Yarnell to deliver W. H. Griffith Thomas Lectures at Dallas Theological Seminary
Malcolm Yarnell, research professor of theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, will deliver the W. H. Griffith Thomas Memorial Lectureship Feb. 4-6 in the Lamb Auditorium at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS).
Leading educators in ministry preparation are invited to speak at the annual lectureship, which was established in 1926 and is named for a co-founder of the Dallas seminary.
“I am thankful to the faculty and administration of the Dallas Theological Seminary for inviting me to deliver the W. H. Griffith Thomas Lectures,” Yarnell said. “I have long used the writings of Dr. Griffith Thomas in my own theological ruminations and consider it a special gift to lecture under his name. It will be a joy to renew fellowship with the many scholars at DTS who have blessed evangelicals broadly and Southern Baptists particularly with their excellent theological writings.”
Yarnell’s presentation will focus on the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which adopted the Nicene Creed. He will address “The Biblical Genius of the Nicene Creed: Spirit, Structure, and Content” on Tuesday, Feb. 4, and “The Contemporary Relevance of Nicaea: The Need for and the Challenges to Its Retrieval” on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The lectures will take place during the seminary’s chapel services, beginning at 11 a.m. A Brown Bag Lunch with Q&A will follow at noon both days of the lectureship.
“This set of lectures, which considers the origin and continuing relevance of the Nicene Creed, has the secondary purpose of prompting evangelical Christians to incorporate this most universal of Christian confessions in their thought and worship,” Yarnell said. “The universal Christian creed derives from the efforts of wise believers in the fourth century to exegete the Holy Word of God for the purposes of proper teaching and proper worship.
“But the primary purpose of these lectures is to prompt all of us alike to glorify the one true God, who is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, of whom the second Person is truly divine and truly human,” he added. “While these lectures derive from a lifetime of theological musings – biblical, historical, philosophical, and systematic – they are driven by a conviction of conscience to honor our one Lord Jesus Christ.”
Southwestern Seminary President David Dockery said, “Malcolm Yarnell is one of the most thoughtful theologians in Baptist life today. Carrying on the tradition of his teacher, James Leo Garrett Jr., Dr. Yarnell has been an influential voice on the Southwestern campus and beyond for two decades. His recent invitation to present the prestigious and highly regarded Griffith Thomas Lectureship at Dallas Theological Seminary exemplifies the respect given to Dr. Yarnell by the broader evangelical world. I know the Dallas Seminary community, and many others, will be blessed by Dr. Yarnell’s insightful presentations regarding Nicaea as we celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of this historic council and confession.”
More information on Yarnell’s presentation can be found here.
