterners who wish to go and help with landscaping work. Students can also receive one hour of class credit for participating.

To find out more information about the trip, please contact Benjamin Quinn (919-761-2283) in the Student Development office. If you’d like to register, please contact Elizabeth Graham (919-761-2200).

Lennox delivers call to use minds to engage culture, shows compatibility between science and faith

by Lauren Crane

The distance between science and faith is not as great as some atheists would have people believe, according to mathematician and philosopher John Lennox.

Speaking on the topic of “the new atheism,” Lennox, who is a world-renowned mathematician, scientist and philosopher, delivered an argument for compatibility between the existence of God, faith and science during Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Carver-Barnes Lecture Series, sponsored by the school’s L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture.

His addresses on the topics of science, philosophy and religion were held on March 11 and 12.

The so-called “new atheism,” Lennox said, is virtually the same as the old in content, albeit with a different tone and aggressiveness. The change in tone has come about recently, he said, in response to the events of September 11, 2001.

Southeastern student pens declaration on climate change

by Baptist Press and Southeastern Seminary staff

Jonathan Merritt, a 25-year-old Southeastern student, captured widespread media attention earlier this week in releasing a statement titled “A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change.”

The student’s project was signed by a number of high-profile Southern Baptist leaders including his father, James Merritt, pastor of Cross Pointe, the Church at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga.; a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and Southeastern president Daniel Akin. Frank Page, pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C., and the current SBC president, and Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, and a past president of the SBC, also signed the document.

While the statement is supported by many Southern Baptists, the declaration has not been considered as an official position of the Southern Baptist Convention.

In a teleconference with media March 10, Merritt said the idea for the initiative came to him during a theology class.

“In the lecture,” he said, “my professor made the statement that when we destroy creation, which is God’s revelation, it is no different than tearing a page out of the Bible. At that moment, God began to work in my heart and call me to do something. [This document] is the product of that nudge from God that day.” Merritt has been identified as the project director of the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative, which is behind the document.

The comment came about during a systematic theology class taught by professor John Hammett, professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. As he was discussing the topic of universal revelation, that is, God being revealed in all things including nature, Hammett said he made the comparison which sparked Merritt’s declaration.

Akin delivers chapel message to Brewton-Parker college

by Kayla Oliver; Brewton-Parker College marketing staff writer

MOUNT VERNON— Chapel at Brewton-Parker College is always meant to be a time of inspiration, fellowship, and the journey towards the fulfillment of God’s word. However, on Tuesday, Feb. 26, BPC students were addressed by a speaker who challenged them to take God’s word to those who have never heard it before.

Dr. Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS), delivered a message primarily focusing on the importance of mission work as followers of Christ. Dr. Akin’s lecture was part of a larger series known as the Horton Lectures, which was offered last week on BPC’s Mount Vernon campus.

Dr. Akin and his wife, Charlotte, have four sons who are all involved in the ministry. Their sons, Nathan, John and Paul, attend seminary and their son, Tim, is involved in missionary work.

Worship through song was provided by BPC faculty and staff, Dr. Don Wallace, professor of communication, and Karl Hay, chief information officer.

Brewton-Parker College is the only four-year accredited Christian college in south Georgia.

God’s will is found in ‘little jewel’ of Philemon

by Lauren Crane

Knowing the will of God is not entirely impossible.

There are four principles, all part of God’s will for his people, to be gleaned from the “little jewel” of Philemon, said Thom Rainer. Rainer, who is president of LifeWay Christian Resources, addressed Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary during chapel on March 4, 2008.

Rainer began by challenging students, staff and faculty to think about their lives, and whether or not they are living them well.

Teaching from the text of Philemon, beginning in verse eight, Rainer said, “I don’t want to look at my life and say, ‘Was it lived well, or was it mostly wasted?’

Whether it has been in pastoral ministry or whether it has been in any other position I have held, a common question that comes to me is, ‘I want to live my life well.’ That’s the statement, and the question is, ‘How can I know the will of God for my life?’”