Thursday, August 07, 2008

Formal Statements by the WTS Administration on Recent Events

From Westminster Theological Seminary president Peter Lillback:

As President, I am aware of some concern in our constituency for more clarity on the significance of recent events at Westminster. While the theological direction of Westminster Theological Seminary is ultimately under the aegis of the Seminary's Board of Trustees, and the task of theological direction will undoubtedly be the focus of the Board's labors in the coming months, it seems appropriate in light of constituency concern for the administration of the Seminary to address in the interim some important aspects of the controversy through which we have passed. As we ponder Westminster's role in the current theological controversies occurring in the midst of the changing face of evangelical theology, I am pleased to call your attention to two pieces posted here by Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Carl Trueman and Vice President for Advancement, Dr. David Garner.

Knowing the Times: Recent Controversies in Context by Dr. Carl R. Trueman

Westminster and Evangelicalism by Dr. David B. Garner

Here's an excerpt from Trueman's essay:
The debate over Peter Enns’ book is thus one example of a much wider phenomenon: the struggle to define what responsible evangelical scholarship looks like at the start of the third millennium. That the divisions over this book cut across disciplinary, ecclesiastical, and scholarly lines is an indication of just how complicated the matter is; and those of us (unlike the many self-appointed internet pundits) who have sat through hundreds of hours of meetings and discussion of the matters involved, who have lost good friends in the fray, who have seen and experienced at first-hand the personal cost on both sides, and for whom the whole matter is anything but glamorous, know that the situation is as complex as it has been painful. Indeed, so difficult is it that I cannot begin to offer a full analysis of the controversy and the outcome here, but yet I do believe it worthwhile and necessary to offer a moment’s reflection on recent events.