Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 13:1 (Spring 2009)
Article: The SBJT Forum
Author: Anonymous

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SBJT 13:1 (Spring 2009) p. 100

The SBJT Forum

Editor’s Note: Readers should be aware of the forum’s format. Daniel L. Akin, David S. Dockery, Mark Dever, Thom S. Rainer, Hershael York, Timothy George, and David Miller have been asked specific questions to which they have provided written responses. These writers are not responding to one another. Their answers are presented in an order that hopefully makes the forum read as much like a unified presentation as possible.

SBJT: Given Your Close Relationship To Southern, What Are Some Of Your Hopes And Dreams For The Seminary?

Daniel L. Akin is the President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Prior to this, he served as Senior Vice President for Academic Administration and Dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Akin is a popular preacher and teacher and has authored numerous articles and books, including 1, 2, and 3 John in the New American Commentary (B&H, 2001).

Daniel L. Akin: I had the honor and joy of serving at Southern Seminary for almost eight years. Those were wonderful days in every way, and Charlotte and I look back on that time with fondest memories. We built a deep and lasting friendship with Albert and Mary Mohler. I believe history will show that of all the great men who have led Southern Seminary, none will surpass the administration of Dr. Mohler in terms of vision, quality of faculty, and impact. I am well aware that some will challenge my words, but I am happy to let history make the call on the accuracy of my prediction. In addition we came to know and love some of the most gifted and remarkable men and women anywhere in the world. I had the privilege of helping Dr. Mohler build a world class faculty, and since my departure in 2004, and under the capable leadership of Dr. Russell Moore, it has only gotten better.

As I reflect upon Southern Seminary’s past, present, and future, let me share several things for which I am thankful. Then I will note my hopes for its future.

First, I am eternally grateful for the recovery of confessional identity and integrity that now marks the seminary. Southern takes with great seriousness its affirmation of the Abstract of Principles and the Baptist Faith and Message. What is believed and taught is not an open or debated question. Southern Baptists can be very confident that what the seminary proudly confesses it faithfully teaches.

Second, I am thankful for the impact Southern’s faculty is making in the classroom and in its writing. From the undergraduate program of Boyce College to the Ph.D. level, I have observed the excellence of a faculty that refuses to honor God with anything less than its best. This is not theoretical for m...

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