David Allen, professor and former dean at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, no longer is employed at the seminary. But the former distinguished professor of preaching and the seminary’s provost offered conflicting public statements about the nature of his departure.
Allen, who served on the seminary faculty 18 years and previously was a trustee, posted on Facebook July 28 a statement about his employment status.
Allen: ‘unilaterally designated for retirement’
He reported President Adam Greenway sent him an email April 22 informing him “his full-time faculty position would be eliminated at the end of July.”
“Greenway advised Allen further that his employment status had been unilaterally designated for retirement with the title of ‘Senior Professor,’” the Facebook post stated.
According to Allen, he sent Greenway and the seminary’s board of trustees a nine-page letter on May 28 saying he had no intention to resign or retire from his position as distinguished professor.
Allen, who recently completed a one-year sabbatical, said he had looked forward to returning to his teaching responsibilities. He characterized the senior professor post as “a retirement position void of full-time salary and benefits.”
Skaug: Allen ‘brazenly misrepresents’ seminary’s action
Benjamin Skaug, seminary provost and vice president for academic administration, issued a response disputing Allen’s account.
“Since beginning my service as provost on February 15 of this year, I have been closely involved in the conversations regarding Dr. Allen’s relationship to the seminary. I am grieved that Dr. Allen has chosen to publish a statement that so brazenly misrepresents these conversations and the seminary’s action,” Skaug wrote.
He characterized the post of senior professor as “a position of honor for faculty members who have served a significant period of time in their roles.”
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He pointed to former President Ken Hemphill, former Provost Craig Blaising, former Dean Jack Terry and former Hale Chair of Prayer and Spiritual Formation Dan Crawford as senior professors.
“It is unfortunate that Dr. Allen suggests that the service these men continue to render to Southwestern Seminary is second-class service,” Skaug wrote.
‘Time to pursue new professional opportunities’
Skaug stated it was clear to the seminary Allen wanted to “devote his best time and energy” to his own Preaching Coach ministry to pastors and ministry leaders.
“We rejoice when the Lord places new callings upon the hearts of his servants, but these new callings, and the time commitments involved, often require adjustments to our previous commitments,” Skaug wrote.
“The offer of a senior professor role provided a way for the seminary to honor Dr. Allen while he was also provided the time to pursue new professional opportunities. While it was necessary to change the nature of his faculty service, to be clear, it was Dr. Allen who chose to separate himself completely from faculty service at Southwestern Seminary.”
Skaug reported the board of trustees held a called meeting via Zoom on June 3 to review personnel matters concerning Allen.
“The board affirmed the administration’s determination that Dr. Allen had written to President Greenway a de facto letter of resignation from Southwestern Seminary and affirmed the administration’s decision to accept Dr. Allen’s resignation from Southwestern Seminary, effective July 31,” he wrote.
“The board further affirmed the administration’s decision to deem Dr. Allen’s full salary and benefits received during the 2021-22 academic/fiscal year as severance, thereby releasing him from his institutionally owed post-sabbatical service obligations.”
Allen will continue to supervise doctoral students at Southwestern Seminary, Skaug said.
The day after Allen’s employment at Southwestern Seminary ended, he announced on Twitter he began serving as distinguished visiting professor of practical theology and dean of the Adrian Rogers Center for Preaching at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary.
History of controversy
Neither Allen nor Skaug mentioned any of the controversy that surrounded Allen.
In March, he spoke at the March Like a Champion Bible Conference in North Carolina, where former Southwestern Seminary President Paige Patterson was a keynote speaker.
Southwestern Seminary cut ties with Patterson after he was accused of mishandling alleged incidents of sexual abuse at a school where he served previously.
Five years ago, Southwestern Seminary had to issue a public apology for a racially insensitive social media post that included a photo of Allen and four other professors wearing hoodies, sideways baseball caps and gold chains. Graffiti reading “Notorious S.O.P. (School of Preaching) was scrawled across the top of the image.
During his time at Southwestern Seminary, Allen served as dean of the School of Theology and also was founding dean of the School of Preaching. Previously, he was the W.A. Criswell Chair of Preaching at Criswell College.
While he was a pastor in Texas, he served on the seminary’s board at the time when trustees fired President Russell Dilday in 1994.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Six hours after this story originally was posted, it was edited online to add the paragraph regarding Allen’s Twitter announcement regarding his new post at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary.
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