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Fall 2009 | Volume 68, No. 1
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Southwestern reveals new logo and seal
by Benjamin Hawkins
Southwestern Seminary revealed a new logo and seal this summer.
“As we begin Southwestern’s second century, a new logo and seal have been adopted that capture both the special-ops DNA of our students, alumni, and faculty and portrays the seminary’s historic missionary and theological foundation on which we intend to continue to build,” President Paige Patterson said.
“Our logo and seal rightly show that at the heart of every Southwesterner is a desire to see the Gospel reach the nearly 7 billion people on the face of the globe. ... May they declare to all our desire that until our Lord comes, the sun never sets on Southwestern.”
The images on the new logo and seal portray Southwestern’s mission and history. Depicting a Bible and a portion of the globe, Southwestern’s logo emphasizes the seminary’s devotion to God’s Word and to the Great Commission. Southwestern Seminary is founded upon the inerrant Word of God and not upon any historic building or landmark. The Word has echoed through its halls, and students have proclaimed the Word throughout the nations for more than 100 years.
At Southwestern, students root themselves in Scripture through courses in biblical language and exegesis, theology, apologetics, and church history. Southwestern challenges students to apply this biblical knowledge as they take the Gospel into the world, and it equips them to do so through courses in preaching, evangelism, and missions. The logo will appear on promotional pieces and on the seminary’s Web site,
www.swbts.edu.
As in most universities and seminaries, Southwestern’s seal marks official documents coming from the president’s office, the seminary’s cabinet, and the board of trustees. It is also stamped onto diplomas awarded by the school.
Since its beginning, Southwestern’s influence has spread across Texas and beyond. Today it has campuses in both Fort Worth and Houston, as well as extension centers throughout Texas and in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Germany. Southwestern Seminary, however, remains proud of its Texas heritage.
A rope wrapped around the edge of the seal and Texas’ lone star at its center recall Southwestern’s roots in the rugged Texas of the Old West. Founded in Waco, Texas, in 1908, the seminary moved to Fort Worth two years later, and its students preached the Gospel in “Hell’s Half Acre,” an area notorious for brawling and crime.
Southwestern’s founder and first president, B.H. Carroll, was a Texas Ranger, and his successor, L.R. Scarborough, honed his skills at horseback riding, roping, and handling a six-shooter during his early years on a West Texas ranch. The rope running along the edge of the seal also calls to mind Carroll’s final words to Scarborough: “Keep the seminary lashed to the cross.”
Located in the upper portion of the seal, the Latin phrase, Pro Ecclesia (for the church), reminds members of the Southwestern family that the seminary serves local churches.
The seal’s prominent message, “Preach the Word, Reach the World,” was highlighted on the cover of the summer 2009 edition of the Southwestern News magazine. Since its beginning, Southwestern has trained young ministers to preach the Word, following Paul’s mandate in 2 Timothy 4:1-5. It has also urged students to reach the world in obedience to the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20.
The waves of grain, stretching upward, portray the world’s need for the Gospel and the urgency of Southwestern’s mission: “The harvest is plentiful,” Christ said in Matthew 9:37-38, “but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Southwestern continues to follow the tradition of its second president, L.R. Scarborough, in “calling out the called” to reach the world for Christ.
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