SBCOutpost

SBCOutpost.com has noticed that yesterday the Executive Committee approved the 2008-2009 Cooperative Program Allocation Budget. The seminaries received a .5% increase over last year’s budget, with Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Defendant Paige Patterson receiving the smallest increase of all six SBC seminaries in spite of reporting the “highest enrollment in 5 years.”

The percentage increases for SBC seminaries are listed below in descending order:

1. Midwestern Seminary — .20% increase.

2. Southern Seminary — .18% increase.

3. Golden Gate Seminary — .07% increase.

4. New Orleans Seminary — .06% increase.

5. Southeastern Seminary — .02% increase.

6. Southwestern Seminary — .01% increase.

Questions swirl when it comes to the introduction of a new name of President of the SBC. In a previous post we a few of us on the Outpost Team noted Frank Cox appears to be more of an insider than a reformer. Many who read here believe things are fine and so an insider would be dandy. Others believe Frank Page’s election signaled a different tone and tenor. We A few of us on the Outpost Team wonder if the following selections to serve in the Georgia Baptist Convention would be indicative of the pattern Frank Cox would use when appointing the Committee on Committees for the SBC should he be elected. If so, it is hard to suggest, we a few of us on the Outpost Team believe, we would not be returning to much of the same prior to Page.

From the Christian Index, November 22, 2007 edition, report from the GBC annual meeting
( http://www.christianindex.org/3869.article ):

Education Commission:
Matthew Waymack, North Metro First Baptist Church

Georgia Baptist Historical Commission:
Gwen Newman, North Metro First Baptist Church

Georgia Baptist Foundation:
DeWitt Cox, North Metro First Baptist Church

Baptist Village Retirement Communities:
Edna Cox, North Metro First Baptist Church

Shorter College:
Ken Watkins, North Metro First Baptist Church

Five out of 90 open slots (non-Exec Committee) were filled from a single church. One guess as to who the pastor is.

SWBTS and its president, Defendant Paige Patterson, have filed responses to Sheri Klouda’s Motion for Leave to File Amended Complaint. Defendant Patterson objects to Klouda’s amended complaint and counters that the “new evidence” of the seminary president’s alleged misogyny is “scandalous” and “patently false.”

In these documents we gain a better understanding of Defendant Patterson’s thoughts regarding the sexual predation of his former protege, Darrell Gilyard. We also learn that Defendant Patterson has had no part in leasing the seminary property to the Republican Party.

Similarly, Defendant Patterson objects to the Court’s allowing as evidence his 1997 comment in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, wherein he stated concerning women that “everybody should own at least one.” It seems that Defendant Patterson fears that this statement could prejudice the jury.

Read the new filings in Klouda v. Patterson below:

Defendant Patterson’s Response to Klouda Motion

SWBTS Response to Klouda Motion

SBCOutpost.com has received documents that demonstrate how the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has been rented to the Republican Party on numerous occasions.

The attached documents are excerpted from the October 2006 trustee briefing book, particular that portion concerned with the Division of Student Services prior to the administration of Dr. Thomas White.

Pages 9 and 10 list partisan political organizations among other “secular groups” that have been hosted at the formerly named “Smith Center.”

Watchdog groups have learned of the relationship between Southwestern Seminary and the Republican Party, though we are not aware of any complaints filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

This information is certain to raise questions about the separation of church and state for some readers.

Of course, we should remember that Southwestern Seminary isn’t a church.

At least it wasn’t until Defendant Patterson decided to fire Sheri Klouda.

2006 SWBTS Report to the Trustees

Recently the boys over at SBC Yesterday Today (just a little humor, boys. Don’t get your blood pressure up) made a proposal that when the time comes for Jerry Rankin to retire from the IMB the convention should look to a pastor to lead our great missions organization into the future. In light of that proposal I would like to suggest one of my own.

Let me first of all say that there are many things for which we can be grateful in regards to Dr. Paige Patterson. His best work may well have been in pulling Southeastern Seminary out of the miry pit and setting its feet on a solid rock. While there are things with which he and I would disagree - such as whether or not a woman can teach theology to men (and it seems to me that women regularly teach theology to men in the music and education departments at SWBTS even today - and if they do not then they should be fired) - nevertheless, he aided in the rescue of the SBC from a liberal drift and helped to set us back onto a squarely conservative path.

One of these days Dr. Patterson will retire from SWBTS. When that time comes I hope that the trustees will give full consideration to hiring a president who has no long-term educational experience. Read the rest of this entry »

Baptist Press is reporting that Southern Seminary President Al Mohler has withdrawn his candidacy for president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

It has also been announced that Dr. Mohler will be having additional medical procedures related to a colonoscopy completed this week. Our prayers go out to Dr. Mohler and his family, as well as to Southern Seminary.

Read the story here.

Sometimes it is better to get scooped so one may offer more than a repeat of what may be found in Baptist Press. We have been busy asking around to find out more about Frank Cox. Here is what we have confirmed from several sources.

1. Frank Cox is a well known insider in the SBC having served on multiple committees in SBC life.
    a. Past President of the Georgia Baptist Convention
    b. Past 1^st VP of the SBC
    c. Member of Exec. Comm. for 9 years
    d. SBC Funding Study Committee
    e. Ad Hoc Cooperative Program Committee
    f. SBC Resolutions Committee
 
2. Frank Cox is well known in Georgia, perhaps best known for preaching revivals for churches across the Southeast. He is willing to preach in churches of all sizes and not only “large” churches.
3. Frank Cox was one of three on the shortlist for President at Lifeway, along with Georgia Exec. Bob White
4. Junior Hill has told people he nominates Frank Cox out of concern for Mohler’s Calvinism. Thus, Cox is the non-Calvinist candidate.
5. Frank Cox is firmly in the old line pre-Frank Page mold. Thus, he and Mohler share much in common.
6. Frank Cox and Al Mohler would seem to have the same agenda, returning to more of a “pre Frank Page” SBC.
7. Frank Cox is considered to be the candidate of choice for the Georgia Baptist Exec position when the need for a replacement arises.
8. Frank Cox seemed to believe the SBC to be moving in the right direction so while President the the Georgia Baptist Convention it has been hard to recall any calls for reform.
 
The best we can tell, is that Frank Cox would be a Mohler without the Calvinism. If you think things were going just fine before Frank Page was elected, and you don’t like Calvinism, and want to see more missions giving and going, Frank Cox is your man.
 
We think Bill Wagner may get our vote.

Elizabeth Ulrich with the Nashville Scene, an independent news magazine headquartered down the street from our own Southern Baptist Convention offices, has hit the presses with a feature story entitled What Would Jesus Say?

In her lengthy treatment of sexual predators and the Southern Baptist Convention, Ulrich provides extensive coverage and analysis of the way SBC leaders are seeking to balance ecclesial autonomy and moral responsibility when it comes to protecting God’s children from victimization.

The story covers the sad saga of Debbie Vasquez, who was repeatedly molested by her pastor more than thirty years ago. The narrative is gripping and graphic. The consequence of our bureaucratic inability to stop this sort of thing is troubling. As with all news stories, we can presume a certain embellishment for readability and interest. Numerous SBC leaders figure prominently in the story, many of whom are surely as grieved as we at SBCOutpost are about this terrible tragedy.

Of particular interest to readers of SBCOutpost, however, will be the correspondence Debbie Vasquez had with Defendant Paige Patterson. When asked by Vasquez about his involvement in the Darrell Gilyard case, Defendant Patterson replied:

“Debbie, what more did you want me to do? Would you feel better if I shot [Darrell Gilyard]? I am not a detective, a judge, a jury, or an executioner.”

Read the whole story here.

If the president of a Southern Baptist seminary granted an interview with a major newspaper reporter about the issue of race relations in American religious life . . .

And if during the course of that otherwise serious interview the aforementioned seminary president was asked about his own personal view of African Americans . . .

And if that seminary president quipped that he believed “everybody should own at least one . . . ”

Would the explanation that his “joke” was taken out of context be sufficient?

Would Southern Baptists everywhere wink and nod because we all secretly thought the joke was funny?

Would millions of words of evidence demonstrating the seminary president’s views about the evil of chattel slavery suffice to absolve him of one tactless quip?

See how great a forest a little fire kindles…

Earlier this week, SBCOutpost accessed the latest filings in Klouda v. Patterson. Essentially, Judge McBryde has granted Klouda’s motion for leave to refile expert witness disclosures. Klouda then refiled her expert witness disclosure according to the judge’s instructions.

Klouda also filed an amended complaint in which additional facts and claims are presented to the Court. Judge McBryde has required Defendant Patterson to file a response to the motion for leave to file a second amended complaint. Naturally, Defendant Patterson objects to Klouda’s motion.

Among the new facts and claims that Klouda now presents to the Court are the following:

• Klouda no longer anticipates naming individual trustees as defendants.
• Klouda makes additional claims that her filing was not related to SWBTS’ religious beliefs.
• Klouda clarifies that Defendant Patterson acted from a claimed religious belief rather than an actual religious belief.
• Klouda stipulates that her gender and the scope of her teaching responsibilities were known and affirmed by the seminary trustees at the time of her hiring.
• Klouda asserts that the only thing that changed at Southwestern Seminary was neither (a) the Baptist Faith & Message; (b) the seminary bylaws; (c) her gender; (d) the scope of her responsibilities; nor (e) her job performance. Rather, the only thing that changed at the seminary was “a new President who openly and blatantly discriminates against women.”
• Klouda alleges that Defendant Patterson has revealed his prejudice against women by stating that “everyone should own one.”
• Klouda argues that Defendant Patterson has demonstrated other ways of using the seminary resources to advance a non-sectarian social agenda.
• Klouda references the actions of Defendant Patterson from his administration twenty years prior at the Criswell College, at which time Defendant Patterson accused female victims of rape and sexual harassment of lying when they testified concerning the sexual predation of Rev. Darrell Gilyard.
• Klouda also clarifies her estimated losses because of Defendant Patterson’s “malicious and tortious conduct.”

Klouda’s Motion to File Amended Complaint

Judge McBryde’s Order requiring Patterson to respond to Klouda motion

Klouda’s Expert Disclosure

Judge McBryde’s Order allowing Klouda to file Expert Disclosures out-of-time.