By Terry Goodrich People struggling with mental illness often turn to pastors for help, but seminaries do very little to train ministers in how to recognize serious psychological distress and when to refer someone to a doctor or psychologist, according…
Culpepper stepping down after 20 years as McAfee dean
By Bob Allen Alan Culpepper, founding dean of Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology, is stepping down after nearly two decades at the end of the current academic year. After a sabbatical, he plans to teach full time on the…
Needed: Christian ministers who do the stuff
A dramatic story—perhaps an urban legend—about John Wimber, one of the founders of the Vineyard Movement, relates to something that happened following his conversion to Christianity around 1963. It is said that he began attending a church nearby. After several…
A seminary finds a golden gateway. Others find a rusted exit.
A couple of days after the announcement that the deal to sell the property and buildings of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary had been completed, I was in San Francisco. Sunday afternoon I drove across the Golden Gate Bridge into…
McAfee trip expands limits of faith, culture and ministry
By Jeff Brumley Walking through ritually sacrificed goat’s blood at a Hindu temple and watching Buddhist monks meditate for hours on end didn’t shake Baptist Rebecca White’s faith one bit during a three-week trip to India. It was just the…
All denominations should care baptisms are down among Southern Baptists
The first response of many people may be “I don’t care”. That’s fine. You have that right. But you ought to care. More about that later. Keep reading. Why Are Baptisms Down Among Southern Baptist Churches? First, take note of…
Baylor prof questions popular views of heaven
By Terry Goodrich “Heaven is for real,” according to the new movie by that name. But which vision of heaven is true? Several versions of heaven are depicted in art, literature, music and pop culture — some of which don’t…
Golden Gate seminary selling campus, moving
By Bob Allen Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary is selling its 126-acre campus with sweeping views of San Francisco Bay for an undisclosed price, the seminary’s president told faculty, staff and students April 1. President Jeff Iorg said the school,…
From libraries to launching pads
By Barrett Owen According to stereotypes I’ve heard, seminary culture used to be something like this: Future ministers pack up their lives, move cities, rent a small apartment on campus and find a corner in the library in order to…