Erskine Action

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It is with great sadness that we report the death of our dear friend, colleague, mentor, and professor emerita, Dr. Mary-Ruth Marshall.  Dr. Marshall suffered a fall in her home that resulted in a closed head injury.  Emergency surgery was unsuccessful and she died on the evening of January 12th. Funeral services were held on January 15th at the Greenville Presbyterian Church in Donalds, SC.

Dr. Marshall, 76, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts to the late Robert Leonard and Agnes Bigham Marshall.  She graduated from high school in Summerville, SC in 1950 and Montreat College in Montreat, NC in 1954.  In 1958 she earned her MRE degree from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education.  She entered the doctoral program at Presbyterian School of Christian Education in 1984.  She came to Erskine Theological Seminary in 1988, teaching courses in Christian Education and developing the Master of Arts in Christian Education degree program.

Dr. Marshall’s family is requesting that memorial gifts be made to:

Greenville Presbyterian Church
PO Box 157
Donalds, SC  29638
Or
The Mary-Ruth Marshall Seminary Scholarship Fund
Erskine Theological Seminary
PO Box 44
Due West, SC  29639

Please remember Dr. Marshall’s family in your prayers.

On August 19th, twenty pilgrims, most of them Associate Reformed Presbyterian pastors, departed our shores for a 2-week Holy Land tour. Unlike many Holy Land excursions, this particular trip was designed for pastors, with an intentional emphasis placed upon their retreat and renewal. Participants were mid-career pastors who had never had the opportunity to visit Israel before.

The itinerary included a week in the region of Galilee, with the balance of the days spent in and around Jerusalem. The daily program: to walk in the steps of Jesus. This included day trips to sites such as Nazareth, Caesarea and Bethlehem. Late afternoons were spent in reflection and retreat; each evening, after worship, we heard a message touching upon the life and words of Jesus.

Those of us on the trip will tell you that seeing the world of our Lord first hand (whether Capernaum or the Via Dolorosa) brought forth various responses from the pilgrims, sometimes sadness, then wonder and joy. There was much laughter, and a few tears, as well. We were often struck with surprise at the scale of places, or how our imagination had construed a decidedly false picture of Jesus’ daily life. The learning for each participant was varied, yet uniformly “overwhelming.” One thing I can safely say about our pilgrimage: we all left with a deeper love for the Lord, and an unspeakable gratefulness for the Incarnation.

How did Erskine Seminary fund such a trip? The entire Pilgrimage, including pre- and post-trip retreats, was made possible by a grant from the Cousins Foundation of Atlanta, Georgia. The Foundation has a deep commitment to the care of pastors, and I thank the Lord that this commitment will now bear fruit in Erskine graduates.

We have been unable to edit Erskine Action for some time now, due to a software problem. The problem appears to be fixed, so we expect to begin posting news and information from Erskine Seminary in this space again on Wednesday, January 20.

The Calvin Quincentenary is an international, interdenominational and interdisciplinary celebration of the life and work of John Calvin, the great reformer who left such an indelible impression on the modern world.  If you plan to be in Geneva this summer, please accept this invitation to be part of one of the most significant gatherings of Calvinists in history!

The Calvin 500 planning committee has released the following revised schedule:

JULY 5, 2009 (SUNDAY)

11:30 Greetings for Opening Convocation of Calvin500 in St. Pierre Cathedral
Worship and Sermon by Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, “In Christ Alone” Phil. 3:8-12.
6:00 PM Joint Worship, with Sermon by the Rt. Rev. Henry Orombi, Archbishop of Uganda

Psalm Sing and worship
Sermon by Dr. Bryan Chapell (President, Covenant Sem.): “In Praise of Predestination,” Eph. 1:3-6

JULY 6, 2009 (MONDAY)

Paper: Dr. Douglas Kelly (RTS): “The Catholicity of the Theology of John Calvin”
Paper: Dr. Richard Gamble (RPTS): “Recent Research in Calvin Studies”
Paper: Dr. Darryl Hart: “Calvin among Nineteenth-Century Reformed Protestants in the United States”

Keynote Address: Dr. John Witte (Emory), “Reading Calvin as a Lawyer,”
Sermon by Rev. Geoffrey Thomas (Wales, Alfred Place Baptist Church), “Election” Eph. 1:3-14
Sermon by Dr. Peter Lillback (Pres., Westminster Sem., “All the Glorious Offices of Christ,
“1 Cor. 1:29-31
Sermon Dr. Robert Godfrey (Pres., Westminster Sem California), “Calvin’s Cherished Text,” Jn 17:1- 5

JULY 7, 2009 (TUESDAY)

Paper: Dr. Richard Burnett (Erskine Theological Seminary): “Calvin on Secular and Sacred History”
Paper: Dr. William Edgar (Westminster Theological Seminary): “Calvin’s Impact on the Arts”
Paper: Dr. Anthony Lane (London School of Theology): “Calvin’s Doctrine of Assurance Revisited”

Keynote Address: Dr. Bruce McCormack (Princeton): “Union with Christ in Calvin’s Theology:
Grounds for a Divinisation Theory?”

Address: Dr. Henry Krabbendam: “Reformation and Revival”
Dr. Steven Lawson (Christ Fellowship Baptist, Mobile, AL): “Calvin, the Expository Preacher”
Dr. Iain D. Campbell (Back Free Church, Scotland) “Three Great Intercessions” (Romans 8:26, 34).
Sermon by Dr. J. Ligon Duncan

JULY 8, 2009 (WEDNESDAY)

Paper: Dr. R. Scott Clark (Westminster Sem California): “Calvin’s Principle of Worship”
Paper: Dr. Hughes Old/Dr. Terry Johnson (Erskine): “Calvin’s Worship Reforms”
Paper: Dr. Henri Blocher, “Calvin, the Frenchman”

Keynote Address: Dr. William McComish, Emeritus Dean, St. Pierre Cathedral, “Calvin’s Children”
Afternoon: Young Calvin Scholars Symposium
Paper: Dr. Jae Sung Kim: “Calvinism in Asia”
Sermon by Dr. Philip Ryken (Tenth Pres, Philadelphia): “A Wide Door for Spreading the Gospel,” 1Cor. 16:5-11
Sermon by Dr. Joel Beeke (President, Puritan Ref Theo Sem): “Cherishing the Church,” Mt. 16:18b
Dr. Martin Holdt, “Psalm 100 Then and Now,” Psalm 110

JULY 9, 2009 (THURSDAY)

Paper: Dr. James McGoldrick (GPTS): “Calvin and Luther: Comrades in Christ”
Paper: Dr. Michael Horton (Westminster Seminary California): “Union and Communion:Rediscovering Calvin’s Eucharistic Theology.”
Paper: Dr. Andrew McGowan (Scotland): “John Calvin’s Doctrine of Scripture”

Keynote Address: Dr. Herman Selderhuis:
Paper: Dr. George Knight: “Calvin as New Testament Exegete”
Dr. Henri Blocher: “Calvin on Divine Election”
Sermon: Rev. Ted Donnelly (Principal, Reformed Theological College, Belfast): “More Than Conquerors,” Rom. 8:37

Dr. Hywel Jones (Wales/USA): “One of a Thousand,” Job 36:1-4
Dr. Derek Thomas (RTS) “Adoring the Majesty of God,”Rom. 11:33-36

Some of Erskine Seminary’s faculty have been involved in the renewal movement in the Presbyterian Church (USA), calling the PC(USA) to repentance and a return to its historic faith. We are pleased that a majority of presbyteries have now reaffirmed the constitutional standard that requires faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness of all ordained officers.

Read an announcement from the Presbyterian Coalition here.

David Howell, a student in the Master of Divinity degree program at Erskine, appears in a special section of the current Christianity Today. The “Rediscovering the Book” section includes an article on distance learning, in which David and  his family are featured in a sidebar.

David is a candidate for the ministry in Foothills Presbytery of the PC(USA). Last year the faculty awarded him the Zondervan Publishing House Award in Biblical Hebrew at commencement.

Erskine Theological Seminary is pleased to announce that the Office of the Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Navy has accepted Erskine Theological Seminary as an official “partner institution.”  This means that Erskine is recognized as an institution where U.S. Navy Chaplains may pursue a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree with a “military ministry” focus.

The CF Foundation has granted Erskine Theological Seminary the resources to sponsor a Holy Land Pastoral Renewal Program, which includes a multi-day orientation session, a two-week pilgrimage to Israel, and a multi-day reflection session.

The purpose of the Program is to renew the spiritual life of mid-career pastors and deepen their sense of calling. The pilgrimage is structured to allow the pastors to identify profoundly with the life and ministry of Jesus. Combined with study, lectures, shared discussion, and worship, the pilgrimage is intended to enable participants to make this identification in life-shaping ways.

In Israel, the travelers spend approximately one week at a single location in Galilee and the next week at one location in Jerusalem. During the mornings the pilgrims visit places relevant to the biblical narrative. The remainder of each day is left for rest, spiritual formation activities under the direction of the spiritual leader, and worship.

Our pilgrimage group will consist of 20 mid-career pastors along with a Spiritual Leader, Dr. James P. Hering, Associate Professor of New Testament at Erskine Seminary, and a Program Director, the Rev. John C. Dorr, Jr., Senior Pastor at Peachtree Corners Presbyterian ARP Church.

The grant stipulates that participants should have the following characteristics:

1. A mid-career pastor, with at least 5 years experience as a pastor, and currently serving as the senior or associate minister of a congregation.
2. A pastor with demonstrated capability for future leadership growth.
3. Between the ages of 35 and 55 unless there are unusual circumstances. No married couples.
4. Committed not only to personal spiritual revitalization but also to increasing the effectiveness of ministry to his/her congregation and, within reason, in the larger community.
5. In good physical condition and able to participate fully in an intensive travel experience abroad.
6. Pastors preferably should not have been to the Holy Land previously or at least within the last ten years.

Participants must commit to full participation in the following:

• July 20-22, 2009: Orientation Session (Evergreen Conference Resort in Stone Mountain, GA)
• August 19-September 2, 2009: Pilgrimage to Israel
• October 1,2009: Reflection Paper Due
• November 12-14, 2009:Reflection Session (Bonclarken Conference Center in Flat Rock, NC)

Your only cost is the application fee of $250 and travel expenses to and from the retreat centers for participants who live less than 250 miles from those locations.  Submit your completed application with a check made payable to Erskine Seminary to:

2009 Holy Land Pastoral Renewal Program
Erskine Theological Seminary
P.O. Box 668
Due West, SC 29639

We will accept applications that are postmarked through June 5, 2009 and will notify applicants of acceptance within two weeks.

The first issue of Erskine Seminary’s new planned giving newsletter, The Bridge, is here.

From the first page:

Erskine Theological Seminary is pleased to offer you this first issue of The Bridge, a newsletter to help you, our friends, consider alternative ways to give.

The Bridge is related to our new giving society, the Gairney Bridge Heritage Society.

You will find more information about the Gairney Bridge Heritage Society within, on page 3.

We hope you find this to be an especially useful resource in this difficult economy. The pain we are all experiencing in the economy affects everyone in different ways.

We offer you the information in this newsletter and each one that will follow to help you make the most of your gift planning, both now and in the future.

In two issues per year we will bring you clear descriptions and examples of alternative ways to support the mission of Erskine Seminary and the other recipients of your generosity.

We pray you find this and future issues useful as you make your estate plan.