Southeastern installs 10th faculty chair in honor of Charles Page

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) installed its 10th faculty chair, the Charles Page chair of biblical theology, to Charles Quarles during its convocation service Aug. 16.

The chair was announced in 2003 at SEBTS while Page was still living, but it was not until 15 years later, with more than 100 donors who gave, that this endowed chair became active.

“It brings great, great joy in my heart to know that until Jesus comes again, one of his choice servants will be honored at this institution and rightly so,” said Akin during a lunch following convocation to honor Page and his family. “Thank you for making this possible. This is a good day at Southeastern Seminary.”

During the lunch, Jack Fallaw, longtime friend of Page, spoke of Page’s great influence and godly example.

“You couldn’t be around Charles very long that you didn’t see there was a power in him that was greater than himself,” said Fallaw.

President Danny Akin of SEBTS spoke to the tremendous influence Page had on his life, calling him “one of my heroes.”

Akin gave three reasons why he admired Page: He learned how to love his family, Page taught him on a public level, and he taught Akin on a one-on-one level.

Quarles, research professor of New Testament and biblical theology at SEBTS, received his Master of Divinity and his Ph.D. in New Testament and Greek from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served as a senior pastor for ten years in Mississippi and Tennessee. He also spent time as a missionary with the International Mission Board in Bucharest, Romania. Before coming to Southeastern, Quarles served as a professor at multiple seminaries, including Clear Creek Baptist Bible College, the Bucharest Baptist Theological Seminary, the University of Bucharest, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Louisiana College. Quarles is also the author of multiple publications.

Page received both his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Southeastern. During his life, Page was widely influential through pastoring multiple churches, including churches in Greensboro, North Carolina and North Augusta, South Carolina. From 1982-1985, Page pastored at First Baptist Charlotte. Page left to serve as pastor of First Baptist Nashville before returning back to First Baptist Charlotte in 1991, where he grew the congregation to 3,500. Page was greatly instrumental in many lives through broadcasting his sermons from First Baptist Charlotte on television to delivering weekly devotionals to hundreds of businessmen that the church would host for lunch. Page passed away in 2005 from a nine-year battle with cancer, but his legacy continues to live on in the installment of the Charles Page Chair of Biblical Theology at SEBTS.

During convocation, Scott Pace, associate professor of pastoral ministry and preaching and the associate director of the Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership, was installed in the Johnny Hunt chair of biblical preaching, which began in the fall of 2010.

Adrianne Miles and Tate Cockrell, newly elected faculty members, signed their names to the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 and the Abstract of Principles, along with the other SEBTS faculty members.

Miles is an assistant professor of English and linguistics for the college. Cockrell is an associate professor of counseling and the assistant director of the doctoral ministry program in the seminary.

Preaching from Psalm 117, Akin highlighted how missionary John Paton’s life and ministry coincided with the message presented in the shortest chapter in all of Scripture.

Paton, Akin told attendees, was a man “who risked his life and sacrificed much that a tribe of murderous cannibals in the New Hebrides Islands might praise the Lord for his steadfast love and faithfulness that endures forever.”

First, Akin explained that Psalm 117:1 describes that the Lord is to be magnified among the nations, being praised and extoled by people of every ethnicity.

“These people groups are perishing and headed toward hell with no gospel witness, and yet our great God desires that they would praise Him and be saved,” said Akin.

Second, the Lord is to be magnified because of his nature, which is steadfast and faithful, Akin explained.

To view photos from convocation, click here.

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