Paige Patterson installed as president at Southwestern Seminary_102003

Posted: 10/23/03

Paige Patterson installed
as president at Southwestern Seminary

FORT WORTH (BP)–Paige Patterson was inaugurated eighth president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Oct. 21 with a vow to embody the standards set by the seminary's founders.

"We are headed to a full and thorough reaffirmation of the doctrine of B.H. Carroll and the founders," Patterson said during the ceremony at Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth. "We are headed to the reaffirmation of the centrality and of the incarnation of the atonement of Christ as the essential bedrock of Christianity."

During a prayer of dedication at his inauguration as the eighth president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Paige Patterson is surrounded by family and friends. Left to right are daughter and son-in-law Carmen and Mark Howell, wife Dorothy Patterson, son and daughter-in-law Armour and Rachel Patterson, Southern Baptist Convention President Jack Graham and immediate past seminary President Kenneth Hemphill. (BP Photo)

The seminary also is headed to a reaffirmation of Anabaptist reformation principles, of a church of "twice-born" men and women who bear witness of their faith through believer's baptism by immersion and a disciplined church membership, he said.

The sanctity of marriage and the home–along with preservation of traditional gender relationships in the home and church–will be reaffirmed at the seminary as well, Patterson said.

He also will advocate the "missionary and evangelistic zeal that so characterized Lee Scarborough, B.H. Carroll, George W. Truett and other founders of the institution," Patterson pledged.

He also promised an emphasis on religious liberty and the autonomy of every local church, he continued.

Patterson made specific references to each of the seminary's three schools: "We shall, in the program of church music, reaffirm our determination to have music that honors Christ, avoiding both high church formalism and the embrace of worldly styles and emphases in church music. We shall attempt in our program of Christian education to have a cutting-edge program that will instruct people in how best to effectively teach the Bible, Christian witnessing, Baptist history and Baptist missions. We shall, by the grace of God, teach the clear, unadulterated, exciting exposition of God's word as the appropriate and desperately needed method of preaching in our day. We shall continue to foster a program of compassionate counseling of the hurting and confused which recognizes the sufficiency of the Scriptures in all aspects of life."

The seminary will continue to hold its faculty and students to the highest standards of morality and ethics, he said. And the seminary never will be ashamed of its Baptist heritage, Baptist name or Anabaptist heritage, he added.

"We will labor in the constant hope and confidence of the return of Christ at the end of the age for his church. And above all else, we shall seek the approval of Jesus Christ, the Lord of the church. This, my brothers and sisters, is a tall commitment, but it is one which we must keep for the sake of Southwestern Seminary, but more especially for the sake of the 6.5 billion lost people on the face of the globe."

Patterson was lauded by a procession of Baptist leaders, including numerous representatives from within the Southern Baptist Convention.

SBC President Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, said Patterson is one who is "living a legacy." Graham said he hopes Patterson's passion for expository preaching and the inerrancy of the Bible will get into the "ministerial DNA" of seminary students.

Claude Thomas, pastor of First Baptist Church in Euless and president of the Southwestern Alumni Association, said Patterson brings a "hot heart and a trained mind" to the job.

Chuck Kelley, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and chairman of the SBC Council of Seminary Presidents, commended his brother-in-law's role as an architect of the so-called "conservative resurgence" in the SBC.

"The conservative resurgence and the transformation that took place as the firm root of the word of God took hold in the curricula of every one of our six seminaries is something that no one ever thought would happen on the scale that it has happened," Kelley said.

Kelley likened Patterson's efforts within the SBC to the D-Day invasion: It was necessary in order to continue the fight, but it was not the final goal. "The real battle is to take Jesus Christ to the world," he said.

O.S. Hawkins, president of the Annuity Board, compared Patterson to B.H. Carroll, the seminary's founder, as someone who is synonymous with courage, conviction, consistency and cooperation.

Keith Bruce, director of institutional ministries for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, said Patterson's passionate commitment to missions and evangelism reflect both the historic emphases and the current concerns of Texas Baptists.

"As you assume leadership of this great institution, we want you to know that the Baptist General Convention of Texas family prays for you, that you might lead Southwestern to an even greater and renewed passion for missions and evangelism, while building upon the academic breadth and excellence that also marks this institution," Bruce said.

Bruce presented Patterson with commemorative copies of two books about Texas Baptist history.

Jim Richards, executive director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, said the SBTC's connection with Southwestern would be strengthened through Patterson's presidency. "Our shared core values make us superior partners," Richards said.

The evening culminated with Patterson publicly signing the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message.