Columbia Theological Seminary Inform, 66, number 1, January 1972

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VOL. 66 NO. 1 / JANUARY 1973

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NEWS BULLETIN FROM COLUMBIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

DECATUR, GEORGIA

Merge 3 Required Courses
In New Junior Year Experiment

"Christian Freedom" is the theme for
the Interdisciplinary Course 101, offered
for the first time at Columbia Seminary
during the winter quarter 1971-72.

Fourteen juniors will meet together
for all of their required course work (in
Galatians, history, and preaching). The
professors responsible for each of these
areas (Profs. Charles B. Cousar, Ralph
B. Person, and Wade P. Huie, respective-
ly), are working together in planning
the joint sessions and will teach them as
a team.

"This is our most significant effort
yet to integrate the various disciplines
in a student's theological education,"
Dean Cousar stated.

(Continued on p. 2, col. 3)

5 STUDENTS SHARE WORK
OF BOARDS AND AGENCIES

Columbia Seminary has five students
participating in the work of the boards
and agencies of the Presbyterian Church
in the U. S.

These students will help Field Educa-
tion Director J. Richard Bass interpret
that work to the senior class to fulfill the
field education requirement of "under-
standing how the boards and agencies
are supportive of local pastors and
churches".

William A. Bryant, Jr., is a member
of the Task Force on Evangelism of the
Board of National Ministries. J. Fred
Fife and Howard Shockley sit on com-
mittees of the General Council.

Douglas Stearns and Caroline Leach
have been appointed to Television, Ra-
dio, and Audio-Visuals.

Stearns

Leach

It is expected that other students will
be named shortly to the Council on
Church and Society and to the Board of
Christian Education.

BARR AND KECK NAMED TO GIVE
SMYTH, ALUMNI ANNUAL LECTURES

A California pastor and a Vanderbilt University professor will deliver the Smyth
and Alumni Lectures, Feb. 2-4 and April 4-6, respectively.

The Rev. Browne Barr, pastor of
First Congregational Church in Berke-
ley, Calif., and faculty member of the
Pacific School of Religion, is the Smyth
lecturer. He has delivered the Beecher
Lectures at Yale Divinity School, and
the English Lectures at Andover-New-
ton Theological School. He has pub-
lished East Bay and Eden, and Parish
Back Talk. His previous pastorates in-
clude Middletown South Church and the
former Second Congregational Church
of Waterbury, both in Connecticut.

Grinnell College (la.) awarded Mr.

Barr a B.A. degree, and Yale Divinity Leander Keck

School a B.D. degree. ., . . . .

Alumni Lecturer, Dr. Leander Keck,

professor of New Testament at Vander-
bilt University, received degrees from
Linfield College, Andover Newton The-
ological School, and Yale University.
He has taught at Wellesly College, and is
the author of Taking the Bible Seriously
and Mandate to Wit new.

Ministers Week events, usually sched-
uled during the Smyth Lectures, will be
held this year during the presidential
inaugural programs set for April 13-15.

Rock Eagle Conference
To Be Held April 28-30

The 20th annual Rock Eagle Missions
Conference will be held April 28-30 at
the Rock Eagle 4-H Conference Center,
Eatonton, Ga., it has been announced
by the Society of Missionary Inquiry at
Columbia Theological Seminary.

The deadline for registrations has been
set for April 10, according to Mr.
Howard Shockley, society president.

The conference is planned by the
seminarians for high school and college
students from Alabama, Georgia, Flori-
da. North Carolina, South Carolina,
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
It is a weekend presentation of the vari-
ous mission thrusts of the Presbyterian
Church, U.S. "Here's a real challenge
for young people to respond to our
Church's needs in mission," Mr. Shock-
ley has stated.

Browne Barr

INAUGURATION OF
THE REV. DR. C. BENTON KLINE, JR.

Inaugural activities April 13-15

Inauguration April IS

FROM THE PRESIDENT

In recent weeks I have been in all
five of our supporting synods and have
met with ministers and laymen and wo-
men. I've talked and I*ve listened. I'm
sure I've talked more than I should, but
I've tried to listen in order to learn.
When I've learned more, I want to share
some impressions. Right now I would
like to share something that I have been
saying about the seminary.

There are three basic commitments
of the Seminary: Biblical authority,
doctrinal fidelity, and ecclesiastical
loyalty. What we teach and how we
carry on our ministry is rooted in the
authority of Scripture, as it is attested
to be the word of God by the inward
witness of the Holy Spirit. We teach and
carry on our ministry in faithfulness to
the doctrinal standards of the church,
recognizing that those standards them-
selves point beyond themselves to Scrip-
ture and to God Himself. Our teaching
and our ministry seek to be loyal to the
Presbyterian Church, U.S., as it works
out its life and program under the doc-
trinal standards, the authority of Scrip-
ture, and the lordship of Jesus Christ, the
head of the church.

These basic commitments are fulfilled
in a certain style a style of teaching
and community life that is open to
honest trusting. We believe that young
men and women must commit them-
selves to these basics not under the
duress of indoctrination but in the free-
dom of self-commitment. Those who
enter the service of Jesus Christ must do
so out of a conviction which is their
own. Only then can they be the ef-
fective ministers of our Lord that our
church and our world needs today. This
Columbia Seminary seeks to help them
to be.

CFC Gives $8,000
To Richards Fund

Over $8,000 has been pledged to date
during Columbia Friendship Circle's
project for the endowed support of the
J. McDowell Richards Graduate and
Continuing Education Fund.

A pastor has written to the CFC that
"you are to be congratulated on spon-
soring this most worthwhile program.
Because it has meant so much to me,
I am confident that the value the pro-
gram offers to the Church at large is
without calculation. Please continue it!"
The CFC project will help to insure its
continuation, according the Rev. Alvin
S. Jepson, staff director of the CFC of-
fice.

Twice before (1965-66 and 1967-68)
CFC has designated support projects for
continuing education at Columbia. The
current campaign, which is an endow-
ment plan, is the first to establish as-
sured continuity.

Georgia, for the first time, has be-
come the leading synod in pledges to the
fund with a total of $2,472, according
to the December 1 progress report issued
by the CFC office. Florida, which, since
July, has had the highest pledge, now
records $2,313.

For those who may not have yet
pledged or contributed to the project.
Mr. Jepson has announced that such
gifts may be made to the appropriate
synod's CFC officer or sent directly to
the CFC office at Columbia Seminary.

College Conference
To Draw 90, Feb. 4-6

About 90 college juniors and seniors
are expected to be on Columbia's cam-
pus Feb. 4-6 for the annual Conference
for College Students, according lo the
Rev. James T. Richardson, director of
admissions.

Among the leaders for the weekend
event, which will include platform
presentations, panel discussions and con-
ferences with professors, will be Presi-
dent C. Benton Kline, Jr., Dean Charles
B. Cousar, Professor of Homiletics Wade
P. Huie, Professor of Speech and Music
Hubert V. Taylor, Professor of Bible J.
Will Ormand, and Professor of Theology
Shirley C. Guthrie.

Conference brochures and applica-
tion forms may be obtained from Mr.
Richardson. Since there will be a limited
number of acceptances, applications
should be made as soon as possible and
no later than Jan. 28. Mr. Richardson
has requested.

All students accepted will be provided
meals and housing while in Decatur as
guests of the seminary.

The Rev. Bert C. Swearingen (Chiplcy, Fla), the
Rev. Thomas J. Rogers (Marietta, Ga), and the
Rev. Dan E. Youngblood (Anniston, Ala.) were
among the 12 ministers attending the Oct 26-
Nov. 4 Continuing Education seminar on "Mar-
riage and Family Relations".

Continuing Education Set
For 1972 Winter Quarter

Columbia's Continuing Hdueation pro-
gram has served 89 ministers during
1971 in eight programs of planned or
independent study of between three and
ten days each.

Sessions planned lor the first quarter
of 1972 are: Jan. 11-20, Columbia Semi-
nary Class of 1967; Jan. 25-Feb. 3.
Reading and Dialogue; Feb. 8-17, Pas-
toral Opportunities in the Georgia Ment-
al Health Plan; and Feb. 22-March 2,
Clinical Pastoral Practicum.

Applications for the remaining avail-
able spaces should be sent to Dean A.
Milton Riviere in the Ministry Develop-
ment Office at Columbia.

Programs held during 1971 included:
Jan. 12-21, Independent Study; Feb. 2-
II, Pastoral Counseling; Feb. 15-17,
Preacher-Camera Playback; March 1-6,
Communication through Mass Media;
April 20-29, Worship and Preaching;
and May 4-12, Columbia Seminary
Class of 1966.

(Continued from p. I, col. I)
The course instructors are expecting
to develop the concept of Christian free-
dom from consideration of the freedom
themes in the book of Galatians, Luther's
theological and humanistic heritage, and
the freedom of preaching and the pas-
toral voice. The students will have obser-
vation sessions at a monastary, and
Lutheran worship and preaching, among
other situations.

Students enrolled for the course al-
ready have been involved in the plan-
ning of the course assignments, agenda,
and grading basis.

The course grew out of Columbia's
current involvement in education for pro-
fessional ministry, and "out of a desire
to see what we are doing academically
as well as personally, and how that is
related to worship and preaching," Dean
Cousar explained.

First CTS Soccer Team
Ties Augusta Medical

Re-match Set
For January

Columbia Seminary's first soccer team
played through two overtime periods to
a 3-3 tie with Augusta Medical College
Nov. 20 after losing an earlier game to
the Georgia Tech squad 6-0. A re-match
is scheduled in January with Augusta
Medical.

Columbia dominated Augusta Medical
College after the first quarter, which
ended with the seminarians trailing 0-2.
During the next three periods, Colum-
bia's tight defense kept the medical col-
lege players from getting to within 25
yards of the goal, with Fahed Abu
Akel, an Israeli student from Galilee,
turning in the best defensive game, along
with C. O. Magee of Corpus Christi,
Tex., M. Div. senior.

John Sloop, middler M. Div. candi-
date from Atlanta, scored all three Co-
lumbia goals as he led Columbia's of-
fense. Sloop scored twice in the second
period, and booted one more into the
net in the third.

Sloop was injured midway through the
fourth period, and Columbia finished the
game, including the two five-minute
overtime periods, with only ten players
on the field. The injury, torn knee liga-
ments, means that Sloop is out of soc-
cer for the season.

With Columbia shorthanded, Augusta
Medical kicked its game-tying third goal
with four minutes to go in the final
quarter. Columbia came close to winning
in the last overtime period when an
attempted goal by Maclean Kumi of
Ghana hit a goalpost and went out of
bounds, "which could have ben called
either way," according to manager and
coach, C. O. Magee.

A Columbia player demonstrates the form that
almost won CTS their soccer game against Au-
gusta Medical College on Nov. 20.

Photo Mcfadden

NEW D. MIN. PLANS
GO TO BOARD IN MAY

Plans for the new first professional de-
gree (D. Min.) will be presented to the
Board of Directors at its May meeting
for their action, according to an an-
nouncement by Dean Charles B. Cousar.

The proposal will contain completed
descriptions of the program's require-
ments and of the academic and field cur-
riculum design.

Columbia's D. Min. committee is cur-
rently working on the definition of ade-
quate supervision for students involved
in the practice of ministry; clarification
of educational goals and objectives and
the development of course offerings to
implement them; plans for phasing-in the
program; feasibility studies on faculty,
cost, and funding resources; and the de-
velopment of criteria and procedures for
admission of students to candidacy after
initial academic work has been com-
pleted.

Prof. James Gailey is chairman of the
ten-member committee.

HIS GIFT WILL CONTINUE

Last year a long-time friend of Co-
lumbia died in South Carolina. Because
of his thoughtful advance planning his
support to Columbia is continuing.

Since the beginning of Columbia's
Living Endowment program this active
layman had made annual gifts of $100.
These gifts were his "over and above"
ministry, for he and his congregation
were already generous in their support of
Columbia and the other institutions of the
Synod of South Carolina through their
benevolent giving.

It was not until after the death of this
friend that Columbia learned of his de-
sire to extend his support for Columbia
beyond his own lifetime. Through a be-

quest of $2500 to Columbia's endow-
ment he insured regular annual income
to take place of his gift.

Columbia is proud of the confidence
and support of a person who had such a
deep sense of responsibility to his church
and for the training of pastors. We are
determined to justify the faith of this
friend and others who have made simi-
lar gifts, large and small, through the
years.

Columbia welcomes inquiries from
friends regarding opportunities to make
deferred gifts. We are happy to discuss
various deferred giving plans and par-
ticular parts of Columbia's program
which you may wish to support.

Wharton Is Preacher For
1971 Fall "Hope" Series

The Rev. Dr. James A. Wharton
presented the fall preaching series at
Columbia Oct. 26-29.

During the series. Dr. Wharton warned
the Columbia student body, faculty, and
guests: "Let none of us claim to be the
proprietors of the living God. the sole
champions of His renewing work." His
four lectures were entitled: "Horizon of
Hope", "This Damning Hope", "This
Hard-Headed Hope", and "The 0}
namics of Hope".

Dr. Wharton earned a B.A. from the
University of Texas, a B.D. from Austin,
and a Th.D. from the University of
Basel. He is the author of "The Com-
mand to Bless." in Interpretation, and
has contributed to Interpreter's Dic-
tionary of the Bible. In 1966 he wis
resident theologian at the Center for the
Study of Democraic Institutions in
Santa Barbara, Calif.

Dr. Wharton has followed his father
on the faculty of Austin Seminary; the
Rev. Conway T. Wharton was at the
seminary from 1937 to 1940.

FOURTEEN COUPLES AT
NOVEMBER CONFERENCE

Fourteen young to middle-aged mar-
ried couples took part in the Consider
the Ministry Conference on the Colum-
bia campus Nov. 12-14.

Planned to give a realistic view of the
ministry today and the problems in-
volved in making a career switch, the
three-year-old conference was developed
by Columbia's Director of Admissions
James T. Richardson.

Faculty leadership for the conference
included President C. Benton Kline, Jr.,
Dean Charles B. Cousar, Jr., Dean O. H.
Lyon, and Profs. Wade P. Huie, Ralph
E. Person, J. Richard Bass. Jack B. Mc-
Michael. and J. Will Ormond.

Dale Mclnnis watches as her husband, Davia,
poses a question during the couples conference,
Consider the Ministry, Nov. 12-14. Mr. Mclnnis
is a son of the Rev. Donald 0- Mclnnis, execu-
tive secretory of Suwannee Presbytery.

FACULTY PROFILE

Ralph Erb Person

Columbia Seminary has a man for all Even though he also organized a new
seasons. party to clean up politics on the 18.000-

Campus minister, church historian, student campus, he moved into more
track champion, scholar, musician, stu- church-related activities, spending a sum-
dent work-camp organizer, assistant mer in Europe to observe the varieties of sor Shirley Guthrie) and doctoral work
pastor to the Ceylonese churchman, D. ministries there, and a summer in Mexi- with Professors Barth. Cullman, and
T. Niles, university campus political co learning Spanish in preparation for Geiger in the field of Church history
reformer, seminary professor all are the summer work camp he organized, and the history of Christian thought
part of Ralph Erb Person, associate pro- funded, and "sold" to the World Council (assisted by a Kent Fellowship). His
fessor of Church history at Columbia of Churches for their adoption. dissertation (Scripture and Tradition at

Seminary. Peggy Rowland, another UT student, the Early Ecumenical Councils of the

The road to Columbia led through all had helped organize the funding for the Church) is still in process; after a fruit-
these interests, many of which made project, and, during the summer of 1954, ful period of work on it last summer,
strong claims as his life's work. But the she, five other students, and Ralph Per- Mr. Person is hopeful ol completing
influence of Presbyterian Pastor W. P. son joined a group of 25 Brazilians of it within the coming year.
Dickey in his hometown of Karnes City, diverse religious and racial backgrounds Since becoming associate professor of
Texas, and of Dean James I. McCord of in building a double apartment house Church history at Columbia in I96S,
Austin Seminary (his freshman Bible in- for Presbyterian USA teachers and an Professor Person has been an active
structor at the University of Texas) were airplane hanger in the Matta Grosso on contributor to the life of the seminary.
most compelling in showing the excite- a mission station before proceeding on a Most recently he has spent several
ment of being Christ's minister. tour of Brazilian mission work. Before months on the committee developing

Mr. Person's father, who owned an the summer was over, the Person-Row- the new first professional degree pro-
abstract company, had hoped he would land working relationship had become gram (D. Min.).

consider the legal profession, but was very definitely a personal one with their "Sometimes I get awfully impatient
thinking he would join this family busi- engagement. with the Church, but there is an excitc-

ness after completing his degree at the While an Austin Seminary student, ment in the Church, too, as ministers
University of Texas. So, he entered as a Mr. Person spent his middler year at the and laymen struggle with questions
business administration major in 1948, University of Aberdeen on a Rotary about God and the meaning of life. I
even though he was seriously enough in- Foundation Fellowship, had field educa- believe very deeply that the Gospel has
terested in music (especially opera) to tion experience at the First Southern the power to change men and society,
be practicing two hours a day in addition Presbyterian Church in Austin, and got and that theological education is crucial
to his studies and to running track. He married. for the Church in understanding and in-

continued track in college after being Following ordination in 1956, he had terpreting the Gospel.
a four-letter man in high school, plus a one-year period with D. T. Niles in "We are living in a very demanding
playing golf. While at UT he was na- Jaffna, Ceylon, teaching, preaching, times when many questions and prob-
tional AAU champion (220-yard low coaching, lecturing, and choir directing, lems must be rethought. Students today
hurdles) in 1952-53. During his 40.000 miles of travel with realize this and get excited about the-

Back in Karnes City, Mr. Person used the Student Christian Movement that ology because they see what it has meant
to spend hours talking with the local year he "saw quite a lot of the Asian and can mean to speak and act in the
Presbyterian minister because he liked social revolution, missions, Hinduism," name of Christ," he said recently with
what he was doing. Then came Dean yet another aspect of his rich offerings the intensity that is typical for him when
McCord's freshman Bible course that to Columbia Seminary students today. he is talking about the Church or the-
"really tore me up" and became a spirit- For five "glorious years" (1958-63), ological education.

ual experience. Because of these two he was campus minister at the University There is a long road between Ralph
events, Mr. Person became involved of Texas, with its 2,000 Presbyterian Erb Person, today, and managing an
with Westminister Fellowship where he students. Finding the "intellectual gas abstract business. His father was prob-
found spiritual nourishment, social ac- tank running low," and that his own ably amazed at its scenery. On the other
tion, and service projects. He discovered major interest lay in teaching, he then hand, since he knew his son, maybe he
the ministery was not only attractive, headed to the University of Basel (with has not been too surprised to be saying
but was something "I could actually do." the encouragement of Columbia Profes- "my son, the theology professor".

Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, whkh he
had taken with the tongs off the citar and he laid it upon my mouth, and said;
this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also
i heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom y send, and go for i

Then said I,

HERE AM I;

said, Go, and ted this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand m

senc

id see

he

20th

annual

Rock Eagle Missions Conference

April 28-30, 1972
Rock Eagle 4-H Conference Center, Eatonton, Georgia

Auditorium

RUSTY DRAPER

Minister to Galveston Beach. Former
DJ. Dynamic Christian witness and
preacher who skillfully transmits Bibli-
cal truths in the language of today's
youth.

Chapel

SPEAKERS, RAP SESSIONS, MISSION MODELS, RECREATION, BIBLE STUDY, BOOKSTORE

Mail to: Society of Missionary Inquiry

Columbia Theological Seminary

Box I

Decatur, Georgia, 30031

Please forward registration forms.

Name

Address.

ZIP

REGISTRATIONS: due April 10
COST: $21 for the entire weekend

SAVE THE DATES
and send now for reservation forms

r

Faculty Notes...

President Kline has preached nearly
every Sunday this fall in South Carolina.
Florida, and Georgia, and met with
numerous area groups in Florida, Ala-
bama and South Carolina, in addition
to serving as chairman of the AATS
Accrediting Committee for Ashland
(O.) Theological Seminary and as a
member of Atlanta Presbytery's Com-
mission on the Gordon Street Church.

Ludwig Dewitz spoke on "What is
Human" before an Oct. 30 meeting of
the Medical Christian Fellowship, Stone
Mountain, Ga., and presented a series
on "Light from the Old Testament" at
Dillon (S. C.) First Presbyterian Church.
Training conferences, nearly all for
church officers, in Atlanta, Marietta,
Lithonia, Mecklenberg Presbytery,
Southwest Atlanta Presbytery and Bir-
mingham, Ala., have occupied Jack B.
McMichael since the beginning of Sep-
tember. Harold Prince is chairman of the
Library Advisory Committee of the At-
lanta University Center. Advisory Com-
mittee of the Offices of Worship and
Music of the United Presbyterian
Church and the Presbyterian Church,
US, met on the campus Sept. 27-28, with
Don M. Wardlaw as host. He has been
the interim pastor of John Knox Presby-
terian Church in Marietta, and has led
worship workshops in Dallas (Nov. 6-7)
and Savannah (Nov. 19-20).

Samuel A. Cartledge has been meeting
monthly with the Graduate Professional
Studies Committee of the Atlanta The-
ological Association. Hubert V. Taylor
was reelected for one year as chairman
of TRAV. He collaborated with Dr.
James Smylie (of Union) on the Unity in
Diversity program during the Prebyter-
(Continued in next column)

ENROLLMENTA T187
FOR FALL - UP 14 : %

One hundred and eighty-seven men
and women have enrolled at Columbia
Seminary for the fall quarter.

Master of Divinity candidates total
1 18 (juniors 43; middlers 40; and
seniors 35), while there are 33 can-
didates for the Master of Theology de-
gree. Six men are pursuing the require-
ments for the Doctor of Sacred Theology
degree. Another 28 special students and
two auditors complete the roster.

ian Convention. J. Will Ormond has

supplied churces in Alabama and Geor-
gia, and he preached the ordination
sermons of Gary Bryant and Mark
Verdery.

Charles B. Cousar presented a paper
(The Christology of Mark as Reflected
in Mark 14:43-72) to the Society of
Biblical Literature when it met in At-
lanta Oct. 28-31. Donald Williams has
held consultations with other theo-
logical clusters. He was re-elected to
the executive committee of the Associa-
tion of Professors and Researchers in
Religious Education, and presented a
paper at the Institute for the Study of
the Rural South at Erskine College and
Seminary.

Board of Directors
Name Davis Chairman

Dr. Frank B.
Davis, head of Au-
burn University's
Department of
Speech, was elec-
ted chairman of
the Columbia
Board of Directors in November.

An elder in Auburn's First Presby-
terian Church since 1951, Dr. Davis was
chairman of the forerunner of the
Council on Church and Society of the
Presbyterian Church, US, and is on Gen-
eral Assembly's Ad Interim Committee
on the Church's Use of Her Ordained
Ministry.

Following one of his presentations during the
fall preaching series, the Rev. Dr. James What
tor chats with Columbia M Div. candidates
Mrs. James Sutherland (c) and Mr. Donald

Flowers (r).

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VOL. 66, NO. 1 / JANUARY 1972

Elizabeth Andrews, Editor
Published 7 times a year / Jan., Feb., Apr., May, July, Oct., Nov.

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