By Bob Allen
Trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary affirmed President Paige Patterson Oct. 22 after investigating concerns about his decision to allow a Muslim student to enroll in the Southern Baptist Convention entity’s Ph.D. program.
A statement by the seminary’s board of trustees recognized “inconsistencies” between the seminary’s bylaws and actions of its administration and board and conceded that Patterson should have asked for an exception until trustees could amend bylaws to allow for initiatives like allowing a Palestinian Muslim who worked with seminary students in site excavations in the Holy Land to study biblical archeology at the seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
The trustee statement, however, said any violations of seminary bylaws “were done in a good-faith enthusiasm to pursue the seminary’s purpose, as set forth in its articles of incorporation.”
The trustee statement expressed appreciation and admiration of the “evangelistic heart” of Patterson, who apologized at last summer’s SBC annual meeting in Baltimore for causing strife with what was “my decision and my decision alone.”
Critics said accepting a non-Christian as a student violated admission policies requiring that students be active members of a church.
Patterson told SBC messengers he allowed an exception “to a rule that I assumed, probably wrongly, the president has a right to make if he feels that it is that important.” Patterson said the student had caused no problems on campus and appeared “very open at this point to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Trustees said Oct. 22 that without “compromising the missional purpose of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,” they plan to amend bylaws to allow greater flexibility for launching initiatives such as a seminary extension program established at the Darrington Unit, a maximum-security prison that is part of Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
“It is our desire and intent to ensure that the seminary’s governing documents allow development of ministries to meet opportunities, as yet unknown to any of us, always being mindful of the great stewardship Southern Baptists have placed in our hands,” the trustees said.
Previous story:
Southwestern Seminary enrolls Muslim doctoral student, sparks controversy