Mind of Christ outshines the culture
by Benjamin Hawkins
Aug 21, 2009
FORT WORTH, Texas (SWBTS) – Believers should not concern themselves with incorporating culture into the church, President Paige Patterson said during the fall 2009 convocation chapel service at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Aug. 20.
"We have whole-scale chasing of the culture right now on the part of the church of God," Patterson said. Many people encourage churches to incorporate the culture into their congregations in ways that are contrary to Paul's message in Philippians 2:"Would you listen to what Paul says?" Patterson asked.
“He says the culture is ... 'a crooked and perverse generation.' In the church of God, don't try to figure out how much you can be like the culture; try to figure out how you can have the mind of Christ and minister to the culture."
Patterson said that, according to Paul, believers who do this will "shine as lights in the world" (Philippians 2:15, NKJV). The believer's testimony in a dark world is the last of seven attributes characterizing the mind of Christ, as described in Philippians 2:5-18. The other attributes that Patterson noted are humility, obedience, working out one's own salvation, absence of complaining, blamelessness and holding fast to the Word of God.
According to Patterson, Christ expressed his humility by his incarnation and death on the cross.
"Now do you get this," he asked. "Do you understand it? Here is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Here is the eternal God. Here is the Lord Christ. And He who is greater than all empties Himself into the form of a human being. What a humiliation. What humility. What an act of graciousness."
Not only did the Lord of all make Himself nothing by becoming human, but He also took on the cruelest form of death possible: death on a cross. But more humiliating and painful than this, Patterson said, was that Christ "took every sin that you have committed. He took every evil thought. ... And this One, who knew no sin, took it all on Himself on the cross."
Earlier in the convocation chapel, Craig Blaising, executive vice president and provost, introduced the seminary's newly appointed and elected faculty and staff members: Kevin Ensley, elected vice president for business administration; Waylan Owens, elected dean of the School of Educational Ministries; Michael Whitlock, appointed instructor of theology in the College at Southwestern; and Adam Groza, director of admissions granted faculty status in the College at Southwestern to teach world religions and philosophy.
Additionally, newly elected faculty member Karen Kennemur signed the seminary’s book of confessional heritage, indicating her agreement with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. Kennemur will serve as assistant professor of children's ministry in the School of Educational Ministries. She formerly served as an instructor of children's ministry at the seminary while completing her doctorate.
An archived MP3 recording of Patterson’s convocation message can be listened to or downloaded through Southwestern Seminary’s Web site,
www.swbts.edu.
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