Boyce College Launching Cross-Country Team Next Fall June 2, 2022

Boyce College is expanding its athletic offerings this fall to include a cross-country team. The addition of men’s and women’s cross-country will be the school’s fourth athletic program and testifies to significant growth within Boyce College athletics.

“The fielding of a cross-country program represents the next move for Boyce athletics,” said Dustin Bruce, Boyce College dean.

“With the growth of the sport among traditional high schools, smaller Christian school, and home school co-ops, cross-country is a natural fit for our constituency. Our current student athletes make a significant contribution to our student experience and campus culture, and I look forward to welcoming a new team into the Boyce athletics program.”

The team will have spots for up to ten men and ten women and plans to begin competition this fall.

The past year witnessed major success for Boyce athletics as the basketball team achieved a top- 10 ranking in the NCCAA Division II, and the Boyce men’s soccer team made history by winning the school’s first regional championship. Adding the cross-country team is the next step in furthering Boyce’s success in the classroom and on the field.

Michael McCarty, athletic director at Boyce College, is excited for the new athletic offering that Boyce students will use to spread the gospel.

“Boyce Athletics is thankful to the trustees, Dr. Mohler, and Dr. Bruce for allowing us to add the men's and women's cross-country team this fall,” said McCarty.

“The cross-country team will give our students another exciting way to participate in intercollegiate sports while at Boyce College. The cross-country team will continue our mission of using Boyce athletics as a platform for ministry and the advancement of the kingdom of Christ in the lives of the student-athletes and those we meet while running. I am excited to see all the Boyce runners out competing this fall.”

Prospective student athletes may submit their information here or email boycecrosscountry@sbts.edu.

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SBTS Honors Schreiner and York—Teachers of Joy—for 25 Years of Faithfulness May 19, 2022

Twenty-five years ago, Southern Seminary was, to put it mildly, a radically different place than it is in 2022.

Albert Mohler had been president for only four years and though a theological reformation was underway, it was far from complete. Moderate faculty members were leaving, and turmoil filled the air on campus and the newspapers off it. An atmosphere of uncertainty and change forced Mohler to wrestle with a giant question: Will any stalwart evangelical scholar be willing to leave his current—presumably peaceful—place of service and enter the “white-knuckle” struggle for the theological soul of Southern Seminary?

To join Southern Seminary’s faculty with the ground trembling so violently beneath the institution was to take an epic risk.

“I understood we had to get an entirely new faculty; it was do or die,” said Mohler, whom the trustees elected as Southern’s ninth president in 1993, and tasked him with

leading the school out of the Egypt of liberalism into the Canaan of its orthodox confessional heritage.

“The big question was who was going to come and teach here. I knew what I believed the Lord would do here, but it took other people who would leave other good places to come and take a risk.”

Tom Schreiner and Hershael York were willing to take the risk; they were willing to help the seminary recover the theological and ministry vision of its founding faculty.

Schreiner is one of the most highly regarded New Testament scholars in the evangelical world. Schreiner left the faculty of Bethel Theological Seminary, where he had served for a number of years, to link arms with the burgeoning reformation at Southern.

York is a faithful longtime pastor and noted homiletician. He has written several books on preaching, teaching, and homiletics.

Last week, the two marked 25 years of faithful service at Southern Seminary during a faculty luncheon honoring professors with five, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years of service. With the dust from that early theological controversy having long ago settled, both Schreiner and York continue going strong as leaders of Southern’s faculty. Schreiner serves as the James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and York is the Dean of the School of Theology and the Victor and Louise Lester Professor of Christian Preaching.

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“Open Your Mouth and Let the Fire of God’s Word Come Out,” Mohler Exhorts Graduates May 16, 2022

Seminary graduates must give themselves unreservedly to preaching God’s Word because Scripture is the chosen hammer God puts in the hands of called ministers, one he uses to shatter savingly the hard hearts of sinners, Southern Seminary Albert Mohler told graduates Friday at the school’s spring commencement.

Preaching on the call of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah from Jeremiah 23:23-29, Mohler said faithful proclamation of God’s Word is both a hammer and a fire that breaks and burns and transforms the hearts of sinners.

“Just imagine the heat of a million million suns put in your mouth,” Mohler said. “For what is the infinite power of the Word of God? The exhortation of this faculty and my exhortation to you today is give yourselves unreservedly to the ministry of the Word in such a way that the fire the Lord puts in your mouth will come out as fire.

“God’s Word will come forth from your mouths and through your ministries like a hammer that shatters a rock. . . . God puts words in our mouth and those words are like fire that burn in us. Here is the mandate of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: Go set fires. Open your mouth and let fire come out.”

In the seminary’s 229th commencement, 347 students received degrees for the spring semester with 262 walking across the stage on a warm, picture-perfect spring day. Boyce College held its graduation Friday morning (see below), Southern’s commencement was held in the afternoon, one Mohler called the warmest ceremony during his presidential tenure. In total, Southern Seminary and Boyce College—the seminary’s undergraduate school—cumulatively conferred 526 degrees.

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Biblical Counseling Leader Joins Boyce College Faculty May 12, 2022

Curtis Solomon, director of the Biblical Counseling Coalition (BCC), has been named assistant professor of Biblical Counseling at Boyce College, bringing extensive academic and local church experience to Southern Seminary’s undergraduate school.

Solomon received his MDiv, ThM, and PhD from Southern Seminary and is the author of a brand-new book, Redeem Your Marriage: Hope for Husbands Who Have Hurt through Pornography (New Growth Press).

Solomon is well-acquainted with the Boyce College student body, having served for several years as an adjunct professor. He will serve as program coordinator for Biblical Counseling at the college and will remain in his position with the BCC.

Southern Seminary President Albert Mohler said Solomon is the right leader for Boyce’s counseling program because he brings both strong academic acumen and significant pastoral experience to his new position.

“The need for biblical counselors and for pastors skilled in counseling from Scripture is great,” Mohler said. “I am so thankful for the addition of Curtis Solomon to the Boyce College faculty, both as teacher and as coordinator of this program. He combines years of pastoral ministry with academic credibility.

“I am very proud of this program at Boyce College, and thankful God has provided a key leader and teacher to prepare the next generation of Boyce College students.”

Solomon said his new role allows him to serve a vibrant community he long ago grew to love.

“The community at Southern is the primary draw for me,” Solomon said. “From the students to the staff, faculty, campus police, administrators, and everyone else, the people make this place special. My new role will give me even more opportunity to sharpen and be sharpened by the campus’s vibrant spiritual life.”

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Ozolins Joining OT Department at Southern Seminary May 11, 2022

Kaspars Ozolins has been appointed as the newest member of Southern Seminary’s biblical studies department.

Ozolins, who will serve as assistant professor of Old Testament interpretation, previously worked as a research associate at Tyndale House in Cambridge and comes to Southern Seminary with a dynamic educational and teaching background.

Ozolins received his PhD from UCLA and has lecturing and teaching experience at numerous colleges and seminaries including the University of Cambridge, The Master’s Seminary, and UCLA.

Southern Seminary President Albert Mohler said Ozolins’ background makes him an invaluable addition to the seminary’s Old Testament faculty.

“Kaspars Ozolins is an outstanding addition to the Southern Seminary teaching faculty,” Mohler said. “He brings outstanding academic credentials to his teaching, and he is an unreservedly conservative Old Testament scholar and teacher of the Scriptures.

“His experience at Tyndale House and in major universities, ranging from the University of Latvia to Cambridge University and UCLA will serve our students well. He and his sweet family will be warmly welcomed into the Southern Seminary family.”

Ozolins said he considers it a great privilege to join the Southern Seminary faculty.

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New Testament Scholar Joins Boyce College Faculty May 10, 2022

Boyce College has hired Daniel Stevens as assistant professor of New Testament interpretation.

Southern Seminary President Albert Mohler said Stevens is an excellent addition to the faculty.

“Daniel Stevens is an outstanding young scholar whose commitment to Christian scholarship is stellar and whose dedication to teaching young ministers and college students is clear,” Mohler said. “His education and experience are outstanding.

“We are very glad he is joining the Boyce College and Southern Seminary faculty. His doctoral work at the University of Cambridge and his research at Tyndale House speak loudly of his commitment to Christian scholarship and teaching.”

Stevens, who will relocate to Louisville and join the faculty this fall, is excited to train students to love and serve the church.

"I am thrilled to be starting this new position at Boyce College,” he said. “All my previous studies have been with the goal to help others better understand the New Testament, and I am humbled by the opportunity to help guide the students of Boyce and through them to serve the church.”

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Southern Seminary Celebrates the Memory of Beloved Trustee and Longtime Associate April 29, 2022

A soldier, physician, baseball-lover, and friend, Southern Seminary leaders remember Dr. Howard Pope as a godly man who lived with abiding joy and faithfully served his Lord.

Southern Seminary honored Pope’s memory during a special service April 26 in Broadus Chapel. Pope died in January at age 84 in Arizona.

Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. spoke of Pope as a friend and cherished member of the Southern family.

“We are gathered to honor one of our own,” Mohler said. “To know Howard Pope was to know one who had never met a stranger. He invested his interest in me, in Mary, in Southern Seminary, in his church, and in the Bible.

“Howard was a Christian man who grew in his faith and commitment to Christ. His devotion to Christ became a hallmark of his life and he translated that into gospel friendship, and it showed in his Christian joy.”

Pope’s life displayed love for his wife, Harriet, and his children: Mary Sue, Thomas, and Jennie, and his grandson, Jonas. Above all, he loved his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Said Matthew Hall, Provost of Southern Seminary, “This is a service of Christian worship and of grieving the loss of one we have come to miss so dearly. But more than that, this is a service of Christian joy, hope in the resurrection, and the joy that comes from knowing the reality and certainty of eternal life in Christ Jesus.”

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SBTS Trustees Elect Faculty, Approve Annual Budget, and Honor Outgoing Board Members at Spring Meeting April 26, 2022

In their spring meeting Monday evening, trustees of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary unanimously approved a $50.4 million operating budget for 2022-2023, as enrollment and finances remain very strong.

The new budget represents a $2.3 million increase (4.8 percent) from the budget trustees approved last year. Over the past two budget cycles, Southern’s budget has grown by more than $13 million despite challenges from the recent pandemic.

“God continues to bless Southern Seminary and our churches continue to send us the most amazing students,” SBTS President Albert Mohler said.

“This is a great era in the history of this seminary and college and we are pressing ahead. Our board of trustees and faculty and staff work together for the best theological education we can provide our students for a lifetime of faithful ministry. We pray to bear this great mission with faithfulness until Jesus comes.”

The new budget is just right for the current economic circumstances, seminary leaders said.

“We believe this is a conservative budget,” said Jon Austin, senior vice president for institutional administration. “We are mindful of the economic state of not only the country, but the world, so we want to navigate that and be very mindful of that.”

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SBTS Encourages Mission-Centric Work during Great Commission Week April 19, 2022

Southern Seminary encouraged students, faculty, and staff to get involved in missions both locally and globally during the school’s Great Commission Week April 12–14.

Southern filled the week, themed “Send Me!”, with events designed to present options and information for the many students considering full-time missions after graduation.

Paul Chitwood, president of the International Mission Board, kicked off the week with a chapel message on the need for the gospel in solving the world’s greatest problem.

“Lostness is the world’s greatest problem.” Chitwood said, “We know the solution to the world’s greatest problem, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we have been called to share it.”

Paul Akin, Dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Ministry, interviewed Chitwood in The Bookstore at Southern on the mission of SBTS and the IMB. Southern has proudly partnered with the IMB for 160 years and the seminary is more mission-centric than at any other time, Chitwood said.

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Four Vital Truths Are Foundational to Human Flourishing, Anderson says in Gheens Lectures March 18, 2022

Important ground on our culture’s understanding of human nature has been lost in the last decade, Ryan T. Anderson told the Southern Seminary community during the annual Gheens Lectures March 16-17.

Truths that were self-evident a generation ago now require an academic response in the public sphere, Anderson argued.

“None of our grandparents needed academic arguments about the dignity of human life, the value of life in the womb, the nature of marriage as a union between a husband and wife, the importance of our embodiment as male or female, or the free exercise of religion,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we now have to actually make arguments and engage in a political process to see that our laws reflect the truth.”

Anderson is founding editor of Public Discourse and president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. He is author of five books, including  When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment and Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom.

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