Faithful to the institution’s core commitments yet focused on meeting the needs of current and future generations, Southwestern Seminary’s new Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program will make theological education even more accessible to God-called men and women as they seek to prepare for a lifetime of ministry. 

The 82-hour degree includes training in biblical languages and competency areas of preaching, pastoral ministry, missions, evangelism, church planting, Christian education and academic ministries. In addition, the degree includes 12 hours of free electives so that students can pursue a variety of concentrations*, and further elective options in the areas of discipleship, ethics and philosophy, making this degree more flexible than the previous M.Div. The degree is available in on-campus, online and hybrid formats.

“Southwestern’s new M.Div. offers an updated, streamlined, cost-effective avenue to its world-class training for ministry,” says Interim President D. Jeffrey Bingham. “We have always been devoted to making disciples from all the nations for all the nations and to equipping them for servant-leadership within the local church, on the mission field and in a variety of other settings. Southwestern’s new M.Div. offers God-called students an excellent, well-rounded, efficient and affordable mentoring experience that yields the necessary skills and knowledge for ministry.”

Mark Taylor, interim senior associate dean for the School of Theology, says the length of the new M.Div. brings the degree in line with other M.Div. programs, both within the Southern Baptist Convention and the broader evangelical world. “Simply put,” he says, “students will be able to complete the degree in less time without sacrificing anything in terms of robust training for a wide range of ministries. Both the motivation and the benefit are to provide the best training possible for our students and to put them out on the field as soon as possible.”

With changes to the overall M.Div. program, Southwestern’s 2 2 program (M.Div. with concentration in international church planting) has also been modified to allow students to get to their mission fields sooner. Furthermore, the Master of Theological Studies (MTS) program, though still 36 hours, has been revamped, with changes including the reincorporation of Baptist Heritage and the choice between Christian Apologetics or Bible and Moral Issues.  

Bart Barber, chairman of the academic administration committee of Southwestern’s board of trustees, says these changes have been made because of the different role theological degrees now play in ministry. Once “an additional equipping step” taken primarily by pastors who wanted to grow in ministries that had already started, seminary master’s degrees have become for most Southern Baptists “the hurdle that one must clear” before being able to move into full-time ministry, Barber says. 

“In light of this reality, alongside our desire to equip pastors thoroughly, we want to acknowledge that there are challenges in terms of money and time that motivate students to seek to complete a degree in a timely fashion. … We believe that these changes make a degree at Southwestern accessible to anyone bound for ministry.”

“[B.H. Carroll’s] motivation for opening a seminary in Texas was to have a school with a strong focus on the practical needs of the churches,” Barber says. “With our strong focus on evangelism, missions and expository preaching, Southwestern offers degrees that live up to the vision of B.H. Carroll. Now, achieving one of those degrees just became more accessible than ever before.”

Current students may switch into the new programs immediately by completing the online degree change form. Students who anticipate that the curricular changes will enable them to graduate this spring are encouraged to contact the Registrar’s Office for advising at 817-923-1921, ext. 2000.

* A portfolio of 28 ministry concentrations is available for the 2018-2019 academic year, including administration; biblical archaeology; biblical counseling; biblical theology; chaplaincy; family and children’s ministry; church ministries; church music; church planting; collegiate apologetics; collegiate ministry; ethics, philosophy, and apologetics; evangelism; family ministry; Hispanic studies; Islamic studies; missions; New Testament; Old Testament; pastoral ministry; preaching; family and recreational ministries; student ministry; teaching; theological studies; women’s ministry; women’s studies; and worship. 

Stan and his friend Oliver were once the most famous comedy duo in the world.

But that was 16 years ago, when they had weathered the death of silent films to become successful in feature-length sound movies, too.

It is now 1953, and the tandem known as Laurel and Hardy have embarked on a multi-city tour of Europe for a series of live shows, where they’ll perform their hilarious acts for fans and newcomers alike. Who knows? They may win another movie deal out of it.

If only people would come.

The first few shows are less than half full. The hotels, too, are unremarkable. Stan and Oliver are accustomed to big rooms and bellboys, but the budget only allows basic amenities. They’ll have to carry their own luggage.

“I thought you had retired,” one hotel employee tells them.

It seems people nowadays prefer the newer comedy duo: Abbott and Costello.

Yet something extraordinary happens as their tour progresses. Word begins spreading. Theaters begin filling. Stan and Oliver are funnier than ever.

Maybe they will get a movie deal. And maybe they’ll learn to become true friends in the twilight of their careers.  

The film Stan & Ollie (PG) expands nationwide this weekend, telling us the story of the popular comedic team as they try and revive their aging careers. It stars Oscar nominee Steve Coogan (Despicable Me 2 and 3) as Stan Laurel and John C. Reilly (Wreck-It Ralph), another Oscar nominee, as the hefty Oliver Hardy.

The movie tells the story of two men who had little more than a working relationship in their younger lives but grew to appreciate one another as their careers were ending and they were running out of money.

It is among the funniest films I’ve seen, and proves once again that the most creative humor is the cleanest humor. Coogan and Reilly are spectacular.

Warning: minor/moderate spoilers!

(Scale key: none, minimal, moderate, extreme)

Violence/Disturbing

None.

Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity

Minimal. We see women in one-piece swimsuits in a “bathing beauty” contest.

Coarse Language

Minimal: A– (3), d–n (2), h-ll (1). Also: dear G-d (2).

Other Stuff You Might Want To Know

Several characters drink and smoke. One character places a bet over the phone.

Positive Elements/Life Lessons

Stan and Oliver provide lessons on bitterness, forgiveness and forgiveness.

At the heart of their divide: Oliver’s decision to get a different comedy partner years earlier when Stan was holding out for a bigger contract.

“You betrayed me,” Stan says.

Oliver responds, “You loved Laurel and Hardy, but you never loved me”

But by the movie’s end, they reconcile and have a close friendship. It’s touching to watch.

Worldview/Application

Our society worships fame. It’s at the heart of popular music, gossip magazines, television sports, and Hollywood movies. But just like that easily distracted dog in Up (“squirrel!”), our attention span is brief. The only thing we like more than celebrities is new celebrities.

Laurel and Hardy didn’t lose fans by becoming less funny. No, the public simply moved on to something else. At their pinnacle, most Americans knew who they were. Nowadays, very few do.

Fame, like everything else in life, is fleeting. James tells us that our lives are like “a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14).

The things of this world don’t last. Instead of compiling treasure on earth, our focus should be on eternal matters — treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19-20).  

What Works

The comedy, which required practice and impeccable timing, works. We don’t hear a single curse word in their show, but it’s funnier than anything on Netflix.

What Doesn’t

Not applicable.

Discussion Questions

1. What made Laurel and Hardy so funny?
2. What can we learn about fame and popularity from their story?
3. What can we learn about forgiveness and friendship?

Entertainment rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars. Family-friendly rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Rated PG for some language, and for smoking.

I’m younger than half of the Sunday School class I teach, but older than any of my doctors (except my dentist, by three months) and older than my last five pastors. My perspective on church things changes as this transition to being among the elders becomes more undeniable. My wife Tammi and I were talking the other day about how we’d seen several empty nester friends fade from regular church attendance—call it a second DINK (Double Income, No Kids) era of life. We should be more responsible now than we were in the sparkly days of being newly wed, but that’s not why I’m writing. Sometimes I wonder what my church or your church does to keep those who are becoming less vigorous a vital part of our ministry. 

Perhaps we don’t know what to do when a generation of church leadership—those who were go-to people in deacon ministry or administrative help—needs to be in charge of fewer things. With some of my friends it looks like a severe drop off between “she is everywhere” to “where’d she go?” The false dichotomy between being essential and being useless is fostered from both sides. Church members who slow down a little because their own health, or that of a spouse or parent, sometimes quit everything and fade before anyone notices. Church leaders are unprepared with options for those who need to be less prominent but who don’t want to become uninvolved. 

It’s not an easy nut to crack, but I have been in many meetings where bright people strained and brainstormed about how to get younger families engaged at some level—“Where can we plug them in,” “How can we keep them from just going out the back door?” and so on. If the focus is just on ensuring the future of the church or institution, that scrutiny of assimilating young families is right on. If the focus is on ministry to those God has placed in our hands, our motives and reach need to be less ageist.

Some who’ve taught for decades don’t walk so well these days. There’s not a correlation between one ability and the other. Additionally, you might consider that older members are qualified to teach more than just their peers. Middle-aged folks, 20 years older than I, taught my Sunday School classes from childhood until I was myself middle aged. Can a 70-year-old teacher be an effective teacher of young adults, children or high school students? I can’t imagine why they couldn’t. Some do imagine that pretty easily. 

Multi-generational fellowship is born in multi-generational worship and ministry. Do we want the generations to trust each other and understand each other? A good place to start is engineering opportunities for us to work alongside each other. Instead of a senior adult retreat, how about a retreat focused on the interests of members within more than one demographic? We do have some things in common. Include older members in the student mission trip; let them bunk together and eat together, just like they do with relatives during family events. 

The generations are more likely to snipe at each other when individuals of one age group don’t know anyone of another age group. I assume that my children, well adjusted and gainfully employed, are an exception when I read something foolish done by another member of their generation. I’m less likely to do that when I’ve spent some good time with solid younger folks who are not my kin. My kids are indeed exceptional, but they are not the only wise Millennials.

I recognize the need for outreach among generations that are moving away from their churches. We need to preach the gospel to them and we need to teach them how to follow Christ. Older members are not the “future of the church” unless you consider the next 20 years sufficiently futuristic, but a significant number of their Baby Boomer generation are also lost. We have a few years to preach the gospel to them and teach them to follow Christ. This outreach can be a ministry of young and old, and it can bear unimagined fruit among family members of all ages. 

Think of it as a stewardship of your present ministry, not so focused on the ministry you will have in 10 years. Some of your older members will be able to do less, and you’ll do some funerals. Some of their friends, who will attend the funerals, are lost and hardened to the gospel. Some of their neighbors at the senior center or nursing home are unbelievers. You have church members and staff members who would be well-focused on ministry in this field. As for those who are still active, though a little slower, in your church, what can you do to intentionally equip them for significant ministry during every day God gives you with them?  

Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. —Genesis 9:6

All lives matter! All lives are precious in God’s sight. The reason—because God created us in his image, after his likeness (Genesis 1:26). Consequently, every person—male/female, young/old, born/unborn, black/white, Hispanic/Asian, citizen/immigrant, rich/poor, religious/irreligious, Christian/non-Christian—every person has worth and dignity as God’s image. The dignity of all human life is evident in God’s words to Noah that if one person takes the life of another person, they forfeit their own life, “for God has made man in his own image” (Genesis 9:6). All lives matter because all lives are precious before God. There are no qualifications, no distinctions. 

Sadly, our culture today rejects the idea that all lives matter. The history of racism in the United States has shown us that to many, black lives don’t matter. The eugenics movement has advanced the notion that children born with genetic abnormalities don’t matter. The white nationalist movement promotes the idea that immigrant lives don’t matter. And the pro-abortion movement has legalized a practice which communicates that unborn lives don’t matter. Any movement that promotes the idea that any human being doesn’t matter is anti-God, evil and Satanic. 

As Christians, we have a responsibility not only to honor all human life but to seek to protect all human life as we have opportunity. While we should honor and celebrate all life each day, this January, as we do every January, Christians throughout the United States acknowledged the
sanctity of human life. Why January? 

First, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in January—January 15, 1929. It’s appropriate that we remember, not just Dr. King’s assassination day, but his birthday. By celebrating Martin Luther King Day, we remember Dr. King’s dream that all humans have dignity because each person bears the image of God. However, Dr. King reminded us that we cannot sit silently on the sidelines while injustice against humanity continues. In his 1963 speech, “I Have a Dream,” Dr. King rightly said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” But Dr. King did not choose to arm his objections with violence. Instead, he argued that “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” (Sermons from his book Strength to Love, 1963).

Secondly, we remember and promote the doctrine of the sanctity of human life in January because on this month in 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States legalized abortion in the Roe versus Wade decision. To date, abortion has taken the lives of over 58 million unborn children—many of them from lower income and minority families. Of all human life, the unborn are the most vulnerable because they literally have no voice. If we don’t speak on their behalf, who will?

When I was in Israel in December of 2017, I had the opportunity to walk through the Yad Vashem (the Holocaust museum) in Jerusalem. It was disheartening to observe the evidence of hatred against Jews, not only from Nazi Germany, but from governments all over the world. One theme stood out to me during that visit. It’s captured in a quote often attributed to Edmund Burke: “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing.”

If we don’t speak up against injustice, who will? Evil only needs us to be silent to continue to have its way. So, whether it’s having a needed personal conversation with a family member, walking out of the room when an ethnic joke is told, volunteering with an organization that is seeking to address issues of injustice (whether poverty, hunger, racism, sexual abuse) or gathering for a public event like a Martin Luther King Day parade or a March for Life, let us be silent no longer. Let us proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ who died and rose again to bring together one new man from Jew and Gentile; let us announce the good news of the kingdom that Jesus is reigning at the right hand of the Father, and he is gathering for himself a people from every tribe, language and nation, making them brothers and sisters. In God’s kingdom all are family, all are equal, all are of worth and have dignity—male/female, young/old, black/white, Asian/Hispanic, rich/poor, citizen/immigrant, born/unborn. Let us celebrate such life! 

LAS COLINAS—Designed to encourage and equip churches in evangelism, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s annual Empower Conference has steadily grown in recent years, culminating in last year’s record attendance of more than 2,800. This year’s conference—Feb. 25-26 at the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas—features a modified schedule and diverse speaker lineup that includes Trip Lee, D.A. Horton, Lee Strobel and Brooklyn Tabernacle pastor Jim Cymbala.

“There are a lot of great conferences out there, but what sets Empower apart from the others is that it is a true evangelism conference,” said Shane Pruitt, SBTC director of evangelism. “I’ve asked every speaker and breakout leader to speak on something under the umbrella of evangelism and making disciples.”

This year’s schedule includes two days of breakout sessions, allowing attendees to select from a list of 25 breakouts led by ministry experts. Sessions are designed to give practical tools and action steps for churches to use in evangelizing their communities. A full list of breakout sessions can be found at sbtexas.com/empower. 

The conference begins Monday, Feb. 25, with a missions luncheon and classics luncheon from 11 a.m.-12:45 p.m., followed by breakout sessions, a new pastors’ orientation, women’s session and classics session. 

Monday evening will feature worship by Jimmy McNeal and Austin Stone Worship, along with sermons from author, pastor and rapper Trip Lee; best-selling author and apologetics professor Lee Strobel; and D.A. Horton, a church planter in Los Angeles and national coordinator of Urban Student Missions at the North American Mission Board. Following the evening session will be a late-night gathering with Trip Lee on reaching the next generation with the gospel. 

On Tuesday morning, attendees will hear messages from Noe Garcia, Nathan Lorick and Gregg Matte, followed by a Cooperative Program lunch and afternoon breakout sessions.

The conference will conclude with a session from 4:45-5:45 p.m. featuring a sermon from Jim Cymbala, the pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle since 1971. Under his ministry, the multicultural church has grown from around 20 people to more than 10,000 in weekly attendance. The story of God’s mighty work in the church is chronicled in Cymbala’s award-winning book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire.

Registration for the Empower Conference sessions is free and available at sbtexas.com/empower. Tickets for meals are available for purchase at the website as well.  

LAS COLINAS Continuing the tradition from recent years, the kickoff event for this year’s SBTC Empower Conference will be the Classics Luncheon, 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 25 in the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas. 

Charles Lowery will be the guest speaker. Lowery is a nationally known Christian psychologist, author and speaker who blends humor with a message of hope. 

Following the luncheon, a Classics Session from 1-4 p.m. will feature music from the Southern Gospel group The Hoppers and sermons by Junior Hill, T.C. Melton and Ronnie Floyd.

Both the luncheon and session are open for all age groups. Tickets for the luncheon are $10 each and available at sbtexas.com/empower.