Columbia Theological Seminary Bulletin, 62, number 2, Spring 1969

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THEOLOGICAL

62, No. 2 / Spring

ATUR, GEORG,

Master of Divinity Degrees Awarded

Forty-seven students received degrees
at Commencement Exercises on Monday,
June 9th. The Class of 1969 is the first
class at Columbia Seminary to complete
their work under the Seminary's new cur-
riculum and was the first class to receive
the Master of Divinity degree. Thirty-three
Master of Divinity degrees were awarded
and eight students received the Th.M. Six
other students received either diplomas or
the Bachelor of Divinity degree.

The commencement speaker was Dr.
Charles Shelby Rooks, the Executive Di-
rector of The Fund for Theological Edu-
cation. Dr. Rooks, a minister in the Uni-
ted Church of Christ, was pastor of the
Shanks Village Protestant Church, Orange-
burg, New York and the Lincoln Memo-
rial Congregational Temple, Washington,
D.C. prior to his association with The
Fund for Theological Education. In addi-
tion to his involvement in activities of his
church and on church councils. Dr. Rooks
is interested and involved in secular edu-
cation. He is a member of the Advisory
Council for Higher Education for the
State of New Jersey and a member of the
Princeton, New Jersey Regional Board of
Education.

Earlier in Commencement week-end
activities the students heard Dr. William
C. Brownson and Dr. Angus R. Shaw,
both graduates of Columbia Seminary.

Dr. Brownson, the Professor of Preach-

ROOKS

BROWNSON

SHAW

ing at Western Theological Seminary at
Holland, Michigan, was the Baccalaureate
Preacher on Sunday Morning, June 8th.
Dr. Brownson is from Charlotte, North
Carolina and a graduate of Davidson Col-
lege. He earned his Th.D. degree in New
Testament from Princeton Seminary. After
pastorates in the Reformed Churches in
Lodi. New Jersey and Chicago, Illinois,
he joined the faculty of Western Theologi-
cal Seminary in 1964.

Dr. Angus Shaw was the preacher for
the Sunday evening service which was
led by the Society of Missionary Inquiry.
While at Columbia, Dr. Shaw served as
president of the SMI. A graduate of King
College, Dr. Shaw has, since his gradua-
tion from Columbia, served as pastor of

Left to right: Deon C. Benton Kline and Professors Bass, Lyon and McMichael

the Seagle Memorial Presbyterian Church
in Pulaski. Virginia and the Royal Oak
Presbyterian Church of Marion, Virginia.
In the Synod of Appalachia Dr. Shaw is
Chairman of the World Missions Commit-
tee and also Chairman of the committee
responsible for the World Missions Con-
ference in that synod which in 1969 had
over 1300 conferees.

Faculty Appointments Made

At its May meeting, the Board of Di-
rectors of Columbia Seminary made facul-
ty appointments to several new positions
and asked two Visiting Professors to re-
main at the Seminary another year. Dean
of Students, O. H. Lyon, was named As-
sociate Professor of Historical Theology.
Dean Lyon joined the Seminary faculty in
1964 as Dean of Students and Director
of Field Education. He had served during
the academic year 1961-62 as an Instruc-
tor in Theology.

Professor J. Richard Bass, who for the
past two years had been Visiting Professor
of Evangelism and Missions, was named
Associate Professor of Evangelism and
Missions and Director of Field Education.

Dr. R. T. L. Liston and Dr. Jack Mc-
Michael who served as Visiting Professors
during the current academic year were
reelected by the Board for another year.

Rev. Steve A. Bacon, who has been As-
sistant to the President since 1964, was
named Vice President for Development.

In addition to these changes for mem-
bers of the present faculty and staff, the
(Continued onPage 4)

Dr. Richards Tells Alumni
Columbia's Role in Church

Columbia Seminary alumni in the Sy-
nods of South Carolina, Appalachia and
Mississippi met during their synod meet-
ing this year. Dr. Richards will address
meetings in Florida and Alabama, and
the alumni in North Carolina are also
meeting this year.

In addressing the alumni at the Synod
of South Carolina. Dr. Richards gave
them a report on the Seminary, its faculty
and friends but spent the majority of his
time discussing with alumni the current
tensions in the life of the church and the
nation and the task of Columbia Semin-
ary during these days of division and
change.

"Columbia Theological Seminary exists
as an instrument of the Church for the
proclamation of the Gospel and the win-
ning of men to faith in and obedience to
Christ as Lord and Saviour," Dr. Richards
told the alumni. "This function it seeks to
perform first of all by training its students
to be effective pastors and teachers. It also
seeks to accomplish its mission through
the written and spoken word."

He also said that "as an instiution of
the Presbyterian Church, Columbia Semi-
nary stands firmly and unshamedly upon
the principles of the Reformed Faith em-
bodied in the Standards of that Church.
At the same time." he added, "it seeks to
enlarge its understanding of that Faith
and to present it in terms which will be
intelligible and meaningful in our modern
world."

In speaking of the controversy over the
Bible, President Richards said, "for Co-
lumbia, Scripture is the only authoritative
rule of faith and practice. Apart from
Revelation the Church has no message
and no valid reason for existence. Hence,
the Bible must be central and determina-
tive in all instruction at Columbia Semi-
nary not in a wooden or mechanical
but in a vital sense."

In order to prepare its students for the
demands that will be made on them as
pastors. Dr. Richards said, that "Colum-
bia must be a worthy educational institu-
tion, training men's minds for encounter

Graduate Study Fellowships Awarded

Left to right: Fellowship Winners Buchanan, Hart, Dunlop and Caldwell

Five fellowships for graduate study
have been awarded students in the class
of 1969. The awards, totaling $5,250,
were announced at the annual Honors
Day Program on May 8th. Recipients of
these awards were William B. Hart, Mi-
ami, Florida: M. Thomas Dunlap, Hunts-
ville, Alabama; Richard W. Caldwell,
Miami, Florida; H. Alan Elmore, Char-
lotte, North Carolina and Donald G.
Buchanan, Leesburg, Virginia.

Mr. Hart and Mr. Dunlap were
awarded Fannie Jordan Bryan Fellow-
ships. These fellowships are provided
through an endowment established by
Mrs. Bryan through her will. Bryan Fel-
lowships are awarded each year. Mr. Hart
is a graduate of Wheaton College and his

with the intellectual problems of our
world in such a way that they will be
worthy of respect by those to whom they
witness." He also pointed out the need to
"seek always to deepen men's love for
Christ, to encourage them in spiritual
growth, and to inspire them with a zeal
for service."

Dr. Richards spoke specifically about
Columbia's graduate studies and field edu-
cation. In conclusion he told the alumni,
(Continued on Page 4)

Y\ey/s Requested For Seminary Study

The Board of Directors has approved a review of the operation of the Seminary
to be undertaken by the management consulting firm of Cresap, McCormick and Paget,
Inc. The purpose of the study is to provide a base for recommendations and planning
for the future development of the Seminary. Listed below are some of the basic ques-
tions being studied. Those who have views on these and related matters involving the
Seminary are urged to make them known in writing to: Columbia Theological Semi-
nary, Box 520, Decatur. Georgia 30031, Attention: Cresap, McCormick and Paget
Inc.

1. Please list the principal ways in which Columbia Theological Seminary can
improve its services to its supporting Synods in your opinion.

2. Do you think any of the other seminaries of the Presbyterian Church, U.S. are
doing a better job, and if so, in what ways?

3. Do you think there should be an effort made at the General Assembly level to
help guide individual seminary development and support, and if so, in what ways?

home church is the Shenandoah Presby-
terian Church of Miami. During his stu-
dent days he has assisted each summer at
the Le Jeune Presbyterian Church, Miami.
He has been accepted at Emory Univer-
sity in Atlanta to begin work this fall on
his Ph.D. in Old Testament Studies.

Mr. Dunlap graduated from North
Carolina State University and worked
with an insurance agency in Huntsville
Alabama before coming to Columbia. He
is a member of the Faith Presbyterian
Church in Huntsville. He has been student
minister at the First Presbyterian Church,
Kannapolis, North Carolina and John
Knox Presbyterian Church, Marietta, Ga.
His plans after graduation are indefinite.

Alumni Fellowships were awarded to
Mr. Caldwell, Mr. Elmore and Mr.
Buchanan. These fellowships are provided
each year by Columbia's alumni through
their Annual Giving Program.

Mr. Caldwell is from Miami, Florida
and is a member of the Riviera Presby-
terian Church there. A graduate of Whea-
ton College, his intern year was served
with the Board of World Missions in the
Congo. After graduation he will be pas-
tor of the John Knox Presbyterian Church,
Shelby, North Carolina.

Mr. Elmore's home church is the Su-
gaw Creek Presbyterian Church, Char-
lotte, North Carolina. He is a graduate of
Clemson University and served as sum-
mer assistant at the Park Hill Presbyterian
Church, North Little Rock, Arkansas. He
will become assistant minister of the West-
minister Presbyterian Church, Greenville,
South Carolina after graduation in June.

Mr. Buchanan is a graduate of King
College, Bristol, Tennessee. His home
church is the Wytheville Presbyterian
Church, Wytheville, Virginia. He served
the Seagle Memorial Presbyterian Church
of Pulaski, Virginia during the summers
of 1967 and 1968 while he was student
at Columbia Seminary and will become
pastor of that church this June.

Rock Eagle Conference
Gefs Synod CommendafJon

The Synod of Georgia has commended
Columbia's students for the Rock Eagle
Missions conference sponsored by the
student Society of Missionary Inquiry.
This year's conference drew over 650
high school and college students to the
Rock Eagle Conference Grounds for a
week-end program on the missionary task
of the church. The largest group of adults
to attend a Rock Eagle conference, 85,
also participated in the program.

Most of the young people at the con- (
ference came from the seven southeastern ;|
states nearest Atlanta, but small numbers
came from greater distances. Enthusiasm
marked the response to this year's con-
femce. New Orleans architect, Walter "
Shepherd, a former staff member of the
Board of World Missions, received a !
standing ovation at the close of one of his |
addresses. Peter J. Marshall, the other
major speaker, was warmly received by
the conferees. Letters of appreciation have
been received by student leaders express- ,
ing the same enthusiasm.

Now in its 18th year, the Rock Eagle ]
Conference is the main project of the So- i|
ciety of Missionary Inquiry. It is one of :
the largest annual student sponsored mis- "
sions conferences in the world. Missiona-
ries on each of the Presbyterian Church
U.S. mission fields have indicated that
Rock Eagle played an important part in
their decision to serve as missionaries.

CFC Reports Progress
And Elects Officers

Columbia Friendship Circle gifts have
risen past the halfway mark toward the
1968-69 goal of $27,000 for renovating;
equipping and refurnishing classrooms.
Over $15,000 has been received from
7200 members of CFC. The project year
ends September 30th.

More than 450 women attended the
13th Annual Columbia Friendship Circle
Pilgrimage at Columbia Theological Sem-
inary on April 10th. The program for the
day included music by the Seminary Choir
and a sermon by Dr. Ludwig Dewitz of
the Seminar}' faculty. His subject was
"He-We-Them".

During the business session the follow-
ing officers for 1969-70 were elected:
President. Mrs. C. Irwin Crais, Birming-
ham, Alabama; Vice President, Mrs.
George B. Sheppard, Laurens, South |'
Carolina; and Secretary-Historian, Mrs. ;
Chris Matheson, Gainesville, Florida. The ;
circle has elected to continue the present
project for another year, setting a goal of
$30,000 for the 1969-70 year. i

Faculty Profile . . .

Wade P. Huie, Jr.

Although active in the parish ministry
for many years. Dr. Wade P. Huie, Jr.,
Peter Marshall, Professor of Homiletics,
sees changes occuring in the world which
are placing greater demands upon every
seminary faculty.

"In the 50's, when I was pastor at Vin&-
ville Presbyterian Church in Macon,
Georgia, our churches were still on the
crest of a wave of World War II popular-
ity," says Huie. "But today the mood is
different! Changes are occurring so rapidly
that people are threatened, and this is
affecting the church."

He said when we are threatened we tend
to become suspicious, and that suspicion
often leads to division and fragmentation.
It would be disastrous if we stopped at
this point, the professor said. From our
present struggles new patterns for witness
can emerge.

Dr. Huie saw much growth at Vineville
in Macon when he was pastor there; from
275 to more than 700 in eight years.

"Those were days of visitation evangel-
ism and other popular programs of en-
listment," he said. "It wouldn't be the
same today, and it may be even more
different in the 70's."

Professor Huie says we are now seeing
the affects upon people of television and
other communication innovations. These
changes are going to affect the style of a
man's ministry, he said. He cited the con-
tinuing migration of people from small
towns to cities; the depersonalation of peo-
ple working in massive plans and imper-
sonal surroundings; the trend to apart-
ment living; the increasing mobility of
families.

"We're trying to help ministerial candi-
dates become flexible in the face of
change," he said. "The Word and the
Sacraments continue to minister to people
in every conceivable kind of situation.
Teaching and preaching and caring and
serving still the basis for every ministry.
But serving a people threatened by change
calls for new resources and a new stance.
We are trying to help our students learn
how to minister to people in the midst of
change."

During the past quarter Dr. Huie has
been serving as consultant in preaching to
chaplain interns at Atlana's Georgian
Clinic for Alcoholism. To help the interns
improve their preaching to the alcoholics
on Sunday, Huie conducts a Monday
morning seminar using video tape. He
says the use of video tape does more than
just permit a man to see and hear himself
on television. It helps him understand
himself as a communicator and to recog-
nize his own weaknesses and strengths.

Another concern of Dr. Huie is the lack
of research which has been done to find
out how the congregations are resjx>nding
to preaching. "For years we've known
what we were saying from the pulpit," he
says, "but not what the congregations
were hearing or feeling." He and oher
members of the homiletics staff are en-
gaged in teaching methods of congrega-
tional analysis.

Taking a sabbatical year (1967-68),
Dr. Huie studied at the Graduate Theo-
logical Union at Berkeley, Calif. There,
nine different theological seminaries join
with the University of California to offer
study programs to students from many dif-
ferent denominations.

He received his Ph.D., from the Uni-
versity of Edinburgh in Scotland in 1949,
after having graduated from Emory Uni-
versity in 1943, and from Columbia Semi-
nary in 1946. While he was studying in
Scotland respent his summers traveling in
Western Europe and the Middle East.

He has just completed nine years as a
member of the church's Board of Chris-
tian Education, where he shared in the
development of the Covenant Life Curri-
culum. He has also served on the church's
General Council and on the Campus
Christian Life Council of the Synod of
Georgia.

Interim pastorates help Dr. Huie keep
in touch with local congregations. These
contacts offer opportunities for hearing
and seeing changes in the church and
struggling with church members in these
changes.

Dr. Huie spends some time each sum-
mer preaching at Athens YMCA Camp
at TalluJah Falls, and says this keeps
him on his toes with the youngsters com-
ing along. He likes working in his yard
with shrubbery and roses, and plays a little
golf when time permits.

The Huies have four sons: Wade 15,
John 13, David 10, and Scott 6. Mrs.
Huie, the former Vee Hardy of Augusta,
is president of Winnona Park School's
PTA in Decatur. The family enjoys camp-
ing and sports of all kinds.

STUDENT OFFICERS ELECTED FOR 1970-71

Columbia students have elected Charles
Evans of Abbeville, South Carolina, presi-
dent of the Student Government Associa-
tion for 1969-70 and Jim Watson from
Dade City, Florida, president of the So-
ciety of Missionary Inquiry. Both men
served as secretaries of the same groups
during this year.

Chuck Evans was one of two Columbia
students who served as pages during the
meeting of the General Assembly in Mo-
bile. He was chosen by the other pages to
read the pages' statement of appreciation
for the privilege of being at the Assembly.
"The Assembly meeting," he said, "was
one of the greatest learning exp)eriences I
have had in the church." Looking ahead
to next year Mr. Evans expressed the hope
that he would be able to provide leader-
ship for closer relationships among vari-
ous student organizations and for a deep-
ening of the relationships between stu-
dents and faculy members. "We are fortu-
nate to have student representatives on
faculty committees," he said, "and this is
part of the reason why the students have
not been involved in any campus protest
movements." He also observed that stu-
dents at Columbia feel free to talk wih
Seminary officials and faculy members to
air grievances and make suggestions this
way.

Jim Watson feels that every seminary
student should be confronted with mis-
sions. "All students," he says, "should

4

Evans with Assembly Moderator
R. Matthew Lynn

seriously consider whether or not they
should serve as missionaries." While the
Rock Eagle Missions Conference is the
main project of the Society of Missionary
Inquiry each year, Mr. Watson is anxious
to present missions more ably on the
campus.

The other officers of the Student Gov-
ernment for 1969-70- will be, Vice Presi-
dent, G. William Jones of Talledega, Ala-
bama; Wayne David Griffin, West Palm
Beach, Florida, Secretary'; and Treasurer,
Robert S. Smith, Jacksonville, Florida.

Leading the Society of Missionary In-
quiry in 1969-70 will be Vice President,
Harry C. Stafford, Birmingham, Alabama;
Secretary, G. W. Johnson, Talladega, Ala-
bama and Bruce E. Davis, Gulfport, Mis-
sissippi, treasurer.

Bob DeWester from Acworth, Georgia
will be present of the student Society for
Theological Scholarship.

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Faculty (Continued from Page 1)
Board elected Rev. Alvin S. Jepson as
Director of Development with specific
responsibilities for the Seminary's capital
funds campaign. Mr. Jepson is a native
of Seattle, Washington. He received the
B.A. degree from Seattle Pacific College
and the B.D. degree from Fuller Theologi-
cal Seminary. For the past ten years he
has been Presbyterian Minister to students
at Georgia Institute of Technology and
this last year while on leave of absence
from that position worked for the Synod
of Georgia in their Capital Funds Cam-
paign. Mr. Jepson is married to the for-
mer Mary Elizabeth Compton of Fresno,
California. The Jepsons have two sons.

Bacon, left, and Jepson plan Alo. Campaign trip

Dr. Richards (Continued from Page 2)
"Who is sufficient for these things? The
greatest ability and the utmost diligence
are necessary to the work of theological
education, but these in themselves are
not enough. Our work must be done in the
knowledge that 'except the Lord build the
house they labor in vain that build it.' It
is only under the guidance and by the
power of God's spirit that men can be
prepared for the ministry. Our effort must,
therefore be marked by humility, by dis-
content, by earnest prayer and by con-
stant effort to be learners in the school of
Christ."

Copies of President Richards' remarks
are available upon request.

COLUMBIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

BULLETIN
P.O. Box 520 Decatur, Ga. 30031

Return Requested

Second Class

POSTAGE

Paid at

Decatur, Georgia

Vol. 62, No. 2 / Spring, 1969
Published five times a year