Akin Calls Attendees to “Choose the Wise Road” at Spring Convocation
Chad Burchett | January 24, 2023
On Tuesday morning, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and The College at Southeastern held its spring 2023 convocation, including a message from Psalm 1 by President Danny Akin and a moment of recognition for the family of the late Ralph Logan Carson.
“When you come to a fork in the road, what does the wise person do?” Akin asked as he introduced Psalm 1. “In our text today, we are confronted with two men, two roads, and two destinies…. In Psalm 1 God gives us a compass that can guide us when we come to a fork in the road so that we might choose the right road, the wise road, the best road.”
As the introduction to the Psalter, Psalm 1 is a wisdom psalm that outlines two contrasting ways of life. Warning attendees to beware of drifting spiritually, Akin explained that the extended contrast between the righteous man and the wicked man, the wise road and the foolish road, in Psalm 1 is particularly instructive for God’s people as they consider their way of life.
“What does a spiritually prosperous life look like?” Akin asked. “He walks in the counsel of the godly. He stands in the path of the righteous. He sits in the seat of the hopeful. He studies the word of God. He acts with wisdom. He is devoted to God’s will. This is the truly prosperous life.”
“The blessed person loves the word of God,” noted Akin, urging attendees to cling to God’s word. “For the blessed man, it is a joy and not a burden to learn the word and to live it.”
For the blessed man, it is a joy and not a burden to learn the word and to live it.
Pointing attendees toward Christ — the true and ultimate blessed man — Akin charged students to walk in the strength and wisdom that Christ supplies, choosing what pleases God and training themselves by the word of God to reject what displeases him.
“Psalm 1 is a perfect portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ,” noted Akin. “Jesus is the blessed man of Psalm 1, so let us be faithful to follow him.”
Celebrating the academic achievement of students in The College, Scott Pace, dean of The College, recognized 90 students who met the requirements for the fall 2022 dean’s list. Students on the dean’s list have completed a minimum of 12 credit hours with at least a 3.75 GPA for the semester while also maintaining good academic standing and an overall 3.0 GPA.
“Your accomplishment reflects a diligent pursuit of God’s call on your life,” shared Pace. “We congratulate you and celebrate your achievement.”
During convocation, Akin, faculty, students, and staff also recognized the family of the late Ralph Logan Carson in whose honor Southeastern will dedicate the academic building on its west quad later today. Having served as a pastor, missionary, and distinguished professor of Christian theology at Southeastern, Carson is remembered for his faithfulness to God’s word and his passion for the Great Commission.
“When it came time to rename our academic building on the west quad, I was flooded with recommendations about the same person, Logan Carson,” shared Akin. “After bringing his name to the faculty, there were no dissenting voices, and after bringing his name to the trustees, Dr. Carson was a unanimous decision.”
“Dr. Carson was a remarkable man,” commented Akin. “I was blessed to see Psalm 1 lived out beautifully in the life of Dr. Carson, who so loved God’s word.”
Celebrating Carson’s legacy of faithfulness to God’s word and the Great Commission, the dedication ceremony for Carson Hall followed today’s convocation on the west quad.