About Southeastern

Southeastern is a Great Commission seminary, where learning occurs in light of God’s glory and God’s mission. The mission of God issues from the Creator’s desire to share his life and love with his creation, and to form a people for himself who proclaim his glory and enjoy the pleasures of life with God forever. Southeastern’s institutional mission is focused on God’s mission in the world, and is situated in the context of a particular identity and particular confessional commitments.

Mission

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary seeks to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).

Identity

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is an institution of higher learning and a Cooperative Program ministry of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Confession

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary affirms the Bible as the authoritative Word of God. We covenant to teach in accordance with and not contrary to the Abstract of Principles and the Baptist Faith and Message. We further affirm the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.

Core Competencies

To equip students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission, the Southeastern Faculty build curricula and courses, drawing upon the great tradition of Christian orthodoxy and our Baptist heritage, to develop the following core competencies so that Southeastern graduates:

Spiritual Formation
Demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue an authentically Christian way of life, manifested by trust in God, obedience to Christ’s commands, and love of God and neighbor.

Biblical Exposition
Demonstrate the ability to properly and effectively interpret, apply, and communicate the Scriptures.

Theological Integration
Demonstrate the ability to understand and apply the doctrines of Christianity to life and ministry.

Ministry Preparation
Demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and Christian disposition necessary for ministry and leadership in the church and the world.

Critical Thinking and Communication
Demonstrate the ability to think critically, argue persuasively, and communicate clearly.

We strive to do all of this while cultivating in students a delight in God, His Word, and His Church.

Articles of Faith

The Bible is the Word of God written, and alone is inspired and authoritative for faith and practice. Baptists have often formed confessions of faith to affirm the central teachings of Scripture. Two articles of faith are affirmed by the Board of Trustees and faculty at Southeastern. The Abstract of Principles is the oldest doctrinal confession approved by Southern Baptists. It was composed by Basil Manly, Jr., in 1858. The Baptist Faith and Message, revised in 2000, is the most recent confession adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention.

Since Southeastern’s founding in 1950, each elected member of the faculty has publicly signed the Abstract of Principles at the beginning of his or her teaching career at the Seminary. Currently, Southeastern’s faculty members also publicly sign and affirm the Baptist Faith and Message as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000. In addition to these two articles of faith, the trustees and faculty affirm the Chicago Statements on Biblical Inerrancy and Hermeneutics and the Danvers Statement as doctrinal guidelines for the institution.

Abstract of Principles

This Abstract of Principles was originally prepared for and adopted by the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, founded in 1859.

1. The Scriptures.
   The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and are the only sufficient, certain, and authoritative rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.
2. God.
   There is but one God, the Maker, Preserver and Ruler of all things, having in and of Himself all perfections, and being infinite in them all; and to Him all creatures owe the highest love, reverence and obedience.
3. The Trinity.
   God is revealed to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
4. Providence.
   God from eternity, decrees or permits all things that come to pass, and perpetually upholds, directs and governs all creatures and all events; yet so as not in any wise to be author or approver of sin nor to destroy the free will and responsibility of intelligent creatures.
5. Election.
   Election is God’s eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life-not because of foreseen merit in them, but of His mere mercy in Christ-in consequence of which choice they are called, justified, and glorified.
6. The Fall of Man.
   God originally created man in His own image, and free from sin; but through the temptation of Satan, he transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original holiness and righteousness; whereby his posterity inherit a nature corrupt and wholly opposed to God and His law, are under condemnation, and as soon as they are capable of moral action, become actual transgressors.
7. The Mediator.
   Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is the divinely appointed Mediator between God and man. Having taken upon Himself human nature, yet without sin, He perfectly fulfilled the law, suffered and died upon the cross for the salvation of sinners. He was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended to His Father, at whose right hand He ever liveth to make intercession for His people. He is the only Mediator, the Prophet, Priest, and King of the Church, and Sovereign of the Universe.
8. Regeneration.
   Regeneration is a change of heart, wrought by the Holy Spirit, who quickeneth the dead in trespasses and sins, enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the Word of God, and renewing their whole nature, so that they love and practice holiness. It is a work of God’s free and special grace alone.
9. Repentance.
   Repentance is an evangelical grace, wherein a person being, by the Holy Spirit, made sensible of the manifold evil of his sin, humbleth himself for it, with godly sorrow, detestation of it, and self-abhorrence, with a purpose and endeavor to walk before God so as to please Him in all things.
10. Faith.
    Saving faith is the belief, on God’s authority, of whatsoever is revealed in His Word concerning Christ; accepting and resting upon Him alone for justification and eternal life. It is wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, and is accompanied by all other saving graces, and leads to a life of holiness.
11. Justification.
    Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal of sinners, who believe in Christ, from all sin, through the satisfaction that Christ has made; not for anything wrought in them or done by them; but on account of the obedience and satisfaction of Christ, they receiving and resting on Him and His righteousness by faith.
12. Sanctification.
    Those who have been regenerated are also sanctified by God’s Word and Spirit dwelling in them. This sanctification is progressive through the supply of Divine strength, which all saints seek to obtain, pressing after a heavenly life in cordial obedience to all Christ’s commands.
13. Perseverance of the Saints.
    Those whom God hath accepted in the Beloved, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere to the end; and though they may fall, through neglect and temptation, into sin, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the Church, and temporal judgments on themselves, yet they shall be renewed again unto repentance, and be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
14. The Church.
    The Lord Jesus is the Head of the Church, which is composed of all His true disciples, and in Him is invested supremely all power for its government. According to his commandment, Christians are to associate themselves into particular societies or churches; and to each of these churches He hath given needful authority for administering that order, discipline, and worship which He hath appointed. The regular officers of a Church are Bishops or Elders, and Deacons.
15. Baptism.
    Baptism is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, obligatory upon every believer, wherein he is immersed in water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, as a sign of his fellowship with the death and resurrection of Christ, of remission of sins, and of his giving himself up to God, to live and walk in newness of life. It is prerequisite to church fellowship, and to participation in the Lord’s Supper.
16. The Lord’s Supper.
    The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of Jesus Christ, to be administered with the elements of bread and wine, and to be observed by His churches till the end of the world. It is in no sense a sacrifice, but is designed to commemorate his death, to confirm the faith and other graces of Christians, and to be a bond, pledge, and renewal of their communion with Him, and of their church fellowship.
17. The Lord’s Day.
    The Lord’s day is a Christian institution for regular observance, and should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private, resting from worldly employments and amusements, works of necessity and mercy only excepted.
18. Liberty of Conscience.
    God alone is Lord of the conscience; and He hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are in anything contrary to His word, or not contained in it. Civil magistrates being ordained of God, subjection to all lawful things commanded by them ought to be yielded by us in the Lord, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
19. The Resurrection.
    The bodies of men after death return to dust, but their spirits return immediately to God-the righteous to rest with Him; the wicked, to be reserved under darkness to the judgment. At the last day, the bodies of all the dead, both just and unjust, will be raised.
20. The Judgment.
    God hath appointed a day, wherein He will judge the world by Jesus Christ, when everyone shall receive according to his deeds: the wicked shall go into everlasting punishment; the righteous, into everlasting life.

Baptist Faith and Message

The Baptist Faith and Message was adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in June 2000. It is a revision of similar confessions adopted in 1925 and 1963.

1. The Scriptures
   The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.
2. God
   There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. 
   
   1. God the Father. God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.
   2. God the Son. Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.
   3. God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
3. Man
   Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God’s creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan, man transgressed the command of God and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
4. Salvation
   Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
   

   1. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.

      Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour

   2. Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.

   3. Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God’s purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person’s life.

   4. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.

5. God’s Purpose of Grace
   Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility.

   All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

6. The Church
   A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

   The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.

7. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
   Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper.

   The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

8. The Lord’s Day
   The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord’s Day should be commensurate with the Christian’s conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

9. The Kingdom
   The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God’s will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.

10. Last Things
    God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.

11. Evangelism and Missions
    It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations. The new birth of man’s spirit by God’s Holy Spirit means the birth of love for others. Missionary effort on the part of all rests thus upon a spiritual necessity of the regenerate life, and is expressly and repeatedly commanded in the teachings of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations. It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ.

12. Education
    Christianity is the faith of enlightenment and intelligence. In Jesus Christ abide all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All sound learning is, therefore, a part of our Christian heritage. The new birth opens all human faculties and creates a thirst for knowledge. Moreover, the cause of education in the Kingdom of Christ is co-ordinate with the causes of missions and general benevolence, and should receive along with these the liberal support of the churches. An adequate system of Christian education is necessary to a complete spiritual program for Christ’s people.

    In Christian education there should be a proper balance between academic freedom and academic responsibility. Freedom in any orderly relationship of human life is always limited and never absolute. The freedom of a teacher in a Christian school, college, or seminary is limited by the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ, by the authoritative nature of the Scriptures, and by the distinct purpose for which the school exists.

13. Stewardship
    God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions. They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer’s cause on earth.

14. Cooperation
    Christ’s people should, as occasion requires, organize such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the great objects of the Kingdom of God. Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches. They are voluntary and advisory bodies designed to elicit, combine, and direct the energies of our people in the most effective manner. Members of New Testament churches should cooperate with one another in carrying forward the missionary, educational, and benevolent ministries for the extension of Christ’s Kingdom. Christian unity in the New Testament sense is spiritual harmony and voluntary cooperation for common ends by various groups of Christ’s people. Cooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations, when the end to be attained is itself justified, and when such cooperation involves no violation of conscience or compromise of loyalty to Christ and His Word as revealed in the New Testament.

15. The Christian and the Social Order
    All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.

16. Peace and War
    It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness. In accordance with the spirit and teachings of Christ they should do all in their power to put an end to war.

    The true remedy for the war spirit is the gospel of our Lord. The supreme need of the world is the acceptance of His teachings in all the affairs of men and nations, and the practical application of His law of love. Christian people throughout the world should pray for the reign of the Prince of Peace.

17. Religious Liberty
    God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it. Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. In providing for such freedom no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the state more than others. Civil government being ordained of God, it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God. The church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work. The gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends. The state has no right to impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind. The state has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power.

18. The Family
    God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.

    Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.

    The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.

    Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.

    Copyright © 1999-2001, Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. All rights reserved.

Affirmed Statements

In addition to our articles of faith, Southeastern further subscribes to other documents that clarify our beliefs on critical issues of our day. The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy reflects Southeastern’s commitment to biblical authority. The Danvers Statement addresses the issue of biblical manhood and womanhood. One Faith, One Trust, One Sacred Task is an expression of commitment to the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention on the part of the six Southern Baptist Seminaries, which includes Southeastern.

Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy

Preface

The authority of Scripture is a key issue for the Christian Church in this and every age. Those who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are called to show the reality of their discipleship by humbly and faithfully obeying God’s written Word. To stray from Scripture in faith or conduct is disloyalty to our Master. Recognition of the total truth and trust-worthiness of Holy Scripture is essential to a full grasp and adequate confession of its authority.

The following Statement affirms this inerrancy of Scripture afresh, making clear our understanding of it and warning against its denial. We are persuaded that to deny it is to set aside the witness of Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit and to refuse that submission to the claims of God’s own Word which marks true Christian faith. We see it as our timely duty to make this affirmation in the face of current lapses from the truth of inerrancy among our fellow Christians and misunderstanding of this doctrine in the world at large.

This Statement consists of three parts: a Summary Statement, articles of Affirmation and Denial, and an accompanying Exposition*. It has been prepared in the course of a three-day consultation in Chicago. Those who have signed the Summary Statement and the Articles wish to affirm their own conviction as to the inerrancy of Scripture and to encourage and challenge one another and all Christians to growing appreciation and understanding of this doctrine. We acknowledge the limitations of a document prepared in a brief, intensive conference and do not propose that this Statement be given creedal weight. Yet we rejoice in the deepening of our own convictions through our discussions together, and we pray that the Statement we have signed may be used to the glory of our God toward a new reformation of the Church in its faith, life, and mission.

We offer this Statement in a spirit, not of contention, but of humility and love, which we purpose by God’s grace to maintain in any future dialogue arising out of what we have said. We gladly acknowledge that many who deny the inerrancy of Scripture do not display the consequences of this denial in the rest of their belief and behavior, and we are conscious that we who confess this doctrine often deny it in life by failing to bring our thoughts and deeds, our traditions and habits, into true subjection to the divine Word.

We invite response to this statement from any who see reason to amend its affirmations about Scripture by the light of Scripture itself, under whose infallible authority we stand as we speak. We claim no personal infallibility for the witness we bear, and for any help which enables us to strengthen this testimony to God’s Word we shall be grateful.

*The Exposition is not included here.

A Short Statement

1. God, who is Himself Truth and speaks truth only, has inspired Holy Scripture in order thereby to reveal Himself to lost mankind through Jesus Christ as Creator and Lord, Redeemer and Judge. Holy Scripture is God’s witness to Himself.
2. Holy Scripture, being God’s own Word, written by men prepared and superintended by His Spirit, is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: it is to be believed, as God’s pledge, in all that it promises.
3. The Holy Spirit, Scripture’s divine Author, both authenticates it to us by His inward witness and opens our minds to understand its meaning.
4. Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God’s acts in creation, about the events of world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God’s saving grace in individual lives.
5. The authority of Scripture is inescapably impaired if this total divine inerrancy is in any way limited or disregarded, or made relative to a view of truth contrary to the Bible’s own; and such lapses bring serious loss to both the individual and the Church.

Articles of Affirmation and Denial

Article I
We affirm that the Holy Scriptures are to be received as the authoritative Word of God.

We deny that the Scriptures receive their authority from the Church, tradition, or any other human source.

Article II
We affirm that the Scriptures are the supreme written norm by which God binds the conscience, and that the authority of the Church is subordinate to that of Scripture.

We deny that Church creeds, councils, or declarations have authority greater than or equal to the authority of the Bible.

Article III
We affirm that the written Word in its entirety is revelation given by God.

We deny that the Bible is merely a witness to revelation, or only becomes revelation in encounter, or depends on the responses of men for its validity.

Article IV
We affirm that God who made mankind in His image has used language as a means of revelation.

We deny that human language is so limited by our creatureliness that it is rendered inadequate as a vehicle for divine revelation. We further deny that the corruption of human culture and language through sin has thwarted God’s work of inspiration.

Article V
We affirm that God’s revelation in the Holy Scriptures was progressive.

We deny that later revelation, which may fulfill earlier revelation, ever corrects or contradicts it. We further deny that any normative revelation has been given since the completion of the New Testament writings.

Article VI
We affirm that the whole of Scripture and all its parts, down to the very words of the original, were given by divine inspiration.

We deny that the inspiration of Scripture can rightly be affirmed of the whole without the parts, or of some parts but not the whole.

Article VII
We affirm that inspiration was the work in which God by His Spirit, through human writers, gave us His Word. The origin of Scripture is divine. The mode of divine inspiration remains largely a mystery to us.

We deny that inspiration can be reduced to human insight, or to heightened states of consciousness of any kind.

Article VIII
We affirm that God in His Work of inspiration utilized the distinctive personalities and literary styles of the writers whom He had chosen and prepared.

We deny that God, in causing these writers to use the very words that He chose, overrode their personalities.

Article IX
We affirm that inspiration, though not conferring omniscience, guaranteed true and trustworthy utterance on all matters of which the biblical authors were moved to speak and write.

We deny that the finitude or fallenness of these writers, by necessity or otherwise, introduced distortion or falsehood into God’s Word.

Article X
We affirm that inspiration, strictly speaking, applies only to the autographic text of Scripture, which in the providence of God can be ascertained from available manuscripts with great accuracy. We further affirm that copies and translations of Scripture are the Word of God to the extent that they faithfully represent the original.

We deny that any essential element of the Christian faith is affected by the absence of the autographs.

We further deny that this absence renders the assertion of Biblical inerrancy invalid or irrelevant.

Article XI
We affirm that Scripture, having been given by divine inspiration, is infallible, so that, far from misleading us, it is true and reliable in all the matters it addresses.

We deny that it is possible for the Bible to be at the same time infallible and errant in its assertions. Infallibility and inerrancy may be distinguished, but not separated.

Article XII
We affirm that Scripture in its entirety is inerrant, being free from all falsehood, fraud, or deceit.

We deny that Biblical infallibility and inerrancy are limited to spiritual, religious, or redemptive themes, exclusive of assertions in the fields of history and science. We further deny that scientific hypotheses about earth history may properly be used to overturn the teaching of Scripture on creation and the flood.

Article XIII
We affirm the propriety of using inerrancy as a theological term with reference to the complete truthfulness of Scripture.

We deny that it is proper to evaluate Scripture according to standards of truth and error that are alien to its usage or purpose. We further deny that inerrancy is negated by Biblical phenomena such as a lack of modern technical precision, irregularities of grammar or spelling, observational descriptions of nature, the reporting of falsehoods, the use of hyperbole and round numbers, the topical arrangement of material, variant selections of material in parallel accounts, or the use of free citations.

Article XIV
We affirm the unity and internal consistency of Scripture.

We deny that alleged errors and discrepancies that have not yet been resolved vitiate the truth claims of the Bible.

Article XV
We affirm that the doctrine of inerrancy is grounded in the teaching of the Bible about inspiration.

We deny that Jesus’ teaching about Scripture may be dismissed by appeals to accommodation or to any natural limitation of His humanity.

Article XVI
We affirm that the doctrine of inerrancy has been integral to the Church’s faith throughout its history.

We deny that inerrancy is a doctrine invented by Scholastic Protestantism, or is a reactionary position postulated in response to negative higher criticism.

Article XVII
We affirm that the Holy Spirit bears witness to the Scriptures, assuring believers of the truthfulness of God’s written Word.

We deny that this witness of the Holy Spirit operates in isolation from or against Scripture.

Article XVIII
We affirm that the text of Scripture is to be interpreted by grammatico-historical exegesis, taking account of its literary forms and devices, and that Scripture is to interpret Scripture.

We deny the legitimacy of any treatment of the text or quest for sources lying behind it that leads to relativizing, dehistoricizing, or discounting its teaching, or rejecting its claims to authorship.

Article XIX
We affirm that a confession of the full authority, infallibility, and inerrancy of Scripture is vital to a sound understanding of the whole of the Christian faith. We further affirm that such confession should lead to increasing conformity to the image of Christ.

We deny that such confession is necessary for salvation. However, we further deny that inerrancy can be rejected without grave consequences, both to the individual and to the Church.

Danvers Statement

Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

Affirmations

Based on our understanding of Biblical teachings, we affirm the following:

1. Both Adam and Eve were created in God’s image, equal before God as persons and distinct in their manhood and womanhood.
2. Distinctions in masculine and feminine roles are ordained by God as part of the created order and should find an echo in every human heart.
3. Adam’s headship in marriage was established by God before the Fall and was not a result of sin.
4. The Fall introduced distortions into the relationships between men and women.
   • In the home, the husband’s loving, humble headship tends to be replaced by domination or passivity; the wife’s intelligent, willing submission tends to be replaced by usurpation or servility.
   • In the church, sin inclines men toward a worldly love of power or an abdication of spiritual responsibility, and inclines women to resist limitations on their roles or to neglect the use of their gifts in appropriate ministries.
5. The Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, manifests the equally high value and dignity which God attached to the roles of both men and women. Both Old and New Testaments also affirm the principle of male headship in the family and in the covenant community.
6. Redemption in Christ aims at removing the distortions introduced by the curse.
   • In the family, husbands should forsake harsh or selfish leadership and grow in love and care for their wives; wives should forsake resistance to their husbands’ leadership.
   • In the church, redemption in Christ gives men and women an equal share in the blessings of salvation; nevertheless, some governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men.
7. In all of life Christ is the supreme authority and guide for men and women, so that no earthly submission-domestic, religious or civil-ever implies a mandate to follow a human authority into sin.
8. In both men and women a heartfelt sense of call to ministry should never be used to set aside Biblical criteria for particular ministries. Rather, Biblical teaching should remain the authority for testing our subjective discernment of God’s will.
9. With half the world’s population outside the reach of indigenous evangelism; with countless other lost people in those societies that have heard the gospel; with the stresses and miseries of sickness, malnutrition, homelessness, illiteracy, ignorance, aging, addiction, crime, incarceration, neuroses, and loneliness, no man or woman who feels a passion from God to make His grace known in word and deed need ever live without a fulfilling ministry for the glory of Christ and the good of this fallen world.
10. We are convinced that a denial or neglect of these principles will lead to increasingly destructive consequences in our families, our churches and the culture at large.

This statement of affirmations may be reproduced without charge and in its entirety for non-commercial purposes without the prior permission of CBMW.

Affirmed by the Trustees of SEBTS, April 2004

One Faith, One Task, One Sacred Trust

A Covenant Between Our Seminaries and Our Churches

“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace
that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that
you have heard from me among many witnesses,
commit these to faithful men who will be
able to teach others also.”
II Timothy 2:1-2

For over 135 years, the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention have looked to their seminaries for the training and education of their ministers. These six schools were established and undergirded by Southern Baptists in order that our churches may be served by a more faithful ministry.

This is a critical moment in the history of the Southern Baptist Convention-and for our seminaries. The six seminaries serving this denomination bear a precious and perishable responsibility on behalf of our churches, for we are entrusted with those who will be their ministers, pastors, preachers, and servants.

Looking to the dawn of the twenty-first century, we hereby restate and reaffirm our commitment to the churches we serve, to the convictions those churches hold and honor, and to the charge we have received on their behalf.

One Faith

The church of Jesus Christ is charged to contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Our seminaries, charged with the theological formation of ministers, must take this charge as central and essential to our mission. In an age of rampant theological compromise, our seminaries must send no uncertain sound.

Let the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention know that our seminaries are committed to theological integrity and biblical fidelity. Our pledge is to maintain the confessional character of our seminaries by upholding those doctrines so clearly articulated in our confessions of faith; by teaching the authority, inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility of the Bible; by maintaining the purity of the Gospel and affirming the identity of Jesus Christ, by whose blood we have been redeemed and in whose name alone salvation is to be found; and by proclaiming with boldness the precious and eternal truths of God’s Word.

In this we stand together, and we stand with our churches. We understand that those who teach take on an awesome responsibility, and will receive from our Lord a stricter judgment (James 3:1). We stand before this convention and our churches to declare that we stand together in one faith, serving our Lord Jesus Christ.

One Task

Our mission is to prepare ministers for service. We cannot call ministers, nor appoint them to service. Ministers, called by God and commissioned by our churches come to us in order that they may through our seminaries receive learning, training, and inspiration for service. Preachers, evangelists, missionaries, and those who minister throughout the life of the churches come to our seminaries with the hope that they will leave their programs of study better equipped, armed, and matured for the faithful exercise of their calling.

Our mission is to remain ever true to this task. We declare our unflinching resolve to provide the very finest programs of theological education for ministry. We will match theological fidelity to practical ministry, passion to practice, vision to calling, and honor to service. This is our task.

One Sacred Trust

Our schools are not generic institutions for religious studies. We are the six theological seminaries serving the Southern Baptist Convention. We belong to you-we belong to the churches of this Convention. We are proud to carry your charge, and we declare our fidelity to you as a sacred trust. In this trust we stand before the Southern Baptist Convention, and we stand together.

Through the trustees elected by this Convention, our churches must hold our seminaries accountable to the faith once for all delivered to the saints, to the essential task of training and educating ministers, and to the sacred trust which unites our seminaries and our churches.

As the presidents of your seminaries, we declare our unbending and fervent resolve to uphold all of these commitments. We will lead our institutions so that no harm shall come to your students and ministers; so that they will be rooted and grounded in the truth; so that they will be trained as faithful and effective preachers and teachers; so that they will bring honor to the church and not dishonor; and so that we shall be able to give a good answer and receive a good report when we shall face that stricter judgment which is to come.

This is our pledge, our resolve, our declaration. One Faith, One Task, One Sacred Trust.

Signed in the Presence of the Messengers to the 140th Session of the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Dallas, Texas, June 17, 1997

William O. Crews, President
Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary

Mark T. Coppenger, President
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Charles S. Kelley, Jr., President
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

L. Paige Patterson, President
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Kenneth S. Hemphill, President
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Southeastern’s History

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary was formed on May 19, 1950, by a vote of the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Chicago. Trustees elected by the Convention secured a charter and adopted the Abstract of Principles as the Seminary’s Articles of Faith. Southeastern began classes in the fall of 1951 on the campus of Wake Forest College in Wake Forest, NC, a campus recognized then and now as one of the most beautiful in the southeastern United States. The campus itself has a Baptist heritage. In 1832, the Baptists of North Carolina purchased the 615-acre plantation of Dr. Calvin Jones for the purpose of establishing a teaching facility for young ministers. From 1951 to 1956, the current Appleby Hall housed the new Seminary. In 1956, when Wake Forest College moved to its new location in Winston-Salem, NC, Southeastern occupied the rest of the Wake Forest campus.

The Wake Forest Baptist Church was organized in 1835, and occupies the church building (1913) within the campus enclosure. Another historic landmark, the stone wall now surrounding the central campus, was begun about 1885 by Wake Forest College President Charles E. Taylor and “Dr. Tom” Jeffries. The wall was rebuilt by Doug Buttram, a Southeastern graduate, during 1990-1994.

Southeastern’s campus is noted for its splendid natural beauty as well as its graceful classic Georgian architecture. The grounds are rich with magnolias, elms, pines, oaks, cedars, firs, maples, and other varieties of flowering fruit trees. Many of the trees were growing on the land even before the plantation was built and are centuries old. Several massive white oaks, once part of a magnificent grove called Wake Forest (for which the town was named) still stand on the Southeastern campus.

Through the years, Southeastern has complemented the natural setting with dogwoods, hollies, and an array of flowers. The buildings of the original Wake Forest College have been renovated, and new buildings have been added. With each change, the goal has been to maintain the character of the original campus and land. Today, Southeastern’s campus comprises a full range of excellent facilities for living and learning.

Stealey Presidency, 1951-1963

Southeastern’s first president was Sydnor L. Stealey. He served from 1951 until 1963. The number of faculty members and students grew, and plans to remodel and renovate buildings were initiated.

Adams Hall, erected in 1933, first housed the Wake Forest Medical School (now the Bowman Gray School of Medicine). Renovated in 1956 and again in 1984, it serves as a classroom building for the Seminary. It is dedicated to the memory of the late Theodore F. Adams.

Stealey Hall was built by Wake Forest College in 1934. It replaced the Old College Building, later named Wait Hall, which had been destroyed by fire in 1933. In 1956, it was completely renovated for offices of the administration and faculty. It was renamed in 1961 in honor of the Seminary’s first president, S. L. Stealey.

In 1958, the school achieved recognition from the American Association of Theological Schools, now known as the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada.

Binkley Chapel commands the center of the campus. Its tall spire is visible for several miles along every approach to Wake Forest. Work was begun on the chapel in 1942, but World War II prevented the completion of the interior. When the college moved to Winston-Salem in 1956, the work was resumed and completed in 1958. In 1959, a three-manual Reuter organ was given and installed as a memorial to Walter M. Williams of Burlington, NC. In 1969, the chapel was named in honor of the Seminary’s second president, Olin T. Binkley. The ground floor of the chapel was redesigned in 1982 and furnished as five classrooms and church music facilities, including organ and piano practice areas.

The Emery B. Denny Building, was constructed in 1958 to replace the old Heck-Williams Building (1878), which was razed in 1957. In 1969, the Board of Trustees named it in honor of Dr. Emery B. Denny, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, a trustee of the Seminary, and a longtime friend and supporter. The Library, housed in the Denny Building, provides resources and services to support the research and study of the faculty and to meet the needs of students. The library’s collection has grown to more than 300,000 items, including a broad range of materials for the general educational, cultural, and recreational interests of students, faculty, and their families. In addition to books and periodical volumes, the library also houses music scores, music recordings, audiovisual materials, microforms, and computer software. The collection is strong in Early American and Early British materials, including important Baptist documents and Baptist history resources.

The Manor House, located on Durham Road near the main campus, was purchased in 1960 and later renovated in 1994. This house provides pleasant accommodations for prospective students and other guests.

In 1962, Appleby Hall (begun by Wake Forest College in 1942 and completed during World War II) was remodeled and renamed in honor of Mr. Scott B. Appleby in recognition of his generous support of the student aid fund. Appleby Hall contains a small chapel, classrooms, offices, and a lecture room named in memory of Dr. and Mrs. Percy A. Bethea. Today, Appleby Hall houses many of the offices for the music faculty and most of the music classes are conducted in Appleby Hall. Southeastern’s Program Development office is also housed in Appleby Hall.

Binkley Presidency, 1963-1974

In 1963, after thirteen years of service, Stealey retired and Olin T. Binkley was elected president. Enrollment stood at 575 and the school had 28 faculty members.

Under Binkley’s leadership, the Seminary continued the renovation program begun by Stealey. Four outdated buildings were removed, and thirteen new buildings were built. Among these were a number of student housing complexes, including a women’s dormitory.

Mackie Hall was built in 1968, named in honor of Dr. and Mrs. George E. Mackie of Wake Forest. It was originally used as a student center and housed the Baptist Book Store. The building was renamed Stephens-Mackie Hall in October 1999 in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald K. Stephens of Morganton, NC. Today it is dedicated to faculty offices and Southeastern’s Writing Center, which was launched in 2009.

Binkley guided major academic changes: the general curriculum was revised; the Bachelor of Divinity degree became the Master of Divinity degree; and the Master of Religious Education and the Doctor of Ministry degrees were implemented, bringing the total number of degree programs to seven. He also inaugurated the annual Alumni Giving Program before his retirement in 1974.

Lolley Presidency, 1974-1988

Southeastern’s third president, W. Randall Lolley, was elected in 1974. Enrollment had reached 663 with 24 elected faculty members, and by 1983, enrollment had increased to 1,392 with a faculty of 36. His was an era of progress for the Seminary. Degree programs were restructured, Southeastern received accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and many campus buildings including Magnolia Hill, Broyhill Hall, Adams Hall, and the Ledford Center were modernized, enlarged, or renovated.

Magnolia Hill is the home of the president. Built in 1928 as the residence of the president of Wake Forest College, the house is located off the southwest corner of the campus facing Durham Road. It was renovated and refurnished in 1975. An addition to the home was dedicated in April 2001, featuring a new library and living space.

Broyhill Hall is the oldest building on Southeastern’s campus and is listed in the National Register of Historic Buildings. Built in 1888 as Lea Laboratory, it served Wake Forest College as a science building and then as the chemistry building. In 1980, it was renovated and renamed Broyhill Hall in appreciation of the generous gifts of J. E. and Paul Broyhill, trustees from Lenoir, NC. It now houses offices and the Hall of Presidents.

The idea of a Prayer Garden was begun by students in the Class of 1983 with a graduation gift of $546 and has been expanded as funds have become available. In 1991, an anonymous donor gave a gift of the gazebo which was placed in the center of the garden as a formal place of quiet prayer. The Prayer Garden and gazebo are located at the southwest corner of the campus between Lolley Hall, the Shaw House, and Stephens-Mackie Hall.

The Ledford Center is an expansion of the Gore Gymnasium, which was first dedicated by Wake Forest College in 1938. Renovations and additions to the original building in 1986 provided a 50,000 square-foot activities facility, containing a gymnasium, snack bar, lounges, meeting rooms, book store, sauna, and exercise rooms. Today the complex includes a multi-use gymnasium named for the late Charles Cannon and the Cannon Trusts, a fully equipped fitness facility, racquetball courts, and locker/dressing rooms for women and men. In addition, there is a computer lab, post office, game area, LifeWay Christian Book Store, “The Court” restaurant, and “The Locker” shop for Southeastern attire and memorabilia. The international student office is in the Ledford Center, as well as administrative offices for the Dean of Students. The center is named in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Hubert F. Ledford of Raleigh, NC.

Drummond Presidency, 1988-1992

Lolley resigned in the fall of 1987 and was succeeded in 1988 by Lewis A. Drummond. The Drummond presidency marked a transitional era for Southeastern. Student enrollment declined and a major turnover occurred within the faculty. Nevertheless, Drummond led an administrative restructuring in 1988 and, in 1991, established the Center for Great Commission Studies.

Southeastern’s commitment to biblical inerrancy and to historic Baptist theological principles was made clear during the Drummond years. Several new defining documents such as the Seminary’s “Faculty Profile” and revised “Statements of Purpose and Mission” were finalized and adopted in 1992. Drummond retired in the spring of 1992.

Patterson Presidency, 1992-2003

Trustees elected Paige Patterson as the fifth president of the institution in 1992. Under Patterson’s presidency, Southeastern’s enrollment grew from 623 in 1991-1992 to more than 2,300 in 2003-2004. Curriculum revisions in 1994 brought about a more traditional theological degree plan, and in the fall of 1994, Southeastern Baptist Theological College was established as a school of the Seminary.

A number of new degree programs were developed in the Patterson years. Innovative graduate programs in counseling and international church planting, along with a doctor of philosophy degree, were launched in 1995. New programs in women’s studies and advanced biblical studies were begun in 1998, along with an expanded undergraduate program. Programs in Christian school administration, North American church planting, and a new master’s degree in theological studies began in 1999.

In 1996, the Seminary purchased the property at 377 Durham Road, now named the Hunt House, to provide additional accommodations for prospective students and guests.

In April 2000, by action of the Board of Trustees, the name of the college was changed to Southeastern College at Wake Forest. Subsequently in April 2008, the college was given its current name, The College at Southeastern.

In 2001, Trustees supplemented the confessional stance of the school by adding the Baptist Faith and Message (in its 2000 revision) to the by-laws. Southeastern’s accreditation with the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) was reaffirmed in 2003.

The Jacumin-Simpson Missions Center was finished in 2001. The building is named in honor of Jim and Nancy Nell Jacumin of Icard, NC, for their generous support of the project and the Seminary. It is also named in honor of the Jacumins’ parents, Emile and Mamie Jacumin, and Roy and Muriel Simpson. The Jacumin-Simpson Missions Center houses the Lewis A. Drummond Center for Great Commission Studies, the Eitel Auditorium equipped with world-wide video conferencing technology, and fourteen faculty offices. The Drummond Center serves as the headquarters for Southeastern’s international and North American mission effort.

Patterson also initiated a $50 million fundraising campaign called “Scholarship on Fire!” The three-phase campaign was intended to further expand and renovate the campus and to endow scholarships for students. This campaign continues under Akin’s presidency.

Akin Presidency, 2004-present

In January 2004, Trustees elected Daniel L. Akin as Southeastern’s sixth president. Akin’s leadership has brought many innovations while at the same time providing a sense of continuity for Southeastern’s theological identity. He has renewed the emphasis on expository preaching in masters and doctoral studies, and he leads the seminary in a Great Commission focus.

In 2004, Southeastern added an Internet-based distance learning program, and a non-thesis version of the Th.M. In 2005-2006, the Faculty significantly revised the degree program structure on both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Akin established a new administrative structure and opened the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture, now located in Patterson Hall. The Bush Center for Faith and Culture is named for Dr. Russ Bush, who served as Southeastern’s academic dean under both Drummond and Patterson. In October 2006, the Prince Building for facilities management was dedicated.

The Paige & Dorothy Patterson Hall was dedicated in 2008 and is named for Southeastern’s fifth president and his wife, Dr. Dorothy Patterson. In honor of the Pattersons’ significant influence on the direction and revitalization of the academic programs, campus life, and the campus itself during their eleven years of service, the Board of Trustees voted to name Southeastern’s newest building for them. Patterson Hall houses classrooms, the academic suites for the doctoral programs, The Dean of Graduate Studies Office, The College at Southeastern’s administrative offices, The L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture, and 22 faculty offices.

Campus Life

Life on the Southeastern campus is filled with opportunities for worship, service, the cultivation of friendships, and learning of God and His word, all focused on becoming a part of God’s mission to reach the nations with the gospel.

Worship

We believe worship is a way of life, and we desire for all our academic pursuits be to the glory of God and the advancement of His church. Under the leadership of the president, professors, and guest speakers the Southeastern community gathers in Binkley Chapel twice a week during semester sessions to collectively worship through prayer, song, and hearing God’s word in order to foster the spiritual formation of students and faculty alike.

Academic Ceremonies & Lectures

Formal academic ceremonies open and close each semester, and, throughout the school year, Southeastern’s regular curriculum is enriched by various lectures and conferences. These sermons, lectures, and addresses are open to the general public.

Convocations
The first chapel service of each semester is a high occasion when students, faculty, and administration dedicate themselves and the semester to the Lord. The convocation opens with a faculty procession, and newly elected members of the faculty publicly sign Southeastern’s articles of faith.

Guest Lectures
The Carver-Barnes Lectures were established in 1961 to address the history and the mission of the church. They are funded in part by the income from a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harold C. Fechner of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and Mr. and Mrs. W. Lee Beaver of Chesterfield, Missouri. These lectures are named in honor of W.O. Carver (1868-1954) and W.W. Barnes (1883-1960) for their outstanding contributions to theological education. The Carver-Barnes lectures are now managed by the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith & Culture.

Established in 2011 and made possible by a generous gift from Mrs. Drummond in memory of her late husband Dr. Lewis Drummond, fourth president of SEBTS (1988-1992), the Drummond-Bush lecture series honors Dr. L. Russ Bush who at the time of his death was professor of Philosophy at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and director of the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture. The lecture series addresses apologetic and cultural issues related to the life and ministry of the Church.

The Adams Lectures on Preaching and the Pastoral Ministry, named after Theodore F. Adams, were established in 1976. These lectures honor Adams’ (1898-1980) contribution to Christian ministry, as he taught at Southeastern from 1968-1978. These lectures were endowed by friends of Dr. Adams.

The Page Lectures were established in 1979 and are funded by the income from a gift of Mr. and Mrs. George A. Page of Plainfield, Indiana. These lectures bring outstanding theologians to Southeastern addressing a variety of subjects of interest to the Christian community.

Faculty Lectures
Each Fall and Spring, a member of the faculty gives a public lecture in his or her field of expertise. Faculty members who are retiring deliver a lecture during their final semester, called The Last Lecture, to provide them an opportunity to speak to the seminary community from the wisdom gained during their years of service in Christian ministry.

Commencements
Family members and friends gather with graduates on these days of recognition of academic achievement. The President typically gives the commencement address, and the Deans present the candidates for each degree.

Conferences

Southeastern hosts a number of conferences each year on a variety of topics, all of them designed to advance our mission of serving the church and fulfilling the Great Commission. Some conferences are held in partnership with ministries like 9Marks and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.

20/20 Collegiate Conference
The 20/20 Collegiate Conference, held each February, draws college students from the Triangle area and beyond to hear nationally-renowned speakers on issues of gospel and culture. In recent years the 20/20 Collegiate Conference has centered on themes such as “The Gospel Comes to Life,” “Missio Dei,” “Sex and the City of God,” and “The Scriptures Come to Life.”

9Marks
Beginning in 2009, Southeastern has co-sponsored an annual conference with 9Marks Ministries on aspects of church life and health. The 9Marks at Southeastern Conference occurs each Fall semester.

Preview Days
Preview Days at Southeastern are unique opportunities to see firsthand what God is doing at Southeastern, to hear from faculty and students, and to fellowship with others who are discerning a call to ministry. Students visit classes, tour the campus, meet with President Akin and his wife, and meet with various faculty and staff.

Family Life Conference
Dr. Akin and his wife, Charlotte, host a Family Life Conference each year, which is designed to enrich the lives of married couples and to equip those who are not yet married.

Global Missions Weeks
Once every three years, Southeastern partners with the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board for a Global Missions Week that features work being done around the world. Students have the opportunity to meet church planters and mission strategists from both of the SBC mission boards.

L. Russ Bush Center for Faith & Culture

Southeastern takes seriously its responsibility to equip students to live out the faith within their cultural contexts. The L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture (CFC), established in 2006 and named for Southeastern’s academic dean and Professor of Philosophy who served from 1989-2008, was conceived in light of this responsibility. It has a two-fold purpose: (1) to convey graciously and apply effectively the Christian worldview to all areas of culture and to the human condition, and (2) to encourage and support the Church in its redemptive work. Thus the Center exists to serve the Church by equipping faculty, students, alumni and Southern Baptist churches to fulfill the Great Commission.

The CFC, located on the 2^nd floor of Patterson Hall, provides opportunities for interaction on current cultural issues through conferences, symposia, workshops, and lectures on a variety of topics. The CFC provides resources to faculty, students, alumni, SBC pastors and churches, and the broader community.

Lewis A. Drummond Center for Great Commission Studies

Southeastern is a Great Commission seminary, and the Lewis A. Drummond Center for Great Commission Studies (CGCS) is the hub of Southeastern’s Great Commission efforts. Established in 1990 and named for Southeastern’s fourth president, the CGCS is committed to developing faculty members and students who are Great Commission servants of their local churches.

In addition to promoting and offering logistical support for Southeastern’s missions programs, the CGCS also engages in global research efforts and mobilizes Southeastern faculty and students in short-term missions. The CGCS presently supports five to ten short-term trips per year, focusing primarily on those who have little or no access to the gospel, with the purpose of developing Great Commission students and faculty through strategic involvement in church planting.

CGCS campus-wide events include the Gathering (early Fall semester), Global Missions Week (early Spring every third year), and Commissioning Chapel (late Spring semester). The CGCS also hosts a number of visitors who speak in classes and are available to students to discuss field opportunities. The CGCS is located on the 1^st floor of the Jacumin-Simpson building.

Writing Center

The Writing Center at Southeastern fosters a campus-wide culture of critical thinking and writing that plays a key role in how students and faculty create and communicate knowledge within academic and ministerial settings for the glory of Jesus Christ. This mission addresses Southeastern’s fifth core competency: “Critical Thinking and Communication: [each graduate will] demonstrate the ability to think critically, argue persuasively, and communicate clearly.” To this end, the Writing Center encourages the perspective that writing is a process of research and critical thinking toward composing accurate and amiable arguments. The Writing Center offers student-writers three modes of help: face-to-face appointments, feedback on drafts via e-mail (reserved for distance-learning students), and resources and solutions at its web site for learning the craft and conventions of research writing.

Students may make appointments online from the Writing Center’s web site at CampusNet/Moodle. An appointment at the Writing Center consists of meeting with a writing consultant, usually with a draft paper for critical dialogue and informed feedback about the paper’s argument, style, and conventions, but may also address specific or general questions about an assignment or developing a research plan. An appointment may focus on a specific writing project (e.g., discussing purpose, assumed audience/expectations, research question, thesis, evidence, organization, significance, focus, voice, etc.) or focus on selected writing strategies (e.g., discussing moving from topic to question to answering thesis to outlining reasons and evidence to structuring the introduction and conclusion) or focus on selected writing skills (e.g., discussing arguing a case, outlining, creating coherence, developing paragraphs, writing with sources, and editing sentences for clarity, correctness, cohesion, and style, etc.).

The Writing Center is not a proofreading service, but offers a valuable instructional service helping students become more competent and confident writers. In addition to serving as friendly readers and careful writers, writing consultants can address any specific question about the research-writing process that students may wish to ask. Frequently asked questions are addressed at the Writing Center’s web site. The Writing Center encourages each student to appreciate his or her vocation as a “student-writer,” whose ideas are created, communicated, and evaluated in writing.

Ledford Student Center

Ledford Student Center
This center includes a gymnasium, fitness center, racquetball courts, and recreation facilities for students and their families. Student Services offices, including the Dean of Students office, are housed in the Ledford Center and are available during normal business hours.

Student Life
The Student Life Office (SLO) serves students by providing opportunities for community building, spiritual formation, and ministerial preparation. Each year the SLO holds eight to ten student events, such as Coffee Houses, Study Breaks, and Campus-wide Cookouts. The SLO also organizes intramurals in a number of sports, including basketball, flag football, volleyball, walley ball, ultimate Frisbee, ping pong, racquetball, wiffleball, along with various one-day tournaments.

The SLO manages the Residence Life Program for the College at Southeastern and student judicial affairs. The SLO is located on the first floor of the Ledford Center.

Discipleship and Spiritual Formation

The Office of Discipleship and Spiritual Formation (DSF) serves the students by providing and facilitating opportunities for discipleship here at Southeastern and in the local church. Our office coordinates a yearlong discipleship program for all incoming college students. DSF hosts other forums in order to train students to make disciples and grow in their relationship with Christ. DSF also serves our International Community at Southeastern by assisting them in their transition to this institution. The DSF office is located on the first floor of Ledford (Room 112).

Women’s Life

The Women’s Life Office (WLO) aims to serve women in the Southeastern community and in local churches by encouraging them to live according to God’s design as established in His Word. The purpose of the WLO is to prepare women for ministry in their homes, churches, and communities, so that they will be better equipped to fulfill the Great Commission.

The WLO administers the Biblical Women’s Institute, a non-degree program comprised of practical courses designed for women who are preparing for Christian service in their homes as well as through local churches or other ministry settings. In addition, the WLO provides counseling services for women, coordinates Connecting Point, the campus ministry for women, and LEAD{women}, a ministry that sends Southeastern women to speak and teach at women’s ministries in local churches. The WLO is located on the second floor of the Ledford Center, in the lobby of the Cannon Gymnasium.

Financial Aid
The Office of Financial Aid (FA) serves Southeastern by connecting students to scholarships, grants, and loans in order to help them finance their education in preparation for ministry. Finanical Aid is located in the Student Resources Office in Ledford.

Ministry Referral Office
The Ministry Referral Office (MRO) serves Southeastern students and alumni in their effort to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission by connecting them with ministry opportunities. Ministry Referral provides various avenues for students, graduates, and ministries to supply the necessary information to facilitate the referral process. MRO is located in the Student Resources Office in Ledford.

International Student Services
The Office of International Student Services (ISS) serves international students by helping them to follow all government and school regulations. All inquiries related to international student issues should be made at the ISS in Student Resources Office in Ledford. These issues include, but are not restricted to, immigration status, employment restrictions, social security number acquisition, student aid, and counseling.

Employment Services
Employment Services serves students and their families by helping them locate appropriate employment based on family, class schedule, and income needs. Employment Services include, but are not limited to, job placement, resume preparation, and financial counseling. Part-time and full-time positions are available. Employment Services is located in the Student Resources Office in Ledford.

LifeWay Campus Store
The LifeWay Campus Store is operated by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. It carries the required textbooks and supplies for Southeastern classes as well as a variety of other materials. The bookstore is open to the public.

The Court
The Court is the campus café, located on the main floor of the Ledford center. The Court serves a variety of sandwiches and salads during the lunch hour.

The Locker
The Locker, also on the main floor of the Ledford Center, sells Southeastern logo wear and basic school supplies. Additionally, the Mail Room/Post Office and Copy Center are located in The Locker. Some services offered in The Locker include copy, fax, laminate, and School ID’s. Moreover, an ATM is available for use outside the Post Office as well.

Post Office
Located in The Locker at the Ledford Center, the Post Office maintains mailboxes for residents of Goldston Hall, Bostwick Hall, and Lolley Hall. Single stamps are available for purchase. Also available are services for mailing packages, include Pring Priority Mail, Media mail, and Air mail.

Other Student Services

Switchboard
The switchboard is the first point of contact and gateway to any Southeastern office. Switchboard operators are available Monday through Friday from 7:45am to 5:15pm to help connect you with the appropriate office, professor, or department and field basic inquiries about campus events. The switchboard may be reached at (919) 761-2100.

Campus Housing                                                                                                                                                                                                              The Housing Office maintains dorms, apartments, and townhomes for Southeastern students and their families. They offer affordable options for single students, married students, and commuting students.

Campus Security
Campus Security is available to maintain a safe and secure campus environment and to protect the institution’s assets. Security personnel monitor Southeastern’s campus, including the housing and parking areas, and are available 24 hours a day at (919) 291-1903.

Parking
Southeastern’s parking areas are designed to provide as many students as possible with adequate parking for attending classes and using the buildings as needed. Color-coded signs are posted at every parking area, and color-coded tags are assigned to each student. Parking tags are issued each semester during matriculation and must be displayed at all times while on campus. Parking tags are to be renewed in the Accounting Services Office, and any questions regarding parking should be directed to the Campus Security Office.

Center for Health
During sessions, Southeastern operates an on-campus Center for Health, directed by a physician. Routine medical services are available to registered students, spouses, and their children ages 12 and up. Office visits incur no expense to the student, but insurance may be filed. Medical services include: travel medicines and vaccines, wellness screening (including cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure determination), and women’s health (including Pap smears).

Students may purchase general medicines and certain medical supplies through the Center for Health as prescribed by the campus physician. All medicines must be paid for at the time they are issued. Students should obtain and maintain health insurance for medical services which may not be provided by the Center for Health.

Appointments are recommended and can be scheduled by calling (919) 569-0003. The office is usually open on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Student Spouses
Student spouses may enroll in Seminary classes for a reduced fee. Often, special evening classes or lectures are arranged for their convenience. Spouses may also take part in campus organizations such as the Seminary Choir and intramurals. All spouses are invited to participate in campus social functions and various special interest activities.

Spouses seeking employment have a wide range of possibilities in the area. The Employment Office aids both students and spouses in finding employment. As Southeastern employs a number of administrative assistants, secretaries, and other skilled persons, on-campus positions are sometimes available.

Statement on Accreditation

Degree program(s) of study offered by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary have been declared exempt from the requirements for licensure under provisions of North Carolina General Statutes (G.S.) 116-15(d) for exemption from licensure with respect to religious education… Exemption from licensure is not based upon any assessment of program quality under established licensing standards.

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and the College at Southeastern are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, masters and doctorate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4501
for questions about the accreditation of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and the College at Southeastern.
 

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada.

Here is the list of degrees which ATS has accredited for SEBTS:

Master of Divinity (MDiv)
Master of Arts in Christian Education (MA in Christian Education)
Master of Arts in Christian Education with Biblical Counseling (MACE with Biblical Counseling)
Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling (MA in Biblical Counseling)
Master of Arts in Christian School Administration (MA in Christian School Administration)
Master of Arts in Ministry Leadership (MA in Ministry Leadership)
Master of Arts in Women’s Studies (MA in Women’s Studies)
Master of Church Music (MCM)
Master of Arts (Biblical Languages) (MA [Biblical Languages])
Master of Arts (Christian Studies) (MA [Christian Studies])
Master of Arts (Ethics, Theology, and Culture) (MA [Ethics, Theology, and Culture])
Master of Arts (Old Testament) (MA [Old Testament])
Master of Arts (Philosophy of Religion) (MA [Philosophy of Religion])
Master of Theological Studies (MTS)
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Master of Theology (ThM)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Tampa Extension Site
Master of Arts (Christian Studies)

Approved for a Comprehensive Distance Education Program

The Commission’s contact information is:

The Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
10 Summit Park Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15275
USA

Telephone: 412-788-6505
Fax: 421-788-6510
Website: http://www.ats.edu

The seminary has been accredited by ATS since 1958 and by SACS since 1978.

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is an affiliate of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities. CCCU is an international association of intentionally Christian colleges and universities. Founded in 1976, its mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help its institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.

The Council’s contact information is:

Council of Christian Colleges and Universities
321 Eighth Street NE
Washington, DC 20002

Telephone: 202-546-8713
Website: http://www.cccu.org/

Southeastern has been a CCCU affiliate since 2008.

Disclaimer Statements

This catalog sets forth Seminary policies as of the date of publication. Southeastern reserves the right to make such changes in educational and financial policy as the Seminary’s faculty, administration and/or Board of Trustees may deem consonant with sound academic and fiscal practice. The Seminary has made a good faith effort to avoid typographical errors and other mistakes in the statements of policy as published in this catalog. In any case, erroneous catalog statements do not take precedence over properly adopted policies.

Moreover, the degree programs offered by this institution are not guaranteed to produce the necessary qualifications for licensure or ordination to the ministry in any church, denomination, or religious group. Theological education does support ordained ministries, but students are responsible for contacting and approaching church leaders to discover the role Seminary degrees may play in the overall preparation and qualifications for specific ministries.

Further, the Seminary reserves the right to require a student to withdraw from enrollment at any time.

Any individual seeking to wage a grievance against Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary regarding a possible violation of the Principles of Accreditation, the Core Requirements, and policies or procedures, as well as to address possible violations of the institution’s own policies and procedures, if related to the latest edition of the Principles of Accreditation of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is encouraged to contact the Office of Institutional Effectiveness for a copy of the latest edition of Complaint Procedures Against the Commission or its Accredited Institutions. Complaints against Southeastern, regarding issues related to the Principles of Accreditation, filed in accordance with the SACS procedure are filed in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. All other student grievances are filed in accordance with the latest edition of the Student Handbook.