Prof resigns rather than leave church

[Revmitchell]

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--A music professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has opted for early retirement rather than leave a church declared out of fellowship with the Southern Baptist Convention because of openly homosexual members.

Michael Cox, an award-winning professor of music theory and composition who has taught at Southwestern since 1990, chose to remain in membership at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, a congregation with 125-year ties to the SBC and a long history of faculty and seminary leaders in its membership. The seminary requires faculty to be members in Southern Baptist churches.

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31125

 

[Allan]

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--A music professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has opted for early retirement rather than leave a church declared out of fellowship with the Southern Baptist Convention because of openly homosexual members.

Michael Cox, an award-winning professor of music theory and composition who has taught at Southwestern since 1990, chose to remain in membership at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, a congregation with 125-year ties to the SBC and a long history of faculty and seminary leaders in its membership. The seminary requires faculty to be members in Southern Baptist churches.

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31125

On the one hand it is good that he has the integrity to step down from his position in such a case, but on the other hand it sad that he would choose personal opinions over scripture and stay in church that stands in oposition to the sound doctrines of the word of God.

It is also sad to hear that those wolves Jesus spoke of have crept into a place that has given to people of God many good teachers and people of biblical leadership over the many years.

 

[Deacon]

I have heard of at least one local church, known for its excellent classical music, that over and over again has had to deal with homosexual music/choir leaders.

Rob

 

[carpro]

On the one hand it is good that he has the integrity to step down from his position in such a case, but on the other hand it sad that he would choose personal opinions over scripture and stay in church that stands in oposition to the sound doctrines of the word of God.

"Nuff said. :applause:

 

[billwald]

You can't fire me because I quit yesterday. <G>

 

[Revmitchell]

You can't fire me because I quit yesterday. <G>

Does anybody know what this guy is talking about!

 

[rdwhite]

Does anybody know what this guy is talking about!

I've wondered that on many other posts, I haven't figured him out yet.

 

[donnA]

You see more and more often, there is less and less that identifies christians as belonging to Christ.

 

[gb93433]

Part of his profile reads "retired police officer."

 

[gb93433]

I see nothing in the article that states his real reason for leaving SWBTS. For all we know it may have had nothing to do with homosexuality. The SBC is in quite a state of turmoil.

 

[Pastor Larry]

Does anybody know what this guy is talking about!

I think he is talking about the idea that rather than get fired, he quit. So SWBTS cannot fire him because he already quit.

 

[donnA]

if he supports homosexuality in the church he needed to quit working for a christian organization.

 

[Timsings]

On the one hand it is good that he has the integrity to step down from his position in such a case, but on the other hand it sad that he would choose personal opinions over scripture and stay in church that stands in oposition to the sound doctrines of the word of God.

It is also sad to hear that those wolves Jesus spoke of have crept into a place that has given to people of God many good teachers and people of biblical leadership over the many years.

The School of Church Music where Michael Cox taught was founded by my great-uncle, I. E. Reynolds. My father, William J. Reynolds, earned a MSM degree from the school and taught there from 1980 to 2000. Dr. Cox led the choir that sang for my father's memorial service that was held at Broadway this past May. My parents were members there for the last few years that they were in Fort Worth.

Southwestern Seminary has been in decline since Paige Patterson became the president. That is not simply my opinion. That can be verified by checking enrollment numbers and alumni giving. It can be said that he has made SWTBS better because the more "liberal" students have gone elsewhere. However, it can also be said that he has tarnished the reputation of one of Southern Baptists' great schools. That would make him one of the "wolves" that was mentioned in the quote above.

Broadway will be better for having Dr. Cox on staff full time. Southwestern appears, once again, to have cut off its nose to spite its face.

Tim Reynolds

 

[Revmitchell]

The School of Church Music where Michael Cox taught was founded by my great-uncle, I. E. Reynolds. My father, William J. Reynolds, earned a MSM degree from the school and taught there from 1980 to 2000. Dr. Cox led the choir that sang for my father's memorial service that was held at Broadway this past May. My parents were members there for the last few years that they were in Fort Worth.

Southwestern Seminary has been in decline since Paige Patterson became the president. That is not simply my opinion. That can be verified by checking enrollment numbers and alumni giving. It can be said that he has made SWTBS better because the more "liberal" students have gone elsewhere. However, it can also be said that he has tarnished the reputation of one of Southern Baptists' great schools. That would make him one of the "wolves" that was mentioned in the quote above.

Broadway will be better for having Dr. Cox on staff full time. Southwestern appears, once again, to have cut off its nose to spite its face.

Tim Reynolds

More liberal smear of Dr.Patterson I see. Sour grapes last a long time.

 

[preachinjesus]

The School of Church Music where Michael Cox taught was founded by my great-uncle, I. E. Reynolds. My father, William J. Reynolds, earned a MSM degree from the school and taught there from 1980 to 2000. Dr. Cox led the choir that sang for my father's memorial service that was held at Broadway this past May. My parents were members there for the last few years that they were in Fort Worth.

I didn't know that. Thanks for sharing. I appreciate it. :thumbs:

Southwestern Seminary has been in decline since Paige Patterson became the president. That is not simply my opinion. That can be verified by checking enrollment numbers and alumni giving. It can be said that he has made SWTBS better because the more "liberal" students have gone elsewhere. However, it can also be said that he has tarnished the reputation of one of Southern Baptists' great schools. That would make him one of the "wolves" that was mentioned in the quote above.

It is true that Dr. Patterson has led SWBTS farther down the road of decline. In an attempt to boost numbers he has added a college (which, historically, our SBC seminaries have no place adding) but that has faltered as well. As an engaged observer I don't know how Dr. Patterson could have turned the school around. When he got it it had already begun this trend. DTS is pulling the students in the area and is a far superior school. The School of Music at SWBTS will probably end up wrapped into the "Church Ministries" school that includes education like SBTS has recently done. I'm not opposed to it since I believe seminaries are, at their focus, for theological training.

One of the accomplishments that I will credit Dr. Patterson with is that he has added some tremendous minds in their theology department. The theological school is replete with good scholars. Yet he has neglected the other two schools.

SWBTS is not in a good place anymore in terms of SBC seminaries. It has taken a distance second to SBTS and in many people's opinions is going to be taken by SEBTS any semester now. What used to be a tremendous school has been reduced to a good school with a mediocre outlook.

Broadway will be better for having Dr. Cox on staff full time. Southwestern appears, once again, to have cut off its nose to spite its face.

I agree. People who suggest his decision is because he supports homosexuality don't have a clue. Broadway has a great music legacy and he is going to contribute wonderfully. Don't be surprised though if you see him on faculty at BH Carroll Institute soon.

It is a great loss of SWBTS imho.

 

[gb93433]

It is true that Dr. Patterson has led SWBTS farther down the road of decline. In an attempt to boost numbers he has added a college (which, historically, our SBC seminaries have no place adding) but that has faltered as well. As an engaged observer I don't know how Dr. Patterson could have turned the school around. When he got it it had already begun this trend. DTS is pulling the students in the area and is a far superior school. The School of Music at SWBTS will probably end up wrapped into the "Church Ministries" school that includes education like SBTS has recently done. I'm not opposed to it since I believe seminaries are, at their focus, for theological training.

While I was a student at SWBTS some I knew who were from the SE part of the U.S. decided to got to SEBTS when Dilday was fired. The reason they gave was because they felt that all of the seminaries were going to be the same. So why not go to a seminary which is closer. So I wonder if that is part of the reason for the decline?

I would wonder how the SBC seminaries are doing in comparison to seminaries in other conventions such as DTS and TEDS?

 

[preachinjesus]

While I was a student at SWBTS some I knew who were from the SE part of the U.S. decided to got to SEBTS when Dilday was fired. The reason they gave was because they felt that all of the seminaries were going to be the same. So why not go to a seminary which is closer. So I wonder if that is part of the reason for the decline?

A very good point. Probably has a lot to do with it. Also moving into a post-denominational life more students (and more SBCers) are happy going to alternative seminaries that are better for their long term goals.

I would wonder how the SBC seminaries are doing in comparison to seminaries in other conventions such as DTS and TEDS?

From what I'm seeing, SBTS seems to hold its own. The other SBC seminaries are trailing and losing ground. If money wasn't a factor in my studies I would have gone to another seminary that wasn't SBC. But money was a factor. I paid for it all and got little assistance.

The SBC still has, imho, a place at the top of the best evangelical seminaries. Yet many others are offering terrific alternatives. Talbot, Denver, Southern Evangelical, Gordon-Conwell, Beeson, etc are all significant campuses that offer good degrees. One gauge that we aren't talking about is how many people attend an SBC seminary and then become anything but Southern Baptist in their ministerial lives. I know of at least 50 guys I ran into while in seminary that jumped denominations or just stopped being denominational once they got into ministerial life. If that is the measure of effectiveness the SBC has a major problem.

One area all the SBC seminaries are getting killed on is their lack of substantive online options. This is the future of education. Places like Liberty are going to kill them in terms of course offerings and growth.

DTS had been blowing everyone away but I haven't heard a lot from them lately. I believe they still have the largest endowment of any seminary. Several young men whom I have known or mentored have gone abroad to attend seminary. That could factor in there too.

One other point, maybe this is outside the scope of this OP, is that many ministers and church staffers are not doing seminary. If you took a survey from many of the more prolific and younger churches in the US you'd probably find most of the program staff members and ministers lacked seminary education. Not saying this is a good thing but it is reality.

 

[gb93433]

A very good point. Probably has a lot to do with it. Also moving into a post-denominational life more students (and more SBCers) are happy going to alternative seminaries that are better for their long term goals.

I think you are right not just in terms of theological education. For example: who wants to buy a drill at big box store with suspicion of something being different than the tool purchased for a regular tool store?

I think people today are suspicious of anything that is large organization based.

 

[Timsings]

More liberal smear of Dr.Patterson I see. Sour grapes last a long time.

Thanks, Rev. I knew I could count on you. :BangHead:

Tim Reynolds

 

[Revmitchell]

Thanks, Rev. I knew I could count on you. :BangHead:

Tim Reynolds

And there are a couple of you we can count on to tear down Dr. Patterson on a regular basis.