Southeastern Theological Fellowship dinner celebrates five institutional scholars

SEBTS Provost Bruce Ashford welcomed guests from liberal arts colleges, research universities, seminaries, publishing houses and more to the event, calling them to “the unified vision of reality that theological scholarship can offer.”

“If the Christian life could be compared to an exam in which we are measured by our faithfulness to Christ in a particular historical context, many of us feel like the twenty-first century is an insanely challenging one,” said Ashford. “We find it challenging precisely because we are Christian scholars working in a secular age.”

“Western higher education will lose much of what is good about it unless Christian scholars play fulfill our role as salt and light,” said Ashford.

The honorees, representing five different colleges, universities and seminaries, received awards for their excellence in research, writing and displaying the characteristics of a Great Commission scholar in both the classroom and Christian scholarship. The following scholars received awards:

• Matthew Emerson, Dickinson chair of religion and associate professor of religion at Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, Oklahoma
• Nathan Finn, provost and dean of the University Faculty, North Greenville University, Tigerville, South Carolina
• Matthew Pinson, president of Welch College, Nashville, Tennessee
• Peter Gentry, Donald L. Williams professor of Old Testament interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky
• Kevin Vanhoozer, research professor of systematic theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois

After accepting his award, Vanhoozer addressed the audience on the importance of holding fast to the Word of God, the gospel and the Spirit’s power in biblical scholarship.

“Let us form a society not of biblical literature but a society of biblical literacy,” said Vanhoozer.

The Southeastern Theological Fellowship seeks to build camaraderie and foster fellowship between scholars of multiple denominations and encourage excellence in scholarship for the glory of Jesus Christ.

Photos of the Southeastern Theological Fellowship dinner, including awarded scholars, can be viewed here.