1summer 08

Gordon-Conwel l Theological Seminary

FALL ’08 VOL.37 NO.1

Depression in the Pew and Pulpit Are churches “safe havens?”

2 summer 08

Board of TrusteesMr. Joel B. AarsvoldMrs. Linda Schultz AndersonDr. Richard A. ArmstrongDr. George F. BennettRev. Dr. Garth T. BolinderRev. Dr. Richard P. Camp, Jr.Mr. Thomas J. Colatosti,ChairMr. Charles W. ColsonRev. Dr. Leighton FordMrs. Joyce A. GodwinDr. William F. GrahamRev. Dr. Michael E. HaynesMr. Herbert P. Hess, TreasurerMr. Ivan C. HinrichsRev. Dr. John A. Huffman, Jr.Mr. Caleb Loring IIIRev. Dr. Christopher A. LyonsMrs. Joanna S. MocklerFred L. Potter, Esq.Shirley A. Redd, M.D.Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Jr.

David M. Rogers, Esq., Vice ChairmanMr. John SchoenherrMrs. Virginia M. SnoddyMr. John G. Talcott, Jr.Joseph W. Viola, M.D., SecretaryJ. Christy Wilson III, Esq.Rev. Dr. John H. WomackWilliam C. Wood, M.D.

Emeriti MembersDr. Allan C. Emery, Jr.Mr. Roland S. HinzRev. Dr. Robert J. LamontMr. Richard D. PhippenRev. Dr. Paul E. TomsDr. Robert E. Cooley, President Emeritus

PresidentDr. Dennis P. Hollinger

Dean of Enrollment ManagementMr. William Levin

Director of Communicationsand Editor of Contact Mrs. Anne B. Doll

Assistant Director of CommunicationsMr. Michael L. Colaneri

Graphic DesignerMs. Nicole S. Rim

WriterMs. Ruth Robinson

PhotographyMs. Nicole S. Rim

Gordon-Conwell’s New PresidentAnne B. Doll

Learning from the House Church MovementAn Anonymous Graduate

An Overview of DepressionKaren Mason

Depression Through the Ages: “Sin” or “Sick-ness?” Diagnosis and TreatmentPablo Polischuk

Is Depression Normal?Wendy Murray

When Depression Hits HomeAnne B. Doll

When the Pastor Suffers From DepressionRaymond Pendleton

Trustee Profile: Rev. Samuel RodriguezMichael L. Colaneri

Meet the Faculty: Dr. Alvin Padilla

Seminary News

Focus on Alumni/ae

Opening the WordHaddon W. Robinson

Inquiries regarding CONTACT may be addressed to: Editor, CONTACT Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 130 Essex Street, S. Hamilton, MA 01982 Tel: 978.468.7111 or by publicrelations@gcts.eduwww.gordonconwell.edu

gordon-conwell theological seminary does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, national or ethnic origin, age, handi-cap or veteran status.

contentsTHE MINISTRY MAGAZINE OF GORDON-CONWELL

THEOLOGICAL SEMINARYFALL ‘08 VOL.37 NO.1

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Illustration on page 6 by Cameron Colaneri

Dr. Pablo Polischuk discusses historical concepts of depression and describes

treatment modalities in his article, Depression Through the Ages on page 15.

3summer 08

Gordon-Conwell’sNew President

Gordon-Conwell Theological Semi-nary has a new President, Dr. Dennis P. Hollinger, who was appointed by the Board of Trustees in June follow-ing an extensive, year-long search.

Dr. Hollinger, who formerly served as President and Professor of Christian Ethics at Evangelical Theological Seminary (ETS) in Myerstown, PA, became the seminary’s sixth President and Professor of Christian Ethics on August 1, 2008.

He succeeds Dr. Haddon W. Robinson, Harold John Ockenga Distinguished Professor of Preaching, who has led Gordon-Conwell as President in an interim capacity since May 2007 and will continue to teach homiletics and Doctor of Ministry courses.

Commenting on Dr. Hollinger’s appointment, Board Chair Thomas J. Colatosti, said: “We are thankful to God that he has brought us a leader and scholar in Dr. Hollinger. As a pastor, Dr. Hollinger brings a strong commitment to the church. As a Christian educator, he is passionate about quality theological education. As an administrator, he brings the necessary experience and wisdom for the challenges facing academic administration.

“Dr. Hollinger is uniquely qualified and gifted to lead Gordon-Conwell for the next generation. We are thrilled to have a person of Dr. Hollinger’s competence and character to lead our preeminent seminary into the future.” In an interview with Contact Editor Anne Doll, Dr. Hollinger and his wife, Dr. Mary Ann Hollinger, described their lives, their walks of faith and their passions. Meet them both in the stories that follow.

4 summer 08

Dr. Dennis Hollinger

When Dr. Dennis Hollinger and his wife, Dr. Mary Ann Hollinger, arrived at Gordon-Conwell in early August, they followed a sense of calling from God that has long defined their lives. Dennis grew up in a pastor’s home and accepted Christ at a young age. He spent the first 10 years of his life in the South, where his parents were engaged in a church planting ministry. It was there that his parents led him to Christ. The family subsequently moved back to their home state of Pennsylvania, and during the latter part of high school, Dennis received the first inklings of a call to ministry—principally through the encouragement of adults he trusted and respected. “Several of them, independently of each other, approached me and said, ‘Dennis, have you ever thought about going into the ministry?’” he recalls. “That was really the beginning of sensing a call to some form of ministry, of course not knowing where that would lead or what that would include.” After high school, like many of the young people in his rural area of Pennsylvania, he headed off to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. “It was during the turbulent 1960s, and my first time in an urban setting with all the attendant social problems,” he explains. “That was significant in leading me into the academic pursuit of ethics.” Following graduation from Moody, he returned to Pennsylvania to complete his bachelor’s degree at Elizabethtown College while also serving as youth pastor of the Congregational Bible Church in Marietta, PA. He subsequently pursued a Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, was pastor of an Evangelical Free Church in New Jersey, and earned M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in Religion and Society from Drew University. During the next 11 years, Dennis served as an Assistant and Associate Professor of Church and Society at Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, NY, and Associate Professor of Church and Society and Preaching at Associated Mennonite Seminary in Elkhart, IN. He also pursued postdoctoral studies during a sabbatical at Oxford University. In 1991, he accepted a pastoral call to Washington Community Fellowship, an urban church on Capitol Hill. In 1997, he joined Messiah College as Vice Provost, College Pastor and Professor of Christian Ethics, positions he held until his call to ETS in 2004. He has been a visiting professor or adjunct professor at several seminaries in the U.S. and in

Ukraine, Russia and India, and he has delivered scores of guest lectureships, plenary addresses and academic presentations, frequently on ethical issues. His articles and chapters have appeared in numerous scholarly journals and 21 books. Dr. Hollinger is the author of four books, most recently, The Meaning of Sex: A Framework for the Moral Life (Baker Books, forthcoming); Head, Heart and Hands: Bringing Together Christian Thought, Passion and Action (InterVarsity Press, 2005); and Choosing the Good: Christian Ethics in a Complex World (Baker Books, 2002). He was co-editor for Eerdmans’ four book series on Critical Issues in Bioethics. He serves on the Board of Directors for The C.S. Lewis Institute, Washington, DC, and is a Fellow with the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, Bannockburn, IL. Dennis’ gravitation to the field of Christian ethics started when, as a young boy in the South, he witnessed overt racism firsthand. “Obviously, as a child you’re too young to process all that, but I had a sense that the kind of racism so prevalent in our community was wrong. Then, being at Moody in the late 60s, which was the time of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination, riots in the city and numerous social upheavals, I began to wrestle with the question: How

“In terms of my faith, one of my passions is holding together what is often pulled apart: faith and life, the inner life and the outer life, theology and ethics, traditional forms and contemporary forms.”

5summer 08

does my faith relate to culture and society? “I continued to wrestle with that into seminary, and a number of my professors really encouraged me to think about going on for doctoral work after Trinity. One of them was Dr. David Wells (now Distinguished Research Professor at Gordon-Conwell). By that point, in the mid-70s, evangelicals were awakening more to the whole issue of social responsibility and how we live out our evangelical faith in the midst of culture and society. That led me to enroll in doctoral work as soon as I graduated from Trinity.” Dennis’ conviction is that inherent in the Christian faith are ethical commitments often at odds with the larger forces of society. As he wrestled with how these commitments play out in the culture, he ultimately focused his study and research on sexual ethics and bioethics. “The culture pushes us to deal with these issues,” he contends. “Churches have to grapple with sexual issues. They can’t avoid them. And issues of bioethics such as reproductive technology, euthanasia, and many others, are realities in our culture. For a long time, the church was silent on these issues. Christ calls us to be salt and light in a way that reflects the spirit of Christ and doesn’t capitulate to the standards and norms around us. “At the same time, we don’t try to impose a Christian ethic onto the culture in a controlling, Constantinian manner where we grab the reins of society and direct it according to our own agenda. This has often backfired, causing negative reactions against the church and against the gospel message.” Dennis has also served on the bioethics committee at Holy Spirit Hospital, Camp Hill, PA, where for several years he consulted on the floors with doctors dealing with ethical crises. Many were exacerbated, he says, by dysfunctional family contexts. “A family might be trying to decide whether to pull the plug on Mother or Dad; they haven’t spoken to each other in years, and now they’ve been thrust into this very, very difficult situation. A real positive in my work with a Catholic hospital was that our bioethics commitments were very commensurate because of their high regard for human life.” Why did the Hollingers choose to leave their full lives in Pennsylvania to join the Gordon-Conwell community? “We have felt a real sense of the Lord’s call in this process,” Dennis replies. “The search committee seemed to feel that my gifts and experiences were a good fit with the needs of the seminary at this time in its history. Basically, I’ve done three things in my life:

the pastorate for 11 years, full-time seminary professor for 11 years, and educational leadership for the last 11 years. My sense was that this background was very much along the lines of what Gordon-Conwell wanted and needed. “I’ve also felt a real pull to Gordon-Conwell because of the unique delivery systems of each campus. Because I was an urban pastor, the CUME program resonates with us. The adult education model of the Charlotte campus is very timely and appealing. Simultaneously, I’m at heart very much a classicist when it comes to education, and that’s very much a part of the Hamilton campus. The varied models of the three campuses certainly played a role in being a good fit with our own passions for theological education. “And I have deep respect for the history of Gordon-Conwell, particularly the significant role it has played in New England evangelicalism.” Asked about his passions, Dennis responded. “In terms of my faith, one of my passions is holding together what is often pulled apart: faith and life, the inner life and the outer life, theology and ethics, traditional forms and contemporary forms. So often in the history of the church and in contemporary society these sorts of things become unnecessarily polarized. They are pitted against each other.” This concept of holding things in balance, he says, “has been central to my commitments over the years, in the life of pastoring, teaching and administration.”

Dr. Mary Ann Hollinger

Dr. Mary Ann Hollinger, wife of Gordon-Conwell’s new President, Dr. Dennis Hollinger, has served since 1997 at Messiah College, Grantham, PA, initially as the first Assistant Dean of External Programs and Assistant Professor of Family Studies. Since 2000, she has been Dean of External Programs, guiding the college’s extensive international and domestic offsite learning opportunities for students. She will assist Messiah as a consultant during the coming year. Like her husband, Mary Ann grew up in a pastor’s home and made her “childlike confession of faith” at the age of four during one of the evangelistic services her father periodically conducted for other churches. “I made a more mature commitment at the end of junior high, and it was shortly thereafter that I also sensed a call to be open to some kind of Christian service,” she recounts. “I wasn’t sure if that would be overseas or exactly where that would lead me. “I should also mention that my parents had a very

6 summer 08

positive attitude toward ministry. Ministry was very much a family project in our home. My brother and I were often taken along when my parents visited people in their homes, and I can’t even imagine how many funerals and weddings we attended. My parents were a wonderful role model for ministry. As a result, I have always been open to ministry.” Mary Ann holds a Master’s in Child Development/Family Relations from Montclair State University in New Jersey, and Ed.M and Ed.D. degrees in Family Studies from Columbia University in New York City. During the seven years Dennis was a pastor in Washington, DC, she served as Executive Director of the Center for Academic and Professional Services and Assistant Professor of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Studies at Mount Vernon College, also in the Capitol. She previously was Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology at Indiana University in South Bend. At Messiah, Mary Ann led a division that provides an array of learning opportunities beyond the college campus, from study abroad to internships, service-learning, urban immersion programs and the Latino Partnership. It was a position that took her to 24 countries. Some 450 students learn outside the country annually, placing Messiah in the top 20 among all U.S. bachelor’s degree institutions in the number of students studying abroad. Some 84 to 86 percent of students participate in at least one offsite program before they graduate. “Messiah is trying as an institution to become more thoroughly international and global in its perspective,” she explains. “Part of the excitement is that developmentally, students are at a point when they are able to think more deeply about a whole range of important global issues…yet they’re young enough to have many life choices ahead of them…By creating opportunities for them at this critical moment in their development, they are able to act on what they learn.” Mary Ann says that some students, as a result of exposure to challenges and needs they hadn’t even known existed, change their majors when they return. “’Contextual learning’ is an active, hands-on approach to learning that provides a useful complement to traditional classroom learning,” she notes. “Students…start to see how what they’re learning in books and the classroom has relevance to their lives and how they might apply this learning in real world contexts…And when they return, that just further globalizes the level of discussion in the classroom. “It was so thrilling. Every time a group of students came home there was payback. We observed how they’d learned, matured and become more self-confident

and more aware of themselves as World Christians.” Many Messiah students spend at least one semester in urban Philadelphia through a 40-year partnership with Temple University. During the ferment of the 1960s, Messiah officials determined that students needed to leave their placid rural campus and learn about the issues affecting inner city communities. So they purchased a row of seven brownstones directly across from Temple. For Mary Ann, here’s where the story has a fascinating twist. Temple University was founded as Temple College by Dr. Russell Conwell, who served as its President for 38 years. The Conwell School of Theology at Temple relocated to South Hamilton, MA, when it merged with Gordon School of Divinity in 1969 to become Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. The brownstones Messiah purchased are all contiguous, except for one: Russell Conwell’s personal home.

Dennis and Mary Ann are peo-ple of enthusiasm and passion: about their faith, the church, their family, theological educa-tion, working with college students, ethics and culture, and more.

L to r: Nathan and Naphtali Mitten, Daphne Hollinger, Dennis and Mary Ann at Daphne’s graduation from Fuller Theological Seminary.

7summer 08

Dr. Garth Bolinder (D.Min.’99), Trustee and Superintendent of the Midsouth Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, served as Chair of the Presidential Search Committee that recommended Dr. Dennis P. Hollinger to the Board of Trustees. Summarizing this process, he concluded: “As Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary moves through this season of transition, we are grateful for God’s continuing protection and generous provision for the seminary. “The first assignment given to the committee in May 2007 was to fill the office of President. God provided above and beyond what we could ask or think when Dr. Haddon W. Robinson agreed to serve at a strategic time in our history. As a gentleman and a scholar, Dr. Robinson has prayerfully led the seminary with wisdom, statesmanship and skill. Under Haddon’s leadership, faculty, staff and students have worked together to help bring a ‘season of refreshing’ to the entire seminary community. This good will has helped prepare the seminary for a bright future as we look forward to the leadership of Dr. Dennis Hollinger. “I am particularly grateful for the hard work by the Search Committee. For more than a year this group met several times a month, either in person or by conference call, to carefully and collaboratively discern the Lord’s leading. They included trustees Dr. Richard A. Armstrong, Mr. Thomas J. Colatosti, Dr. Charles W. Colson, Dr. Leighton Ford, Mrs. Joanna S. Mockler, Mrs. Joyce A. Godwin, Dr. John A. Huffman, Jr., Dr. Shirley A. Redd, Dr. William C. Wood and Dr. Richard P. Camp, M.Div.’61; also, faculty members Dr. Timothy S. Laniak, M.Div.’89 and Dr. Gary D. Pratico, M.Div.’73; and CUME student LeSette Wright, M.Div.’08. “The assistance of our Search Consultant, alumnus Glenn Weingarth of the Weingarth Group, added expertise and helped our confidence as a committee. “At the inception of the search process, the seminary established a section on the website through which the committee could keep the worldwide seminary community apprised and involved in this important search. Interested persons could enroll as prayer partners, and many people prayed with us during the search. Individuals could

also recommend prospective candidates, and we received many fine suggestions. Search committee members remain profoundly grateful for the outpouring of support and involvement in the search process. “The process involved five key phases. During the first phase, selected faculty and trustees clarified the mission of the seminary, agreeing that the existing mission statement formulated in 1983 is still the defining document for Gordon-Conwell. We also developed a preferred presidential profile to guide the committee in its search. “Next, we endeavored to ‘cast the net’ as widely as possible in order to identify the best qualified prospects, ultimately reviewing the credentials of 100 individuals. We then conducted extensive interviews with three qualified candidates, with the goal of prayerfully discerning the one person to present to the Board of Trustees. “Subsequently, the entire Board of Trustees extensively interviewed the presidential candidate, and also got to know his spouse. With mutual discernment of the Lord’s leadership, the entire Board of Trustees on June 10 selected the candidate to be the next President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. “We then planned for a seamless presidential transition as Dr. Robinson concluded his ministry as President and Dr. Hollinger began. It was our goal that such cooperation would encourage the new President in the first few weeks on the job and help maintain positive momentum in the seminary, as well as encourage his family as they moved to the Boston area. “By persevering through a healthy process, the Presidential Search Committee is delighted to celebrate the election of Dr. Dennis Hollinger as the seminary’s sixth President. He is a distinguished scholar, teacher, pastor, administrator and friend—a man with a heart for God and a great appreciation for the history and mission of Gordon-Conwell. We thank everyone who encouraged, exhorted and interceded for us. As Gordon-Conwell stands on the threshold of a new chapter, we proclaim with you, ‘to God alone be the glory!’”

Year-long Search Involved Broad Seminary Community

“We explored purchase of the property, or a long-term lease, but it has never been fully worked out,” she says. “Russell Conwell has been a large part of my life for the last eight years. He’s buried in Founders Garden at Temple, and they still speak of him with great fondness and respect. His famous sermon, Acres of Diamonds, is on Temple’s website. It is interesting how all of a sudden I see the next phase in the evolution of that institution as it defines Gordon-Conwell.” Dennis and Mary Ann are people of enthusiasm and passion: about their faith, the church, their family, theological education, working with college students, ethics and culture, and more. Asked about their two daughters, Mary Ann laughingly responded, “We have too many passions!” Daphne, their eldest, is a graduate of Gordon College, and received a Master’s degree in Cross-Cultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. She is currently on her second trip to Nepal, working on food security and sustainable development issues. She served or studied abroad several semesters, and traveled abroad nearly every summer during college. Naphtali graduated from Messiah College and currently teaches kindergarten at a public school in Gainesville, Fl. Her husband, Nathan, is pursuing a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the University of Florida. His focus is alternative energy. Mary Ann says that her background in a pastor’s home and her experiences as a pastor’s wife have given her a keen appreciation for the necessity and value of a seminary education. “As I sat around the dinner table with many families, I heard the kind of questions my Dad and my husband were peppered with that ran the whole gamut,” she says. “The average parishioner wants and values a pastor who can draw from a deep well of preparation…People want to be challenged when they come to church.”

8 summer 08

l e a r n i n g f r o m t h e

house church movement in china

On Sunday mornings in Beijing, worship songs can be heard

coming from a high-rise apartment complex. Each week, more

than 50 people quietly file up three flights of stairs into a small,

two-bedroom apartment. Members are reminded to keep quiet

in the hallways, so as not to bother the neighbors. Once inside,

however, subdued demeanors transform into a room full of

smiling faces. Every seat in the room is filled with students and

young adults. Latecomers sit in hallways and bedrooms, where

they have to strain to hear the message.

by an anonymous graduate

ON THE FRONTLINES

9summer 08

The service includes Chinese worship songs, mixed with an occasional familiar Western hymn and praise chorus. The speaker comes from a rotating roster of local pastors, evangelists and lay leaders who circuit through a network of a dozen congregations throughout the city. Jet, a pastoral intern and a graduate of one of the top universities in China, lives in the apartment. He preaches twice a month, leads Bible studies and prayer meetings, organizes church activities and directs a team of volunteer cooks. Bible studies and prayer follow the service, while the volunteer cooks prepare a family-style Chinese meal. This is the growing unregistered house church movement that started among uneducated peasants in rural areas, grew rapidly in the 1970s and 1980s, and more recently is expanding among students, intellectuals and professionals in urban China. While exact numbers are impossible to verify, some estimate China’s total Christian population to be from 75 to 130 million. While approximately 20 million1 are in the officially registered Three-Self government churches, the remaining majority of Chinese Christians worship in unregistered house churches. A similar house church movement in America is on the rise. According to The Barna Group, there are “new ways of experiencing and expressing faith, such as through house churches.”2 George Barna estimates that within the next two decades “only about a third of the population” will be relying on conventional congregations. As alternative forms of worship grow in America, what are some invaluable lessons we can learn from China’s house churches?

Strengths of the House Churches in China

Chinese house churches are vibrant and inspiring. Worshipping together in a small, crowded room in China is an indescribable experience. Joy and excitement permeate the room. Limited space and fear of the authorities create a closely-knit, family fellowship. Members are often discouraged to invite visitors. For security reasons, seekers are invited to a separate evangelistic meeting. Such an atmosphere

1 Tony Lambert, www.omf.org.uk How many Christians in China. Aug-Sep 20052 The Barna Update, www.barna.org Rapid Increase in Alterna-tive Forms of The Church Are Changing the Religious Landscape, Oct 24th, 2005

produces an inspiring, authentic worship experience. While preaching is often lacking in quality and consistency, members are not necessarily coming just to hear a message. The main attraction is the warm fellowship resulting from an enthusiastic and inspiring worship experience. Still, the house church is not the answer for all. Many intellectuals returning to China have a hard time finding a spiritual home. While overseas, they come to faith in a church with a vibrant teaching and preaching ministry. These abundantly resourced church conditions can produce a passive faith, which inhibits their ability to adapt to a house church environment. Ming, a Beijing native, studied abroad in Australia and came to faith in a Chinese church in Sydney. After returning to China, Ming struggled with her faith. She couldn’t find a church with the quality of preaching and church life back in Australia. Neither the larger government-sanctioned Three-Self church, nor the house churches could meet her spiritual needs. House churches, while alive, active and authentic, can turn some away. Another common characteristic of a house church is its simplistic devotion to the basics. The house church movement in China is similar to the description of the early church in Acts:

“They devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).

Very little time and energy are given to extraneous ministries. House churches have difficulty enough keeping up with the basics of worship, fellowship, Bible studies and prayer. Limited resources are available for children’s programs, student ministry, missions and community outreach. Even with the Beijing 2008 Olympics in their country, sports ministry was not a concern. While a network of house churches may combine for missions, seminary training and some specialized ministries, church programs in general are limited by the lack of a critical mass. Perhaps the most appealing characteristic of the house church in China is that it can really be described as a true movement of God. China’s current house church growth is not the product of some great personality, charismatic leader or strategic program. It cannot be credited to a particular church, denomination, mission agency, theological persuasion or charismatic movement. Instead, the house church movement in China is the result of a movement of God out of

ON THE FRONTLINES

10 summer 08

persecution. China’s house church movement is a living, present day example of the first century early Church. Just a decade ago, Beijing was home to only a handful of house churches. Within the last 10 years, an estimated 6,000-10,000 house churches have been planted in the city. And it’s not just Beijing; church growth is happening nationwide in China’s urban centers.

The Temptation to Idealize

With such explosive growth stories in China, the temptation is to idealize the house church model as the model for all. While house churches are becoming a worldwide phenomenon, there are substantial differences between a house church movement in China and one in the U.S. What is driving the American house church movement? Is it a reaction against megachurch Christianity or a postmodern fad against organized religion? The most obvious difference of the house church in China is that it arose out of necessity and not by choice. House church leaders did not plan a house church strategy from the start, but because of persecution, the church was forced underground into Christian homes. Many of China’s house church leaders pray for the day of owning their own church building and moving toward a large church model. This persecution is also the greatest cause of China’s church growth. A house church leader has described how, when the police came to disrupt a baptismal service, the added pressure actually strengthened his church. As the police recorded the names of these 40 new believers, the experience challenged the candidates to test their newfound faith. Some of these young believers were afraid, but their faith deepened as a result. Persecution purifies the church and strengthens the faithful. This authentic faith attracts and draws others to join. Multiply that scenario in a home, and a house church movement takes off. Finally, house churches in China are not as holy and pure as many have come to idealize. Like any church, the house church model in China has limitations and flaws. The house church movement in China is not by choice, but out of necessity, and has some real problems.

Limitations of the House Churches

A good description of the house church is that it is a mess, an organizational nightmare. Many times, no one knows who the speaker is or what that person’s credentials are. Meeting times and locations are switched at the last minute. While some strive for a systematic rotation of speakers, church leadership is often unstable or in flux. There is a lack of qualified leaders. Churches often split or divide without adequate preparation. As churches constantly grow, divide and merge, it is a challenge to exercise biblical

accountability and to gain a sense of organizational unity and stability. It is also a theological mess. Just like the early church, the house church in China is prone to cult-like attacks and theological heresy. The Eastern Lightning cult (which believes in a woman messiah) targets house church leaders. They send undercover adherents into churches for months or even years before ousting the pastor and gaining control of the flock. Even within the church, it sometimes is hard for church leadership to distinguish between orthodoxy and heresy. Divisions exist over the charismatic movement, reformed theology, the “health and wealth” gospel, the “Back to Jerusalem” movement and the relationship with the official Three-Self church, to name a few.

w o r s h i p p i n g t o g e t h e r i n

a s m a l l , c r o w d e d r o o m

i n c h i n a i s a n i n d e s c r i b -

a b l e e x p e r i e n c e . j o y a n d

e x c i t e m e n t p e r m e a t e t h e

r o o m . l i m i t e d s p a c e a n d

f e a r o f t h e a u t h o r i t i e s

c r e a t e a c l o s e l y - k n i t ,

f a m i l y f e l l o w s h i p.

ON THE FRONTLINES

11summer 08

Lack of Visibility and Diversity

Another challenge of house churches in China is a lack of visible presence to the community. The significance of a megachurch community presence cannot be overlooked. It is an organizational challenge to combine the resources of multiple house church networks to have a similar impact. House churches operate on survival mode and have difficulty dedicating resources beyond its members. The “illegal” status further hinders their ability to maintain a visible presence in the community. However, Chinese leaders pray for the day when they can emerge and visibly be the “city on the hill” to engage the broader community. Lack of diversity is another problem facing a small-sized house church. Beijing house churches tend to attract younger members, mostly between the ages of 18-35. Students gravitate toward worshipping with students and professionals gravitate toward worshipping with professionals. Due to the lack of childcare and Sunday schools for children, families with small children rarely attend. While some of the more developed house churches are beginning to offer children’s Sunday school programs, junior and high school youth ministries are virtually nonexistent. To compensate for these limitations, many house churches relate to the wider body through a network of house churches. While house church networks in China have a variety of organizational structures (some operate under one larger church banner, while others are in an association of independent house churches), it is at a network level where the overall vision and direction, leadership training, larger evangelistic events, missions and community outreach can be more effectively accomplished.

Longing for Global Worship

Finally, probably most lacking in China’s house churches is a “longing for global worship.” In an open country, it is a privilege to experience a large worship service. House church worshippers in China long for this, a larger worship experience beyond their own small group. A few years ago, several house church networks gathered for a day of prayer and fasting for the city of Beijing. As hundreds of believers met for worship and prayer in a secret, remote area, I could see the excitement in their eyes. It was no longer 30 family members, but a larger, more diverse worshipping

Body of Christ. Something is missing that cannot be adequately fulfilled in a small home alone. It is a glimpse of the future, the final ultimate global worship in the kingdom of God. Implanted in each citizen of the kingdom is the desire recorded in Revelation: “before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb” (Rev 7:9). F

ON THE FRONTLINES

12 summer 08

An Overview of Depression

Karen Mason, Ph.D.

13summer 08

An elderly man1 came to my office and said that he had been depressed for several years following retirement. He explained that he had written to ask his church for help with depression, but he never received an answer back. Why? One reason may be that depression is not well understood. Although this lack of understanding is fairly common, depression is the most prevalent mental health disorder in the U.S.2 More than 16 percent of Americans will experience depression at some point in their lifetime.3 In any given year, between seven and 11 percent of American adults will suffer from depression4—about 19 million adult Americans.5 In 2000, depression was the fourth leading contributor to the global burden of disease, and is projected to be the second leading contributor by 2020.6 Though two times more women experience depression than men, men are not exempt.7 Many famous people are reported to have suffered with depression, people like Abraham Lincoln, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, newscaster Mike Wallace, former quarterback Terry Bradshaw, and Vincent Van Gogh.8 Winston Churchill called his depression “Black Dog.”9 Likewise, Christians are not immune. In 1866, C.H. Spurgeon, the 19th century revivalist, told his congregation: “I am the subject of depressions of spirit so fearful that I hope none of you ever gets to such extremes of wretchedness as I go to.”10 Martin Luther’s biographer, Roland Bainton, writes that Luther experienced recurrent depressions.11 Luther called these Anfechtung which Bainton describes as “all the doubt, turmoil, pang, tremor, panic, despair, desolation, and desperation which invade the spirit of man.”12 A story is told of Luther’s wife who dressed in mourning one day in the midst of one of his depressions. Luther asked who had died. Her reply was that no one had but with the way Luther was acting she thought God himself must have died!13 Psalm 102 captures the despondent prayer “of an afflicted man when he is faint and pours out his lament before the Lord.” This man beseeches God not to hide His face (v. 2); he described his

heart as “blighted and withered” (v. 4); he says that he forgets to eat (v. 4), lies awake at night (v. 7), and mingles his drink with his tears (v. 9), because his enemies taunt him (v. 8) and because he feels God has thrown him aside (v. 10). We read about the despondency of Job (Job 3:24), Elijah (1 Kings 19:4), and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:18).

If depression were like the common cold, the incidence of depression would not be a problem; but depression is disabling. In fact, the World Health Organization has found that depression is the leading cause of disability in the world.14 The daughter of one of my clients asked me why her father couldn’t just “snap out of it.” While we all have ups and downs, the depressed person is engulfed in a “sustained feeling of sadness”15 which affects people in their sleeping and eating, their level of interest in life, energy levels, or ability to concentrate. (See Signs of Depression on page 20). Depression affects many aspects of a person’s life because it is related to biological changes in the brain. The National Institute of Mental Health tells us that the brains of people who have depression look different from those of people without depression.16 My client’s daughter did not realize that it is very hard for a depressed person to do anything. Getting out of bed can be a monumental task. Playing with a child or expressing affection to a spouse can be unimaginable. Depression is truly disabling for the depressed person and confusing and frustrating for their family members. It can be especially confusing and frustrating for Christians who believe that depression represents spiritual failure.17

Adding to the frustration of all, sometimes depression occurs with other mental health problems, like anxiety or post traumatic stress disorder or abuse of substances like alcohol. Sometimes depression co-exists with medical conditions like heart disease, stroke, cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease.18

The ultimate cost of depression is death. Depression sometimes leads to suicide and even homicide. About two thirds of people who die by suicide are depressed at the time of their deaths.19 Though three times more women attempt suicide, men are four times more likely than women to die by suicide.20 With depression there are also indirect costs in terms of lost productivity in the workplace, school or home due to disability. The indirect costs of all mental illness were estimated at $78.6 billion in 1990 (the most recent year for which estimates are available). Most of that amount ($63 billion) reflects disability costs—the loss of productivity in usual activities because of illness.21 The good news is that depression responds well to treatment, though less than one-third of people with a mental health problem get the help they need.22 In 1997, only 23 percent of adult Americans diagnosed with depression received treatment.23 Many of these

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people do not know that treatments are available and effective. A meta-analysis of 16 studies demonstrated the advantages of therapy and medication,24 especially for severe depression. Another obstacle for some may be the stigma of depression—especially for Christians. Though many depressed individuals worship God in congregations throughout the world, depression is rarely talked about, preached about or prayed for. The U.S. government has set health goals for the American population and has developed 10 leading health indicators, including “increase the proportion of adults with recognized depression who receive treatment.”25 The goal of treatment efforts are not just to eliminate depression but to help return the depressed person to mental health, “a state of successful mental functioning, resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships, and the ability to adapt to change and cope with adversity.”26 Churches might consider how they could stand by depressed people in their return to mental health. The best news is that in the midst of depression God is present even though He seems not to exist. In the midst of his despair, the writer of Psalm 102 reminds us that “you, O Lord, sit enthroned forever” (v. 12). We remind ourselves that God will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6) and that He loves us immeasurably (Romans 8:35-39)—even in the midst of depression. Just as God is sovereign, present and loving in the midst of diabetes or cancer, He is sovereign, present and loving for us and our loved ones in the midst of depression. F

ResourcesTan, S-Y., & Ortberg, J., Coping with Depression, revised and expanded (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2004). Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance http://www.ndmda.org/ National Institute of Mental Health: Depression http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/complete-publication.shtml

1 Important details have been changed to preserve confidentiality.2 American Association of Suicidology. Retrieved May 22, 2008 from http://www.suicidology.org/associations/1045/files/Depression.pdf3 Kessler, E. C., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., & Walters, E. E. (2005). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62, p. 593.4 Mental Health: a Report of the Surgeon General (1999). Retrieved May 22, 2008 from http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/home.html5 Healthy People 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2008 from http://www.healthypeople.gov/Document/HTML/uih/uih_4.htm 6 World Health Organization. Retrieved 5/21/08 from http://www.who.int/healthinfo/boddaly/en/ 7 Population Reference Bureau (2006). Retrieved May 22, 2008 from http://www.prb.org/Articles/2006/DepressionaLeadingContributortoGlobalBurdenofDisease.aspx 8 Famous People with Depression. Retrieved May 22, 2008 from http://depression.about.com/od/famous/Famous_People_With_Depression.htm

9 Chance, S. (1996, January). Churchill’s Black Dog. Chance Thoughts by Sue Chance, M.D. Retrieved May 22, 2008 from http://depression.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=depression&cdn=health&tm=6&f=11&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.mhsource.com/exclusive/chanceth0196.html 10 Spurgeon, C.H. (1866). “Joy and Peace in Believing” Sermon #692. Retrieved May 23, 2008 from http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols10-12/chs692.pdf 11 Bainton, R. (1950). Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther. New York: Abingdon Press.12 Ibid p. 4213 Glover, S. Christian approach to defeating depression Retrieved May 23, 2008 from http://www.helium.com/items/723307-christian-depression-depressionthe-famous 14 World Health Organization. Retrieved May 19, 2008 from http://www.who.int/mental_health/management/depression/definition/en/15 Mental Health: a Report of the Surgeon General (1999). Retrieved May 22, 2008 from http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/home.html 16 National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved May 22, 2008 from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/complete-publication.shtml 17 Trice, P.D., & Bjorck, J.P., (2006). Pentecostal Perspectives on Causes and Cures of Depression. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 37(3)18 National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved May 22, 2008 from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/complete-publication.shtml 19 American Association of Suicidology. Retrieved May 22, 2008 from http://www.suicidology.org/associations/1045/files/Depression.pdf 20 American Association of Suicidology. Retrieved May 22, 2008 from http://www.suicidology.org/associations/1045/files/Depression.pdf21 Mental Health: a Report of the Surgeon General (1999). Retrieved May 22, 2008 from http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/home.html22 Mental Health: a Report of the Surgeon General (1999). Retrieved May 22, 2008 from http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/home.html23 Healthy People 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2008 from http://www.healthypeople.gov/Document/HTML/uih/uih_4.htm 24 Pampallona, S., Bollini, P., Tibaldi, G., Kupelnick, B., & Munizza, C. (2004). Combined pharmacotherapy and psychological treatment for depression: A systematic review. Archives of General Psychiatry, 61 (7), p. 714-719.25 Healthy People 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2008 from http://www.healthypeople.gov/Document/HTML/uih/uih_4.htm 26 http://www.healthypeople.gov/Document/HTML/uih/uih_4.htm

Dr. Karen E. Mason, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Counseling, has taught and practiced psychology for more than a decade. She has practiced in community mental health organizations and managed suicide prevention activities at the state level. She holds an M.A. degree in Old Testament from Denver Seminary, and M.A. and Ph.D.degrees in Counseling Psychology from the University of Denver.

15summer 08

DEPRESSION THROUGH THE AGES: “SIN” OR “SICKNESS”?

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENTPablo Polischuk, Ph.D.

To diagnose and understand depression involves a complex exercise of delving into the human psyche. It requires identifying the nature and cause of an individual’s injury or dysfunction by evaluating a person’s complaints, identifying the history of these complaints and examining the person’s background and current mental state. In some cases laboratory and medical data can aid in the process of evaluation. As spiritual and believing people who seek to understand this mysterious malady, it helps to understand its history and how it has been understood throughout the ages. Depression is not new, nor exclusive to our own times. Any attempt to identify and diagnose depression today cannot ignore the definitions and labels with which it has been identified throughout history. Hippocrates (fourth and fifth century B.C.) first mentioned “melancholia” as black bile running through the organism, producing undesirable effects, such as an aversion to food, despondency, sleeplessness, irritability and restlessness. Later on, the prominent Greek physician, Galen (second century AD), corroborated these conclusions and elaborated on them. In the Christian world, by the 3rd century AD, leaders of monastic orders alluded to similar phenomena in describing their attempts to overcome evil and sin while striving to live an impeccable existence before God. The Christian mystic Evagrius Ponticus (ca. 346-399 AD) and John Cassian (ca. 360-435 AD) presented interesting accounts of the practices

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of monks in the community in Alexandria. Evagrius at the time likened what today we call “depression” with the term “acedia” in association with “tristitia” (dejection, sadness, sorrow) and “desperatio” (despair). He regarded acedia as a condition characterized by symptoms such as exhaustion, listlessness, sadness or dejection, restlessness, an aversion to the monastic cell and the ascetic life, and a yearning for family and former life. In that context, the devil was blamed, specifically the “demon of noontime” (allusion made to Psalm 19). Often, those who became depressed experienced the pangs of acedia around the sixth hour of the day: 3 p.m. John Cassian (ca. 360-435 AD) elaborated on the term acedia, placing it on a list of eight cardinal sins that threatened the solitary, desert-dwelling clergy. Interestingly, a well-documented antidote for such malaise consisted in two behavioral prescriptions: chanting unto God and gardening. Later on, Gregory the Great (ca. 540-604 AD) redefined acedia, identifying it with the sin of “spiritual slothfulness” as noted in the “Seven Deadly Sins.” Roughly defined, the malady carried the marks of spiritual laziness, lack of spiritual zest for God, or dejection of the things of God. Similarly, in the later medieval period, acedia also conformed to the Hippocratic term “melancholia,” with features such as lassitude, weariness, inaction, carelessness and neglect. The concept of acedia underwent a transformation as a result of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215-1216), which moved the emphasis beyond issues related to the monastic life and vices of the clergy, giving more attention to its manifestations among the masses. This lent acedia, or depression, a more visible, concrete definition, though it remained consigned to the spiritual realm. As a result, confessors had to deal with concrete external “sins” such as idleness, somnolence and instability which, at the time, demanded remedial punishment.

A decisive turn It was Thomas Aquinas, during the Scholastic period (13th century), who finally introduced the possibility that depression might have physiological and medical causes and could not of necessity be reduced to moral failure. He suggested that, whereas help could and should come from the local priest, it also could come from the physician. The distinctions between spiritual and physiological causes of acedia were expanded also in the 13th century by the medieval German mystic and theologian, David of Augsburg. He made a clear distinction between involuntary,

unreasonable despair (including suicidal ideation) and spiritual sloth. The 16th century reformers followed suit, facilitating the acceptance of natural and/or medical causes for acedia with the utilization of physicians to help treat it. The writings of the physician Dr. Timothy Bright (1550-1615 AD) reflect this trend, pointing to the treatment of melancholy as a medical disease without neglecting its spiritual connotations. In time, the Puritan tradition addressed the issue of diagnosis as well. The writings of the Puritan preacher Richard Baxter (1673) alluded to cognitive and spiritual factors as possible causes of self-punishing and destructive thoughts. He asserted that such patterns could arise from confusion due to poorly controlled thought processes: scattered thinking and fantasy, marked by weak reasoning and lack of self control. He allowed that the causes could reside in some worldly loss, or a cross to bear, or grief. But he also suggested that dwelling upon deep fears; persistent, serious, and passionate thoughts; and cares about the danger of the soul apart from exploring the notion of some heinous sin would likewise have a depressive effect upon the conscience. In other words, while depression might be caused by some form of external trauma, he maintained that it cannot be rooted out without brutal self-examination of the possibility of some unknown sin. Modern equivalents to the quest for spiritual causes of depression may be found in Lloyd Jones’ book, Spiritual Depression, and popular approaches such as Minirth-Maier’s Happiness is a Choice. Depression today In the early 1900s, Freud changed the entire concept of melancholy by alluding to an individual’s inner psychic, psychodynamic struggles and the internalization of unresolved anger as causes for depression. More recently, the emphasis has shifted to include cognitive and behavioral dysfunctions, such as psychiatrist Aaron Beck’s “cognitive triad” (negative views of self, the world and the future) as a result of etiological (historical) factors. In the psychiatric field, depression has been regarded as a medical illness and codified in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Classification of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV TR). Current investigations on this front emphasize biochemical imbalances in the brain, the role of neurotransmitters, and physiological aspects impinging on cognitive-emotive processes. This manual (DSM-IV TR) remains somewhat of a secular psychiatric bible. It presents different categories for depression, such as Major Depressive Disorder

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(otherwise known as unipolar, clinical depression); Bipolar Disorders (involving depression and mania), Dysthymia (lower level, yet more persistent and constant depression); and Cyclothymia (lower level bipolar disorder), in addition to depression associated with medical illness or coupled with other mental disorders. The following symptoms synthesize the classification for a major depressive disorder:

1. For a major depressive episode, a person must have experienced at least five of the nine symptoms below for two weeks or more, almost every day, and that this is a change from his/her prior level of functioning.

Depressed mood. For children and adolescents, this may be irritable mood. Reduced level of interest or pleasure in most or all activities. A considerable loss or gain of weight. This may also be an increase or decrease in appetite.Sleep problems: Difficulty falling or staying asleep (insomnia), or sleeping more than usual (hypersomnia).Agitation or decreased energy (fatigue). Thoughts of worthlessness or extreme guilt. Reduced ability to think, concentrate, or make decisions. Frequent thoughts of death or suicide or attempted suicide.

2. The person’s symptoms are a cause of great distress or difficulty at home, work or other important areas. 3. Symptoms are not caused by substance abuse (alcohol, drugs, medication), or a medical disorder. 4. Symptoms are not due to normal grief or bereavement over the death of a loved one and continue for more than two months.

Today’s treatments for depression include pharmacology (medicines), cognitive-behavioral therapy (aiming to change thought patterns underlying emotions), dialectical behavior therapy (focusing on mind-matters, interpersonal relationships, distress tolerance and emotional regulation, so as to develop coping skills to bear depression), and ECT (electroconvulsive shock therapy). Counseling in conjunction with cognitive-behavioral therapy coupled with proper medicines has proved to be an effective method of managing depression. The National Institute of Mental Health has conducted research and continues to track such methods, revealing promising results.

From a Christian perspective, treatment also addresses cognitive processes such as thinking, reasoning, perceptions, attributions of meaning, judgment, memory and learning. These are reframed and dealt with through interaction with Scriptural principles, in co-participation with the person’s understanding, level of insight and

maturity. This process seeks to introduce faith and hope through dialogical prayers and meditation in the Word, which can provide cleansing and empowerment. The process also encourages dedication to proactive, behavioral endeavors that are positive and meaningful.

The aim of such treatment is to promote spiritual growth through Scriptural knowledge, insight and wisdom, coupled with a personal dedication to praise, worship, thanksgiving and service to God in the context of meaningful fellowship. Such aspects are engaged as means to shift and change embedded patterns of helplessness, negative attributions, and self-defeating attitudes. The reliance on the person, presence and power of the Holy Spirit is fostered, thereby establishing a dialogical endeavor that shifts the depressed person’s predispositions from a victim, survivor or martyr stance to a fighting, yet peaceful and empowered posture so as to live in freedom.

To conclude, the supportive, insightful care and counseling from pastoral perspectives is undeniably a major source of help, providing the empathic fellowship in which depressed believers help “one another” along the way. At the same time, medical causes cannot be ignored and should not be discouraged in believing communities. Connectedness to a group provides social support, which everyone needs, especially the depressed individual. Overall mental health also benefits from good nutrition, relaxation and plenty of exercise, and the common sense to seek medical help when needed. F

Dr. Pablo Polischuk, Professor of Pastoral Counseling and Psychology, also directs the Willowdale Center for Psychological Services in Hamilton, MA, and worked for 10 years at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Polischuk has also been active in pastoral ministry in Spanish-speaking and English-

speaking churches, and has evangelized and taught overseas. He holds a M.A. from San Francisco State University and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary.

References Baxter, R. A Christian Directory, from The Practical Works of Richard Baxter in Four Volumes, Vol. I. (Ligonier, PA: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1990, [first published in 1673]). Beck, A.T.; Rush, A.J.; Shaw, B.F;, & Emery, G., Cognitive Therapy of Depression, (New York: Guilford Press, 1979). DSM-IV TR. (2000). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association Freud, S., An Outline of Psychoanalysis, (NY: Norton, 1949). Jackson, S. W. (1985). “Acedia, the sin, and its relationship to sorrow and melancholia,” Culture and Depression, A. Kleinman & B. Good, Eds., (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 43-62, 1985). Jackson, S.W., Melancholia and Depression, (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1986). Lloyd-Jones, D.M., Spiritual Depression, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1965). Minirth, F. & Meier, P., Happiness is a choice: The Symptoms, Causes, and Cures of Depression, (Baker Books, 2007). Roth, K. L., “The Psychology and Counseling of Richard Baxter (1615-1691),” Journal of Psychology and Counseling, Vol. 17, No. 4, 321-334, (1998). Wenzel, S., The sin of sloth: Acedia in medieval thought and literature, (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1967).

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Is Depression “Normal?”How churches can become “safe havens” for the depressedWendy Murray, MTS ’85

Several years ago, “Jill,” a young teen girl, newly converted, was facing a barrage of personal problems that left her feeling depressed. During one Sunday at the non-denominational church she attended, an older female mentor-friend of Jill’s, “Mrs. Singer,” asked her how she was. Jill admitted to feeling overwhelmed and sad. Mrs. Singer smiled at her and responded, “Just praise Him! Just praise Him! That’s all you need to do.” Jill went away that day feeling worse. As for Mrs. Singer, who had appropriated “just praise” as the antidote for Jill’s depression, she later left the same church under the cloud of adultery and shame. She herself, evidently, had been depressed and unhappy and, rather than confront it honestly, buried it inside until it otherwise surfaced in actions that damaged many lives.

Depression remains a troubling issue for the church. On the one hand, some church traditions see it as a spiritual issue propelled by sin or lack of faith. This leaves many in their churches—including some pastors—suffering from depression in a tortured world of darkness, desperation, isolation and helplessness, fearing to admit it in the fellowship group. On the other hand, more and more congregations are recognizing depression as a condition common to the human situation and therefore a “normal” human response to loss or trauma. Even so, they aren’t sure how to address it. Great strides have been made in recognizing that depression is as real as the mumps. But, unlike the mumps, there is no inoculation against it. Various studies have shown1:

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This article originally appeared in the summer 2008 edition of Contact, the magazine of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. It is reprinted with permission from the seminary.

19summer 08

Is Depression “Normal?”How churches can become “safe havens” for the depressedWendy Murray, MTS ’85

Depressive disorders annually affect •approximately 18.8 million American adults or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older. This includes major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder and bipolar disorder. [1]

Everyone will at some time in his or her •life be affected by depression—their own or someone else’s—according to Australian Government statistics. (Depression statistics in Australia are comparable to those of the U.S. and UK.) [2]

Pre-schoolers are the fastest-growing market •for antidepressants. At least four percent of

preschoolers—over a million—are clinically depressed. [3] The rate of increase of depression among •children is an astounding 23 percent per annum. [4]

15 percent of the population of most •developed countries suffers severe depression. [5]

30 percent of women are depressed. Men’s •figures were previously thought to be half that of women, but new estimates are higher. [6]

54 percent of people believe depression is a •personal weakness. [7]

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41 percent of depressed women are too •embarrassed to seek help. [8]

80 percent of depressed people are not •currently receiving any treatment. [9]

92 percent of depressed African-American •males do not seek treatment. [10]

15 percent of depressed people will commit •suicide. [11]

Depression will be the second largest killer •after heart disease by 2020. Studies show depression is a contributory factor to fatal coronary disease. [12]

Depression results in more absenteeism than •almost any other physical disorder and costs U.S. employers more than $51 billion per year in absenteeism and lost productivity, not including high medical and pharmaceutical bills. [13]

How is the church family generally, and church leaders specifically, to address an issue that seems so intangible and nebulous but is at the same time so dark, debilitating and pervasive? Dr. Rod Cooper, Professor of Leadership Development at the Gordon-Conwell—Charlotte campus, concedes that as recently as 10 years ago, general attitudes in the church were more problematic, deeming depression a “sin” problem. “Now we’re seeing more of a fifty-fifty split. Some denominational groups deal with it, and others don’t.” Part of the problem, Cooper says, arises from a tradition of training pastors and church leaders in the art of preaching and teaching while neglecting the messy human side of ministry. “Often we have dichotomized the person in training. We minister to their head but not to the heart.” Cooper himself insists in his courses on pastoral leadership that ministry candidates “confront their dark sides, their hang-ups, their issues. A lot of ministers don’t deal with that, seeing it as less important

than preaching and teaching Scripture.” This dichotomizing, he says, can cause great harm not only to churches but also to pastors themselves. Before they can help others face dark issues and problems that debilitate them, “it is very important for a pastor to know how he or she ticks.” When this kind of rigorous self-examination is left unattended, Cooper says that seminaries “produce individuals who can preach and teach, but who live with suppressed anger. They feel great pressure that they have to be all things to all people. It may be the Elijah Complex (‘I am alone in this’) or the Messiah Complex (‘Only I know it all’). Either way, they’ve adopted a very flawed view of ministry and it becomes all-consuming. It builds incredible anger that seethes under the skin, so they get depressed. This can lead to pornography addiction, adultery, divorce and failure in ministry.” In addition, congregants themselves often come to worship as damaged people who,

Can I recognize the symptoms of depression in myself or others?

Observing the most salient signs may help shed light in such a quest. None of these should be taken in isolation, but rather in the context of a persistent experience beyond occasional feelings (“the blues”).

A person who is depressed will experience several symptoms which cause problems in social or occupational functioning and are not due to a medical condition or substance-induced mood change.

Dr. Karen Mason and Dr. Pablo Polischuk provide the following list of symptoms: - Persistent sadness most of the day (can be irritability in children/adolescents); “gloom” mixed with anxiety or feelings of “emptiness”- Manifested feelings of pessimism and/or hopelessness (“doom”)- Restlessness, irritability experienced for any or no apparent reason- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness and/or helplessness- Fatigue and decreased sense of energy- Loss of interest in activities once pleasurable- Loss of sexual desire (except in the manic phase of Bipolar Disorder)- Loss of appetite or overeating (weight loss or weight gain)- Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness or excessive sleeping (hypersomnia)- Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps or digestive problems that resist treatment- Difficulties in concentration, attention, memory for details and decision-making- Rumination, thoughts of suicide or suicide attempts

If experiencing these symptoms, consultation with physicians and mental health providers is recommended, in addition to pastoral care.

For help locating a mental health provider in your area, you may want to consult these resources: American Association of Pastoral Counselors http://www.aapc.org; American Association of Christian Counselors http://www.aacc.net/

Warning Signs of Depression Pablo Polischuk, Ph.D.

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in some cases, fear disclosing their inner struggles for fear of spiritual judgment. Cooper maintains that, despite the rampant and increasing numbers of depressed people in the pews and in the pulpit, the pastor—whose powerful tool is that pulpit—can go a long way to help his or her congregation become a “safe place” for the depressed individual. “The church is, after all, a bastion of hope.” First, he says, pastors can adopt a sensibility in their preaching that integrates a counseling aspect. He or she can share openly about what it means to be human: “We are spiritual beings, but we are also physical and emotional beings. And we are flawed,” he says. “That is part of depression.” The pastor needs to “quit walking around the elephant” and create a climate in the church that allows people to feel safe in their brokenness. This includes pastors. Second, while steering this “attitudinal shift” (that is, that it is alright to talk about depression), Cooper asserts that leadership and ministry teams ought to make resources available to their congregants, such as bringing in guest counselors and speakers and holding seminars about depression. “Once you’ve opened this thing up, you’d better have resources, because people are going to come,” he says.

Cooper also suggests that it is dangerous for pastors and congregants alike to think in terms of “overcoming” depression. Some people simply won’t overcome it, he says. “As we go through life, we have losses. Losses cause depression. Some people experience trauma, which can create a longer-term depression. Depression is not abnormal. “Too often we tend to think people ought to get over it. But what we need to talk about is how to manage it. We need to step back, help people understand it is not taboo to talk about it, help people learn that depression is real and that we all aren’t going to get over it.” Depression is not new to the believing community, he says. Many great Christians have faced serious gloom. “Kierkegaard, Spurgeon, and Calvin all suffered with depression. These are spiritual giants. And part of what made them that way was their deep inner struggle with depression,” he says. “Our challenge as pastors and as the church is to find a way to embrace it for what it is, and to ask what God is going to do with it in my life.” F

Alumna Wendy Murray, MTS ‘85, has been a regional correspondent for Time magazine and an editor and senior writer at Christianity Today. She has published extensively in publications such as Books & Culture and The Christian Century, and on Beliefnet.com. Two of her essays were included in John Wilson’s The Best Christian Writing, and Brill’s Content listed her among the nation’s leading religion reporters. She has written 10 books, including the recently released A Mended and Broken Heart, the Life and Love of Francis of Assisi (Basic Books, 2008). Wendy has also served as Artist-in-Residence at Gordon College and taught at the school’s international studies program in Orvieto, Italy.

1 For sources of these statistics see http://www.upliftprogram.com/depression_stats.html#1

Helping Someone with Depression Pablo Polischuk, Ph.D.

How can I help myself or someone else with depression? What would you say to such a person?

1. Encourage the person to seek professional help; for the more critical cases, sooner rather than later.

2. Follow the advice and recommendations of that professional.3. Engage in exercise, three times a week, one hour at a time as a start (walking,

jogging, swimming, playing a sport).4. Avoid isolation; seek fellowship, the company of friends and significant others.5. Eat well, a nutritious diet, paying attention to taste, aroma, temperature, type,

etc. 6. Practice a form of relaxation daily (meditational prayer, deep muscle relaxation).7. Read Scripture, dialoguing with God, the Author, as you soak up the Word.8. Pray existentially, at any place and anytime, anywhere, besides engaging in

formal prayer as a discipline.9. Help someone else in his or her misfortunes, problems or troubles; take your

focus away from your own dilemmas, deeming yourself as a person who has something to give.

10. Have fun and experience pleasure: At the beginning, be aware of the effort, and behave in spite of feelings; then, appraise these behaviors cognitively and give yourself a break (be nice to yourself); finally, let feelings follow.

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When Depression Hits Home How pastors can help themselves

23summer 08

Clergy are not immune from depression. In the following conversation with Contact editor Anne Doll, Gordon-Conwell—Charlotte counseling professors Dr. Sidney L. Bradley and Dr. Kelly Breen Boyce discuss helpful steps pastors can take to prevent and deal with depression.

Is depression common among pastors?

Sid: I have seen a number of pastors in counseling. They don’t always recognize it as depression. They see it as discouragement, or generalize it as burnout. Or they say they’ve run out of passion and enthusiasm. They’ve lost their vision. We can say a person is depressed when the person has a negative view of oneself, of the world and of the future. This is the well-known trilogy that Aaron Beck first described.

Kelly: Burnout is a useful term. While burnout shares some commonalities with depression, it is a separate phenomenon and therefore requires different treatment. It describes a combination of things that converge, such as fatigue, and emotional and psychological factors. Burnout can be defined as a loss of pleasure in work-related activities, possibly along with a decline in job performance.

Burnout can affect cognitive processes, causing the pastor to become more cynical and bored. Burnout can also produce emotional changes such as despondency and irritability, as well as reduced productivity, sleep disturbances, fatigue and muscle tension. Relationships tend to suffer. A person withdraws, isolates, and interpersonal conflicts increase. Persons can even get into addictions or compulsive behavior as a means of coping.

While no one factor is the sole determinant, burnout likely results from an interaction among the personality traits of the pastor, such as being overly driven; societal pressures and attitudes; and unrealistic expectations from a church or denomination.

Does being a pastor add to the problem of depression?

Sid: It definitely makes it worse. It gets layered. A religious person thinks, ‘I shouldn’t feel this way,’ so there is a tendency to feel guilt as well. And then you have ‘super Christians’ around who tell you, ‘If you had

more faith, your outlook would be brighter and your problems would all disappear–all you have to do is read your Bible and pray.’ So the pastor has layers and layers of guilt and hopelessness. The person thinks he should be able to take care of the problem. The sense of helplessness and hopelessness is at the core of depression and simply compounds an already desperate feeling of despair.

The problem of depression is accentuated for pastors because the pastor is viewed as the leader of the pack…the shepherd of the flock. He or she is supposedly taught how to avoid such problems. And most pastors are the only pastor; the whole church is on one person’s shoulders. In addition, every church has several people who are ‘clingers.’ They need a lot of help, and they latch onto the pastor. They become leeches who add to the enormous load already on the pastor and drain the emotional life out of him or her.

Kelly: For people in the helping professions, there is a term called Compassion Fatigue, which refers to the emotional impact of working with people who are hurting.

Do pastors’ families suffer depression?

Sid: Only more so. Studies by the Barna Group have shown that 10 percent of pastors’ families are very seriously impacted by their role in the church, and about 40 percent are somewhat impacted. The pressure and stress appear to take an enormous toll.

A lot of pastors make a serous mistake by taking Mondays off. They are coming off an emotional high; they are drained, emotionally spent and no good to anyone. It would be better for them and their families to go to work on Mondays and push papers around or do similar light duty, and take a day off in the latter part of the week when they are more refreshed and able to be meaningfully engaged with the family.

How can pastors prevent depression?

Kelly: Pastors should engage in intentional replenishment weekly or monthly. They should seek spiritual direction, meeting regularly with another pastor who ministers to them. Because pastors give of themselves so much, they need to be on the receiving end as well. They shouldn’t wait until the problem reaches a crisis.

When Depression Hits Home How pastors can help themselves

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In addition, they should establish boundaries that they are not available 24/7, and get real with expectations—set more realistic expectations. Jesus did not heal everyone, even though it was within His power to do so. No one is capable of successfully ministering to every person in need.

Sid: It helps for pastors to do stress inoculations. They have very stress-laden roles. They need to follow the basics of eating correctly and making sure they get eight hours of sleep per night. That’s very critical. They need a constant routine at bedtime and should not stay up any later than necessary. Most critical is a good exercise routine. Nothing fortifies you as much. In addition to the physical benefits, exercise provides psychological benefits. Being in top-notch physical shape is the best thing we can do to build up our tolerance for stress. Moreover, there is a benefit that comes from being proactive and taking charge of this significant area of your life. It gives an overall sense of self esteem and self mastery.

Kelly: For depression in particular, cardiovascular exercise is very beneficial, because it boosts the level of serotonin, which is the neurotransmitter that regulates mood. Engaging several times a week in exercise during which the heart rate is elevated for at least 30 minutes has been shown to be as effective as anti-depressants for most people. At the same time, in some cases, medication is both beneficial and necessary. If depression is causing problems in their lives, pastors would be wise to contact a medical doctor or psychologist.

Sid: Stress inoculations can also head off serious illness. The famous Holmes-Rahe Study investigated what happens if people are overloaded with stressors for a one-year period. The study found that if people exceed a certain point value, it’s almost guaranteed that they will have a major illness within a year. Even things you would consider pleasurable can be stressors, such as Christmas, vacations with young children, having to choose which relatives with whom to spend holidays, etc. Major stressors would be the death of a beloved spouse, loss of a job, a bankruptcy or having a home burn.

Meaningful relationships outside the church are also important. Pastors need to cultivate friendships they can enjoy that enable them to step away from their pastoral roles. There is another intentional piece to preventing and managing stress as well. In order to take care of themselves, pastors need to take regular vacations. For example, one pastor who has children goes away

for a weekend with his wife once a quarter. It’s on the calendar. Another takes a whole month off once a year. These are preventive steps that stave off depression.

If pastors suffer depression, is it wise to share the problem with their church?

Sid: A decision to share the problem with the church depends on the enlightenment of their scenario—how trustworthy the leaders of the church are. There are churches that would handle it in a very enlightened way. A lot depends on the region of the country and the education level of the congregation. I would hope that a pastor could take the top leadership into his confidence.

Within their churches, pastors can normalize the problem of depression by teaching about it. This can help people understand it, and dispel the idea that Christians are immune from depression.

Pastors also need to take their spouses into the equation in trying to resolve issues. Pastors are notorious loners in taking others into problems. They have been conditioned to solving problems alone. They shouldn’t try to do that. Spouses can see more clearly than they do. Spouses can be their best advisors, their best supporters. They can help them come up with an alternative plan.

Kelly: If pastors go to a professional therapist, they should remember that the hallmark of therapy is confidentiality.

What can happen if depression goes untreated?

Sid: It’s very serious. I have seen pastors totally debilitated for as much as six months. I’ve seen pastors who because of fatigue were susceptible to moral failure. Depression is also linked with heart disease and other medical problems. In worst cases, depressed people even attempt suicide.

Women are far more likely to attempt suicide, but successful suicides are four times more prevalent in men than in women. Tragically, the older men get, the higher risk for suicide they become. Depression is not just an inconvenient illness. It is potentially very serious.

Is depression a treatable condition?

Kelly: There are very hopeful aspects related to treating depression. Research has shown that when therapy is combined with medication, there is a 90 percent

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successful treatment rate. Depression is very, very treatable. There is another potentially positive outcome to depression. People who experience this common condition often develop greater compassion and understanding for others who are hurting.

Christians are not immune from experiencing sadness and depression. Reducing the stigma among Christians regarding mental health issues could be a great gift that a pastor could give to his or her church.

Dr. Sidney L. Bradley, Senior Professor of Counseling and former Dean of the Charlotte campus, spent 27 years as Psychological Consultant and Principal Evaluator for World Missions of the Advent Christian General Conference. He was also Administrator and Psychologist at Advent Christian Village in

Dowling Park, FL, a counseling center, retirement center and facility for at-risk children. While there, he founded and directed centers for outreach to pastors and families. An ordained Advent Christian minister, he has pastored churches in Maine and Florida. He holds an M.S.W. from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida.

Dr. Kelly Breen Boyce, Ranked Adjunct Assistant Professor in Counseling and Associate Director of Graduate Programs in Counseling at the Charlotte campus, has provided clinical services in a variety of settings. She currently works with individuals and couples with the Carolinas Counseling Group of Charlotte, Inc. She has taught continuing

education seminars for mental health professionals and courses in psychotherapy, psychology, psychological assessment, marriage and domestic violence at a variety of universities. She holds an M.A. from Gordon-Conwell, and M.A. and Psy.D. degrees from Rosemead School of Psychology.

The Master of Arts in Counseling program offered on the three campuses of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary educates students for ministry as licensed counselors and as good Christian counselors and therapists.

At the South Hamilton campus, this training includes preparation for licensure as Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists. In Boston, students prepare for service as Mental Health Counselors and at the Charlotte, NC, campus, as Licensed Professional Counselors. The academic tracks closely follow the requirements for licensure required in each state.

Students also take required core courses in Old and New Testament, theology, church history and ethics.

Perhaps the cornerstone of the counseling program is its “Integrative Seminars.” These two courses enable students to integrate their knowledge of psychological

principles and counseling techniques. Students are joined by professors from both the counseling program and other areas of the seminary who share on topics such as “the nature of personhood,” “psychopathology and/or sin,” “redemption, restoration and wholeness” and “the meaning of suffering.” Students, thus, have the opportunity to view counseling not solely through the lens of psychology, but also with an awareness of the Holy Spirit’s work in the healing process.

Those who complete this training program in counseling may expect significant growth in their professional development as well as growth spiritually. Students will be well-prepared for employment in either secular or Christian settings after graduation.

Bonnie Prizio, LMHC, is Administrator of the seminary’s Masters

in Counseling program. She received Masters of Counseling and

Masters in Religion degrees from Gordon-Conwell and is a licensed

mental health counselor.

Preparing Students for Counseling Careers Bonnie Prizio, LMHC

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Recently, I had the privilege of reconnecting with an old friend and former student. As we sat at lunch, he told me what had taken place in his life during the past few months. He is a man in his early fifties, married with children, and a pastor for many years since he completed seminary. As I listened to his story, it became all too familiar. In his most recent pastorate, he had served for several years with a good measure of success and satisfaction. He recounted that for most of his life he had experienced bouts of depression but had always been able to put his head down and charge forward. Eventually, the depression would lift, and he would be able to go on as before with the work of ministry. However, this time it was different. After a long holiday season that seemed to require more energy than usual, he experienced a return of the depression that was more serious and debilitating than any previous episode. In conversation with the lay leadership of the congregation, they agreed together that he should take some time and get some professional help to work through the depression. He found a very helpful counselor who was able to help him identify a series of traumatic losses and disappointments throughout much of his early life. He described several “breakthrough experiences” that became the source of relief and healing. He was feeling free and able to move forward with ministry again. In fact, he felt that he was more ready than ever before to engage the tasks of the pastorate. The bombshell came when he sat with the leadership of the congregation and they asked him to resign, feeling that they wanted a more energetic presence in the pulpit and as a leader of worship. He was stunned, to put it mildly, but he had no choice but to capitulate to their request/demand. As a testament to his recent healing experience, he was able to deal with this body blow with a sense of balance and reasonable calm but without sinking into a depression. It would be a wonderful thing if this pastoral experience was unique, but it is not unusual for untrained people to see depression as something to be avoided and to be judged as a malady that disqualifies a Christian from service. A mythology is often extant that Christians should not be depressed. These folks should not read the life of Haddon Spurgeon, the famous

English preacher, or the lives of many biblical characters who suffered from this mood disorder. As a teacher of Pastoral Counseling, I spend a significant portion of the introductory course talking about depression, its etiology and the various approaches to treatment. Students need to be prepared to deal with depression in their own lives as well as the experience of depression in the lives of the congregations to whom they minister, since it is clear that pastors are a primary source for caregiving. When a person comes to consult with a pastor, it is important that the pastor be able to recognize the issues with which this individual is struggling and be able to make appropriate intervention. At the same time, I tell my students that they are always responsible for the spiritual nurture of those in their care. In their recent book, New Light on Depression, David Biebel and Harold Koenig describe four types of depression: (1) situational depression, (2) developmental depression, (3) biological depression and (4) spiritual depression. David Biebel is a teacher, speaker and seminary graduate with a Doctor of Ministry degree. Harold Koenig is a board certified psychiatrist. Their book is a very helpful treatment of the varieties of depression and the possibilities for help that are available. The reality, I tell my students, is that anyone can become depressed. The issue is to recognize that depression is not a statement of spiritual failure. Depression happens! Pastors, lay leaders and those who provide counsel to individuals and families must be well trained to recognize the symptoms of various levels of depression and have sufficient knowledge of the resources available to respond to the particular needs of the person. F

Dr. Raymond Pendleton, Professor of Pastoral Psychology and Director of Mentored Ministry, is President of the Willowdale Center for Psychological Services in Hamilton, MA. He chairs the board of FOTOS (Fish On The Other Side), a ministry to people struggling with gender identity, and is a board member of Hagar’s Sisters, a ministry to families

experiencing domestic abuse. He teaches on marriage and family life for conferences and congregations. He holds an M.A. from Auburn University and a Ph.D. from Boston University.

When the Pastor Suffers from DepressionDr. Raymond Pendleton

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TRUSTEE PROFILE

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez Michael L. Colaneri

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Jr., has a passion for the church. A leader in his denomination and the Hispanic-American church, he wants to build bridges so that American evangelicals of all ethnicities bow down to worship God together. A Gordon-Conwell Trustee since 2006, Rev.

Rodriguez is currently President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), the largest Hispanic Christian organization in the U.S. The NHCLC serves more than 18,000 churches and 15 million Hispanic evangelicals and is, according to Rodriguez, “the Hispanic NAE (National Association of Evangelicals).” Rev. Rodriguez, a first generation American of Puerto Rican parents, was born into a Christian home in Newark, NJ. Participation in the church was a high priority in the Rodriguez family. Samuel’s grandfather had been an “evangelical pioneer” in the church in Puerto Rico, and his parents were involved in the church, both in Puerto Rico and Pennsylvania. Samuel had his first personal encounter with Jesus Christ when he was nine. He received his denominational credentials when he was 16, and has been active in the Assemblies of God ever since. His wife is also a minister in the denomination, and Rev. Rodriguez currently serves in the General Superintendent’s Cabinet. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from Kutztown University and received a Master’s Degree from Lehigh University, where he is also pursuing a Ph.D. in Organizational Management and Behavior. During his undergraduate years, his commitment to Christ was reaffirmed through an interesting historical figure: Isaac Newton. “It was the late 1980s, at the beginning of the software revolution,” he recounts. “A friend and I were creating a program as part of a class, and in doing so, we were incorporating theorems of, for examples the expanding and collapsing universe. It was during this time that I was struck by Newton’s own search for veritas, for truth, through mathematics. I then began to see the wonder and beauty of mathematics. I was amazed at the complexity of the universe and that we have this incredible designer and architect in God.” After graduating from college, Rev. Rodriguez served as a pastor in a New York congregation. He has also written a book, Are You a Third Day Christian (Strang Communications), and founded an international network of churches, the Third Day Believers Network. At NHCLC, he steers an organization that provides leadership, networking and partnerships which advocate for social justice, with a commitment to justice from a biblical worldview. “Our organization contextualizes the narrative of the

Hispanic evangelical experience in America,” Samuel explains. “I am the President, and Dr. Jesse Miranda, who might be called the ‘godfather of Hispanic Evangelicalism,’ is the CEO. We are committed to a multi-generational presentation of the gospel as well as a kingdom-culture presentation that is multi-ethnic.” As NHCLC President, Rodriguez travels extensively, speaking in educational environments like Princeton and Yale, and in political environments as well. “Both Republicans and Democrats call upon our organization for advice on issues that affect the Hispanic-American population, particularly regarding faith and family issues.” Samuel has also spoken in many media outlets such as CNN and Fox; writes a column for the Washington Post, and has written editorials for major newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle. “But our ministry extends not only to the corridors of Washington, but also to ecclesiastical corridors,” he emphasizes. “We work diligently to present a kingdom-culture ethos and also transmit our Christian heritage to the next generation. “We want to build bridges. Historically, the white evangelical church has been the standard-bearer for life and marriage issues. The African-American evangelical church, on the other hand, has been involved in issues like poverty and education. We want to say it is not ‘either-or,’ but ‘both-and.’ “In a nutshell, [the NHCLC] is like Billy Graham and Martin Luther King, Jr., blended, with salsa sauce on top!” Rev. Rodriguez joined the Gordon-Conwell board, “largely because of [long-time Trustee] Dick Armstrong. He and I serve on the board of World Relief together, and he was instrumental in bringing me on at Gordon-Conwell. Dick is someone committed to prayer and speaking with God. “I am on the board because I want to make Gordon-Conwell the seminary of choice for next-generation Hispanic-American leadership.” According to numerous sources, the Hispanic church is growing, both in the U.S. and around the world. “There are large Latino churches in London, Australia, France, Holland, etc. Wherever Latinos are, you have the evangelical faith there. Also, all things being equal, come 2020, 50 percent of all evangelicals in America will be of Hispanic descent.” Rev. Rodriguez is married and has three children between the ages of 12 and 17. In addition to participation on Gordon-Conwell’s board and the AG Superintendent’s Cabinet, he also serves on the boards of World Relief, the NAE board’s executive committee, Evangelicals for Human Rights, Alliance for Marriage and the National Campaign for Preventing Teen Pregnancy.

For more information about Rev. Rodriguez, or the NHCLC, please visit www.nhclc.org.

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Dr. Alvin Padilla’s passion is preparing students to preach the Gospel in the city and minister incarnationally amid the often hemorrhaging problems of urban communities. The Dean of Gordon-Conwell’s Boston campus, the Center for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME), is convinced that “just as the Son of God became human and lived among us, we need to be present within the needs of our communities. It’s

the Gospel in action, and is a very strong hallmark of the CUME program—to see that our graduates do that.” Al’s passion took root as a youth growing up in Haverhill, MA, as he observed the mounting needs of its people. Haverhill was becoming increasingly multicultural while also losing its economic base for the working class. And Al was dealing with issues of being an ethnic minority in an increasingly economically depressed area of the country. As a student at Villanova University, he began organizing community groups and became an advocate for community services. After college, he founded a group called Latinas Unidos (Latinos United) in Haverhill. “I saw the need,” he recalls. ”It was all around me, and I felt very much that I couldn’t ignore it. I couldn’t turn my back. I could be an influence for positive change in the community where I grew up.” Al’s passion ultimately propelled him to Gordon-Conwell and a Master of Divinity degree in 1984. He subsequently earned a Ph.D. from Drew University Graduate School, founded and taught for seven years at the Spanish Eastern School of Theology in Swan Lake, NY, and taught biblical studies for five years at Nyack College. An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), he also served as pastor of Fort Washington Heights Presbyterian Church in New York City—a Spanish-speaking congregation. In 1997, he returned to Gordon-Conwell as Assistant Professor of New Testament, and ultimately became Associate Professor and Dean at CUME—a campus located in Roxbury, MA, at the heart of Boston’s inner city. Al views Gordon-Conwell’s commitment to the city as much the same journey he has been on since childhood. “As a seminary, we felt we could not ignore the needs of the city,” he says. “It is viewed as a calling…a responsibility. We were an urban seminary originally. We could not move on and ignore what lies around us.”

The needs at stake, he points out, are the “hallmark of social justice:Systemic poverty that continues from one generation to •the next. It is very difficult to break the cycle.Chronic at-risk youth issues—young people without •jobs. It is a breeding ground for gangs.Educational disparity between the suburbs and the •inner city.Churches trying to meet all these needs without •financial resources. Others have to help.A brain drain and a financial drain. When a young •person is able to break out of that cycle, he or she generally moves away, so we have churches that are always stuck.”

Within this context, he explains, “the mission of CUME is to prepare women and men for ministries in these communities—people who will live and remain there and give evangelical answers to the needs of the city. They receive an academically rigorous, biblically-centered education that defines Gordon-Conwell, and express it in a tangible, hands-on way.” Students from around the country now enroll at CUME, and 130 students from the South Hamilton campus this year took advantage of cross registration across the seminary’s campuses. They are taught by white, Hispanic and African-American professors and study among students from nearly 50 nationalities and all races. Classes are taught in six languages. If the make-up of the population changes, such as the growth in recent years of Cambodians, Asians and Hispanics, CUME offers programs specifically for these groups. “CUME sits in the middle of the urban community,” Al explains. “We are continually reorganizing the seminary. We are continually re-contextualizing.” Students also learn side-by-side with many individuals already in ministry. Al explains that in ethnic minority communities, men and women are called to ministry, but often have not gone to seminary first. “They reach the point in ministry where they see the need to strengthen their calling. They’re not able to meet all the needs in their church and community. Because they have experience in ministry, they get a more refined seminary education. It’s both theological and practical. Professors can also offer helpful feedback to students on what they’re doing in the church.” CUME students become pastors, urban youth workers and youth ministers. They work in community advocacy groups, and with organizations addressing family violence. One graduate is the chaplain to the Boston police force. Others serve as chaplains in hospitals. “They’re involved in the complexities and needs that are urban America,” Al notes, “but they all preach the Gospel in that context. “More and more, evangelicals are seeing the need to diversify for this multicultural presence. At CUME, students learn about dealing with racial and language barriers. This is a tremendous asset. Most seminary grads will end up in or near a city somewhere. It’s a reality. “Students need a great theological education, and they need a multicultural presence in the classroom. The environment at CUME allows them to get their feet wet, to learn that they have the same fears I have—engaging together, learning from each other. “We don’t want to just talk about the love of God, but to take seriously the Scripture ‘unto the least of these,’ to help people understand that this abundant life can be enjoyed now. We are all called to be advocates for those in need.”

Dr. Alvin Padilla is married to Cathy, a 1983 graduate of Gordon-Conwell and a teacher at Abundant Life Christian School. They have four children: a married daughter, Marta, who lives in the Dominican Republic; Ben, a junior at Gordon College; Luke, a senior at Lexington Christian Academy; and Jacob, an eighth grader at Abundant Life Christian School. Al still lives in Haverhill and coaches Jacob’s Little League team.

Meet the Faculty

28 summer 08

Michael L. Colaneri

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SEMINARY NEWS

Dr. Laniak Appointed Acting Dean at Charlotte Campus

Dr. Timothy S. Laniak, Professor of Old Testament, has been appointed Acting Academic Dean at Gordon-Conwell—Charlotte. He succeeds Dr. Sidney L. Bradley, Academic Dean since 2000. Dr. Bradley will continue as Senior Professor of Counseling.

Dr. Laniak, who is also Curator of the Cooley Collection of the Robert C. Cooley

Center for the Study of Early Christianity at the Charlotte campus, joined Gordon-Conwell in 1997. He has been serving, in addition, as Mentor for the Christian Leadership Doctor of Ministry Track and Coordinator of Charlotte’s Urban Ministry Program.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College, his M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell and his doctorate in Old Testament and Early Judaism from Harvard Divinity School.

He has published books on social anthropology and the Bible (Shame and Honor in the Book of Esther, Scholars Press, 1997); the NIBC commentary on the book of Esther (Hendrickson Publishers, 2003), biblical theological resources on leadership (through Gordon-Conwell’s Center for the Development of Evangelical Leadership), and A Guide to Hebrew Exegesis (Logos, forthcoming 2009).

Dr. Laniak’s most recent books, Shepherds After My Own Heart: Pastoral Traditions in the Bible (InterVarsity Press, 2006) and While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks: Reflections on Leadership From the World of the Bible (ShepherdLeader Publications, 2007), are the result of a year’s research in the Middle East, including interviews with Bedouin shepherds.

He is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Institute of Biblical Research, the Biblical Archaeological Society and the American Schools of Oriental Research. He served as the Annual Professor of the Albright Institute for Archaeological Research in 2003-04. He began the ministry of ShepherdLeader.com in 2007.

Tim and his wife, Maureen, have been involved with cross-cultural ministries in more than 15 countries. For five years, they worked with international students at the International Fellowship House in Boston. They also worked for five years in welfare housing for immigrants in Brookline, MA.

They are actively involved in public education as co-founders of Life Long Learning, a non-profit company offering non-traditional educational opportunities, and Union Academy, a K-12 charter school emphasizing character education and community service. They live with their three children in Weddington, NC.

Six Professors Named to Gordon-Con-well Faculty

The seminary has recently appointed six experienced professors for its Hamilton, Boston and Charlotte campuses.

Dr. Maria L. Boccia, Professor of Pastoral Counseling and Psychology and Director of Graduate Programs in Counseling, Charlotte, brings to Gordon-Conwell 22 years of teaching experience, most recently at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, where she served

until 2001 as director of the observational methods core and taught workshops and seminars for faculty, graduate and postdoctoral students, and other staff. She continues as an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the UNC School of Medicine.

Dr. Boccia’s most recent work has been as a therapist at the Center for Psychological and Family Services and as a fellow and scientist at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, UNC Chapel Hill. She has also conducted research on psychological topics and published more than 80 articles in recognized journals. She is the recipient of more than 15 grants for psychological research, has received many awards and honors for her work as a scientist and teacher, and is a member of 10 professional organizations.

In addition, Dr. Boccia is a licensed counselor and marriage and family therapist in North Carolina and a certified sex therapist with the American Society of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists and the American Board of Christian Sex Therapists. She holds a doctorate in zoology from the University of Massachusetts, completed postdoctoral work in developmental psychology at the University of Denver, and received a D. Min. in marriage and family counseling from Gordon-Conwell.

Adonis Vidu, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Theology comes to Gordon-Conwell from his home country of Romania where he spent the past 10 years teaching, initially at Emmanuel College where he also served as Director of Research in the

Faculty of Theology and as Credit Officer. He then taught at the University of Bucharest and served on the adjunct theology faculty at Liberty University.

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SEMINARY NEWS

His areas of expertise include systematic theology, philosophical theology, the philosophy of religion and philosophical hermeneutics. In addition to many articles in these areas, Dr. Vidu has written Postliberal Theological Method: A Critical Study (Paternoster Press, 2005) and the forthcoming Theology After Neo-Pragmatism (Paternoster Press, 2008) and Aspects of God and the World: A New Philosophical Theology.

He is a member of the Society for the Study of Theology, the Seminar for Interdisciplinary Research of Religions and Ideologies, the Society for Continental Philosophy and Theology and the Evangelical Theological Society, and is a founding member of the Romanian Association of Religious Studies. Dr. Vidu earned a Master’s in Philosophy from Babes-Bolyai University in Romania; and a Ph.D. from the University of Nottingham, England.

Patrick T. Smith, Ph.D.(cand.), Assistant Professor of Theology, has taught as a visiting adjunct faculty member at the Boston campus since May 2006, and will join the faculty full-time during the spring semester following completion of his Ph.D. degree at Wayne State University. He has served at

Michigan Theological Seminary as Instructor of Bible and Theology and Assistant Academic Dean of the Bachelor of Religious Education Program, and worked in administrative departments at that seminary and Wayne State University.

He has also been serving as ethics coordinator for Angela Hospice Care Center, Livonia, MI; on the pastoral staff of Woodside Bible Church, Troy, MI; and as an adjunct apologist for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. He is a board member of the Angel House multicultural immigrant ministry. In addition, he has taught and practiced cross-cultural ministry, including service in a church in Zambia, Africa, and in various Chinese churches in the U.S. He has spoken on apologetics and doctrine for radio broadcasts, and speaks at seminars and conferences.

Professor Smith is a contributor to The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization (Wiley-Blackwell Publishers, forthcoming, 2008), and holds memberships in the Society of Christian Philosophers, the Evangelical Philosophical Society, the Evangelical Theological Society, the Center for Practical Bioethics and the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity. He received an M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and an M.A. from Wayne State. His doctoral focus is religious epistemology.

Peter Anders, Ph.D. (cand.), Instructor of Theology, served during the 2007-2008 academic year as a visiting lecturer, and brings to Gordon-Conwell nearly 10 years of teaching experience at Wheaton Academy, Biola University and Azusa Pacific

University. His areas of interest include systematic theology and Karl Barth, on whom he is writing his dissertation. He earned M.A. degrees from Wheaton College Graduate School and Yale University Divinity School, and is completing his Ph.D. at the University of Oxford. While studying at Yale, he assisted The Works of Jonathan Edwards Project by transcribing and editing Edwards’ original 18th-Century sermon manuscripts.

He has worked with an outreach program to inner cities in Mexico, and with the Eastern European Bible Mission to aid persecuted churches. He has written more than a dozen articles and has received several honors, including the University of Oxford Faculty of Theology Graduate Studentship Award and first prize for the best graduate paper presented at the 1997 gathering of the Evangelical Theological Society.

He is a contributing scholar to Modern Reformation, and a member of the American Academy of Religion, the Evangelical Theological Society, the Society of Christian Philosophers and the Karl Barth Society of North America.

Kelly Breen Boyce, Psy.D., Ranked Adjunct Assistant Professor of Counseling and Associate Director of Graduate Programs in Counseling at Gordon-Conwell-Charlotte, has taught at Gordon-Conwell—Charlotte since 2006, and has also taught continuing

education seminars for mental health professionals and courses in psychotherapy, psychology and marriage at the seminary, and at Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University and elsewhere. A licensed psychologist and professional counselor, she has served in a variety of clinical settings and currently provides psychological assessment and psychotherapy for individuals and couples at Carolinas Counseling Group of Charlotte, Inc.

She is a member of the American Psychological Association, Psi Chi National Honor Society in Psychology and Phi Alpha Chi Theological Honor Society. She earned an M.A. from Gordon-Conwell, and M.A. and Psy.D. degrees from Rosemead School of Psychology.

James R. Critchlow, Ph.D., Ranked Adjunct Assistant Professor in Old Testament, joined Gordon-Conwell as an adjunct faculty member in 2005 and has also taught at Bethel Seminary. He earned M.Div. and M.A. degrees from Gordon-Conwell and a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He also spent a year at Jerusalem University College where he participated in the archaeological dig at Robinson’s Arch, Western (Wailing) Wall.

Prior to joining academia, Dr. Critchlow earned an electrical engineering degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and spent 20 years in the U.S.

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31summer 08

Cooley Center Expands in Charlotte

The Robert C. Cooley Center for the Study of Early Christianity at the Gordon-Conwell—Charlotte campus has expanded recently through a generous gift from a donor in Charlotte committed to the study of early Christianity.

The Center, which serves as a base for research, study and scholarship, makes available to researchers the growing resources of The Robert C. Cooley Collection of Biblical Archaeology and Early Christianity; presents an annual lecture series on topics related to biblical archaeology and early Christianity; and provides periodic study opportunities such as an upcoming educational tour in the Holy Land.

New Staff Appointed

Three individuals now lead the Center. Serving as director is Dr. Rollin G. Grams, Associate Professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell–Charlotte and SIM-USA’s Theological Education Coordinator. A Gordon-Conwell alumnus, Dr. Grams earned a Ph.D. from Duke University, has served as a missionary in theological education in

Kenya, Ethiopia, Croatia, Czech Republic and the United Kingdom, and also taught at the Charlotte campus during its first five years of operation.

Dr. Timothy Laniak, Acting Academic Dean of the Charlotte campus and Professor of Old Testament, is curator for the Cooley Collection. Dr. Laniak has published three books in one of the Center’s research areas: Shame and Honor in the

Book of Esther (Scholars, 1998), Shepherds After My Own Heart (IVP, 2006), and While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks (ShepherdLeader, 2007). He received an M.Div degree from Gordon-Conwell and a Th.D. from Harvard University.

Gordon-Conwell—Charlotte graduate Mark B. Poe, MA, Biblical Studies; MA, Christian Thought, is the Center’s new research fellow. In this role, he edits a twice-yearly newsletter, oversees logistics for the annual Cooley Lecture Series, assists with acquisitions for the Center and is the contact person for use of its research resources. His primary areas of interest are historical Jesus studies and the Dead Sea Scrolls. An ordained minister in the Wesleyan Church, Mark is currently pastor of First Wesleyan Church, Cherryville, NC.

The Robert C. Cooley Collection of Bibli-cal Archaeology and Early Christianity

Housed in the Harold Lindsell Library of Gordon-Conwell–Charlotte, the Cooley collection contains works from the libraries of Robert E. Cooley, Gordon-Conwell President Emeritus, and his late son, Robert C. Cooley, after whom the Center is named. The approximately 1,200 volumes, journals, media and artifacts cover a range of subjects and themes related to biblical archaeology and human anthropology.

A variety of publications pertaining to major archaeological expeditions and many newly-published materials on the Dead Sea Scrolls are featured in the collection. Current subscriptions to Archaeology magazine, Biblical Archaeology Review and the Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research are available, and new

Army in a variety of leadership roles. He was deployed to numerous countries, including Korea, Australia and Germany and served his last three years as Special Operations Command Manager at the Pentagon. While in the Army, he was a Bible study leader, Sunday school teacher and local representative for the Officer’s Christian Fellowship. Following military service, he was ordained in the Conservative Baptist Association and has been a pastor at a number of churches.

SEMINARY NEWS

31summer 08

President Hollinger’s Visit with Billy Graham

President Dennis Hollinger and his wife, Mary Ann, recently had the privilege of visiting with international evangelist and Gordon-Conwell founder Rev. Billy Graham at his home in Montreat, NC.

Dr. Hollinger recounts that during their visit, he asked Rev. Graham what he had appreciated most about Gordon-Conwell through the years. “He immediately said, ‘It has remained faithful to the Word.’ We then asked him, ‘What one message would you like to send to the Gordon-Conwell faculty, administration and staff?’ He replied, ‘Stay focused on Christ and the gospel.’”

Rev. Graham was the second Board Chair of Gordon-Conwell, and has remained a trustee since the seminary opened its doors in 1969. Rev. Graham’s sister, Jean Ford Graham, and brother-in-law, Trustee Leighton Ford, arranged the Hollingers’ visit and accompanied them to Billy’s Black Mountain home.

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reference materials, such as the recently-published, five-volume Encyclopedia of Anthropology (Sage, 2007), are continually being added. In coming years, the collection will rapidly expand its holdings as the Center adds new scholarly materials describing the impact of biblical archaeology on issues related to biblical studies and early Christian origins.

Research Projects of the Center

A number of research projects fall under the auspices of the Cooley Center. Dr. Rollin Grams has an interest in integrating biblical studies with mission theology and ethics, and one of his ongoing research projects for the Cooley Center will be the study of moral thought and practice in the times of the early Church. He is presently writing a compendium of primary resources on ethics in the early church. Dr. Timothy Laniak’s work in the area of the social world of the Bible is another such research project. His current project focuses on the sociological setting for biblical images used for the church.

Educational Journey in the Holy Land

The Cooley Center, together with Gordon-Conwell’s Center for the Development of Evangelical Leadership, is sponsoring an educational journey in Israel and Sinai in January 2009. Dr. Laniak has organized the curriculum around several key topics that leaders in organizations need to consider: Calling, Culture, Conflict, Character, Membership, Mental Models, Transitions, Tradition, Reform and Vision. To join this effort to understand what the Bible teaches on leadership “from the ground up,” contact Dr. Laniak at tlaniak@gcts.edu or 704.940.5844. Space is limited.

2009 Cooley Lecture Series

Noted scholar and archaeologist Dr. James Hoffmeier, Professor of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern History and Archaeology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, will speak on the theme, “Foundations of Our Faith,” at the third annual Cooley Center Lecture Series scheduled for January 15-16, 2009.

Dr. Hoffmeier was born in Egypt, lived there until age 16 and returns often to his homeland for research and excavation. From 1975 to 1977, he worked with the Akhenaten Temple Project in Luxor. His present work in the threatened areas of northern Sinai (North Sinai Archaeological Project) grew out of an appeal by the Egyptian Antiquities Organization.

He served from 1980 to 1999 as professor of Archaeology and Old Testament at Wheaton College, and was chairman of Wheaton’s Department of Biblical, Theological, Religious

and Archaeological Studies from 1992 to 1998. From 1996 to 1999, he was also director of the Wheaton Archaeology Program. He has published in venues such as the Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Journal of the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities, and in standard reference works such as Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Anchor Bible Dictionary and the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis. His latest book, Ancient Israel in Sinai: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Wilderness Tradition, was released by Oxford University Press in September 2005.

Dr. Hoffmeier is involved in theological education internationally and has been active locally as a church planter, elder, teacher and preacher. He holds Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Toronto.

Tentative lecture topics for the two-day event include “Recent Excavations in Sinai and the Exodus from Egypt,” and “Where Is Mt. Sinai and Why It Doesn’t Matter.” Watch the Gordon-Conwell website, www.gordonconwell.edu for additional information.

Explorations Newsletter

The Cooley Center’s twice-annual publication, Explorations, provides news on upcoming events, projects and ongoing research. To receive an electronic version of this newsletter, please contact Mark Poe at mpoe@gcts.edu.

SEMINARY NEWS

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33summer 08

New Student Association at South Hamil-ton Campus Promotes Biblical Justice

Ruth Robinson, M.A. ‘09

The recently-formed Student Justice Association (JSA) at Gordon-Conwell’s South Hamilton campus is committed to “instilling a passion for justice among seminarians.” The student-led organization was established in spring 2007 by Stephanie Ahn, MAR’09, to serve as a venue for learning about, promoting and living out biblical justice in the Gordon-Conwell community. Its purpose is to help the seminary “reflect God’s compassion and justice to the world.” The origins of the JSA lie in Stephanie’s own transformation about biblical justice. She admits that at the beginning of her Christian life and ministry, her focus was on success. “I was always an overachiever, striving to be first, striving to be the best,” she says. That began to change in the early 2000s after she returned from an overseas missions trip. “One of my dear friends overseas wrote to me ‘…I cannot submit or give respect to the underground church leaders because they are poor and uneducated,’” Stephanie recounts. “My heart broke. Had I not shared the ‘whole’ gospel with her?” She subsequently spent several years studying Scripture in order to discover what Christian ministry should look like. Through that study, she became convinced that Jesus’ ministry among the lowly should be the Christian’s example. “We need to talk about how he lived, and with whom,” she says. “We need to marry the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.” This marrying, says Stephanie, means being concerned with both a person’s relationship with Christ and that person’s financial, physical and emotional needs. Gordon-Conwell’s Charles E. Culpeper Professor of Youth Ministries Dean Borgman, who taught a class on biblical justice this past spring, puts it this way: “Redemption through Christ moves toward making

individuals and society work right. Justice, then, is ‘doing the right thing.’” The JSA’s 2007-2008 events were designed to impart this holistic understanding of biblical justice. A brown bag lunch forum aimed at dispelling misconceptions about biblical justice featured a panel of Gordon-Conwell professors who explored the theme, “What Is Biblical Justice? (and what it’s not).” This forum laid the groundwork for a Genocide Awareness and Advocacy Week. During this event, speakers such as Franco Majok, who escaped civil war in Sudan; Rev. Posan Ung, a survivor of the Cambodian genocide; and Rev. Claire Sullivan, who ministers to children of Cambodian genocide survivors, drew awareness to the scope and effects of genocide and the need for advocacy. Documentaries, prayer and discussion helped students think biblically about what they were learning and how to respond. The week ended with a day of reflection through poetry, sculpture, photography and music. A clothing drive, held in conjunction with the event, resulted in donations of three carloads of clothing to Living Fields Church in Lynn, MA, for distribution to Cambodian churches throughout New England. Nearly 40 students also wrote letters to their congressmen urging them to take action on Darfur. Prof. Borgman’s spring “Biblical Global Justice” class at South Hamilton was also key in educating students on justice issues. Its syllabus was written by four students from JSA, and was funded by a World Vision grant. “The class accepts Scriptural warnings that piety, worship, fasting and evangelism, without loosing the bonds of injustice...letting the oppressed go free, sharing bread with the hungry, bringing the homeless into our house, clothing the naked, are abominations before God,” he says. “It goes on from there to consider global and historical cries for justice and to plan strategies for walking with the poor and bringing about social change.” The course will be taught again in fall 2008 and will fulfill the social ethics requirement. Stephanie is no longer president of JSA. Students Sally Steele, Jeff Reining and Ruth Robinson will take over its leadership in the fall. Events will be monthly and follow the See (learn), Judge (reflect theologically), Act (respond) model of justice. But its vision and purpose will not change as it continues to educate seminarians about, as Stephanie says, “the whole gospel to the whole person to the whole community.”

SEMINARY NEWS

34 summer 08

Gordon-Conwell Establishes A. J. Gordon Guild

The Board of Trustees in May approved the development of the A. J. Gordon Guild, a doctoral-level support and study program in partnership with London School of Theology (LST).

The Guild, directed by Dr. Scott M. Gibson, Haddon W. Robinson Professor of Preaching and Director of the Center for Preaching, will welcome its first two students in the fall.

Guild Scholars have their M.Div. and two to five years of experience as preaching pastors. During the three-year program, they earn a Ph.D. in homiletics from LST and are mentored by Gordon-Conwell preaching faculty. They also participate in the preaching department of Gordon-Conwell, the Center for Preaching and the Evangelical Homiletics Society.

The Guild arose from a desire to have a Ph.D. program in homiletics at Gordon-Conwell. Its goal is to build collegiality and cooperation while improving the field of homiletics.

The Guild is named for A. J. Gordon, who served Clarendon Street Baptist Church in Boston for 25 years and whose Gordon School of Divinity became part of Gordon-Conwell.

Dr. Kuzmic Receives Helsinki Award

Dr. Peter Kuzmič, the Eva B. and Paul E. Toms Distinguished Professor of World Missions and European Studies at Gordon-Conwell, has received the Helsinki Award for Human Rights and Religious Liberty from the Croatian Helsinki Committee in Zagreb for his work in promoting inter-religious dialogue.

Dr. Kuzmič, a native of Slovenia and a citizen of Croatia and the United States, is considered the foremost evangelical scholar in Eastern Europe and an authority on Christian response to Marxism and on Christian ministry in post-Communist contexts.

Dr. Kuzmič co-founded and directs Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia, the first evangelical theological school in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. In 1991, in response to the devastating effects of the Balkan conflict, Dr. Kuzmič founded Agape, a humanitarian relief organization. In addition, he was influential in bringing about the Dayton Peace Awards, and was a leader in reconciliation efforts following the Balkan wars.

He has served as an advisor on reconciliation for national leaders in the Balkans, the United Nations and the U.S. State Department. He is an honorary member of the Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights and has received the Presidential Award of Croatia and other international awards and recognitions.

Students Launched into Ministry at Spring Commencements

South Hamilton, Boston and Charlotte students preparing for diverse ministries around the globe received 392 degrees during spring commencements in May.

Graduates of the Hamilton and Boston campuses received 275 master’s degrees and 50 Doctor of Ministry degrees during joint commencement exercises at Gordon College. Speaker was Dr. Barry H. Corey, President of Biola University. Dr. Corey had previously served as Vice President of Education/Academic Dean of the Gordon-Conwell– Hamilton campus and Associate Professor of Church History.

Charlotte campus graduates received 53 master’s degrees and 14 Doctor of Ministry degrees at Forest Hill Church. Dr. Haddon W. Robinson, the Harold John Ockenga Distinguished Professor of Preaching and former President of Gordon-Conwell, delivered the commencement address.

SEMINARY NEWS

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Gordon-Conwell Professors Win Lilly Theological Research Grant

Drs. Karen Mason, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Counseling; Pablo Polischuk, Professor of Counseling; and Ray Pendleton, Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling, were awarded a 2008-2009 ATS Lilly Theological Research Grant for their project Protestant Clergy Referral of Suicidal Persons.

The grant was awarded through the Lilly Theological Research Grants Program, which fosters quality research by scholars in all theological disciplines. The program is funded by a grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. and run by the Association of Theological Schools.

The research project seeks to understand the strategies Protestant clergy use when referring suicidal people to mental healthcare providers and to determine whether Mainline and Evangelical clergy use different

strategies. It is hoped that the study will disclose the reasons that clergy refer people to mental healthcare providers. The study will be

used to develop training for clergy on suicide prevention.

The Lilly Theological Research Grants Program, in its eleventh year, awarded 25 grants for 2008-2009.

Journal Edited by Gordon-Conwell Professor Wins National Award

The Priscilla Papers, the scholarly journal of Christians for Biblical Equality, recently received first place in interviews in the Evangelical Press Association’s 2008 Higher Goals Awards.

The award was for Glen Scorgie’s 2007 interview with Wheaton College Professor Emeritus, Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian.

The journal was founded in 1987 by Dr. Catherine Clark Kroeger, Gordon-Conwell Ranked Adjunct Associate Professor of Classical and Ministry Studies, and her husband, Richard. Dr. William David Spencer, Ranked Adjunct Professor of Theology and the Arts is editor. Dr. Aida Besançon Spencer, Professor of New Testament, is the journal’s book review editor.

The Papers have an international subscription of more than 2,000 individuals and college and seminary libraries.

(top to bottom) Dr. Karen Mason, Dr. Pablo Polischuk, Dr. Ray Pendleton

(top to bottom) Dr. Catherine Kroeger, Dr. Aida Besançon, Spencer Dr. William Spencer

Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. and Margaret Ruth Kaiser Chapel

The chapel on the South Hamilton campus is now officially named the Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. and Margaret Ruth Kaiser Chapel.

The Kaisers were honored in a ceremony at the spring Honors Convocation in recognition of their countless contributions to the seminary during his 13 years of service, including nine years as President.

During the naming ceremony, Board Chair Thomas P. Colatosti read a commemorative plaque citing Dr. Kaiser’s “passion for the Bible, his great skill in proclaiming the whole counsel of God with wit and wisdom, and his burning desire to eradicate the ‘famine of the Word’ and to see the Gospel advanced across the whole earth that profoundly influenced a new generation of future preachers, expositors of Scripture, missionaries and Christian leaders.

“Dr. and Mrs. Kaiser’s devotion to the Living God, and their joyful, faith-filled presence inspired and enriched the entire seminary community.”

SEMINARY NEWS

36 summer 08

Students Minister Worldwide During Summer Missions Practicum

This past summer, 37 Gordon-Conwell students got an education that went far beyond the classroom. They spent six weeks in 16 countries ministering and gaining real world experience through the seminary’s innovative Overseas Missions Practicum.

OMP’s mission is “to mobilize, train and send out teams of students into cross-cultural areas around the world where they can learn to serve the poor, to share their faith and to network with Christians and missionaries from a broad spectrum of other cultures and church traditions.”

This year, trips occurred to Zimbabwe, Lebanon, the Philippines, Mongolia, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Africa/Ethiopia, Turkey, Croatia, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia and the U.S.

The Zimbabwe team, based at the Theological College of Zimbabwe (TCZ) in Bulawayo, consisted of a Theological Education Team that observed classes and tutored students, and a Relief and Development Team that worked with Christian ministries associated with the college.

While there, the teams saw the effects of poverty and AIDS as they worked with abused girls, men needing a trade and children with HIV. Jordan and Leah Easley, M.Div. ’10 and MACH ’09, respectively, described the poverty in a prayer update: “…you cannot escape it wherever you turn. For example… there’s our neighbor Simonga, who lives on campus away from her husband, because it’s cheaper. Yet she is too poor to afford the bus ticket to go home to see him.”

Anna Scianna, M.Div. ’10, also described her reaction in a prayer update: “At the orphanage we visited, about one-third of the kids were HIV positive. Helen [another team member] was asking some of the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up, but it occurred to me that many of them might not even have that experience.”

However, as they aided ministries that pointed people to Christ and made a difference in lives, and as they worked with and loved the Zimbabwean people, they also came to trust God’s work in Zimbabwe. Anna expressed this trust in the same prayer update, “I guess I have to remind myself that even in these situations God is bigger and his love can transcend the most difficult circumstances....there is no one who is beyond the grace and love of Christ.”

SEMINARY NEWS

Brian Maiers (far left) and Daniel Derrick (far right)

Three Long-time Professors Transition to New Roles

Three Gordon-Conwell professors retired this spring after long years of service, but will continue at the seminary in other capacities.

Dr. David F. Wells, former Andrew Mutch Distinguished Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, has been named Distinguished Senior Research Professor. In his

new role, he will continue to write, and is under contract to author Vol. VIII of the Monarch/Baker church history series, addressing the period from 1960 to the present. He is also working on a film project with an award-winning Hollywood movie company, Boulevard Pictures, to turn the five books in his magnum opus into an accessible DVD series. He joined the seminary in 1979.

Dr. Kenneth L. Swetland, formerly Professor of Ministry and Campus Pastoral Counselor, is now Senior Professor of Pastoral Ministry. He will teach in the D.Min.program and

Students Helen Li (center) and Anna Scianna (second from right).

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37summer 08

“Becoming Global Christians”

William FisherChief Development Officer

On a recent trip to Austria, I traveled by train from Vienna to Krems. The train moved swiftly, following the beautiful Danube River past picture postcard villages with century-old

buildings, magnificent churches with towering steeples, vineyards and wine cellars and fields of sunflowers and corn. Many signs and billboards flashed by, written predominantly in German. As I gazed out the window, I spotted a billboard that read in bold English, “Think Global, Act Local.”

I pondered the words. What if we would apply those words to our spiritual walk? Does what we do locally really impact the world? It is sometimes difficult to connect our local actions to their impact on the global scene, possibly because it is too easy in our busy lives to become inwardly focused. The Bible challenges us to become Christ-centered instead, and to look beyond ourselves. Jesus gave us the Great Commission to challenge us to think global. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He acted locally but maintained a worldview perspective. He knew that his actions and words could change the entire world. Having a global mindset shows that we understand what we do locally will touch the lives of people we may or may not ever meet.

Several years ago, while working for an International Leadership Training Institute, I attended a special international leadership graduation in Singapore. Seated next to me at a banquet table was a Christian

statesman from Zimbabwe who happened to be the Minister of Defense for his country. My wife, Lisbeth, overheard that this gentleman had been a former representative to the United Nations. We have a good friend, Paul Stiansen, a graduate of Gordon-Conwell, who worked for the Christian Embassy at the United Nations in New York. We knew Paul from a local church in New Hampshire that had supported his ministry through Campus Crusade.

Lisbeth nudged me with her elbow and encouraged me to ask the Zimbabwean leader if he knew Paul. I hesitated at first, thinking it was not likely he knew Paul, but thankfully she nudged me again. To my surprise he did know Paul. Not only did he know Paul, but they were also close friends. The Minister of Defense smiled warmly and told us how Paul had helped him spiritually and personally. This is an unusual glimpse into the ripple effect of a small local church supporting two international ministries that touched the life of an international Christian leader, and a Gordon-Conwell graduate working locally in New York, but thinking global.

When we invest in the lives of Gordon-Conwell students, we are acting local and at the same time thinking global. God has plans beyond the local. His desire is to reach the entire world with the Gospel.

As we embark on the new academic year, we have a wonderfully challenging opportunity to train and educate men and women to become global Christians, who will effectively lead the church, preach the gospel and make a difference in the lives of people locally—and around the world. Now is the time to “Think Global, Act Local.”

Thank you for your partnership and generous support!

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

is also working with the Ockenga Institute in the new Oasis support ministry for alumni/ae. (See related story on page 30.) He has served the seminary for 36 years.Dr. Sidney L. Bradley, former Dean of the Charlotte campus and Professor of Pastoral Counseling, has been named Senior Professor of Pastoral Ministry. He joined the faculty in 1997. He will continue to teach at both the doctoral and masters levels, and will serve part-time as Psychologist in Residence at Forest Hill Church in Charlotte.

The title of Senior Professor was approved for long-standing members of the Gordon-Conwell faculty who continue in direct service to the school after retiring from the faculty.

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38 summer 08

New Alumni/ae Department Offers an Array of Services

Gordon-Conwell graduates can now take advantage of many new services following extensive expansion of the Alumni/ae Department during the past year.

New Alumni/ae Coordinator Daryl Olson, M.Div. ‘05, is the new Coordinator of Alumni/ae Relations. He is available for questions, comments, ideas or concerns. Please feel free to call him at 978.646.4148 or email dolson@gcts.edu.

New WebsiteStay connected with your seminary and fellow graduates through the new alumni/ae website. Visit www.gordonconwell.edu/alumni and enjoy the following features:

Online Alumni/ae Directory•Sign up, add a photo and let us and other graduates

know where you are and what you are doing! Then search the online directory to find old friends and

new networking opportunities. More than 1,200 alumni/ae have already registered on the site,

including graduates from 1945 (yes, 1945!) to 2008.

Faculty Forums•Every Thought Captive is a weekly forum where faculty members post thoughts on the Christian life and ministry and you can post your response. White Papers brings you a different faculty paper each month, posted in weekly serial fashion. Past papers include Dr. David Wells’ Christian Discipleship in a

Postmodern World and Dr. Sean McDonough’s Jesus the Baptist: The First Temptation of Christ.

Alumni/ae Notes•Started a new job? Added a new family member? Received an award? Let us know in the alumni/ae notes section! Then take a moment to see what is going on in the lives of others.

ATLAS for ALUMS • (coming this fall)Over 200,000 full-text articles and book reviews will be made available online this fall for alumni/ae through the ATLAS for Alums program. This collection of the archives of major theology and religion journals provides a rich resource for sermon preparation and research and has fully searchable text capabilities. This service will be provided at no charge to alumni/ae.

In My Day…•In My Day... looks at the various aspects of being a

Gordon-Conwell student throughout the years. Check out photos from the past, read memories of other graduates and submit your own stories.

InCommunityWhen you register at the alumni/ae website, you will receive InCommunity, the free, monthly Gordon-Conwell alumni/ae e-newsletter. InCommunity keeps you informed on seminary news, upcoming events, faculty book recommendations and more. You can also subscribe to InCommunity by emailing alums@gcts.edu.

Oasis: A Support Ministry for Alumni/ae Led by Senior Professor of Ministry Dr. Ken Swetland, Oasis provides individual counsel to pastors/graduates who are facing a crisis, such as chronic conflict in the church, marital stress, moral failure and others. Oasis also provides support to pastors facing a transition, such as examination of call, questions about whether to relocate, issues in facing retirement, etc. Support can take place in a group setting or through individual counsel.

Alumni/ae RelationsGordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

online resources • social networking

www.gordonconwell.com/alumni

Wherever you may be,

connect virtually with Gordon-Conwell!

ALUMNI/AE NOTES

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60sAmsden, Stephen, MRE, ‘69, has pastored Woodland Hills Community Church (UCC) since September 1999. He married Susan G. Teague in the fall of 2006 and plans to retire from full-time pastoral ministry in November.

Curtis, Kenneth, M.Div., ’64, was awarded the 2007 Freddi Award for Oncology for producing a DVD entitled Reflections on Psalm 23 for People with Cancer. He is the founder and president of Vision Video and Christian History Institute.

Hoffecker, Andrew, M.Div., ‘66, edited and wrote a chapter in Revolutions in Worldview (Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 2007) The text, aimed at college and seminary students, traces the development of Western thought, focusing on the major shifts in worldview from the ancient Greeks to postmodernism.

70sAtallah, Ramez, M.Div., ‘72, has been named the Bible Expositor for Urbana ‘09. He will preach from the first four chapters of the Gospel of John.

Brown, Edward, M.Div., ‘79, is the Director/CEO of Care of Creation, Inc., one of the first evangelical environmental missions organizations. His book, Our Father’s World: Mobilizing the Church to Care for Creation (IVP, 2006) was released in revised edition in May 2008. He lives in Madison, WI, with his wife, Susanna, and has four grown children.

Cogan, John D., M.Div., ‘75, will become a Board Certified Chaplain in the Association of Professional Chaplains in March 2009. Chaplain Cogan has served at Redstone Highlands Senior Care in Greensburg, Murrysville and North Huntingdon, PA, since January 2006.

Cole, Pamela, M.Div., ‘72, experienced the death of her mother, Mrs. Forestine Cole, on July 7, 2008. Mrs. Cole was a longtime friend of Gordon-Conwell and a member of the Women’s Council.

Kimball, Al, M.Div., ‘79, is Executive Pastor at Community Evangelical Free Church in Elverson, PA.

Moerman, Murray, M.Div., ‘74, and his wife, Carol, serve as Europe Area Directors with One Challenge, facilitating church planting and other missionary work in Europe. They are located in Worthing, England.

Soper, Ken, M.Div., ‘78, has published a parents’ guide for home-schoolers, Guiding Career Choices: A Parents’ Career Coaching Workbook. Ken is an NCDA-recognized Master Career Counselor and NBCC National Certified Career Counselor. He lives in the Grand Rapids, MI, area with his wife, Gail, and son, Andy. His daughter, Sarah, is finishing her Ph.D. coursework at Purdue University in the area of the Sociology of Religion.

Sweitzer, Eric K., MTS, ‘79, has been directing the Charis Counseling Centers, a network of church-affiliated Christian counseling centers with locations in Middleboro, Holden and

Auburn, MA, and in Barrington, RI, for the past 19 years. The organization employs 20 full- and part-time mental health counselors, social workers and psychologists. Eric’s wife, Susan, oversees the billing and bookkeeping department. In 2006, he wrote his first book, The Perfect Alibi: Freedom from the Drive for Personal Perfection (lulu.com, 2006).

Vicalvi, Paul, M.Div., ‘74, after serving for 30 years as a United States Army Chaplain, is now serving as Executive Director of the National Association of Evangelical Chaplains Commission. He and his wife live just outside Branson, MO.

Warner, Thomas M., MRE, ‘77, after 21 years of pastoral ministry at Grafton Christian Church, Grafton, NH, will be taking a three-month sabbatical to travel, study and relax with his wife, Nancy, and their daughters, Emma and Elizabeth. In their absence, current Gordon-Conwell Semlink student Myric McBain will carry on the pulpit ministry.

80sBarnes, Ken, MATS, ‘89, has been appointed a Tutor in Theology and Religious Studies by Oxford University (DCE) in addition to his duties as Director/Chaplain of the Oxford American Mission.

Bouthillette, Ron, M.Div., ‘83, has been called to be the pastor of Milford First Baptist Church in Milford, NH.

Breum, Terry, M.Div., ‘88, will celebrate this summer 20 years of ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America in the Chicago area. He and his wife, Janet, who also serves as a pastor, have four children.

Gatliff, Michael, M.Div., ‘84, has been called to Second Presbyterian Church (EPC) in Memphis, TN, to fill a new position as Minister to Middle Adults (ages 50-65). He is working with fellow Gordon-Conwell alumnus and Senior Pastor Sandy Willson, M.Div., ‘82.

Harrison, Jim, M.Div., ‘85, along with his wife, Beth, and their seven children, are serving as church planting missionaries in the nation of Estonia in northern Europe. Estonia, the northernmost of the three Baltic Republics (along with Latvia and Lithuania) were part of the former Soviet Union (USSR) until 1991. The Estonian people still suffer from the negative effects of 50 years under an atheistic communist regime. In addition to helping establish a new congregation in the city of Tartu, Jim has worked with Estonian church leaders since 1995 to encourage new church planting efforts throughout the country.

Kuehne, Dale, MATS, ‘85, has been appointed Interim Executive Director of Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics (NHIOP). Dale is also the pastor of Emmanuel Covenant Church in Nashua, NH.

LaCelle-Peterson, Kristina, M.Div., ‘87, just published a book, Liberating Tradition: Women’s Identity and Vocation in Christian Perspective (Baker Academic, 2008). This spring, she also received tenure at Houghton College, where she teaches in the Religion and Philosophy Department. She and her husband, Mark, along with their two children, live in Houghton, which is in rural western New York.

ALUMNI/AE NOTES

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Lier, Roger Adams, M.Div., ‘81, has served UCC churches in Beverly, Nahant and Bradford, MA, as an interim pastor since 2002. He has also been working part-time for Apple, Inc. Roger was recently accepted into Apple’s Grow Your Own program to prepare for work as an Apple Creative. Creatives at Apple teach the One to One Curriculum and workshops at Apple Stores. Roger is also in his first year of the Gordon-Conwell Doctor of Ministry Program in Marriage and Family Counseling.

McBride, Marshall, M.Div., ‘83, experienced the death of his son, Sgt. Zachary W. McBride, 20, on January 9, 2008. Zachary, along with five teammates, died when an IED exploded in a booby-trapped house they were searching in the Diyal Province north of Baghdad. He is survived by his father, Marshall, Pastor of Worship at Eastmont Church, Bend, OR; his mother, Laurie; and his sister, Sarah.

Pedersen, Steve, M.Div., ‘80, transferred his ordination from the United Church of Christ to the Evangelical Covenant Church at its 123rd Annual Meeting in Green Lake, WI, on June 26, 2008.

Pughe, Roberta, MATS, ‘89, has co-authored, with Paula Sohl, the book Resurrecting Eve: Women of Faith Challenge the Fundamentalist Agenda (White Cloud Press, 2007). More information can be found at www.resurrectingeve.com.

Raker, Chris, MATS, ‘84, is an instructor at the Berkshire Institute for Christian Studies in Lenox, MA. He teaches Old Testament Survey and Romans to freshmen, and Ethics and Contemporary Culture to sophomores. He is also pastoring part-time at Central Congregational Church in New Salem, MA.

Reynolds, J. Steven, M.Div., ‘81, is pastor of the First Baptist Church (ABC) of Waverly, NY, near Elmira and Binghamton. He has pastored there since 1994 after having served in churches in Vermont and Pennsylvania. He is married and has two grown daughters and a granddaughter.

Rounds, Harlan, M.Div., ‘84, received his D.Min degree through the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA, in 2007.

Scazzero, Peter, M.Div., ‘85, is scheduled to be one of the plenary speakers at the Christian Community Development Association’s Seeking the Peace of the City Conference in Miami, FL, from October 22-26.

Snyder, David G., D.Min., ‘89, is currently serving in the U.S. Army as a chaplain and is stationed in Belgium at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (S.H.A.P.E.) in support of NATO. He and his wife, Isabel, have a daughter, Máire, who is nearly five years old.

Tyson, Anne Elizabeth Dodge, M.Div., ‘86, has published Service Squad: A Hands-On (VBS) Mission Experience for ‘Tweens’ (Abingdon, 2008). It is designed to provide an alternative Bible school curriculum for 9-11 year olds.

90sBatson, William, MAFM, ‘95, Founder and President of Family Builders Ministries, has published his first book. Tools for a Great Marriage (Family Builders Ministries, Inc., 2008) is the result of more than 21 years of teaching couples how to build loving and lasting relationships. Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages, wrote the foreword of the book. The book is available at www.familybuilders.net.

Beckerleg, Cathy, MAOT, ‘96, MAR, ‘97, and her husband, Darryl, have two children, Lindsay (4) and Ben (2). She expects to finish her Ph.D. dissertation on the creation of mankind in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1-3) in the coming year and to graduate from Harvard with her Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations in June 2009.

Bennett, Eric, M.Div., ‘96, just celebrated 10 years with Jews for Jesus, International. He works as a Senior Itinerary Coordinator. He and his wife, Kathy, have been married since 2001 and are blessed with one child, Erica, born in 2004. They live in Peyton, CO, where he works from their home. In March 2008, Eric gave several Christ in the Passover presentations around Colorado.

Choung, James, M.Div., ‘96, wrote a book and a companion booklet that were recently published. They are titled True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In and Based on a True Story (both through IVP, 2008), and share a simple way of presenting the gospel in a more formational, communal and missional way.

Flores, Daniel, MATH, ‘93, serves as President of the Sociedad Wesleyana, the Hispanic Wesleyan Society. Sociedad Wesleyana met on the campus of Duke University Divinity School in March for an event entitled, “The Durham Consultation on Hispanic Ministries: Practical Divinity in a Time of Cultural Xenophobia.” The event was a discussion of the problems and solutions of doing ministry in the midst of current public sentiments contrary to Hispanic immigrants.

Friesen, Paul, MAFM, ‘93, D.Min., ‘06, and Virginia, D.Min., ‘06, founded Home Improvement Ministries (H.I.M.) in 2003. The mission of H.I.M. is to encourage and strengthen marriages and families to live out God’s design for God-honoring relationships. Together, they have published four books in the last two years. For more information on their ministry and books, visit www.HIMweb.org.

Howard, Kevin, M.Div., ‘99, and his wife, Denice, were appointed as new missionaries by the International Mission Board on Jan. 30 and will be serving in Togo.

Lovelace, Curt, D.Min., ‘92, as Executive Director of Lifework Forum, makes regular trips to Europe, particularly the former Warsaw Pact nations, to teach on Christian family life and home education.

Mazis, Edgars, Th.M., ‘93, graduated with a Master of Theology degree from International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague in May 2008. He currently leads the Agenskalns Church in Riga, Latvia, and will be teaching at the Baltic Pastoral Institute in Latvia.

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McMullin, Steve, MATS, ‘91, is pursuing a Ph.D. in the Sociology of Religion at the University of New Brunswick. In addition to his own research into the social effects of religious decline, he is part of a research team at the university that seeks to equip religious leaders to respond to domestic violence.

Noble, Rich, M.Div., ‘95, D.Min., ‘04, is pastoring Washington Union Alliance Church in New Castle, PA. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Geneva College and is founder and director of a missions mobilization venture called Global Vision Initiative.

Rah, Soong-Chan, M.Div., ‘94, D.Min., ‘05, is scheduled to be one of the plenary speakers at the Christian Community Development Association’s Seeking the Peace of the City Conference in Miami, FL, from October 22-26.

Richter, Sandra, MATS, ‘90, was the keynote speaker for Builders In Ministry Week at Southwestern College (Winfield, KS) in February. According to the college, “Builders in Ministry (BIM) Week is dedicated to providing educational opportunities that nurture and enrich Christian leaders—lay and clergy—for effective living and ministry.”

Samuel, Stephen, M.Div., ‘95, celebrated 11 years as Senior Pastor of Westbury Gospel Tabernacle in Westbury, NY, on March 2. He is married to Elizabeth, and they have two daughters, Rebecca and Rachel. In October 2007, Stephen traveled to India with his father, Rev. Dr. M.S. Samuel, and spoke at a Ministers’ Conference in the state of Kerala.

Tadlock, Dale, M.Div., ‘98, and Laura, M.Div., ‘98, and their two daughters, Elizabeth and Lindsay, moved to Waynesboro, VA, last fall, where Dale joined the staff of First Baptist Church as Associate Pastor, Minister to Young Adults and Students. Before moving to Virginia, Dale had served as an adjunct professor at Crichton College in Memphis, TN. He has recently published articles with Ideal Leadership and the Ministering to Ministers Foundation.

Vantassel, Stephen, MATS, ‘99, has just received his Ph.D. in Theology from Trinity Theological Seminary, Newburgh, IN. His dissertation was entitled A Theological, Ethical, and Scientific Evaluation of the Christian Animal Rights Movement’s Opposition to Wildlife Trapping. Stephen presently works at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a specialist staff member helping the public resolve wildlife damage problems. He lives with his wife, Donna, in Lincoln, NE.

Westervelt, Dale, MATS, ‘92, and his wife, Kathleen, have been blessed with four little ones: Jack, Annie, Gracie and Henley. They live in the west valley of Phoenix. He serves as faculty for a research firm based in Washington, DC. He is presently using an online survey tool at http://www.sanctificationsurvey.blogspot.com to gather data for a writing project on sanctification.

Williams, Drake, M.Div., ‘95, and Andrea, MAOT, ‘95, are serving as missionaries in the Netherlands. Drake is serving as Academic Dean at Tyndale Theological Seminary just outside Amsterdam. They have three children.

Wright, Scott, M.Div., ‘91, and Linda, MATS, ’91, welcomed the birth of Chelsea Joy, their seventh child, on November 27, 2007.

They are thankful to God for His abundant goodness!

00sYoung, Gerry, M.Div., ‘00, was recently ordained with the International Ministerial Fellowship (IMF).

Sung, Peter, M.Div., ‘00, has been selected to serve as Associate Superintendent of the East Coast Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Deligiannis, Stavros, M.Div., ‘01, lives with his family in the (biblical) town of Veroia (or Beroia - Acts 17) and has ministered as a pastor in the local Greek Evangelical Church since July 2006. Before this, he ministered as a pastor in a local Greek Evangelical church in Neos Mylotopos, close to the archaeological site of Pella (in the area of Macedonia in Northern Greece).

Lesniewski, Sarah, MAME, ‘01, and her husband, Jack, worked in Guatemala for four years after graduating and have now moved back to Chicago so Jack can pursue his Ph.D. in Social Welfare. They live with their two daughters, Hannah and Sasha, and dog, Mija, in an undergraduate dorm as resident heads, where they have a great opportunity to serve many young people and shine the light of Christ in a dark place.

Davis, Wendy, M.Div., ‘02, has recently published Rishi Kumar: Son of India, a biography of Rishi Kumar Marwad, pastor in a village area of Central India, who was apprenticing in Hindu black magic until Jesus dramatically rescued him. Wendy is Missions Director at the North Shore Bridge Church in Beverly, MA, and does mission work in India. Her book is available at www.rishimission.com.

DeYoung, Kevin, M.Div., ‘02, has co-written the recently-released Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be) (Moody, 2008). Learn more at www.notemergent.com.

Dickerson, William, M.A., ‘02, was featured in an article in The Christian Science Monitor entitled, “Two Men Minister to Victims of Violence in Inner-City Boston.”

Fisher, Linford, M.Div., ‘02, graduated from Harvard on June 5 with his doctorate in the history of religion in America. He began a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of early American history at Indiana University, South Bend campus, in August.

Heinaman, Linda, M.Div., ‘02, was married on May 17, 2008, to Michael Kaufman. She continues to serve as pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Plymouth, OH.

Kim, Matthew, M.Div., ‘02, completed his Ph.D. in theology and ethics (homiletics) at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, in December 2005. His thesis was published as Preaching to Second Generation Korean Americans: Towards a Possible Selves Contextual Homiletic (Peter Lang, 2007). He is currently senior pastor of Logos Central Chapel in Denver, CO.

Kohlstrom, Adam, M.Div., ‘02, was recently installed as pastor of Chestnut Street Baptist Church in Camden, ME.

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Farrington, Margaret (Maggie), MACO, ‘03, is opening a private practice counseling office (Be Creative Counseling - www.becreativecounseling.com) in Boone, NC.

Pierre-Louis, Yves, M.Div., ‘03, has become the Minister of Christian Education at Boston Missionary Baptist Church.

Witmer, Stephen, M.Div., ‘03, Th.M., ‘03, has become pastor of Pepperell Christian Fellowship in Pepperell, MA. Stephen spent the last school year teaching at Gordon-Conwell.

Camerer, Taylor, M.Div., ‘04, has become pastor of Greencastle Presbyterian Church in Greencastle, PA.

Chun, Chris, M.Div., ‘02, Th.M., ‘04, has been appointed by the president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary as a faculty candidate. He will teach church history at the seminary.

Shaw, Craig, D.Min., ‘04, was promoted to Vice President of Academic Affairs at Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College, Moore, OK.

Tuttle, Rich, M.Div., ‘04, is the father of two girls, Mikayla (3) and Bayley (5 months), and has been married for eight years. He is currently serving as Pastor of Congregational Care at Good Shepherd UMC near the Gordon-Conwell campus in Charlotte.

Kwong Chee Siu, Kenneth, D.Min., ‘05, is retiring June 30, 2008, after serving 10 years as pastor at Sha Lei Tau Baptist Church in Macau, China.

Brauns, Chris, D.Min., ‘06, has written a book, Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions (forthcoming, Crossway Publishing, October, 2008). Chris is a senior pastor in Stillman Valley, IL. He and his wife, Jamie, have four children.

Barrett, Steven, M.Div., ‘07, is a church planter in Enfield, CT, working toward ordination in the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

Brown, Joshua, M.Div., ‘07, became the pastor of Bethel Presbyterian Church, Prosperity, PA, in January.

Culpepper, Lisa, M.Div., ‘07, was ordained and installed as pastor of Marion Presbyterian Church in Marion, SC, on March 2, 2008.

Gröhn, Karoliina, MAME, ‘07, and her husband adopted a little girl, Tinsae Ida Unelma, from Ethiopia in late 2007. Tinsae is now 2 years old.

Hickman, David, M.Div., ’07, is currently leading CharlotteONE, a young adult ecumenical gathering in Charlotte, NC. CharlotteONE was recently featured in the Charlotte Observer. According to www.charlotteone.org, “CharlotteONE is a unified movement of young adults and singles in Charlotte, NC. Each week, hundreds gather together in Uptown to experience and explore the love of God.”

Rivera, Sarai, D.Min., ’07, received the 2008 Katharine F. Erskine Award in the area of community/social service and government.

Tsang, John, Th.M., ‘07, after driving across the country to return to Vancouver, BC, Canada, began a new pastorate in the fall of 2007 with the Evangelical Free denomination. He will begin Ph.D. studies in the fall of 2008 with Graduate Theological Foundation House/Oxford.

Wallace, Donna, MABS, ‘07, is teaching Old Testament at Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, NC. In January 2008, she will join the Gordon-Conwell community traveling to Israel for a study tour of Christian Leadership.

In Memoriam

Molyneaux, Winfrid “Bill,” M.Div., ‘65, passed away on March 30, 2008, in Schenectady, NY. Bill was ordained with the PCUSA in 1966 and pastored churches in Massachusetts, Maine and New York.

Widman, Andrew (Andy), M.Div., ‘04, a police officer in Fort Myers, FL, was shot and killed in the line of duty while trying to break up a domestic violence incident on July 18, 2008. He leaves behind many family members, including his wife, Susanna, and three children ages 4 years, 20 months and 5 months.

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John Manning Horton, D.Min.‘03

Barreling down Orlando’s I-4, an intense grip on the steering wheel, I frantically called out to God, “I need to hear from You!” As I tearfully voiced this phrase over and over, my eyes abruptly locked on an imposing billboard with the image of Mickey Mouse ears and the never-to-be-forgotten words… Now Ear This! It was October 2000, and my life was about to take the most unexpected path.

HOW SEMINARY LED TO A NIGHT OF JOY AT DISNEY

Now This!

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The early years of my professional career centered on various entrepreneurial ventures in my home state of South Carolina and later, Atlanta, Georgia. I dabbled in real estate by building my own apartments, was a pioneer in the video rental business, worked for the largest real estate developer in Atlanta and ultimately opened my own travel agency in the Atlanta area. Marketplace ministry seemed my destiny. All the while, I experienced an agonizing inner struggle to find real purpose and direction. During my stint in the travel business in the late 1980’s, I gained access to the contemporary Christian music industry by volunteering with an event called Atlanta Fest. A special relationship developed with the Christian super band Petra. A frustrated musician myself, a door now opened into a world that fascinated me. I also learned how to promote Christian events and to communicate to the church market. Little did I know, God was preparing me for a unique calling. In 1995, I sold the travel business to fulfill another dream. With my wife, Leia, and our first-born daughter, Ciera, I moved to Orlando and enrolled in Reformed Theological Seminary. During this time, God continued to hone me for a special calling. In addition to receiving the expected curriculum of theology, history and languages, my seminary experience trained me for communicating to a postmodern world. The next phase of the journey was a position with Orlando-based men’s ministry leader Patrick Morley at Man in the Mirror, leading the sales and marketing strategies for two years. It was more mainstream work than ministry—not what I had envisioned after seminary. Then one day, I found myself at a defining moment: my ministry job phased out, Leia pregnant with our third child, one year into a Doctor of Ministry program at Gordon-Conwell and now a career path shakier than ever.

Was my future calling with a church, a ministry or back in the marketplace? Providentially, God had already shown me the way. Weeks before, on an outing to Walt Disney World, our family had witnessed the most unbelievably massive, spectacular rainbow any of us had ever seen. In distinct and vibrant colors, its beautiful, gigantic band arched beside us in hi-definition clarity as we traveled the highway. The rainbow appeared to end at Disney. We all excitedly proclaimed how God was “sending a message to someone.” Unfolding events would soon reveal … I was that “someone.” Shortly after leaving Man in the Mirror, my chance encounter with an influential leader from Disney led to an unexpected declaration. The individual indicated that he might have a marketing job for me. His words, “you are perfect for this role,” caught me off guard. Corporate America had never been a particular goal of mine. However, to work for one of the most recognizable names for creativity and innovation in the world definitely held a certain appeal. Weeks passed with no follow-up word, and my initial enthusiasm subsided. This opportunity seemed but a momentary tease and a fading possibility. I thought to myself, “What would Disney want with a former small business owner, entrepreneur, seminary graduate, and now unemployed ministry worker?” My life seemed completely disjointed and in shambles. Then, on that pivotal day in October 2000, God spoke to me through the billboard in an almost Damascus Road experience. That night, Disney called and, in whirlwind fashion, by week’s end I had a job at the most unexpected of places—the Walt Disney Company. During my first year at Disney, through another series of unforeseen circumstances, I was given the unbelievable opportunity to lead the church-group marketing effort for a Christian music event, Night

This resulted in one of those rare instances where one’s personal, spiritual and business interests all align in a

synergistic path that is a sheer delight.

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of Joy. This resulted in one of those rare instances where one’s personal, spiritual and business interests all align in a synergistic path that is a sheer delight. Night of Joy has been an annual event for over 25 years at the Walt Disney World Resort, with powerful performances by the top names in contemporary Christian music. For one uplifting weekend each fall, Christian music lovers from across the country come together for a private, Spirit-filled celebration. And I was thrust into the driver’s seat. Following the success of Night of Joy in 2001, my influence reached into almost every area related to the event, including talent selection. In my second year on the event, the journey serendipitously came full circle

when I was influential in bringing Petra back to Night of Joy. One of my goals became to establish a stronger connection between Disney, Night of Joy and the Christian music industry. Over the years, I have developed close relationships with Family Christian Stores, Gospel Music Association (GMA), the major Christian music record labels and their artists. I also make a yearly pilgrimage to Nashville for GMA Week and the excitement of attending the Dove Awards. One year, 2006, was particularly special for me: Night of Joy was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by GMA. I have had the pleasure of being part of several other Christian-related programs at Disney as well. In December, we host the annual Candlelight Processional and Massed Choir at EPCOT. It is a holiday extravaganza during which celebrity narrators read the Christmas story from the Bible, and a guest conductor leads a massed choir performance. Our department also launched an educational

initiative targeting the homeschool market, a primarily faith-based audience. One year, we presented an event called Christian Youth Days. For this, we brought in EMI recording artist Vicky Beeching, an Oxford graduate, to lead a Journey Into Narnia-themed worship and speaking program at Disney MGM-Studios. Finally, I developed a national promotion leveraging Christian industry contacts for Walt Disney Pictures to support the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. In addition to the normal job responsibilities, I also serve as president of Crosstalk, the officially sanctioned Christian fellowship club at Disney. The role includes overseeing several Crosstalk Bible-study

groups that meet weekly at various locations across Disney property. During my last year with Man in the Mirror, I entered Gordon-Conwell’s Doctor of Ministry program in the track Spiritual Renewal in a Postmodern World—the fulfillment of another dream. However, one year into the program and now working for Disney, I was struggling over whether to continue. Questioning the relevance of this degree to the marketplace, and concerned over time commitments between the new job and family, I experienced yet another defining moment as my wife, Gordon-Conwell and Disney gave me their support to finish the journey. My focus shifted to a new thesis topic: Organizational Leadership for a Postmodern World: Inspiring Creative Expression. This topic would also translate well into my work at Disney. I am often asked if the D. Min. degree is beneficial at Disney. The answer is an unequivocal “yes,” but at the heart of this is the foundation of any great education. Quality education equips students to

I am often asked if the D. Min. degree is beneficial at Disney. The answer is an unequivocal “yes,” but at the heart of this is the foundation of any great education.

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think critically. At Gordon-Conwell, the program foundationally requires acquiring data, evaluating the information and then developing a point of view based on reason and logic. This is also the basis of strategic thinking—presenting a thoughtful point of view as opposed to just expressing an emotive-based opinion—and is a valuable skill in the marketplace. More specifically, my D.Min. coursework focused on the study of biblical, theological and psychological foundations for an organization as a system. I also gained key insights into the postmodern mind. Using a systems theory approach taught by Dr. Ray Pendleton, I developed an organizational model that allows for creative freedom to flourish within the framework

of a corporate structure. It is based on the premise “freedom within boundaries,” merging these two seemingly paradoxical polar extremes (a postmodern tenet) into one unified model. Today, I am applying this model as my management approach at Disney. Life is an adventure, and it has always been important that my family share in the journey as much as possible. Leia, and our three children, Ciera (13), Haley (10) and Manning (7), all joined me during the D. Min. residencies. I was able to rent an apartment at nearby Gordon College for our stays, and it proved to be a rewarding time together. In addition, the role at Disney allows for tremendous family opportunities. They have met many of the Christian artists, enthusiastically attend Night of Joy and together we spend countless hours in the Theme Parks. In a day when there is often great disconnect between a man’s vocation and his family, we

collectively share in this Disney experience together. Today, the Christian-based market is only part of my work at Disney. While I continue to engage the Christian music industry, a recent job promotion focuses most of my time on marketing and promotional strategies for our department, Disney Youth Group Programs. On that fateful October day in 2000, gazing at that billboard, I never could have foreseen what lay ahead. All of the seemingly disjointed aspects of my career have now forged together in this unique role. My journey has been a winding road, and at times it seemed a dead-end street, but I was never alone. Today, the tapestry of my life’s varied

experiences has been woven into a mosaic beyond belief. I am riding that rainbow! And what does the future hold? I can only imagine.

John Manning Horton, D. Min., Marketing and New Business Development Director, Disney Youth Group Programs, has worked for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts since 2000. Previously, he had a career as an entrepreneur and also served in vocational ministry. He received his D.Min. degree from Gordon-Conwell in 2003 and holds an M.A. degree in Biblical Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary and a B.A. in Political Science from Clemson University. He resides in Orlando, Florida, with his wife and their three children.

(l to r): Kids and Barlow Girls; Rebecca St. James and family; Family and Bart Millard from MercyMe

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(l to r): Kids and Barlow Girls; Rebecca St. James and family; Family and Bart Millard from MercyMe

Church attendance has fallen on some difficult days lately. For many Christians, it serves as a weak sub-stitute for a picnic on a rainy Sunday morning. Of course, we have our excuses. “Sickness,” we explain, but we make it to the office or school on Monday. “Life is heavy, and I need a day of rest. That’s bibli-cal, isn’t it?” Yet, why sacrifice the church service to get it? Our excuses are sometimes lies packed into the skin of reason.

The reality is that we may not consider church that important. If we take ourselves too seriously, we may decide that intellectually we may live beyond the sermons preached. Spiritually, we are convinced that we can be “perfectly good Christians” without being active in a local congregation.

The author of Hebrews strongly disagrees. “Let us not let down on our gathering together, as some make it a habit of doing,” he writes, “but let us encourage each other; and all the more as we see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). Our own spiritual welfare is not the sum of our concern. We attend church not only to get but also to give. Our presence shows the world what side we are on, and more important, we spur others on to “love and good works.” Stay away and we may lead someone to be careless. On the other hand, attend and do so with enthusiasm, and you encourage others to draw near to Christ. For the sake of others, when a church is true to the Scriptures and the Gospel, it deserves our loyalty and support.

But let’s not kid ourselves. We can’t be what Moffatt called “a pious particle,” a Christian in isolation. We need the church for our own grip on faith. We may approach the Throne as individuals, of course, but common prayers, common praise, common fellowship are also a part of Christian experience.

Actually, attending church is a life and death matter! Tired congregations snoozing in their padded

pews do not reflect the tension of the “day approach-ing.” Yet, that day is closer than we realize. We need to encourage each other in the hope of our creeds. We need to spur each other on to love and good works. Encouragement comes through exuberant sing-ing. When our theology becomes doxology we urge each other to live before the Eternal God. Encourage-ment sometimes comes to us through a word for au-thentic Christian living; at other times through a word of rebuke when we have drifted away from the Lord. Small groups meeting for prayer, confession, testimony and action can bring us a bracing sense of God.

A Christian’s faith has no place for “rugged individu-alism.” To have a fire, you need more than one coal. You need other coals and a spark and a draft. One in-dividual, perhaps yourself, set on fire by Jesus Christ—humble, laughing, open, involved–can be the spark. And the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, may blow upon that spark and set an entire congregation ablaze.

Dr. Haddon W. Robinson is former President and the Harold John Ockenga Distinguished Professor of Preaching. Widely regarded as an expert in preaching, he was named among Christianity Today Internation-al’s Top 25 Most Influential Preachers from 1956 to 2006, and in an earlier Baylor University poll as one of the 12 most effective preachers in the English-speaking world. His text, Biblical Preaching, is used in scores of seminaries and Bible schools worldwide.

Haddon Robinson, Ph.D.

opening theword

This article originally appeared in the summer 2008 edition of Contact, the magazine of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. It is reprinted with permission from the seminary.

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DOCTOR OF MINISTRY TRACKS

PREACHING THE LITERARY FORMS OF THE BIBLE

BIBLE TRANSLATION

WORKPLACE LEADERSHIP AND BUSINESS ETHICS

PASTORAL SKILLS: THE PASTOR AS THE PREACHER, CAREGIVER AND PERSON

REVIVAL AND REFORM: RENEWING CONGREGATIONAL LIFE

SPIRITUAL FORMATION FOR MINISTRY LEADERS

CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY COUNSELING

BIBLICAL WORSHIP: WEAVING WORD, WONDER AND WITNESS

MINISTRY IN COMPLEX URBAN SETTINGS

REDEMPTIVE LEADERSHIP IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN CONTEXT

LIDERAZGO PASTORAL

OUTREACH AND DISCIPLESHIP

Preaching is a passion for Dr. Claude Alexander, the busy Senior Pastor of the 10,000-member University Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. When he learned he could earn a specialized D.Min. degree in Homiletics in his own community and under a preeminent preaching authority, he enrolled at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-Charlotte.

“The pace of my work was such that the program was appealing,” he says. “I was also intrigued by the seminary’s commitment to the Scriptures and to the mission of producing effective leaders for the Church. And the opportunity to study under Dr. Haddon Robinson, believed to be the foremost authority on preaching expository sermons, was a dream come true.”

Dr. Alexander says he benefited from the program’s collegial environment, in which students learned from one another, and from the personal and pastoral interest of Dr. Robinson and the seminary staff. “We were shepherded. They took a personal interest not just in my academic performance, but also in my physical well-being and the well-being of the ministry. I was able to see a glimpse of the Body of Christ at work for the improvement of the kingdom of God.”