Beyond the Book with Josh Pruitt, Faith Steele, and Dr. Six: “Building a Great Commission Seminary”

In the following Q&A, Pruitt and Steele take a moment to share more about the creation of this 75-year history and about their dear friend and mentor, Dr. Harper. They are joined by Jonathan Six, vice president for institutional advancement at Southeastern, who played a role in the original inception of this project.

How did the idea for “Building a Great Commission Seminary” first come about?

Six: I’ve long had a love for Baptist History and would often meet with Dr. Keith Harper to discuss the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and the various eras of its history. During one of our many discussions on the SBC, Southeastern’s founding and early history was one of our topics. This conversation spawned further dreams about the possibility of Dr. Harper writing a history of Southeastern Seminary. We both felt it was needed, and the upcoming 75th anniversary gave us the opportunity to launch this endeavor. Dr. Harper was committed to creating an accurate and high-quality historical account of the seminary’s founding and growth into the Great Commission Seminary.

In what ways does “Building a Great Commission Seminary” represent Dr. Harper’s heart for preserving and telling the stories of history?

Steele: Anyone who met Dr. Harper knows that he was one of the best storytellers! His love of stories showed up in every aspect of his life from his brutal grammar edits — a good story needs strong verbs — to morning coffee meetings to how he wrote history. In all his work, Dr. Harper placed a big emphasis on making sure he had strong, reliable evidence to prove his conclusions. Writing history requires a much deeper understanding than knowing who was where at what time, and Dr. Harper had a great skill for seeing patterns and testing theories based on information that we found in newspapers, archives, books, and firsthand accounts. New finds made his day, and he would go around to his friends to update them on the new data that we had discovered. This book is extra special to us because it was his last writing project, and we worked on it for three years, through his cancer diagnosis, and even until the day before he passed.

How does the design of “Building a Great Commission Seminary” intentionally place Southeastern’s story in its historical and cultural context?

Pruitt: The story of Southeastern offers a micro-history of both American culture and the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) during the 1950s through the present day. In planning the book, Dr. Harper, Faith, and I wanted it to tell the story of Southeastern as informed by wider United States and Baptist history. Whenever possible, we sought to ground the narrative to events outside the Town of Wake Forest.

Because we were committed to telling a historical narrative of Southeastern, context was incredibly important. We relied heavily upon archival material, some of which had not been used before. The Southeastern archives is the hidden gem of our library, with a wealth of resources pertaining to Baptist and evangelical history. Our book offers fresh accounting of the SBC Controversy (often called the Conservative Resurgence or the Fundamentalist Takeover) through the lens of Southeastern’s own story.  We are also excited that the book offers the first consideration of Dr. Akin’s career from a historical perspective. While he is not one for the spotlight, he has proven to be one of the most influential figures in 21st century SBC history.

How did each of the three authors uniquely contribute to this book from their own academic backgrounds?

Steele: Dr. Harper earned his PhD through the University of Kentucky in American history, so he was a proper historian in every respect. Josh has training in practical ministry and is currently working on a PhD in Historical Theology, focusing on Baptist history. He has also completed an MA in US History.  Meanwhile, I am currently working on a PhD in Old Testament and have an MA in Old Testament from Southeastern. Dr. Harper intentionally trained Josh and I as historians, and all three of us have been at Southeastern for a number of years. Josh received a grant to do archival work at Wake Forest University, which provided important information into Southeastern’s early years. And I am the odd one in the historian bunch with my Old Testament background. However, I used my abilities as a researcher and editor to help catch any errors that popped up. Because some of the theological controversies centered around Old Testament materials, I helped weigh in on the biblical scholarship issues in Southeastern’s history and enjoyed getting to capture that part of the story. Overall, the diversity on the writing team is an essential piece of how this book came to be. However, all three of us joked together that we shared a commonality in being “grumpy old men.”

While researching and writing this book, how did you see God’s sovereignty displayed through Southeastern’s story?

Pruitt: God’s sovereignty is clear throughout the school’s history; from Southeastern’s inception, God has used the men and women who have graduated from this institution to minister in various capacities. Southeastern’s first graduating class featured both national and international missionaries.

Perhaps one of the more interesting accounts we uncovered is the life and work of Jim Costen, the first African American to enroll and graduate from Southeastern (see page 106). Costen went on to play a significant role in the unification of the Presbyterian denomination 122 years after it had split over slavery. Costen was a theological educator who, in his retirement, helped raise funds for a seminary in Kenya. In fact, when he fell ill and died, his suitcase was packed to go on an international mission trip. Though a Presbyterian, Costen’s missional zeal embodies the Southeastern ethos. While the language of “a Great Commission seminary” is less than 20 years old, that idea has been part of Southeastern’s DNA since 1950.

How does this book equip readers to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission?

Six: I am convinced that theology drives mission. Thus, doctrinal fidelity is essential to the right worship of God and the expansion of the Church around the world. The history of Southeastern, as narrated in this book, situates the seminary in the theological movements and historical moments of the SBC. While “Building a Great Commission Seminary” is not intended to be a theological treatise or a history of mission, it does demonstrate that theological fidelity and biblical faithfulness do drive missional zeal. What I appreciate about the book is that this theme is sewn throughout.