RTS E-Newsletter iss.#133 February 5, 2013

Dr. Michael Goheen, professor of missiology at Calvin Theological Seminary will give the lectures at the Kistemaker Academic Lecture Series at RTS/Orlando Feb. 19-20, 2013 from 11:00am to 12:00 noon and 1:00pm - 2:00 p.m. on both days. He will speak on "The Church and Religious Pluralism: Living Faithfully Amidst the World Religions." 

The Kistemaker Academic Lecture Series (KALS) is named in honor of New Testament Professor Emeritus Simon J. Kistemaker, Ph.D. These annual lectures offer scholarly insight into diverse topics in biblical and theological studies as well as practical theology. Read more about the event here.

RTS/VIRTUAL WILL BE REPRESENTED AT THE 2013 DESIRING GOD CONFERENCE FOR PASTORS
The 2013 Desiring God Conference for Pastors will be held in Minneapolis, MN., Feb. 4-6 and the theme is "Brothers, We Are Still Not Professionals: Reclaiming the Centrality of the Supernatural in Ministry." Stop by and say hello to our RTS/Virtual staff.

READ AND LISTEN TO INTERVIEWS OF DR. MILTON ABOUT HIS NEW BOOK SILENT NO MORE
Ben Shapiro, editor-at-large of Breitbart News, and author, interviewed Chancellor Milton (pictured left) about the threat to religious freedom under the Obama administration. He discusses religious freedom, gay marriage, abortion, economic liberty. Milton wrote Silent No More, calling on the church to not be silent on these important matters. Read the interview here on BreitBart.com. Dr. Milton was also interviewed by Steve Deace. Click here to listen to the radio interview. Janet Mefford interviewed Milton in February. Click here to listen to this radio interview.

THE WOMEN'S CONFERENCE AT RTS/CHARLOTTE IS FULL
On April 26, Nancy Guthrie will speak at the conference for the Women of RTS in Charlotte. Nancy speaks at conferences around the world, and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Covenant Theological Seminary. She and her husband David are the co-hosts of the GriefShare video series used in over 8,500 churches around the country and host Respite Retreats for couples who have experienced the death of a child. Registration has ended and the conference is full.

APPLY NOW FOR EPC-JUMPER SCHOLARSHIPS 
Applications are now being received for the Andrew A. Jumper Scholarship.  M.Div. students in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) may qualify. Obtain an application form with instructions from your admissions office, (or for students at RTS/Jackson, obtain the form from the development office.) The deadline to apply is March 1, 2013.

Criteria: 
1. Full-time study in the Masters of Divinity program at any campus of RTS. Full-time status consists of a minimum of 12 credit hours in each of the fall and spring semesters.

2. Continued demonstration of and progress in exemplary Christian character, and potential for ministry

3. Continued good standing as a member in a particular church of the EPC and as a candidate under care of a presbytery of the EPC. At the time of application, applicants must be under care of an EPC presbytery or be committed to coming under care at the soonest opportunity.

4. Submission to the Committee of a report, at least annually, on the recipient's academic, personal and ministry progress. This may include a transcript if requested by the Committee.

DON SWEETING BLOGS ABOUT INAUGURATION DAY FOR BARACK OBAMA
In January, RTS/Orlando's president, Dr. Don Sweeting, blogged on four gifts he will continue to give to our President. He writes, "Another inauguration is upon us.  Our president will take his second oath of office.  While I did not vote for Barak Obama for a second time, I am struck by the convergence of events at this year’s inauguration. The public inauguration will take place on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This will be the second time that this federal holiday has coincided with a presidential inauguration (the first was in 1997).  America’s first black president will deliver his address looking out across the National Mall toward the Lincoln Memorial, where 50 years ago King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.  And overlooking where King spoke is the statue of Abraham Lincoln looking out toward the U.S. Capitol where the inauguration will take place." Click here to read the entire blog.

RIC CANNADA TO DO CONSULTING WORK IN INDONESIA
Chancellor Emeritus Ric Cannada, with the encouragement and endorsement of Chancellor Mike Milton, has agreed to represent RTS and serve as a part-time consultant with a group in Indonesia seeking to reach that country in a variety of ways with the gospel of Christ.  As part of the agreement, Ric and Rachel Cannada will spend two months in Indonesia each year, including their next trip from Feb. 19 - March 27.  The group in Indonesia has a goal of over 1,000 Christian k-12 schools with a Reformed theology and worldview and a Reformed church developed in each of the schools.  In addition, the group in Indonesia is developing 75 modern hospitals throughout that country and they want help to establish Christian hospital chaplain ministries in each of those hospitals. For more information on this effort, contact Ric Cannada at rcannada@rts.edu.

FORMER RTS FACULTY PASSES AWAY
Dr. Richard Allen Bodey, 82, died on January 26, 2013, in Fredericksburg, Va. He was a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. He was a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary (1955) and served a number of pastorates in the Presbyterian Church (USA). In 1966, when Reformed Theological Seminary began in Jackson, Miss., he was a part of the initial faculty, serving as professor of practical theology. He was best known at RTS for his preaching classes. Later he joined the faculty of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Ill. Dr. Bodey is survived by his wife Ruth and daughter Bronlynn Spindler, and son, Richard Bodey, Jr.

RTS CHANCELLOR WROTE INAUGURAL PRAYER FOR BARACK OBAMA
Chancellor Milton wrote, "Almighty and everlasting God, our Father and our Lord: we gather our hearts, hopes, and dreams from across this nation to give thanks for the freedom that comes only from Thee, and is expressed in the Constitution of these United States, and invested in this inaugural service of the President of the United States." Click here to read the entire prayer.

NEW BOOK BY GUY WATERS
Originally published in 2010, Christian Focus has republished A Christian's Pocket Guide to Being Made Right with God: Understanding Justification by Guy Waters with a whole new look. Waters is a professor of New Testament at RTS/Jackson. Aaron Messner, college chaplain at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga., says, "Waters offers a concise yet extremely helpful treatment of what Scriptural justification is, its practical value in the Christian life and how the doctrine is being challenged in our present day. I won't hesitate to give this little book to the university students under my pastoral care." Order the book here.

CAMERON STRANG OF RELEVANT MAGAZINE TO JOIN THE PRESIDENT'S FORUM FEB. 6
Cameron Strang, editor of RELEVANT magazine and founder of Relevant Media Group, will be talking with Dr. Don Sweeting at the President's Forum, on Feb. 6 at 12:00 noon in the fellowship hall at RTS/Orlando on "Reaching 30-Somethings." Believing that Christ is relevant to the 20- and 30-somethings in our culture, Cameron Strang founded RELEVANT magazine in 2003 when he was 24. Today that online, iPad and print publication group reaches 800,000 passionate young adults monthly. Who is RELEVANT? They are “Christians seeking God and striving to impact the world around us. Read more here.