Erskine Tenure News

Inside Higher Ed (by no means a neutral news source) is reporting that Dr. Jay Hering has been denied tenure by President David Norman. Now, a "greivance committee" is complaining about this decision by Dr. Norman. .

According to the Inside Higher Ed report, Dr. Norman says that Dr. Hering's denial of tenure has nothing to do with Hering's involvement in last year's lawsuit against the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. The report states:

Norman denies that Hering's involvement in the legal action is at all tied to the tenure decision. According to the grievance committee report, Norman says he denied tenure to Hering because the tenure process was flawed, and the president would not go into more detail.

I, for one, will take Dr. Norman at his word. The report has other news in it as well, such as the fact that Dr. Michael Bush is no longer at Erskine (well, news to me, at least).

Feel free to read the entire article here, but, again, keep in mind that Inside Higher Ed is no friend of the ARP or of any church oversight of colleges or seminaries.

Also, continue to pray for Dr. Norman and his family, as well as the Board of Erskine. This was, no doubt, a difficult decision for Dr. Norman, and, as can be seen in the article, he is already taking a lot of flack for it. May God continue to strengthen him and continue the reformation of Erskine College and Seminary.

Two Recent Articles about Erskine

In the last few days, two articles have been written in various places online about Erskine and the ARP. The first was written by Rev. Wes White and is entitled Erskine PCUSA Theology Professor on Inerrancy. Rev. White brings to the attention of a wider audience the response of Dr. Richard Burnett to the requirement of affirming inerrancy by Erskine faculty. Needless to say, Dr. Burnett objects.

The second article, which appears today at The Aquila Report is written by Rev. Ken Pierce and is entitled No New Battles--The Inerrancy Controversy Strikes Again on the Erskine Campus. Rev. Pierce points out the current self-contradiction of Erskine claiming to hold to inerrancy, and yet employing theology professors who deny the doctrine. He also highlights the difficult position the administration of Erskine, including President Norman, must find themselves in.

Both articles are worth taking the time to read. Be sure to also note the comments on Rev. White's article. Thanks to both Rev. White and Rev. Pierce for continuing to keep Erskine at the forefront of the news and minds of the Reformed community. We in the ARP appreciate the kind words and help of our brothers in the Lord!

ARP and Erskine News

Two stories today, related to the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP), and, more directly, to Erskine College and Seminary.

The first is the news that Executive Vice President of Erskine Seminary, Dr. Neely Gaston, has resigned from his position at Erskine. Read the story here. (UPDATE: The Aquila Report also is covering this news, and has a bit more info here.)

The second is a new article at ARPTalk which details some of the conversations that have happened on Facebook about and involving Dr. David Norman, president of Erskine. You can read that here.

Also noteworthy is the series of articles Dr. Norman will be writing for ARP Magazine. The first in the 3-part series is in the January issue. Together, they will present his vision for Erskine College and Seminary. I may have to resubscribe just to read them!

My Thoughts on David Norman's Thornwell Lecture

I have now had time to read and re-read Dr. David Norman's Thornwell Lecture he gave on the 4th at First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, SC. Let me summarize my comments in this way: Dr. Norman has been President of Erskine for 12 days. I believe we can neither overly praise nor condemn him based on one speech. Dr. Norman has my full support and I hope he has yours as well.

Now, for specifics. There were many things to be pleased with in Dr. Norman's lecture. First, I greatly appreciated the kind words he had to say about Dr. DeWitt:

I do not know Dr. de Witt very well. But I do know him to be a man of the Gospel, and as such I will not sit quietly if his reputation is truly in jeopardy.

Knowing the vitriol that is spewed out against Dr. de Witt by some, this statement by Dr. Norman took a great deal of courage. Well done, Dr. Norman!

I also agree that the phrase "integration of faith and learning" needs to be better defined. Dr. Norman said:

I don’t particularly like the phrase because in many circles it has become an empty slogan of dead liturgy, and what the phrase means is way too important to abandon to the mindless mortuary of recitation and sloganeering.

Anytime a phrase becomes mindless recitation, it can no longer have any force. If we do not clarify what we mean by "integration of faith and learning" and if, after clarifying, we do not enforce what we mean by the phrase, then we have become a "sounding brass or a clanging cymbal," but do no one any good.

Certainly, there are other issues that I wish Dr. Norman would have addressed, but he only had a certain amount of time and I think he did a good job of touching on the major issues.

Again, I state: Dr. Norman has my full support, and I hope he has yours as well. Continue to pray for him!

Dr. Norman's Thornwell Lecture

Dr. David Norman, President of Erskine College and Seminary gave the Thornwell Lecture at First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, SC over the weekend. The full text can be found here.

I will be posting a few comments tomorrow, if I am able. What I have read thus far, I like. Continue to pray for Dr. Norman!