FORT WORTH, TX — The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Board of Trustees adopted the Nashville Statement and reaffirmed the Danvers Statement as “official guiding documents” at its spring meeting, which took place on April 7.
The adoption and reaffirmation of these statements reflect the seminary’s belief that the documents represent and express the “convictional standards, expectations, and beliefs” of the institution, according to the school’s press release.
“A key component of what I have called my ‘big-tent vision’ for Southwestern Seminary is confessional fidelity,” said Adam W. Greenway, president of SWBTS. “Our institution is proudly a seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention, which has declared its theological convictions in the Baptist Faith and Message and, as such, the Baptist Faith and Message is the Confession of Faith of Southwestern Seminary. I am grateful that our Board of Trustees has adopted the Nashville Statement and reaffirmed our commitments to the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood as well as the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy as official guiding documents to help clarify our interpretation and application of the truths expressed in our Confession of Faith.”
SWBTS joins a lengthy list of evangelical institutions to adopt the Nashville Statement as an expression of its convictions on gender and human sexuality. That list includes academic institutions such as Southern Seminary, Midwestern Seminary, Cedarville University, and Union University. Denominational entities like the Southern Baptist Convention and the Presbyterian Church in America — along with some state conventions — have officially appropriated language from or commended the Nashville Statement in their annual meetings.
“Unfortunately, we live in a time in which once commonly accepted — indeed, previously never challenged — fundamental views about biology, gender, sexuality, and the Bible are now deeply disputed in our culture,” Greenway said. “By adopting the Nashville Statement and reaffirming the Danvers Statement and the Chicago Statement, Southwestern Seminary is leaving no doubt about our theological worldview and about the kind of pastors and ministers we are seeking to prepare to engage our world with the life-changing message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The Southwestern Board of Trustees approved a number of actions during its virtual meeting, including recommendations from the Communications, Policies, and Strategic Initiatives Committee to adopt and reaffirm the statements from CBMW.
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