I have been in the process of researching and investigating potential seminaries I would be interested in attending after my time here at Arizona State. I have recently learned that one of my prospects, Westminster Theological Seminary, is currently experiencing a bit of turmoil surrounding the suspension and possible termination of one of its long-time faculty members, Peter Enns. This is reportedly in response to a theological divide among the seminary’s professors believed to be caused by debate over Enns’ controversial book, Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament.
I have been most persuaded by those that point to what Scripture says about itself rather than how our view of Scripture should be influenced in light of extra-biblical sources. Would anyone like to discuss or disagree with this admittedly simplified generalization of each viewpoint?
However, let me emphasize that the primary purpose of this post is not to inform you of the issue and request a sharing of opinions, but to ask for prayer for God’s will in the upcoming dialogue and its resulting decisions. May God grant wisdom and discernment to all involved – the Board, faculty, alumni, prospective students like myself, unaffiliated individuals concerned with the issues presented in Dr. Enns’ book, etc.
If you would like to become more knowledgeable of the subject, here are some helpful links:
Christianity Today’s article on the matter.
A Westminster student’s article and audio concerning the April 1st Special Chapel session regarding suspension.
A very thorough and involved discussion occuring at Green Baggins.
A critique by D.A. Carson, “Three Books on the Bible: A Critical Review,” including a portion addressing Inspiration and Incarnation.
A petition against the overall direction of Westminster and the suspension of Dr. Peter Enns.
A satisfyingly complete collection of links regarding information on the current controversy compiled by Brandon Withrow, a graduate of Westminster.
3 comments
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Wednesday, 2 April 2008 at 11:10 am
Dahvede
Will be praying for you brother. On a non-spiritual level, you may want to check out the student covenants for seminaries.
Thursday, 10 April 2008 at 3:16 pm
Dana B.
This is interesting. I am going to do some more reading on this, before I make an opinion! But I’m interested in seeing all the information!
Friday, 20 February 2009 at 5:11 pm
VOCAB MALONE
I do not know if they should have kicked him out or not but his perspective could lead to some problems. I know it seems silly but some of the reviews at Amazon dot com were actually quite helpful, I think.
Enns position is very nuanced and obviously informed by great learning. He may have some points about Evangelicals over-simplifying OT-related issues, no doubt.
I am just not sure how helpful it is too write-off some of the “literalness” of the OT in favor of allegory and a possible overemphasis on the influence of human culture on Scripture. Yes, the OT is a product of the ANE; yes, humans wrote it … but it is still God-breathed Scripture, is it not?