FROM THE HILL: Queen discusses COVID-era evangelism strategies, Yarnell explains who ‘invented’ the Trinity

“From the Hill” is a regular series highlighting the work of The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s faculty. Check back here regularly to find articles, blogs, podcasts, interviews, and more.

• “HOW-TO: Teach a New Song to a Congregation” (article in Southwestern News), by Nathan Burggraff, assistant professor of music theory

“One hurdle that contemporary churches have in teaching new songs to their congregations is the lack of a musical score from which church members can read (i.e., a hymnal). Because of this, song leaders have to be creative in effectively teaching new songs to the congregation.”

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• “Divine Whispers in a Day of Disease”, David S. Dockery (distinguished professor of theology, theologian-in-residence of the B.H. Carroll Center for Baptist Heritage and Mission, special consultant to the president, editor of the Southwestern Journal of Theology), contributor to BreakPoint symposium

“We now clearly find ourselves in one of those defining historical moments, representing a genuine paradigmatic shift in our world as we have known it. The global pandemic has ushered in a serious moment for all of us. Perhaps we will now live with a better understanding of what saints in previous generations have faced.”

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• “Ken Magnuson Named New Executive Director” (news release from Evangelical Theological Society), announcing the appointment by the committee chaired by David S. Dockery, who spoke on behalf of the committee

“It soon became clear to every member of the committee that Ken Magnuson, based on his outstanding education, years and breadth of experience, scholarship, administrative gifts, relational abilities and people skills, as well as his Christian character and commitment, was extremely well suited for this key role in the life of ETS.”

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• The Doctrine of the Bible (book), by David S. Dockery

“Perhaps in God’s good providence, this little book may provide encouragement for some to reexamine the message of Scripture and there re-discover the drama of the redemptive message found only in Jesus Christ. We pray that the book will serve as a guide for others who have questions about the Bible, its meaning, and its authority.”

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• “The Doctrine of the Bible with David Dockery, Part Iand Part II”, David S. Dockery interviewed on Not Another Baptist Podcast

“Dr. Dockery has a storied career of defending the doctrine of the Bible and is here to discuss the re-release of the classic, The Doctrine of the Bible.”

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• “What COVID-19 Means for the Future of Christian Higher Education” (article on The Gospel Coalition), by David S. Dockery

“We are clearly in a defining historical moment that represents a paradigm shift in the world of Christian higher education. From this point forward, institutional histories will be written in terms of pre-coronavirus and post-coronavirus.”

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• Review of The Reconfiguration of Hebrew in the Hellenistic Period (article in Review of Biblical Literature), by Ethan Jones, assistant professor of Old Testament

“The present volume of proceedings offers cutting-edge research on the Hebrew language in the late Persian, Hellenistic and Roman periods. Fourteen specialists of ancient Hebrew illuminate various aspects of the language, from phonology through grammar and syntax to semantics and interpretation.”

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• Brahms’s A German Requiem: Reconsidering Its Biblical, Historical, and Musical Contexts (book), by R. Allen Lott, professor of music history

“Despite its entirely biblical text, Brahms’s long-beloved A German Requiemis now widely considered a work in which the composer espoused a theologically universal view. R. Allen Lott’s comprehensive reconsideration of the work’s various contexts challenges that prevailing interpretation and demonstrates that in its early years the Requiemwas regarded as a traditional Christian work.”

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• “FIRST-PERSON: How to know whether God has called you to be a missionary” (article on Baptist Press), by John D. Massey, dean of the Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions

“God has called all believers without exception to engage the Great Commission, making disciples of all nations. But is there a special calling for some to become missionaries in the vocational sense of the word? Absolutely!”

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• “The Extraordinary New Ordinary” (article on LifeWay Voices), by Katie J. McCoy, assistant professor of theology in women’s studies

“If the purpose of our lives is to know and adore and glorify the God for whom we were made, then these days are not an interruption to what we’re supposed to be doing. Nor are they a waste. They are very much a part of our calling.”

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• “COVID-19 Shouldn’t Stop Evangelism But May Change It” (article on Facts & Trends), by Matt Queen, L.R. Scarborough Chair of Evangelism, associate dean of the Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions, associate professor of evangelism

“Although this might be the first time in our lifetimes we’ve been ordered to stay in our homes, it certainly isn’t the first time that Christ-followers have sought to share the gospel while locked down in their houses because of disease or even locked up in prisons due to persecution.”

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• “Evangelism In A Time Of Social Distancing”, Matt Queen interviewed by Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions

“The gospel never shelters in place. The gospel scatters, it never shelters. Though we as Christians may shelter in place, the gospel must scatter.”

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• “The Holy Spirit”, Malcolm B. Yarnell III (research professor of systematic theology) interviewed on Quarantine Theology podcast

“Conversations with theologians, historians, and Old and New Testament scholars.”

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• “The Preacher’s Reliance on the Holy Spirit”, Malcolm B. Yarnell III interviewed on Preaching and Preachers podcast

“A weekly podcast devoted to those who preach and to the task of preaching itself.”

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• “The Theology of Elizabeth I: Politique or Believer?” (article in the Southwestern Journal of Theology), by Malcolm B. Yarnell III

“Religion, and a contested religious position at that, was of unsurpassed importance to Elizabeth.”

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• “Who Invented the Trinity?”, Malcolm B. Yarnell III interviewed on Explain Apologetics

“Dr. Malcolm Yarnell joins Samuel Nesan to discuss the origin of the term and concept of the ‘Trinity.’ Beginning with church history, Dr. Yarnell journeys from Genesis to Revelation, sharing how we arrive at the doctrine of the Trinity from the pages of Scripture.”