covenant magazine - [winter 2003]

The Magazine of Covenant Theological Seminary

What Is CovenantCommunity?

The Living Is in the Waiting

Proud Parent of a Skateboarder

COVENANTVol 18, No. 4 Winter 2003-2004

COVENANT MAGAZINE Winter 2003-2004

Jerram Barrs, Professor of Christianity and Contemporary

Culture, writes in his series on “The Christian Mind” that the

problem of evil is one of the most perplexing and persistent

questions non-Christians ask. Prof. Barrs was consumed with

the question prior to his conversion and was initially turned

off to Christianity by those who told him just to believe and

not to bother with such issues.

Later Barrs wrote that this ostensibly well-intended instruction fundamentally

lacked compassion by not offering him a reasonable basis for faith. If Christians do not

have adequate answers to such basic human questions then we should not expect others

to respond positively to the truths we espouse.

Likewise if we cannot view, in its entirety, the setting into which God’s Son was

born, we will miss a crucial truth in proclaiming the hope of the Gospel both to

ourselves and to those around us. In this issue of Covenant magazine Dr. Zack Eswine,

Assistant Professor of Homiletics, takes us back to the moment of Christ’s entry into

our world as a babe. Rather than placing the focus on the babe cradled in the arms

of his mother, in which we all rejoice, he reminds us of a more exterior picture.

The picture is one of Herod reacting violently to all who would threaten his evil power.

Dr. Eswine’s message is a comfort to us as we realize that this world is not the way

it ought to be, even at Christmastime. In fact, Christmas at times reminds us more

starkly of the fallenness of our world. Within this realistic picture of the conflict of

darkness and light the birth of Christ shines glorious. Within this picture of competing

glories the angels are able most boldly to sing, “Glory to God in the highest.”

Praise the Lord that He did not stand by idle while evil ravaged the world. From

the earliest pages of Scripture we see that God intends good, not harm for us. In His

mercy he sent His Son to save mankind from the sinful suffering of which man himself

is the cause.

Please pray for students at Covenant Seminary – that their training, both inside the

classroom and out, would help them to bring the whole Gospel message to the whole

world. Pray that they would be increasingly hopeful regarding the work of God in their

own lives and the lives of their families in the midst of competing challenges and that

they would be able to bring that hope to others.

2Why We Need Herod In Our Nativity Sets

Embracing the Hope of ChristmasDR. ZACHARY ESWINE

6The Living

Is in the WaitingDR. DONALD GUTHRIE

11What Is Covenant

Community?Snapshots of Daily Happenings

at Covenant Seminary

24Proud Parent

of a Skateboarder Becoming an Advocate

of Your Child’s Constructive Interests

- YOUTH IN MINISTRY INSTITUTE -

From the President

Alumni News 10

Events 19

Intercessor 22

Campus News 28

Student Profile 30

Volume 18, No. 4

Winter 2003-2004

Conference Brings TogetherPastors and Ministry Leadersfrom Around the Nation

The Fall Pastors’ Conference held atCovenant Seminary this past Octoberbrought together more than 70 pastorsand ministry leaders for teaching and renewal. The conference wasthemed Reaching Hearts with theGospel in a Changing World andaddressed issues such as Plugged in but Not Connected: Profile of North America’s EmergingGeneration, Cross-Cultural ChurchMinistry, and Profile of Today’sEvangelical Church.

This was the first conference of its kind forCovenant Seminary and gave a wonderful start to a ministry that the seminary seeks to continue. As Dr. Bryan Chapell noted on the first night of the conference, the seminary does not intend to givestudents a diploma and then say, “Have a nice life.”Instead the goal at Covenant Seminary is to continue to develop resources for life-long learning in order to support and equip church leaders for alifetime of ministry.

BY DR. ZACHARY ESWINE

Assistant Professor of Homiletics

COVENANT MAGAZINE Winter 2003-2004 2

Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old

sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel ever struck out generous

fire…he carried his own low temperature always about with him…external

heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no

wintry weather chill him…even the blind men’s dogs appeared to know him;

and when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and

up courts; and then would wag their tails as though they said, “No eye at all

is better than an evil eye, dark master!” But what did Scrooge care! It was the

very thing he liked. To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning

all human sympathy to keep its distance.1

www.covenantseminary.edu 3 Training Servants of the Triune God

Embracing the Hope of Christmas

1Charles Dickens, Christmas Books in Oxford Illustrated Dickens (Oxford University Press, 1997), 8.

he Scrooge of the opening

Christmas seasons was King

Herod. When he was troubled, all Israel

was troubled with him (Matt. 2:3).

“Warning human sympathy to keep its

distance,” Herod was a man who made

others afraid while in the presence of the

“low temperature” that he always carried

with him. It is no wonder that Herod is one character we

choose to leave out of our Christmas nativity sets. I’d like to

suggest, however, that keeping Herod in our nativity scenes

is required if we are to embrace the depth of the hope that

Christmas intends. Whereas Scrooge was eventually warmed,

Herod never was. And whereas Scrooge was not easily both-

ered by what others said, Herod the king was easily set off.

There are only a few of us who have never tasted the

pain of this kind of explosive and broken presence at

Christmas, and many of us have had to endure its annual

repetition with no friendly midnight ghosts to usher in a

happy ending. This is why Herod matters for so many of us.

But what set him off this time? What angered him this

early Christmas scene? The answer is found in the simplicity

of an ordinary question.

The searchers longingly and unpretentiously asked,

“Where is he who has been born the King of the Jews?”

One can imagine that it was that word “King” that first

caused Herod’s eyebrow to twitch. Keeping a tight rein

upon his own power occupied him constantly. Such a simple

question unearthed his inward fear of losing the props he

used to display his significance. Deep waters are made visible

when such a simple question can unleash a rage so complex.

You see, we must remember to place Herod in our

nativity sets lest we picture for ourselves a Christmas with

no “weeping and loud lamentation” (Matt. 2:18). We must

place Herod in the nativity lest we contemplate a Christmas

absent of the scourge of every two-year-old baby boy; a

Christmas without “Rachel weeping for her children, refus-

ing to be comforted because they are no more”(Matt. 2:18).

T

Herod loved the darkness. Like Scrooge he “fastened the

door, and walked across the hall, and up the stairs; slowly

too: trimming his candle as he went...Darkness is cheap,

and Scrooge liked it.” 2 And so did Herod.

But some who have become accustomed to avoiding

the wailing at Christmastime might say, “How dower and

cynical you are to speak of such sinful negativity and human

brokenness during a season so merry and filled with joy.”

And I agree that one must never describe Christmas in

terms that rob the promise of joy to the

world. But I say to you, the celebration

of Christmas for many is far from merry,

far from happy.

What does Christmas offer these

broken ones? How can Christmas songs

find their way into the abandoned

dark of 3 a.m. eyes, staring, red, through

the forgotten windows of the night?

No, my friend, we must have Herod

in the nativity lest our poor wailing

Rachels have a holiday with no promised

fulfillment from God amid their pain.

Christmas, you must always remember,

exposes the weeping that the prophet

had foretold. When Scrooge was asked

how much he could contribute to helping

the poor and destitute, “Nothing” was

his reply. “You wish to be anonymous?”

“I wish to be left alone,” said Scrooge.

“I support the establishments I have

mentioned – they cost enough; and

those who are badly off must go there.”

“Many can’t go there; and many would

rather die,” the collectors replied. “If they would rather

die, said Scrooge, “they had better do it and decrease the

surplus population.” 3

We mourn for Scrooge. But we must remember to mourn

for those destitute ones whose only choice, if they are to

retain their human dignity, is death. What Christmas song

do we have for them if Herod is absent from our nativity?

Isn’t it true, that it is only when Herod is placed back into

the nativity scene that Isaiah’s prophecy comes to light and

Christmas speaks to the low realities of destitute lives?

For Isaiah said, “they will look to the earth, but behold

distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they

will be thrust into thick darkness.” The prophecy speaks

of something entering gloom. And it is in this setting that

the seekers asked, “Where is the one who has been born

King of the Jews?”

Only in this darkness can Isaiah’s finished statements

begin to warmly glow and with heating intensity to shine.

Only in this darkened complexity can the

simplicity of the question discover the

beauty which Christmas offers. For Isaiah

said to the displaced and songless ones,

“But there will be no gloom for her who

was in anguish. In the former time he

brought into contempt the land of

Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but

in the latter time he has made glorious

the way of the sea, the land beyond

the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

The people who walked in darkness have

seen a great light; those who dwelt in a

land of deep darkness, on them has light

shined…for unto us a child is born, to us

a son is given”(Is. 9:1,2,6a).

Do you see it? Herod must be in

your nativities because Christmas is a

gift, not for the rich, not for the well lit,

not for the luminary, but for those who

live broken by the darkness. Christmas

is a song for the songless; a promise for

the ones burned by broken promises; a

dream for those who have resigned to

never, ever, dream again.

Christmas is God’s testimony that darkness has been

broken! Perhaps the most haunting yet melodious words in

that first nativity scene are these: “But when Herod died,

behold, an angel of the Lord appeared…” (Matt. 2:19).

Beloved, it is only when we see that Herod, for all his

boasting, treachery, and terror, is nothing more than a man

trembling and conquered by the spirit of Christmas future.

And our eyes, strained though they may be with the sting


I’d like to suggest,however, thatkeeping Herod inour nativity scenes is required if we are to embrace the depth of the hope thatChristmas intends.

2 Ibid. 16. 3 Ibid. 12.

of habitual crying, can begin to look again at life.

And there in the absence of the man who would be king,

there is a king who would, for our poor sakes, be a man.

The baby, for all of the man’s venom, remains alive! And

now we begin to taste in some small way why the Book tells

us that “those in darkness have seen a great light!”(Is. 9:2)

So we must put Herod into our view so that we can

embrace the hope of Christmas. And so, to you who

now huddle hidden under the overpasses of this world,

terrified and made weary by the Herodian

tempests that rage upon you, I say to you,

yes especially to you, a son is given!

And His proper name is: “Wonderful

Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting

Father, Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:6).

And who is it that gives the babe this

name? Who is it that gives Christmas

its proper name? Who is it that speaks

peace and good tidings of great joy while

Herod still remains in the nativity?

Hear it from the prophet! “And he shall

be called, Wonderful Counselor.” Who is

it that is doing the calling? It is God

Himself! He is the one making this decla-

ration regarding the babe given to you.

Do you now see that what ultimately

matters amid the tumult of Herod’s fury

is the One who will give the answer to

the searcher’s question, “Where is he

who has been born King of the Jews?!”

The stunning fact is that answering this

question brings you who are in darkness

face to face with what God Himself

believes about Jesus. It is God who has so named the child,

“Wonderful.” It is God who has so named the child,

“Counselor.” It is God who has said to those orphans in

darkness that the name of this child is “Everlasting Father.”

It is God who has declared to those with constant war with-

in, that the name of this child is “Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:6).

While Herod rages it is God who has declared of this

babe, “the government will be upon his shoulders, of the

increase of his government and of peace there will be no

end” (Is. 9:7). The presence of Herod in your nativity

testifies to you that the searchers found their answer and

that the Herods of this world will never have the last word!

Then and only then will those who are in darkness and

gloom truly see a great light. And then, and truly then,

we will embrace the hope of Christmas. ■


Christmas is a song for the songless; a promisefor the ones burnedby broken promises;a dream for thosewho have resigned to never, ever,dream again.

DR. DONALD GUTHRIE

Vice President for Academics and

Associate Professor of Christian Education


The LIVINGIs in theWaiting

The following devotional wasgiven during an Advent chapelservice at Covenant Seminary.


The Living Is in the Waiting

“The living is in the waiting.” “What?” I startled awake. My first child

was about to be born and my wife had already been through about 20 hours

of labor. I was sliding in and out of consciousness between the hallway and

the hospital room. “The living is in the waiting,” the nurse said again.

“Oh, yeah, it sure is,” I managed to reply. If living was in the waiting, I was

doing a boatload of living in the hours between December 4 and 5, 1989.

here is a strange thing about the days of December – they seem to pass

more slowly than the days of any other month. As Christmas comes

nearer, the days get longer and longer, until at last they drag past so

slowly that you wonder if Christmas will ever come.

If this is the way you feel, then I ask you to come with me on a

journey – a journey across an ocean to a strange land, a journey back

in time to a world that had never heard of Christmas.

How would you feel if you had to wait for Christmas not a few

short days or weeks, but hundreds, no thousands of years? You have

known whose birthday Christmas is as far back as you can remember.

But in the world we are going to visit, though the people longed for

Christmas and hoped for it, and prayed for it, they did not know how

or when it would come. For these people it was only a promise. It was

a very old promise. It was a promise given by God…

…in this world we are visiting, the last person who had actually

heard God’s promise spoken was the great-grandfather of the great-

grandfather of the people who lived now. It would have been at least

nine generations ago...1

TYet, whether you are

waiting for the birth

of your child or the

coming of a savior, the

living is in the waiting.

Marianne Radius puts

it this way in her book

A Life of Jesus

for Young Readers:

1 Marianne Radius, A Life of Jesus for Young Readers (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1966), 13.

So, would you stake your life on a 300-year-old promise

as those saints did? It was even longer for those who went

before: Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets.

They were people with clay feet who in their living in the

waiting looked and longed for a heavenly city (Heb. 11:16).

They were privileged to witness God’s covenant faithfulness

on display as they waited for the first Christmas in faith and

with the strength God gave them.

Consider for a few moments the

following Scripture regarding the coming

of Jesus the Christ:

“And the Word became flesh and

dwelt among us and we have seen

his glory, glory as of the only Son

from the Father, full of grace and

truth” (John 1:14).

‘“The Spirit of the Lord is on

me, because he has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom

for the prisoners and recovery of

sight for the blind, to release the

oppressed, to proclaim the year of

the Lord’s favor.’ Then he rolled

up the scroll, gave it back to the

attendant and sat down. The eyes

of everyone in the synagogue were

fastened on him, and he began

by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled

in your hearing’” (Luke 4:18-21).The wait was over! The Savior had come, and was

crucified, dead, and buried, and on the third day he rose up

from the grave! All this accomplished for our benefit!

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and

aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and

members of God’s household, built on the foundation

of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself

as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is

joined together and rises to become a holy temple in

the Lord. And in him you too are being built together

to become a dwelling in which God

lives by his Spirit” (Eph. 2:19-22).We are dear, secure, and vital to

His purpose.

“After he said this, he was taken

up before their very eyes, and a

cloud hid him from their sight. They

were looking intently up into the sky

as he was going, when suddenly two

men dressed in white stood beside

them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said,

‘why do you stand here looking into

the sky? This same Jesus, who has

been taken from you into heaven,

will come back in the same way you

have seen him go into heaven’”

(Acts1:9-11).Now, as we, God’s people, wait in

faith for Him again, brothers and sisters,

how is the wait going? How is the living

going? People of God, how is living in the waiting going this

second time around? After talking about Christ’s second

coming and the time when “everything will be laid bare,”

Peter asks, “what kind of people ought you to be? You ought

to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of

God and speed its coming” (2 Pet. 3:11,12). Because as Peter

tells us…“we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new

earth, the home of righteousness.”


And while we wait, theGospel is ouronly hope andstrength as welive for Him andwait on Him.

The living is in the waiting. And while we wait, the

Gospel is our only hope and strength as we live for Him and

wait on Him. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no

longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the

body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and

gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). He loved me. He gave

himself up for me. He loved us. He gave Himself up for us.

This is the Gospel. “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col.

1:27). There is no better thing! Search far and wide. There is

no better way to live and to wait!

“Then I saw a new heaven and a

new earth, for the first heaven and

the first earth had passed away, and

there was no longer any sea. I saw

the Holy City, the new Jerusalem,

coming down out of heaven from

God, prepared as a bride beautifully

dressed for her husband. And I

heard a loud voice from the throne

saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is

with men, and he will live with

them. They will be his people, and

God himself will be with them and

be their God. He will wipe every

tear from their eyes. There will be

no more death or mourning or crying

or pain, for the old order of things

has passed away’”(Rev. 21:1-4).This promised new heavens and new earth is what

our waiting is about. This makes the living in the waiting

bearable and worthwhile and meaningful and joyful. Right

now we live by the power of the Gospel to equip us to honor

God in the now and the not yet. This Lord and Savior in

Revelation 21 is who we are waiting for. He is the one who

makes the living in the waiting bearable and worthwhile and

meaningful and joyful.

No more crying there, we are going to see the King.

No more dying there, we are going to see the King.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We’re going to see the King.2

Father, we your people have waited and you

have come and dwelt among us. Even so, come Lord

Jesus. We are waiting again and you will come again

with power and majesty and authority. Even so,

come Lord Jesus. Strengthen us to

live as we wait in utter dependence

upon you. Teach us to love you and

others. We long for your Kingdom

and kingly rule to be fully realized

on a redeemed earth as it is in

heaven. Even so, come Lord Jesus,

in whose name we pray.

Amen. ■


2 Andrea Crouch, Soon and Very Soon, More of the Best (Platinum Ent., 1993)

He is the onewho makes the living in thewaiting bearableand worthwhileand meaningfuland joyful.

L.B. Graham (M.Div.’96) is teaching at WestminsterChristian Academy in St. Louis and writing a series of five novelsto be published by P&RPublishing starting in spring2004. Joanne Graham(M.A.C.’00) is serving withChesterfield PresbyterianChurch’s New Hope CounselingService in St. Louis as a LicensedProfessional Counselor. TheGrahams have two children: Tom (6) and Ella (2).

Army Chaplain Dave Schutter(M.Div.’97) is serving as chaplainto the 327 MP Battalion, anArmy Reserve unit mobilized inFebruary and deployed toAfghanistan in June. Stationed atBagram Air Base, his dutiesinclude preaching, leading Biblestudies, counseling, and support-ing other U.S. and foreign mili-tary units on the base. His wife,Kim, and sons Jonathan and Lukeremain in Naperville, Ill. Dave isthe Associate Pastor of NapervillePresbyterian Church.

Mark Vivian (M.Div.’97) wasordained in the WestminsterPresbyterian Churches, Australia,on May 18, 2003. Rev. DavidCross, Mark’s father-in-law andMTW church planter in England,preached for the ordination andinstallation service. The servicewas held at WestminsterPresbyterian Church, Bull Creek,Western Australia, where Markserves as Associate Pastor. Markand his wife Shelly have threechildren: Kyle (8), Tyler (5), andAynsley (18 mo.).

Howard Brown (M.Div.’98) and Giorgio Hiatt (M.Div.’00)visited the Covenant Seminarycampus on September 19, 2003.The above picture was taken during their visit. Howard gavethe sermon for chapel and together they led a ministry lunch where they spoke about thechurch plant they are leading inCharlotte, N.C., called ChristCentral Church. Howard servesas Senior Pastor and Giorgio asAssistant Pastor.

Randy Q. McReynolds(M.Div.’00) was installed as pastor of Cornerstone Chapel inBristol, Tenn., on October 12.Cornerstone Chapel is an inter-denominational church locatedon King College Road, servingthe Bristol community. Randyand his wife, Beth, now havethree children: Alex (6), Charis (4), and Kendal (1).

Chris Peters (M.Div.’00) was ordained at CovenantPresbyterian Church,Birmingham, Ala., in October2002. David Lovell (M.Div.’92)preached for the ordination service. Chris has been serving as the Pastor of Equipping andAssimilation for CovenantPresbyterian Church since June2002. Chris and Patience wel-comed their first child, CottonMichael, into their family onApril 16, 2003.

Russ Ramsey (M.Div.’00) andmembers of the congregation ofOak Hills Presbyterian Church insuburban Kansas City have start-ed a “Saturday Nights at theInstitute” ministry modeled afterthe Francis Schaeffer Institute’s“Friday Nights at the Institute.”Their Saturday night talks arebeing held in local BordersBookstores. Through this series of lectures and discussions, theyhope to model for Christians how to respectfully dialogue withpeople of varying viewpointswhile seeking to lay foundationsof truth about the world, people,and God. The lectures focus on topics related to culture, philosophy, theology, science andliterature. Russ serves as theAssistant Pastor for Oak Hills.

Chris Florence (M.Div.’01) wasinstalled as Associate Pastor ofSpiritual Life for Severna ParkEvangelical Presbyterian Churchin Pasadena, Md., on Nov. 2,2003. Chris, his wife Suzy, anddaughter Bailey moved toMaryland this past October.

Brad Wright (M.Div.’02) was ordained and installed asPastor of Youth Ministry atTrinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Va., on July 26, 2003. Greg Thompson(M.Div.’00), R.U.F. CampusMinister for the University of Virginia, participated in the service.

John Jones (M.Div.’03) wasordained by the SouthwestPresbytery on Sunday, October 5,2003, as Assistant Pastor ofUniversity Presbyterian Churchin Las Cruces, N.M. MikeMcLaughlin, Church Planting

Pastor of Crossroads Fellowship inAlbuquerque, N.M., (M.Div.’02)gave the sermon and John C.Pickett (M.Div.’73), SeniorPastor of University PresbyterianChurch, presented the vows.

Filling the Quiver

Beth (Cooley) Smoak(M.A.T.’97) and her husband,Charles, have welcomed two children into their family in thepast two years. Kathryn Clairewas born on Jan. 29, 2002, andCaroline Olivia was born, June18, 2003. The Smoak family livesin Cincinnati, Ohio.

Chris (M.Div.’98) and NancyCrain celebrated the birth ofMalachi Keith on Nov. 14, 2002.Malachi joined siblings Miriamand Eden.

Mark (M.Div.’03) and AliceTucker greeted baby boy Isaiahon July 16, 2003. Mark serves asYouth and Family Pastor for OldOrchard Presbyterian Church inSt. Louis, Mo.

Tucker (M.Div.’03) and StacyYork celebrated the birth of their third child, Titus Owen, on Sept. 7, 2003. Tucker serveson the pastoral staff ofWestminster Presbyterian Church in Lancaster, Pa.


ALUMNInew

s

If you have information for Alumni News, please mail it to Covenant Magazineor e-mail Alumni News: [email protected]


What is

COVENANTCommunity?

André and Heidi Lewis, Covenant Seminary students featured on

the back cover of this magazine, said that much of what they have

learned at Covenant Seminary has come from the community

aspect of their seminary training. “We share burdens, prayers, and

responsibilities,” Heidi said. “I have never lived in a community

quite like this. It’s not perfect, but our time with people at Covenant

has taught me more of living together in Christian community.”

Not all students live on campus, but each one has the opportunity

for living and learning together.

The vision for this community is not an end in itself. It is a time to

prepare students to minister in a wholistic way and lead others in

living and serving Christ together as His body, wherever they are.

Maybe you have never visited Covenant Seminary’s campus, or

maybe you have not been on campus recently. Either way we

wanted to share with you some snapshots of daily happenings at

Covenant Seminary.

– The editors


Below: Dr. David Jones teaches Spirit, Church, and Last Things. Dr. Jones has faithfully served on CovenantSeminary’s faculty since 1967.

Above: Dr. Robert Peterson, Professor of Systematic Theology, takes a question after class.

Left: Dr. Donald Guthrie, Vice President for Academics and Associate Professor of Christian Education.

In the Classroom


Above: Sunset at the Buswell Library tower.

Right: Dr. Greg Perry, Adjunct professor of

Biblical Studies, the newest member of Covenant’s faculty.

Right: Study space made possible through the library renovation.

Below: Edwards Hall primarily houses student services, guest housing, and

a student lounge created in 1998.

Above: A new archeology displaycase in Founders Hall includesbones from the rock-cut tombs atAbila of the Decapolis, a site inJordan where Dr. Herold Marehas been excavating since 1980.

Left: Students in front of Rayburn Chapel.

The Old and NewLandscape of CovenantSeminary


Above: Ministry lunches held throughout the school year provide an opportunity for faculty and guest speakers to interactwith students on a number of ministry- related topics.

Right: This pastsummer, the chapelunderwent a small-

scale renovation to reconfigure the

space and encour-age an atmosphere

of community.

Learning and Living Outside of the Classroom

Below: Dr. Richard Winter meets with counseling students

to discuss practicum experiences.


The Log Cabin is the place for pre-school, parents’ morning/night out, and balletlessons! The few hours of childcare provided at the LogCabin throughout the week help moms and dads take a class together.

Grown-upsAren’t theOnly OnesLearning atCovenantSeminary


Above: Dr. Bryan Chapell and first-year M.Div.

students Josh Brumbaugh and Christopher Barnes.

Right: Ellie Brown, Directorof Financial Aid

Above: Denise Weber, Registrar

Mark Dalbey, Dean of Students

Left: Diane Preston, Associate Dean of Academic Advising, and a small but important member of the Covenant Seminary community.

Right: Eric Richards, Director of Admissions

StudentsWouldn’tMake itThroughWithoutPeople Like These


Covenant Seminary seeks to increasinglyhelp pastors and other church leaders be

rooted in grace for a lifetime of ministry.This is happening through organized times

like the Fall Pastor’s Conference which took place on campus this past October.

It also happens through Doctor of Ministry Courses. In addition, plans are underway

for a pastoral retreat center on campus (see page 18).

Right: Doctor of Ministry Students

ContinuingEducation and DistanceEducation

The Francis Schaeffer Lectures, held twice a year, offer current students, alumni, and local residents a chance to hear noted speakers give a series of lectures on a topic of contemporary interests to the Church andbroader community.

Left: Dr. Donald Guthrie interviews John Porter and JamesSkillen during Fall 2003 Schaeffer Lectures titled: “Jesusand Caesar: Christian Faith and Political Process Renewal”(see page 28 to learn more).

Below: Fall Pastors’ Conference

Some ministry leaders have never had theopportunity to attend seminary and it is not

possible for them to leave current ministrycontexts to do so. For those individualsCovenant Seminary’s Access distance

education program offers the opportunity togo to seminary without relocating. Accessstudents can earn an accredited Master ofArts in Theology. Right: Access Residencygroup, on campus for a one-week course.

Above: Doctor of Ministry Students

Right: Nine acres of land adjacent to the seminary property was purchased in 2003 through generous

gifts of ministry partners. Considering the seminary’ssuburban St. Louis location, this was truly an

opportunity that can be called “once in a lifetime.”

Above: Current on-campus studenthousing. From 1991-92 38 two- andthree-bedroom student apartmentswere built creating a valuable dynamicfor living and learning in community. The newly purchased property allowsmore space for student housing.

Left: The existing house on the property will be turned into a pastoralrenewal center.

Plans for the Future

Future student?


Spring 2004 Francis Schaeffer Lecture Series

On Human DignityWho Gets a Seat at the Table?

Jointly Sponsored by Covenant Seminary’s

Francis A. Schaeffer Institute and the

St. Louis Center for Bioethics and Culture.

DATE: February 27 to 28, 2004

CONFERENCE FEE: $15.00

(free for alumni and current students)

SPEAKERS: Dr. Nigel de S. Cameron, Ph.D.,

Chairman of The Wilberforce Forum and

internationally renowned bioethicist

Dr. Richard Winter, M.D.

Professor of Practical Theology, Covenant Seminary

Prof. Jerram Barrs, M.Div.

Professor of Christianity and Contemporary Culture, Covenant Seminary

Some of the most critical cultural issues of the 21st Century all lead to onequestion: What does it mean to be human? Is a human being defined by productivity or contribution to society? Or age? Or race? Or intellect? Scientific advances, while offering benefits, can also strike at the core of what it means to value and protect human life in whatever form it comes. Is the Church prepared for an era when what it means to be human is called into question?

Interact with scholars in medicine, theology, and ethics to become more prepared to confront one of the mostpressing apologetic issues of our day. To learn more or register to attend, log on to www.covenantseminary.edu/fsi.

Francis A. Schaeffer Institute Summer Study

Spiritual Formation and the Holy Spirit DATE: July 12 to 16, 2004

INSTRUCTOR: John Armstrong, Director of Reformation

and Revival Ministries

This summer take a week of study with the Francis A. SchaefferInstitute to consider how the Holy Spirit works to conform Christians to Christ’s image through various means including spiritual reading, prayer, soul friendships, fasting, worship, and the sacraments. In doing so, consider the means of the Spirit’s work throughout the history of the Christian Church and see how these means are available in your life today. To find out more about registration call the Schaeffer Institute 1.800.864.8064 or log on to www.covenantseminary.edu.

January Lifetime-of-Ministry Lecture SeriesRegister on-line for any of these two- to five-day ministry

enrichment courses designed for pastors and lay-leaders.

Theological Foundation for Urban MinistryINSTRUCTOR: Rev. Mo Leverett,

President of Desire Street Ministries

DATE: January 16 and 17, 2004

The decay of our inner cities can bring discouragementand despair both to those inside and outside of thosecommunities. How are Christians to live out theBible’s mandates to care for the poor and to seek thepeace of the cities in which we live? Mo Leverett, who lives and ministers in New Orleans in the secondlargest housing project in the country, will teach a theological foundation for reaching out and addressingthe needs of the poor. In doing so, he will explore thelost art of redemptive suffering.

Living in GraceINSTRUCTOR: Dr. Paul Kooistra, President,

PCA Mission to the World

DATE: January 9 and 10, 2004

Attempting to live as Christians in a fallen worldwithout the power of Christ will leave a person eitherdespairing or self-righteous. Neither is the fruit of the Gospel of grace which is revealed in the pages of Scripture. Dr. Paul Kooistra, former President ofCovenant Seminary, will show from God’s Word

how all of the Christian life is lived in grace.Included in his lectures will be teaching on worship, humility, repentance, and prayer.

Relationships in God’s ImageINSTRUCTOR: Rev. Scotty Smith, Pastor of Christ

Community Church, Franklin, Tenn.

DATE: January 5 to 9, 2004

How can Christians live as stewards of God’s grace, especially in relationships? This course will explore the relationship between God’s unceasing love and the way in which believers live out their lives in service and obedience to Him. Based on his new booktitled The Reign of Grace.

To register to earn credit towards a degree

through these courses, call 1.800.264.8064 or email:

[email protected].

Please join us.These events are open

to the public and are offered free or for a minimal charge. To learn more about any of

these events please log on towww.covenantseminary.edu

or call 1.800.903.4044.

EVENTSGatherings, Conferences


CO-SPONSORED BY: Covenant Theological Seminary

and Ridge Haven Conference and Retreat Center

JULY 26 - 30, 2004

SPEAKERS: Dr. Robert Peterson and Dr. Michael Williams

Plan your family vacation in the North Carolina

mountains, surrounded by the beauty of God’s

creation and immersed in delightful Bible teaching

by Covenant Seminary professors. This conference

provides an opportunity for Covenant families, both

parents and children, to explore God’s gracious covenant

and what it means for daily living as a family today.

FAMILIES Building

God’s Way The Covenant Family

Conference

EMERALD ISLE HERITAGE

Our

Tour of Ireland and Scotland

HOSTED BY: Dr. Bryan and Mrs. Kathy Chapell

JUNE 22 TO JULY 2, 2004

Take a trip to the Emerald Isle and learn how a very

dark and needy land of the 5th century became

known as the “Island of Saints and Scholars” in the

6th century. Your Irish journey will include stops in

Dublin, Belfast, and Ramelton. Discover the real life

of St. Patrick, see the Book of Kells, explore the boy-

hood places where C.S. Lewis once lived, and more.

The trip will continue on to Scotland where you will

explore landmark locations including the Iona Island.

As you take this tour of church history you will be

reminded that the greatest need of the Irish and

Scottish heart – is the greatest need of the human

heart today. Dr. Bryan Chapell will lead the group in

exploring the history of the Church in this part of the

world and in Bible teaching that will expand your

vision for the Church today.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE TRIPS CALL 1.800.264.8064 OR LOG ON TO

WWW.COVENANTSEMINARY.EDU

Over 200 messages are available now,

and more files are added regularly!

Log on to find out more.

Tap into the Covenant

Seminary archives of over

200 text and audio messages

from Covenant Seminary faculty

and publications. This new

online resource can be searched

by topic, author, or Scripture.

All resources are downloadable

and ready for personal use or

with a small group, Bible study,

or other teaching time.

www.covenantseminary.eduNEW@

As Covenant Seminary exists to train servants of the triune God

to walk with God, to interpret and communicate God’s Word, and

to lead God’s people, we recognize the importance of prayer to

guide and continue the mission.

While much of our training takes place in one geographic

area as students relocate for study, the mission continues in the

lifetime of ministry that the Lord grants as people continue on

from Covenant Seminary. Therefore prayer for the seminary

and its mission comes with a local, national, and global scope.

We are grateful for your prayers for Covenant Seminary.

We hope that this prayer calendar that can be prayed through

during the winter months will help focus your thoughts and

prayers for the seminary, its students and alumni. As the color

key indicates, the dark green squares share campus concerns,

the medium green national concerns, and the white interna-

tional concerns.

theIN

TER

CES

SOR

Campus Concerns

National Concerns

International Concerns

Key:

Pray for peace, justice, andstability in the countries of Iraq, Afghanistan, andIsrael. Pray for soldiers likeChaplain Dave Schutter(M.Div.’97) who wasdeployed to Afghanistanin June. Pray for Christianbelievers in this part of theworld that they would beable to serve the needy intheir communities, sharethe Gospel, and worship in peace.

Pray for alumni who arebuilding upon the exam-ple of ministries modeledby the Francis SchaefferInstitute in their own contexts. Pray for RussRamsey (M.Div.’00) andthe congregation of OakHills Presbyterian Churchas they reach out to thegreater Kansas City regionthrough Saturday Nights at the Institute (see alumni news, page 10).

✁

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his motherMary, and they boweddown and worshiped him. (Matt. 2:7,8)

Praise God for the many Covenant Seminary students who have been able to serve Himaround the world throughL’Abri Fellowship. Pray for alumni currently serving with L’Abri, especially Edith Reitsma(M.A.T.’98) who serves as a worker at the English L’Abri.

Pray for wisdom, stamina,and grace for CovenantSeminary professors.Rejoice with Dr. ZackEswine’s family who recently welcomed babyCaleb. Pray for Dr. HansBayer as he is concerned for and attends the needs of his ailing parents in Germany.

Pray for the StudentMission FellowshipConference that will be held from Feb. 9-13. Pray that all students’visions of the worldwidechurch would growthrough this time andthat some students wouldgrow in a willingness to serve outside of theU.S. context.

Pray for the writing projects of the CovenantSeminary faculty. Praythat these projects wouldbecome a blessing tomany far beyond the seminary campus. Pray for Dr. Robert Peterson as he works on a book on predestination and free will.

We saw his star in theeast and have come toworship him. (Matt. 2:2)

Pray for the Accessdistance education students taking part in a one-week residencyon campus in January. Pray that this time ofgathering together andmeeting professors would be fruitful. Praise the Lordfor the many ways theirtraining is used in theirhome contexts around the nation and world.

Praise God for the pastorsand ministry leaders who were able to come to campus for the FallPastors’ Conference.Thank the Lord for theirservice to congregationsaround the country. Pray that the conferencetime would continue to be a blessing to themand their congregations.

Give thanks for theCovenant SeminaryBoard and Advisory Board as they sacrifice for the sake of trainingChurch leaders for thenext generation. Pray forwisdom for the ExecutiveCommittee of the Boardas they meet Dec. 5 andthe entire Board as theymeet Jan. 30 and 31.

As the United States enters a presidential election year, pray for the Lord to work redemptively in the political process, usingHis people to serve as ablessing to their nation.Thank the Lord for JamesSkillen’s and John Porter’srecent teaching time oncampus (see page 28).

She will give birth to a son, and you are togive him the name Jesus,because he will save hispeople from their sins.(Matt. 1:21)

Pray for Dr. David Jones as he teaches ChristianEthics in, Mérida,Yucatan, from Jan. 18-24.Pray that Christians ofMexico would be built upin wisdom through thistime and serve as salt andlight in their country.

Pray for students as theFall semester draws to aclose and they take a briefbreak from studies. Praythat the Lord would usethe things students havelearned in their studies toplant His truth firmly intheir hearts.

Ask God to clearly guideCovenant Seminary seniors as they seek futurecallings in which to bringglory to His name aroundthe world.

Pray for the seminary alumni who are makingtransitions into new ministry positions this winter. Pray for alumni and their families like Chris Florence(M.Div.’01), KevinVanden Brink (M.Div.’96)and Elizabeth George(M.Div., M.A.C.’03) who have all moved within the past year.

Pray for those countrieswhich do not even know of Christmas. Ask God to send His people to carry His lightinto their darkness.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord hassaid though the prophet“The virgin will be withchild and will give birth to a son, and they will callhim Immanuel” – whichmeans, “God with us.”(Matt. 1:22,23)

Pray for the Fellowship of Evangelical SeminaryPresidents for which Dr. Bryan Chapell serves on the steeringcommittee. Pray that thisgroup would be able toencourage each other onin ministry and share aseach seminary’s visiongrows and develops.

Pray for wisdom for the seminary as its leaders exercise trust inGod’s faithful financial provision through the loving support of peoplearound the world.

Pray for individuals andfamilies around the nation and world who areseeking to know whetherGod is calling them toCovenant Seminary. Ask God to raise up faithful messengers to adark and needy world.

Pray for the CovenantGroups in which studentsgather weekly to integratetheir classroom knowledgeinto their lives and sharewith one another. Pray that this would increasetheir ministry preparationand strengthen their seminary experience.

Pray for the students andothers who come fromaround the nation to hearthe Spring SchaefferLectures on Bioethics (Feb. 27-28). Pray thatthese lectures would helpequip the Church forincreasingly complex ethical questions.

M.Div. Master of Divinity; M.A. Master of Arts; M.A.C. Master of Arts in Counseling; G.C. Graduate Certificate; Th.M. Master of Theology; D.Min. Doctor of Ministry

Sat/Sun Praise Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday


WINTERW

eek

4W

eek

3W

eek

2W

eek

1

Campus National International

2003-2004

PROUD PARENTof a Skateboarder

Becoming an Advocate of Your Child’s Constructive Interests

Thirteen-year-old Luke was now Buck Calder’s only

son, his brother Henry had been killed in a tragic

car accident six years before. Luke and Henry had

been as different as Esau and Jacob – Luke with his

sensitive nature took after his mother, and Henry with his rugged

toughness took after his father.

And now Luke’s father had asked him if he wanted to try for

his first elk. Luke had been dreading the invitation and yet was

hurt that it was so long in coming. They went off to a hidden

canyon, barely speaking as they crunched through the snow.

Luke could hear the thumping of his heart and prayed crazily that

the elk would fight and save themselves.

The elk hadn’t heard his heartbeat. Across the canyon, there

was a herd of maybe twenty cows. A little way off, a solitary

bull with five-point antlers was nibbling bark…Luke handed the

binoculars back to his father and wondered if he dared say that he

didn’t want to go through with it. But he knew that even if he

were to try, the words would never come out; their effect would

be too catastrophic…

The intimacy of the scope was shocking. Luke could

make out individual hairs on the dark neck. He could

see the grinding of the jaws as the elk chewed, see the

paler patches around the liquid black eyes that impassively

surveyed the cows, see droplets of melted snow on his nose…

Half of Luke’s brain screamed at him to hand his father the

gun right then. But the other half assessed this moment for what

it was: a final chance to be something in his father’s eyes. He

must take this creature’s life for his own to have any value.1

That day was a defining moment for the relationship

between Luke and Buck Calder. Luke realized that he was

not free to be himself and still be appreciated by his father.

In using this example, I must underline that I have nothing

against hunting, and in fact, love alpine mountaineering and

off-road driving. Nor is the need for approval and under-

standing limited only to fathers and sons. The point of the

excerpt is to illustrate that our children are not an extension

of our own identity.

A father taking his son hunting for the first time is an American rite of

passage. Of course, it doesn’t have to be hunting – it could be football,

basketball, sailing, or car racing, as well as visiting an art gallery, library, or

orchestral performance. The likes and dislikes of a father often come to

define manhood for sons just as the likes and dislikes of a mother often

define womanhood for daughters. It is a pattern with an ancient and

troubled pedigree. Consider the tensions of the father-son relationship in

Nicholas Evans’ novel, The Loop.


Tori Amos sings of a sixteen-year-old saying, “She’s been

everybody else’s girl, maybe one day she’ll be her own.”2

Teenagers are crying out to be their own persons. As parents

we are responsible to affirm their unique and distinctive

individuality – however different they may be in tempera-

ment and interests from us or from their siblings. In practical

terms, we must become advocates for our teenager’s

constructive interests.

A Sense of Fit

We need to become students not only of our teenagers’

world but also of their own unique perceptions on their

world. We should learn something about their favorite

authors, artists, and musical groups. We should seek to

understand their passions, whether the environment or

the plight of political prisoners.

The Puritans get a bad rap today as being dour, judgmen-

tal prudes, but they have a great deal to say to us on this

matter of lifework. Theologian J.I. Packer observes that

while we are spiritual dwarfs, they were giants.3 The patriarch

of English Puritanism was William Perkins (1558-1602).

Shortly before his death he wrote “A Treatise of the

Vocations or Callings of Men,” in which he sought to help

his parishioners think broadly about the most basic purpose

of their lives. He was instructing them not only to follow

Jesus generally, but to carry out their obedience to Christ in

a way that was unique to their individual character. Perkins

sets the adolescent question “What do I want to be when I

grow up?” within this larger conception of calling. He gives

us five rules to consider as we think about our own particular

calling and that of our teens – the unique place and way we

express Christ’s Lordship in our lives.

1. Without exception, every person of every degree,

state, sex, or condition must have some personal

and particular calling.

2. Every person must judge that particular calling in

which God has placed him to be the best of all

callings for him: I say not simply best, but best for him.

3. Every person must join the practice of his personal

calling with the practices of the general calling

of Christianity.

4. Those who bear public callings must first reform

themselves in private.

5. A particular calling must give

place to the general calling of a

Christian when they cannot

both stand together.4

At the heart of Perkins’ understanding of personal calling

is the idea of “fit”: “Everyone must choose a fit calling to

walk in, that is, every calling must be fitted to the person

and every person fitted to the calling.” This process involves

some trial and error and ideally will include wise counsel

from those who know us well and are themselves spiritually

mature. “Fit” includes both what a person most desires as

well as the ability to accomplish it.

Parents play an important role in helping their children

examine their inclinations and aptitudes in light of their life

as a calling before the Lord. Obviously, today parents have

far less say and children have a much wider range of career

choices than in Perkins’ day. But the spiritual principles

remain. Frederick Buechner argues that our life’s work will

be found in the intersection of our deepest gladness and the

world’s greatest need. Buechner writes,

There are all different kinds of voices calling you

to all different kinds of work, and the problem is to

find out which is the voice of God rather than of

society, say, or the super-ego, or self-interest. By and

large a good rule for finding out is this: the kind of

work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a)

that you need most to do and (b) the world most

needs to have done. The place God calls you to is

the place where your deep gladness and the world’s

deep hunger meet.5

Youth in Ministry Institute

BY DR. DAVID JOHN SEEL, JR.

(M.Div.’81) Headmaster of The Cambridge

School of Dallas


1 Nicholas Evans. The Loop (New York: Delacorte, 1998), pp. 98-100. 2 Tori Amos, “Girl,” Little Earthquakes (Atlantic, 1991). 3 J.I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness: the Puritan Vision of the ChristianLife (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway. 1990), p. 22.

4 Adapted from William Perkins’ excerpt in Edmund S. Morgan, ed.,Puritan Political Ideas: 1558-1794 (Indianapolis, Ind.: Bobbs-Merrill,1965), pp. 51-59.

5 Fredrick Buechner, Wishful Thinking – A Seeker’s ABC (New York:Harper Collins, 1993), p 118.

As parents we must first understand our own lives as a

response to God’s summons before we help our children see

their lives in this light.6 As we do so, we have a responsibility

to allow our children to explore a wide variety of ways in

which they could serve the common good. When our

children hit the teenage years, they need the space and

freedom to let these develop.

As parents we need to listen to our children’s dreams

and aspirations. At age eighteen C. S. Lewis knew as he

took his Oxford scholarship exams that “there was hardly

any position in the world save that of a don in which I was

fitted to earn a living, and that I was staking everything on

a game in which few won and hundreds lost.” 7 Yet his every

attempt to discuss his dream with his father was met with

failure: “His intense desire for my total confidence coexisted

with an inability to listen (in any strict sense) to what I said.

He could never empty, or silence, his own mind to make

room for an alien thought.”8 Similarly, many parents quench

the fire that fuels their children’s dreams.

Of Grinds and Half-Pipes

Adolescence is a time of growing independence.

While this desire must be managed, parents also must be

in favor of it. Dick Keyes warns, “A prepackaged agenda

for a child’s life is either a prescription for crushed and

resentful obedience or an invitation to outright rebellion.”9

For instance, I studiously avoided becoming a surgeon –

named as I am for my father – though I did later become

a wilderness emergency medical technician.

Likewise, my boys avoided following in my footsteps

athletically; instead, David took up lacrosse and Alex

skateboarding. Also, both became active in theater – David

as a lighting technician and Alex as an actor. This was a

long way from anything I ever did in high school. I don’t

believe it was a conscious choice on their part, but both boys

moved into worlds in which they were the experts, not me.

I couldn’t cradle a lax ball or ollie a curb, but I still had a vital

role to play in understanding and encouraging their pursuits.

For my youngest son, Alex, I thought skateboarding was

a passing fad – like, say, baseball cards were in elementary

school. But the board-sports lifestyle of skateboarding,

snowboarding, and surfing has become Alex’s passion.

He announced one day that he would not play any sports

where coaches yelled. Football – my adolescent dream –

was out. I simply needed to accept this as Alex’s way.

If this was his deal, then I wanted to be totally behind

it. So off we went to the summer Extreme Games held in

Newport, R.I., where I was given a crash course in the

adrenaline-rush of alternative sports – sky surfing, bungy

jumping, BMX biking, inline skating, skateboarding, street

luge, and sport climbing.

The day before the event Alex insisted on doing

reconnaissance for the best seats. They turned out to be

directly behind the official photographers and weren’t

actually seats – it was standing-room only. So the next

morning, two hours before the gates opened, we were there

with our X-Games hats and me loaded down with camera-

gear, looking the part of the official sports photographer.

I was immersed in Alex’s world – the skater aficionados

whose conversation of grinds, ories, rail-slides, and 360-kick

flips mixed in with the booming Ska music. I found myself

cheering until hoarse, fighting wildly for skateboards

thrown into the crowd, and altogether having one of the

most memorable times I’ve ever spent with my son. Alex

and I connected – on his terms, in his world.

I’m not naive to the reputation or injuries of those

involved in board sports. More than once, my ambulance

crew has been called out to assist an injured skater who

tried to rail slide down a twenty-foot staircase or ollie a con-

crete canyon. Skateboarders are widely viewed as the urban

outlaws of parking lots and school playgrounds. But mostly,

skaters – and the entire alternative sports world – are simply

part of a culture parents have not taken the time to under-

stand or appreciate. I’ve often thought of having a bumper

sticker printed that states, “Proud Parent of a Skateboarder.”

True Connection

Your teenager may have more “normal” passions – horses,

books, ballet, perhaps even football. Rather than just leaving

Proud Parent of a Skateboarder


6 See Paul Marshall’s Heaven Is Not My Home: Living in the Now of God’s Creation (Nashville: Word, 1998) and Michael Horton’s Where in the World Is the Church? A Christian View of Culture andYour Role in It (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 1995).

7 C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1955), p. 183.

8 Ibid, p. 184.9 Dick Keyes, True Heroism in a World of Celebrity Counterfeits (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1995), p. 226.

Becoming an Advocate of Your Child’s Constructive Interests

our children to their peers, we need to find ways of support-

ing and encouraging their constructive interests. William

Perkins never dreamed of the Extreme Games when he

wrote his advice to parents in 1600. But through these expe-

riences Alex was learning his “fit.”

I received the following e-mail from Alex, soon after he

began his ninth-grade year at boarding school in New York.

What does it take to get a note like this from your

fifteen-year-old son? Connecting – on his terms. The proud

parent of a skateboarder, indeed. ■

This article is adapted from an excerpt from Parenting WithoutPerfection by David John Seel, Jr. copyright 2000. Used by permission ofNavPress: www.navpress.com. All rights reserved.

*Alex is now a semi-pro skateboarder skating and studying photography in Paris, France.

Dad,

I called last night and there was no answer, but I will call again today. Saturday night Tim, John, and

I set up a kicker ramp in the gym. It was so much fun. I did this one ollie that almost cleared Tim’s head!!

(and you know how big Tim is). I was also landing 360 flips!! Not off the ramp, just on the flat ground,

but it was still pretty exciting. My wrist still aches, but it is all right.

Sunday, we had our third SBFL football game. We were playing the first place team. If you don’t

remember, the team is made up of almost all soccer players. Our QB is Mr. Hogan and he has only

played Australian football. Well anyway, the game went back and fourth for a while until the second half.

There were two minutes left in the game (we were up by two) forth down and the other team had the ball

on our ten-yard line. Shep and I were covering Bobby Balister who is incredibly fast. Mr. Hunt threw a

high loft to Bobby, Shep, and I both dove for it collided in mid-air and somehow blocked the ball. I’m not

sure which one of us blocked it, but, whatever, it was amazing.

We then continued from our ten to drive down the field to their fifteen-

yard line. Once again it was fourth down, but we had the ball.

We needed about ten to get the first down and keep the clock

going. All I did was a simple post pattern and beat my

defender. All I remember was jumping up for the ball

and waking up on the one-yard line with Mark

Simmons and the rest of my teammates huddled around

me screaming that I had won the game for us. With about

ten seconds left we just ran out the clock. It was really intense and

I am extremely sore. I think I did the same thing again to my shoulder,

but at least we won. It was worth it to see the look on those football

players’ faces when they realized they got beat by a bunch of soccer

players and skaters.

Love,

Your extremely sore but happy Alex!!!*


Interlibrary SharingGrowing Exponentially

During the 1984-85 school year amere 15 books were lent to otherlibraries by Covenant Seminary’sJ. Oliver Buswell, Jr., Library and31 were borrowed by the libraryon behalf of students, faculty, and staff. Since then, new librarysystems in the 1990s and a newconsortium in 2001 have made itpossible for that number to growmore than 130-fold, with 1,971books lent through interlibraryloan during the 2002-3 schoolyear and 1,943 borrowed fromother libraries as a service to students and others at CovenantSeminary. The Buswell Library

has several collections besides themain book collection, includingperiodicals such as journals andecclesiastical magazines, CDs,DVDs, audio and videocassettes,microforms, atlases, oversizebooks, and the Tait Rare BookCollection with hundreds of vol-umes published mostly between1500-1799.

Fall Schaeffer LecturesAvailable On-Line

This past Fall, James Skillen,President of the The Center forPublic Justice, and John Porter,Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives,U.S. Department of Education,


CAMPUSFor a campus calendar, log on to www.covenantseminary.edu.

new

s

Faculty Itinerary

Jerram Barrs, Professor ofChristianity and ContemporaryCulture, in St. Louis, Mo.,Jan. 23 and 24, speaking for theChristian Medical and DentalAssociation Conference; inRochester, Minn., Feb. 6 and 7,teaching for the RochesterL’Abri Conference.

David Calhoun, Professor ofChurch History, in Columbus,Ga., Feb. 6-8, teaching for St. Andrew’s PresbyterianChurch Missions Conference.

Donald Guthrie, Vice Presidentfor Academics, in Indianapolis,Ind., Jan. 5-7, for LillyEndowment Forum; in Rochester,Minn., Jan. 9 and 10, forRansom Fellowship BoardMeeting; in Phoenix, Ariz., Feb. 12-14, for EvangelicalDeans’ Council, in Lancaster,

Penn., Feb. 27-29, leadingTeacher Training Conference for Westminster PresbyterianChurch.

Zack Eswine, Assistant Professor of Homiletics, in St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 7, 14 andJan. 4 preaching for the ChineseGospel Church; in Bucharest,Romania, Jan. 19-25, teachinghomiletics, in St. Louis, Mo.,Feb. 1 and 8, preaching for the Chinese Gospel Church.

David Jones, Professor ofSystematic Theology and Ethics,in Yucatan, Mexico, teachingChristian Ethics, Jan. 18-24.

Robert Peterson, Professor of Systematic Theology, in St. Charles, Mo., on Nov. 30,Dec. 7, 14, 21, and 28, preachingfor Grace Presbyterian Church.

served as keynote speakers for theFrancis Schaeffer Lecture seriestitled: “Jesus and Caesar:Christian Faith and PoliticalProcess Renewal.” Their lectureshelped conference attendeesbecome more equipped to seekjustice in local, national, andinternational affairs and to under-stand with depth the meaning ofChristian citizenship.Downloadable audio messagesfrom this lecture series are available on-line by logging on towww.covenantseminary.edu/resourceand typing the series title in thesearch box.

Doctor of Ministry Courses

This January, pastors will sharpentheir skills and receive spiritualencouragement through studies inpastoral counseling, apologetics,grace-centered discipleship, and church renewal. Weeklongsummer courses begin May 24.For more information onCovenant Seminary’s Doctor of Ministry program call 1-800-264-8064.

James Pakala, Director of Covenant Seminary’s Buswell Library, serves on the Executive Committee of MOBIUS, a consortium which links Missouri’s academic libraries. James Pakala is shown above with M.Div. student Ty Busbice.

Covenant is published by CovenantTheological Seminary, the NationalSeminary of the Presbyterian Church in America.

The purpose of Covenant Seminary is totrain servants of the triune God to walkwith God, to interpret and communicateGod’s Word, and to lead God’s people.

Volume 18, Number 4. ©2003

Executive EditorDavid Wicker

Managing Editor and WriterEileen O’Gorman

Copy EditorsHuntley CooneyBetty Porter

CirculationPaul Rawlins

PhotographyNichelle HardyRobin DawsonGrant BeachyLaCour-Niesen Visuals, Inc.Ed Eubanks

Design and Production501creative, inc.

Covenant Theological Seminary12330 Conway RoadSt. Louis, Missouri 63141

Tel: 314.434.4044Fax: 314.434.4819E-mail: [email protected]

Visit Covenant Seminary on the Internet atwww.covenantseminary.edu

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripturereferences are taken from the Holy Bible,New International Version®, NIV®, ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International BibleSociety. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) arefrom The Holy Bible, English StandardVersion, ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, adivision of Good News publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

PR0311-001

Briefly Stated

&Grace

PEACEThis “grace and peace” wording appears so often

at the opening of Paul’s epistles (with only slight

variations) that its importance cannot be overesti-

mated. When persons become absolutely convinced

that their standing before God is based entirely on

his grace and not on any goodness in themselves,

peace comes…We become equal members of the

fellowship of those whose condition is desperate

apart from Christ, and this humbling realization is

the foundation for Christian harmony.

– Dr. Bryan Chapell from 1&2 Timothy and Titus (page 278), co-authoredwith R. Kent Hughes, 2000 Crossway Books

COVENANT MAGAZINE Winter 2003-2004 www.covenantseminary.edu Training Servants of the Triune God

When Michael Kelly (M.Div.’91)

moved to Seattle, Wash., from

Yorktown, Ind., in 1995 to pastor

Greenlake Presbyterian Church, he

began to unpack the seeds of a dream.

The dream was to see churches planted

throughout this boomtown of the late

20th century, which has volumes to

offer in the way of technology, art, and

natural beauty, but little grounding in

the grace of God in Christ.

Michael soon found that he

was not alone in that vision and

joined with a number of other PCA

churches to form the Puget Sound Church Planting Network.

As the network got off the ground, they knew they must pray to

the Lord of the Harvest to send workers into the harvest field.

An e-mail sent to Michael by current student André Lewis

(M.Div.’04) three years ago is now seen as a part of an answer to

that prayer. Michael replied to André’s e-mail within five minutes

of receiving it. Thus the dialogue began and the vision grew.

Today André and his wife, Heidi, are planning to move to

Seattle with their three children upon graduation next May in order

for André to begin serving as a PCA church planting pastor in the

Redmond area just outside of Seattle. Redmond is the home of 50,000

people, most of whom are part of young families and many of whom

work for software giant Microsoft. As André says, “What was once

a rough-and-tumble settlement is now a high-tech city.”

While many are drawn to Seattle for its beauty and opportunity,

the Lewises are drawn because of need. “Less than ten percent of

people attend church of any kind,” André says. “It’s the most

unchurched major city in the U.S.”

André is quite familiar with the Seattle cityscape. He is a native

of Washington and a graduate of the University of Washington in

Seattle. Heidi, a native of Colorado, shares with André a desire to

see evangelical churches planted and vibrant in the western U.S.

Neither André nor Heidi

anticipated church planting as their

role in ministry following seminary

graduation. They served in college

ministry prior to coming to seminary

and assumed that they would continue

on in some type of college ministry.

But hearing the testimonies of church

planters who visited Covenant

Seminary’s campus helped André

and Heidi begin to consider a future

in such uncharted territory.

A summer internship at Greenlake

Presbyterian in 2003 helped the

Lewises gain a better picture of the area and confirm this as the next step.

“It was a real step of faith for me to come to seminary with two small

children,” Heidi says. “And that prepared me for another step of faith

which will be moving to Seattle to begin church planting.”

André and Heidi say that one of the primary reasons they chose

Covenant Seminary for ministry training was the opportunity for

them to be trained together. As Andre has pursued full-time Master

of Divinity studies, Heidi has taken one class a semester with long-term

plans to finish a Master’s Degree in Counseling in Seattle.

“Covenant Seminary has done a great job of showing us that,

if you are married, ministry is a joint venture,” André says. “I feel

like we are a stronger team because we are learning together.”*

Andre, Heidi, Michael, and all those who are part of the Puget

Sound Church Planting Network are dependent on the Lord of the

Harvest to continue this work. They ask for your prayers for hearts

to be receptive to the Gospel and that a core group would be estab-

lished to help lead the Redmond church plant. “The good news of the

Gospel is about a whole new life, a new object of worship,” André says.

“This good news can transform any person and any culture.”

*André and Heidi, like many Covenant Seminary couples, are supported in trainingtogether through Covenant Seminary’s Spouse Tuition Scholarship.

Student Profile

Covenant Theological Seminary12330 Conway RoadSaint Louis, Missouri 63141

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDCovenant

TheologicalSeminary

Church Planting in Seattle

André and Heidi Lewis with their children Karter (5), Warner (3), and Landon (5 weeks).

covenant magazine - [winter 2003]

Documents

covenant magazine winter

issue of covenant magazine

realistic picture

picture of competingglories

exterior picture

ministry leadersfrom

ministry institute

atcovenant seminary