What does it mean to be liberated?

A road in the desertLiberation. First thing most folks think of is political freedom. Minute men. The felling of a wall. The Arab spring.

While all these truly demonstrate a form of liberation, the truth goes deeper. Let’s look at one of the Hebrew psalms (Psalm 32 in English Bibles). The psalmist calls on his listeners to praise God for his justice and love, his creative acts, and his ability thwart the designs of the nations. These attributes instill a sense that this is a God we can trust.

Then the psalmist proposes (in very imagistic terms) that this is a God who liberates his people. Liberation is not accomplished through normal human tactics. Instead, everything depends on God. Continue reading

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The Future of Archaeology at SWBTS

In September of 2011 I attended The Future of Biblical Archaeology Conference hosted at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. It was an exciting event. William Dever – a prolific author and archaeologist – was honored by several former students.

Tom Davis, one of those former students and currently a professor of archaeology and biblical backgrounds at Southwestern, addressed the history of biblical archaeology up to the present. As the author of Shifting Sands: The Rise and Fall of Biblical Archaeology (Oxford, 2004), he is an authority on the topic. As you can tell from the book’s title, the road that biblical archaeology has travelled has not been without its potholes. Continue reading

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The E-License Test (Part II)

The ‘test’ contains two learning modules: ‘New Student Essentials’ and ‘E-License’. Adaptive release rules require students to finish the first module before they can move onto the next.

The first learning module introduces students to campus resources such as the following:

  • Campus security
  • Student housing
  • Dining services
  • Campus health services
  • Financial aid
  • Writing services
  • Campus libraries

Students are introduced to each resource and what it offers. Any requirements for using the resource are clearly set forth. For example, the Writing services section lists the hours the department is open and the various ways that Writing Center personnel can help students (in a Blackboard discussion board, in person, or via email). Continue reading

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The E-License Test (Part I)

The E-License Test course menuBy the spring of 2008, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary had adopted a diverse range of technical solutions to supplement on-campus learning. We were streaming video; we had deployed an enterprise-level learning management system; and we were using software that checked each student assignment for originality. A mail server provided each student an official online email account.

With all this technology in place, we wanted our incoming students to master the essential technical skills they needed to navigate Southwestern’s online learning environment. Continue reading

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Dealing with the unexpected: A story

Time for ChangeYou’ve heard these sayings: Change happens. Change is the only constant. While these expressions have long since metamorphosed into clichés, like a lot of other clichés they still ring true. We see change happening every day, whether we are looking at the people and processes around us or looking within. So we had better acknowledge this fact of life and learn how to prepare.

The first thing we need to learn is to be flexible in our planning. As Burns informed us, change often incorporates the unexpected:

The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men,
Gang aft agley…

So even as we prepare for change, we need to be ready for the fortuitous – the things that make us tweak our planning and modify our schedules. Let me clarify this point with a story. Continue reading

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