• William Randall Lolley was the 3rd president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. The service begins with organ music, and the speaker gives a word of prayer (00:00-02:06). Lolley declares the beginning of the 35th academic year, and he recognizes some of the emerita faculty present in chapel (02:07-04:54). Dean Morris Ashcraft presents the Award for Faculty Excellence to Delos Miles, professor of Evangelism (04:55-08:05). John R. Morsette, Chairman of the Seminary Development Counsel, presents a check to Miles for his teaching service, and Lolley speaks about how Miles has remained headstrong through the death of his two brothers (08:06-10:45). Ashcraft delivers the Scripture reading from Matthew 19:16-20:16 (10:46-13:43). A soloist sings a song of worship (13:44-17:31). Lolley delivers an expository convocation address on the story of the rich young ruler and the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, and he reminds the audience of Christ’s generosity and his covenantal promises (17:31-37:48). Lolley concludes with a word about the Peace Committee in the Southern Baptist Convention, and he offers his theological solution in four words: Jesus Christ is Lord (37:49-41:44). The service ends with a word of prayer (41:45-42:27).
The guest speaker for the SEBTS Convocation on Women in Ministry was Letty M. Russell who was Professor of the Practice of Theology at Yale Divinity School (00:00-03:41). The title of Russell’s convocation speech is “Woman in Ministry: Problem or Possibility,” and she states that her attention will be focused on what has been called the “Strasbourg Shift” (03:42-12:05). Russell believes that men in the church view the creation order as a pyramid of domination with men above women in the hierarchy, and this domination has been masked by the label of maintaining orthodoxy even though both sexes have been called into one ministry and one baptism (12:06-19:51). She examines the abuse of the hierarchical structure of Reformed ecclesiology, and she offers other paradigms that celebrates diversity, humility, and inclusiveness and creates order through a synergetic spectrum (19:52-28:48). Russell states that ministry should be defined through servanthood, specifically the humble posture of Christ as the servant and liberator (28:49-37:56). Russell concludes her convocation speech by speaking on the pinnacle complex, and she says, “we must let Pharaoh go and embrace the rainbow” (37:57-47:15).
