EDITOR’S NOTE: The full text of a statement by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson appears below.

FORT WORTH—Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has “deeply” apologized for a photograph posted by faculty members on social media April 25 featuring some of the seminary’s preaching professors dressed as hip-hop artists.

Among responses to the photo on social media were allegations it evidenced racial prejudice. Ensuing dialogue on Twitter included an invitation by Southwestern for Grammy-winning Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae to lead a dialogue for the seminary community.

Southwestern President Paige Patterson called the photo “a moment of bad judgment” and promised to “redouble our efforts to put an end to any form of racism on this campus.”

A preaching professor “does rap as a hobby,” Patterson said in a statement released to Baptist Press April 26. “He preached a sermon recently in chapel in which he included a section of rap,” he noted. “I thought that it was great, and the students seemed responsive to it. He has since accepted a pastorate; and, as part of his departure, his fellow professors wanted to awaken memories and in so doing to tease him. That is par for the course around here. The president encourages our people to laugh at each other rather than to risk taking ourselves too seriously.

“But, as all members of the preaching faculty have acknowledged, this was a mistake, and one for which we deeply apologize,” Patterson said. “Sometimes, Anglo Americans do not recognize the degree that racism has crept into our lives. Such incidents are tragic but helpful to me in refocusing on the attempt to flush from my own system any remaining nuances of the racist past of our own country. Just as important, my own sensitivity to the corporate and individual hurts of a people group abused by generations of oppressors needs to be constantly challenged.”

The departing faculty member referenced by Patterson is Vern Charette, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Yukon, Okla.

The photo in question—which has been deleted from Twitter—appeared to depict five Anglo Southwestern School of Preaching professors dressed in bandannas, sideways baseball caps, gold chains and other traditional hip-hop attire. Barry McCarty, who also is the Southern Baptist Convention’s chief parliamentarian, appeared to be holding a handgun. Above them was written “Notorious S.o.P.” [School of Preaching], an apparent parody of the name of late rapper The Notorious B.I.G.

The other four faculty members in the photo are David Allen, dean of the School of Preaching; Kyle Walker, vice president for student services; Deron Biles, professor of pastoral ministries and preaching; and Matthew McKellar, associate professor of preaching.

A screen capture published by Faithfully Magazine indicates Charette tweeted in response April 25 that his colleagues were “all true OG’s”—an acronym for “original gangsters.” The tweet no longer appears on Charette’s Twitter feed.

Southwestern tweeted April 25, “An offensive tweet was posted to one of our faculty members’ personal Twitter handles. We have asked that the tweet be removed.”

As of April 26, the photo did not appear on any of the professors’ Twitter accounts.

Embedded in Southwestern’s tweet was an April 25 tweet by Allen stating, “I apologize for a recent image I posted which was offensive. Context is immaterial. [Southwestern’s] stance on race is clear as is mine.”

As of midday April 26, 38 people had replied to Allen’s tweet, including Lecrae, who asked the Southwestern community, “How do you all plan to grow from this?” In reply, Southwestern invited Lecrae through its official Twitter account to lead a dialogue for the seminary.

Lecrae declined and suggested the seminary contact other African-American Christian leaders about the opportunity.

Southwestern tweeted in response to Lecrae, “Thank you, we will be reaching out.”

Another Twitter response to Allen came from Terry Turner, an African-American pastor and former president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, who stated, “My prayers are with you that God gives you clarity on this subject to glorify His Name. Preach to lift Jesus up!”

Allen told BP in an email, “There is no excuse or defense for the indefensible. Context or intent are immaterial when offense has been given. I apologize for a recent image I posted, which was offensive. There are few issues in culture today more vital than racial reconciliation.”

McCarty, professor of preaching and rhetoric, tweeted April 25, “I deleted a photo that our faculty did for a departing prof., [Vern_Charette], who is famous for his raps. Dr. Allen speaks for all of us” in his apology.

Patterson noted, “In an effort to be humorous, we made a mistake and communicated something that was completely foreign to anything that any of us felt in our hearts. To say that we are sorry will not be sufficient for many. We understand. To each of those and to everyone, we extend an invitation to visit this campus unannounced and at a time of your choosing and witness the love of Christ extended to all indiscriminately and to the best of our ability to every individual who sets foot on the campus.”

Patterson’s statement included a recounting of his personal efforts to combat racism and stated, “If I intend to love God and follow His paths, the slightest tinge of racism must be eliminated.”

See full statement below by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson.

Statement from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson

Genesis 3:20 declares that “Eve is the mother of all living.” There are only two options. If I intend to love God and follow His paths, the slightest tinge of racism must be eliminated. Or if I wish to present myself as unconcerned about the ways of the Master, then I may indulge in racism or any other sin, but the consequences of such behavior are certain and tragic. In fact, this verse clearly declares that while we may have a variety of social origins, there is only one race—the human race. This fact is not abridged by skin pigmentation, body shape or size, unique abilities, or anything else. As a part of this one race, we are all sinners in need of redemption, and Christ died for every one of us.

My early years were spent in a part of Texas with a history of racism. However, the home in which I was reared was an intensely missionary home and free of racist perspectives. So I remember well returning from school in the fifth grade and asking my Mom why black kids had to go to other schools and why some of the kids at our school had unkind attitudes toward those who were different from them. My mother minced no words in explaining that such attitudes were a result of the sin of the race. She admonished above all that I would devote my life to eradicating every vestige of racism.

Since that time, I have come to understand why racism is an affront to God. The Heavenly Father is a God of variety. His artistic genius produced such a variety of birds, fish, animals—and people—that every time you meet a man of any ethnicity you meet a fascinating and unique member of the race, who in various ways demonstrates the artistry of God. To act in a racist fashion is to ridicule the God of creation for His artistry and judgment. A person who claims to follow the Bible cannot harbor racist convictions without proving himself selective in his approach to Scripture, and therefore, forfeiting his status as a faithful follower of the Bible.

The purpose of this article is not to elevate myself as any noteworthy example. Nevertheless, I will note that my first controversy in the SBC was not about the Bible per se but about the fact that I led a black man to Christ one day, thus incurring the wrath of godless men in that state and county. At Bethany Baptist Church in New Orleans, I was the object of constant threat because we ministered to children of all races in the Irish Channel district of the city. The course my mother established and my dad enthusiastically supported is one I continue to press here at Southwestern. From that I will not be deterred, whatever the cost.

A gracious young Native American preacher on our staff does rap as a hobby. He preached a sermon recently in chapel in which he included a section of rap. I thought that it was great, and the students seemed responsive to it. He has since accepted a pastorate; and, as part of his departure, his fellow professors wanted to awaken memories and in so doing to tease him. That is par for the course around here. The president encourages our people to laugh at each other rather than to risk taking ourselves too seriously. But, as all members of the preaching faculty have acknowledged, this was a mistake, and one for which we deeply apologize. Sometimes, Anglo Americans do not recognize the degree that racism has crept into our lives. Such incidents are tragic but helpful to me in refocusing on the attempt to flush from my own system any remaining nuances of the racist past of our own country. Just as important, my own sensitivity to the corporate and individual hurts of a people group abused by generations of oppressors needs to be constantly challenged.

Southwestern cannot make a moment of bad judgment disappear. But we can and will redouble our efforts to put an end to any form of racism on this campus and to return to a focus that is our priority—namely, getting the gospel to every man and woman on the earth. God has been kind to us and blessed this effort. In an effort to be humorous, we made a mistake and communicated something that was completely foreign to anything that any of us felt in our hearts. To say that we are sorry will not be sufficient for many. We understand. To each of those and to everyone, we extend an invitation to visit this campus unannounced and at a time of your choosing and witness the love of Christ extended to all indiscriminately and to the best of our ability to every individual who sets foot on the campus. Thank you for praying for us and especially praying that our Lord through His Spirit will perfect our hearts in every way to reflect the heart of the Master.

Vice President Mike Pence is not the only man to use the “Billy Graham” rule to safeguard his marriage. Named for the famous evangelist, the rule is based on Graham’s determination, early in his ministry, to avoid being alone with any woman who was not his wife. At SBTC, our version of that entails the “rule of three.” When we travel or meet with a co-worker of the other sex, we ensure that there is a third person with us to avoid the appearance of impropriety. Our offices all have windows in the doors to enable confidential meetings that do not compromise the reputation of any party. It is sometimes inconvenient and the temptation to “cut this corner, just this once” arises for practical reasons. But we don’t do that. We are committed to guard our own marriages, as well as those of our co-workers.

Outsiders find the effort to avoid potentially compromising situations quaint, threatening and sexist. One absurd comment suggested that Pence is some kind of predator who fears the beast within. Another hysteric said that those who keep this rule fear or objectify women. Let’s rake those extremes aside. There is still a theme, carried even by those within our fellowship, that acknowledging the God-given differences between men and women in this way is demeaning and legalistic. One evangelical writer says that men who strictly avoid private meetings with female co-workers are guilty of a vice—the lack of moral character. 

I have a general and a specific concern here. Specifically, the argument that this is a rule more fit for the 1960s when women were less equal in our society—that this practice holds women down—is beside the point. The essential nature of men and women has not changed since the fall of Adam and Eve, much less over the past 50 years, but the sexualization of our culture has only hastened. Divorce rates are higher than in 1960. Why should we pretend to be safe from temptation or moral failure for the sake of social “progress”? Mike Pence and I should not be required to disrespect our marriages in order to hold a job. If men and women are different in some essential ways, it is not progress to behave as if they are not different. That is only one blind absurdity in the decision to place women in military combat roles. If men and women are equal before God, and we are; and if men and women are equal before U.S. law, and we are; it still does not follow that we are indistinguishable from one another. That is true in church life, political life, academic life and business life. Institutions that “move beyond” the sensibilities of a hundred generations are reaping the whirlwind in our day.  

Generally, my concern is that my fellow believers will feel liberated from prudence for the sake of a social value. Consider the use of beverage alcohol as a parallel example of the prudence and liberty discussion. I don’t believe the Bible demands total abstinence from beverage alcohol for believers. But we are called to temperance, humility and a willingness to give up personal rights for the sake of the gospel. I have heard legalistic messages against the use of beverage alcohol, but I have also seen some who seem mindless of the “Corinthian Principle” (see 1 Corinthians 8-10) and insistent that all mature believers should enjoy a craft beer with the Bible study group. In a society where so many violent acts and deadly accidents feature alcohol as an aggravator, I teach and have taught that abstinence is a safety rail between ourselves and intemperance—the way of the wise. I may be missing something good, but I am certainly missing something bad. It’s fine if you call me the weaker brother in this scenario; I’ve heard that before.  

Similarly, the Billy Graham rule is not a specific demand of Scripture. Scripture does not offer us a “go and do likewise” or a “thou shalt not” on this subject. It is a safety rail for those of us who discern the times as very dangerous for men and women desiring godly relationships. Pence’s critics, if desirous of the same things, are too optimistic about the nature of mankind. The risks are greater than the reward in thinking we have evolved beyond the temptation of marital infidelity. Perhaps we are the weaker brothers. Or maybe we are just more aware of our weakness. 

It is wrong to judge the virtue of Billy Graham’s disciples whose pursuit of integrity leads them to avoid situations that tempt. Nearly everyone who has railed against the vice president in recent days has at one time removed something from the pantry to avoid eating it or told the waiter to remove the bread from the table. Is this poor character? If you are a sober alcoholic, do you socialize in bars to display your moral strength, or do you run for your life, as Joseph did from Potiphar’s wife? That’s sometimes what prudence looks like. Those who scoff at those who run misunderstand liberty as well as prudence in a dangerous time.   

PLANO—Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano has announced it will resume giving through the Cooperative Program after two months of evaluating its support of Southern Baptist missions and ministries.

“After a time of prayerful evaluation, Prestonwood is renewing our commitment to Southern Baptist missions by giving to the Cooperative Program without designation,” Prestonwood executive pastor Mike Buster told Baptist Press in a statement April 26.

“For more than 40 years, Prestonwood has been a steadfast supporter of the Cooperative Program and its mission to advance the gospel through this vital giving program. We are grateful for the Southern Baptist Convention and our longtime ministry partnership and look forward to fulfilling the Great Commission together in the days ahead,” Buster said.

The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists’ shared funding strategy, traditionally given through state conventions and then onto national and worldwide Great Commission causes.

SBC Executive Committee President Frank S. Page expressed gratefulness at the congregation’s announcement.

“I am so delighted to hear of this news,” Page told BP in written comments. “In an earlier conversation with Dr. Graham, he promised that Prestonwood would be back in to CP sooner than later, and he is a man of his word.”

Prestonwood had announced in mid-February it would escrow CP funds over “various significant positions taken by the leadership of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.” During the escrow period, the congregation said it would evaluate how to proceed with future financial support of SBC and state convention ministries.

In a December 2016 interview with The Wall Street Journal, Prestonwood pastor Jack Graham, a former SBC president, alleged “disrespectfulness” by ERLC President Russell Moore toward evangelical supporters of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

In March, Moore and the ERLC executive committee released an extended statement “seeking unity in the Southern Baptist Convention.” Shortly after the ERLC’s statement was released, Graham tweeted, “This is a gracious and unifying statement from [Moore].”

Responses to Prestonwood’s decision to escrow included a unanimous vote in February by the SBC Executive Committee’s CP Committee to create an ad hoc committee to “study and recommend redemptive solutions to the current reality in Southern Baptist life of churches’ either escrowing or discontinuing Cooperative Program funds, with the report being brought back to the September 2017 Executive Committee meeting.”

In response to an EC member’s request, the body’s officers also said they would “monitor the activities of our various Southern Baptist entities since our last convention … in relation to how those activities might adversely affect” CP and “our churches and other stewardship structures of Southern Baptists.”

The EC had received reports of other churches taking actions similar to Prestowood’s, BP reported previously.

EC chairman Stephen Rummage told the SBC This Week podcast in March a decision by Prestonwood to resume CP giving could indicate resolution of “most of the concerns that have been raised by the [Executive] Committee.” Prestonwood appears representative of other concerned congregations, said Rummage, pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Fla.

Mikael is a brilliant medical student living in Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire and the historic multi-ethnic city that will make his dreams of becoming a doctor come true.

He’s smarter than the other students, and braver, too. The same day one of his classmates passes out while dissecting a cadaver, Mikael calmly pulls out a spleen.   

His future in the medical field seems bright, but all that changes in 1914 when the Ottomans enter World War I. Suddenly, the people he considered his friends—including his Muslim classmates—turn on him.

Mikael is part of the Armenian population, a Christian minority that had lived in harmony with the Muslims in recent years but now finds itself the target of an empire-wide cleansing. He witnesses family members being taken away and killed. Soon, he’s forced into a labor camp. Will he, and the rest of his family, survive?        

Inspired by true events, The Promise (PG-13) opens in more than 2,000 theaters this weekend, recounting an Armenian genocide that is often called the “forgotten Holocaust”—the time when 1.5 million Armenians were exterminated during and after World War I through killings, forced labor and death marches. To this day, the country of Turkey—the successor to the Ottoman Empire—denies it ever happened.

Additionally, most Americans know little about it, perhaps because we also know very little about the first World War. Filmmakers hope The Promise changes that.

The story is told through the eyes of three fictional characters, including Mikael, who is played by Oscar Isaac (Star Wars: The Force Awakens). He falls in love with Ana (Charlotte Le Bon), an Armenian artist from Paris who is romantically involved with American photo-journalist Chris Myers (Christian Bale, The Dark Knight trilogy).

The Promise is not a faith-based film in the strict sense, although it carries a strong Christian worldview with a significant amount of faith-based dialogue.   

It’s not as graphic as Schindler’s List (not even close), but it does have several scenes that discerning families will want to know about before they go. Let’s look at the details …

Warning: minor spoilers!

The Good

Jesus once said, “There is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered, nothing hidden that won’t be made known” (Luke 12:2). Wouldn’t it be tragic if 1.5 million people were killed and no one remembered or acknowledged it? The Promise, in a sense, helps to uncover the truth. It is a gripping, moving film that shines light on one of history’s forgotten atrocities. And it does so with a romantic angle that keeps us engaged while we learn.

Despite the violent nature of the film (details below), faith is a major theme, and it is evident that the Armenians’ belief in Christ gave them strength. (“Praise God you’ve been spared,” Mikael’s father tells him at one point.) It has more Christian content and lines than 99 percent of other mainstream films.

Chris, an AP photographer, serves as our eyes and ears, investigating the unthinkable and refusing to buy the government line that the civilian population is being peacefully moved to a “safer” region.

Isaac, Le Bon and Bale are impressive in their roles.

The film begins strong, hits a lull in the middle, and picks up steam again in the end.

The Bad

Even though it’s not Schindler’s List, The Promise has a fair amount of violence. We see an Armenian village after it is burned, with two dead men hung in the street. Mikael fights someone in an alley, and later he is hit in the head and bloodied with a butt of a gun. A camp laborer intentionally blows up a package of dynamite, killing himself and others (bodies fly everywhere). Hundreds of bodies line a riverbank (clothed but bloodied). We see people shot in the head and executed. In the film’s final scenes, there is a battle between Armenians and Turks, with people shot and killed.  

There are a few other disturbing scenes. We see a cadaver’s abdomen open and organs pulled out. We also see a trainload of Armenians begging for someone to help.

Still, the violence stays in PG-13 territory.

The film has no nudity but a minor amount of sexuality, including one bedroom scene in which two characters kiss and she is then seen in a bra. They then kiss on the bed. Sex is implied, but the scene between the unmarried partners—unnecessary and too long—switches to a shot of them covered up the next morning. (All total, it lasts perhaps 10-15 seconds.) Characters kiss at least four other times in public. The film also contains a belly dancing scene (with some sensuality).     

Language, for this type of film, is minor: S—t (1), h— (1), OMG (3), ba—-d (1), misuse of God (1). 

The Worldview

Sometimes, truth shines brightly in the most unlikely of places. When police attacked peaceful civil rights marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma in 1965, Americans were outraged. Instead of protecting life, police had beaten and bloodied those who were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27)—and the entire nation intuitively knew it. The Promise gave me a similar feeling. The Ottoman government, which had a God-given role to protect life (Romans 13:4), was attacking its own people—including its children—simply became they were of a different ethnicity and religion. But through it all, the Armenians’ faith helped them persevere.

The Verdict: Family-Friendly?

This one’s definitely not for kids, but I’d strongly consider taking teenagers, provided they were discerning enough to handle the violent and sexual content.

Discussion Questions

Why is there so much controversy about the Armenian Genocide? Are you satisfied with how America has handled the issue in its interaction with Turkey? What is the solution to racism and bigotry? Why did the Ottomans hate the Armenians? Did Mikael truly keep his promise to his fiancé? What is the role of reporters during a war? How much freedom should they have during a war? What did you find inspiring about the Armenians?

Entertainment rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars. Family-friendly rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

The Promise is rated PG-13 for thematic material including war atrocities, violence and disturbing images, and for some sexuality.