Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) and The College at Southeastern celebrated the start of the fall 2022 semester by recognizing dean’s list recipients and witnessing the signing of the Abstract of Principles and the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
In his Convocation address, SEBTS President Danny Akin used the story of freed slave Betsey Stockton to charge students to be faithful to the Great Commission and to remain content in Christ.
Scott Pace, dean of The College, recognized 98 students who met the requirements for The College’s spring 2022 dean’s list. Pace acknowledged that qualifying for the dean’s list is a significant academic achievement because it requires students to complete a minimum of 12 credit hours with at least a 3.75 GPA for the semester while also maintaining good academic standing and an overall 3.0 GPA.
After the dean’s list recognition, Ross Inman, associate professor of philosophy, signed the Abstract of Principles and the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 in the presence of the faculty and attendees. Inman was elected to the faculty during the board of trustees’ spring meeting. By signing the documents, Inman publicly joined the faculty in its resolve to teach in accordance with and not contrary to historic Baptist doctrine (the Abstract of Principles) and to the unifying confession of Baptists today (the Baptist Faith and Message 2000).
After these moments of recognition, Akin challenged students, staff and faculty to be content in Christ wherever God calls them, narrating the life and ministry of Betsey Stockton as an inspiring story of faith in Christ and of faithfulness to the Great Commission.
Born near the end of the 18th century, Betsey Stockton would have seemed an unlikely candidate to be commissioned for international missions, but God radically changed Betsey’s life and used her circumstances to prepare her for his missionary calling on her life.
“Betsey Stockton was born in the world of American chattel slavery,” Akin said. “However, Betsey’s conversion resulted in a radical change that immediately planted in her heart a desire for the unthinkable and virtually impossible for a person of her station: the desire to be an international missionary.”
Despite the tragic and restricting conditions of her life, Betsey Stockton found contentment in Christ and trusted God’s calling upon her life – hoping that God’s call would include international missions, Akin said. Because God had saved her through his Son, Betsey desired to be content with a life of tireless service to Christ.
Pairing Betsey’s story with 1 Corinthians 7:17-24, Akin expounded Paul’s admonition to trust the Lord’s providence and be content in God’s calling on a person’s life.
“God has an individual plan and purpose for every one of his children,” Akin said. “Trust in this. Be at peace in this. When God called you to salvation through his Son, he already had a course mapped out for your life. Growing out of your call to salvation is a definite calling for a life sovereignly determined by God.”
Read the full story here.
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Chad Burchett is a writer for the SEBTS office of communications.)
