RTS ALUMNUS APPOINTED AS PRESIDENT OF ERSKINE COLLEGE AND SEMINARY
Erskine College and Seminary has appointed Dr. David Norman (MACT ‘01) as their 15th president. Dr. Norman is an RTS/Orlando graduate. He was awarded a Ph.D. in philosophical theology from the University of Edinburgh. He is married to K.D. and they have three children, Noah, Asher and Ezra. Read more here.
PROFESSORS TO PRESENT PAPERS AT ANNUAL MEETING OF EVANGELICAL THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Dr. Sam Larsen, professor of missions emeritus, will present a paper titled: Echoes of the Gospel from the First Century: The Mystery of Christ and the Origins of Amida Buddhism at the 2010 annual meeting of ETS which will be held November 17-19 in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Larsen says, “The paper bears upon the current ‘New Perspective’ controversy, because it presents salient but circumstantial historical evidence that ‘salvation by grace alone through faith alone in the substitutionary atonement of Christ alone’ was clear enough by the middle of the first century that it forever influenced the development of one strand of Buddhism.
Dr. Mike Milton, president of RTS/Charlotte, will present a paper at ETS titled 'Justification by Faith in 17th Century English Puritanism".
Dr. Dan Timmer, associate professor of Old Testament at RTS/Jackson, will present a paper on rest in the book of Joshua at ETS. Then, he will present two papers at the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) conference which will be held Nov. 20-23 in Atlanta. The first SBL paper examines Nineveh through the eyes of Jonah and Nahum, while the second one studies the spiritual transformation of the Gentiles and of Israel's remnant in Zephaniah.
Rev. Peter Lee, assistant professor of Old Testament at RTS/Washington D.C. will present a paper at the SBL on a "Poetic Analysis on 4Q246." It is in the Aramaic study section. Rev. Lee says, “One of the most popular and significant documents is 4Q246, more popularly referred to as ‘the Son of God’ text. It is called this because of the extraordinary pre-Christian Jewish reference to a figure referred as the ‘son of God’ and ‘son of the most high.’ Every scholar has published on the identity of this person. The identity of this person has caused people to miss the fact that this text seems to be composed in poetry. I'm presenting a new literary analysis of the text as an example of second temple Aramaic poetry and presenting a poetic analysis of the text.”
VIRTUAL CAMPUS ORIENTATION SEMINARS
Virtual M.A. (Religion) students are required to complete an orientation seminar on an RTS campus near the beginning of their degree work. However, the orientation seminar is much more than just a requirement. Orientation is an invaluable opportunity for students to visit the RTS/Charlotte campus, hear lectures from RTS professors, visit top-notch theological libraries, meet with personal advisors from the RTS/Virtual staff, and network with other students. Upcoming dates for orientation seminars are June 21-23 and August 23-25.
REGISTER NOW (FREE) FOR ORLANDO LAUSANNE CONVERSATION GATHERING JUNE 16
Dr. Don Sweeting, new RTS/Orlando president, will be a panelist at the Orlando Lausanne Conversation Gathering on June 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Summit Church in Orlando. The moderator will be JR Kerr from Park Community Church. Other panelists include Doug Birdsall (Exec. Chairman of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelism), Andy Crouch (senior editor for Christianity Today and author of Culture Making), Stephen Douglass (president of CCC), Brad Lomenick (director of Catalyst) and Jesse Miranda (president of the Hispanic Leadership Center). RTS is a sponsor of this event. The 12 Cities 12 Conversations events were started to help people engage in the conversation about the future of the church in preparation for the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism in Cape Town, South Africa, in October. Click here for the church flyer. Click here to register.
EXPOSITORS’ CONFERENCE 2010
Register now for the Expositors’ Conference 2010 with Steven J. Lawson & R.C. Sproul, sponsored by Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, AL. The conference will be held September 27-28. Click here to register.
RTS FACULTY SUMMIT
The RTS Faculty recently went to Simpsonwood in Norcross, GA, for their yearly retreat. The RTS Board joined them for dinner and toured the new RTS/Atlanta campus (pictured left).
READ DR. DON SWEETING’S BLOG ABOUT HIS DECISION TO COME TO RTS/ORLANDO
The new RTS/Orlando president wrote a blog in May titled “Why I Did it? On Accepting the Call to RTS”. Click here and scroll down to the appropriate heading.
CAMPUS EVENTS
ALL CAMPUSES - FALL REGISTRATION BEGINS JUNE 15
RTS/ORLANDO - FIRST “PREVIEW DAY” HELD JUNE 5
Tom Nelson, director of admissions at RTS/Orlando remarked that there was “very little advertising” for RTS/Orlando’s first Preview Day, but the turnout was “more than expected”. Dr. Reggie Kidd gave a Q&A session about answering your call to ministry and how the seminary can equip you. Tim Trouten, Kim Frederickson and Professor Scott Redd gave a Q&A on seminary life. After lunch, the admissions team offered tours of the campus and the new off-campus housing area. If you are interested in attending the next open house in Orlando, please contact Tom Nelson.
ALUMNI SNIPPETS
Do you have an alumni snippet to share? Send it to the editor, here.
Mark Batluck (M.Div.M. '06) and his wife Mela have moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, where he is pursuing a Ph.D. in New Testament while they both work with the Navigators student ministry at the University of Edinburgh. They are expecting their first child in November.
Paxson Jeancake (MAR ‘04) is the director of worship and arts at Valley Springs Presbyterian Church in Roseville, CA and the author of The Art of Worship: Opening Our Eyes to the Beauty of the Gospel. He serves on the executive committee of the Worship Reformation Network - a national community of worship leaders with a common vision for biblical, Reformed, and gospel-driven worship. He and his wife Allison have recorded three CDs: The Rhythm of Worship (2003), Ascension (2007) and Wide Awake (due out June 2010). Paxson and Allison live in northern California with their two daughters, Laura Camille and Mallory.
Click here to see his website and to listen to a few songs off the new album.
Ronald Morrell (M.Div. ‘77), 64, or Elkhorn, WI, died unexpectedly on March 5, 2010. He spent the last 12 years as chaplain at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Hospital. He is survived by his wife Catherine , children Jenny Mcallister, Rachel Bost and Thomas Morrell, and four grandchildren. He is further survived by his sister Jewel Booher, brothers Ken (Mary), Stan (Margaret), David (Alice), Randall (Deanna) and Wayne (Nell) Morrell. A memorial service for Ron was held at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Center Chapel. The funeral service was held back home in Bristol, TN.
Blake Schwarz (M.Div. ’09 ) just accepted a position as the dean of students at the Cambridge School of Dallas. He and his wife Julia are excited about moving home.
James “Jay” Wilson (M.Div. ’09, MAC ‘09) and his wife Debbie announce the birth of Isaac Aiden Wilson, born on May 24th (on their 7th anniversary). Congratulations! Jay is a counseling center intern at City Church in San Francisco.