Tuesday, May 12, 2015
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At the spring meeting of its Board of Trustees, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary moved to make the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood one of its guiding documents, April 13-14.
The move formalizes the school’s stances on issues related to marriage, gender, sexuality, and biblical complementarity. Adopting the statement requires all Midwestern faculty and instructional staff to believe and to teach in accordance with the Danvers Statement.
“The Danvers Statement was already a referenced and affirmed document. But, we thought formally adopting it and codifying it into our confessional expectations was an imperative,” said Jason K. Allen, president of Midwestern Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri.
Jason G. Duesing, who serves as provost and associate professor of historical theology at Midwestern, said the statement will help clarify the school’s moral convictions.
“The adoption of the Danvers Statement brings me great joy as that helpful document allows Midwestern to state in a formal way our current understanding and practice of these issues especially in an academic setting,” Duesing said. “This step is one that benefits both current and future faculty and students as it states clearly what we believe the Bible teaches on these important issues for those who have interest in serving and studying here.”
In addition to clarifying the school’s theological commitments, Allen cited a desire to align with other schools and agencies that share the same counter-cultural views.
“Midwestern Seminary is not only pleased to stand for the Danvers Statement, but also to stand with other entities and ministries who affirm it,” Allen said. “It is our way of standing with them, of letting them know they are not alone in the great theological and cultural struggles in our generation.
Midwestern Seminary also formalized its alignment with The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and with its own statement, called Sex, Sexuality, and Gender Identity.
The Danvers Statement was written in 1987 by evangelical leaders at a meeting of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. The statement was published in 1988, and can be read here.
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