Featured SWBTS: Termination on heels of Emeritus status

I read this a few minutes ago via a link on Twitter. Certainly not a time for rejoicing.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

"We confirmed this week through a student record, made available to me with permission, that an allegation of rape was indeed made by a female student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2003. This information contradicts a statement previously provided by Dr. Patterson in response to a direct question by a Board member regarding the incident referenced in our May 30 statement. The 2003 rape allegation was never reported to local law enforcement."

"a female student at SWBTS reported to Dr. Patterson that she had been raped in 2015. Police were notified of that report. But in connection with that allegation of rape, Dr. Patterson sent an email (the contents of which were shared with the Board on May 22) to the Chief of Campus Security in which Dr. Patterson discussed meeting with the student alone so that he could “break her down” and that he preferred no officials be present. The attitude expressed by Dr. Patterson in that email is antithetical to the core values of our faith and to SWBTS."

 

I'll be honest, I believe this whole situation probably hurts the students more than anything. Honestly, I'm a SWBTS student and about one step away from graduation, and I'm really second guessing if I even want to be associated with this school any longer. I was never a big gung-ho SWBTS person to begin with and am seriously wondering if I want to be even remotely associated with this mess.

 

It is a matter of no small concern that individuals at the highest levels of responsibility for training the next generation of Pastors are struggling so much to communicate something as fundamental to Christianity and the life of a believer as ... the truth. Directly contradictory 'facts' which are easily verified by those with access to the records do not bode well.

Sigh. They need LOTS of prayer. I think the board of trustees may be premature in calling for "a time for healing". It feels more like a time for 'the kings' to don sackcloth and ashes. Repentance precedes rebirth.

 

5/30/18
"Deeming the information demanded immediate action and could not be deferred to a regular meeting of the Board, based on the details presented, the Executive Committee unanimously resolved to terminate Dr. Paige Patterson, effective immediately, removing all the benefits, rights and privileges provided by the May 22-23 board meeting, including the title of President Emeritus, the invitation to reside at the Baptist Heritage Center as theologian-in-residence and ongoing compensation."

6/1/18
"Based on a number of follow-up questions I have received this week, I am providing this additional statement related to our May 30, 2018 statement. The unanimous decision by the Executive Committee to immediately terminate Dr. Paige Patterson was prayerfully considered and warranted."

6/4/18
"At this time, the internal review is not complete because SEBTS is not in possession of documents deemed as being owned by the seminary. At this time there has been no evidence discovered that disputes or discredits our former student’s account."​

It would seem that they handle things in reverse order.

• First they execute the prisoner (5/30),
• then they "prayerfully" consider the verdict (6/1)
• only then is it safe to gather all the evidence. (6/4)

 

For those who were not at the convention what you do not know is Barber's statement was in response to another board member who made a request to have the executive board fired by a vote of the members at the convention. While there was not enough support for it in the end there was quite a bit of support for it. The issue this other board member had was that the full board had made a deal with Dr. Patterson that he did not ask for nor did he have to take, and he was concerned that the executive over stepped their boundaries by overriding the full board. He stated some ethical concerns with this as well as legal.

I can tell you that there is at least one other member on the executive committee that has since admitted it was a bad decision on their part made out of fear of how the secular press was going to go after this. According to this board member the (as of yet unfounded) information about covering up a rape scared them to death and they made a quick decision. By the way the executive board, while Patterson was in Germany, immediately changed the locks on the house and canceled the credit card and took away everything from him while in Germany without having spoken to him.

Barbers statement at the convention seemed to be in response to the other board member but in reality doesn't answer why they acted so quickly and without having spoken to him. He may not have responded to them as quick as they would have liked him to but that does not justify their behavior. Regardless of whether or not the final action should be the same with regard to Patterson the executive board has handled it badly.

There was another request made at the convention, and it is still in place, to have the full board review the actions of the executive committee. We will be given the outcome of this review at the next convention in Bham next year. I am quite sure we will hear about it before then.

There is wide spread concern at the treatment of Dr. Patterson. I have further concerns in all of this which will be proven true or disproven based on the Soteriology of the person who replaces Dr. Patterson.