On Friday, May 16, 1958, the graduation program was given in the SEBTS Chapel. The audio begins with the conferring of awards and degrees by Dr. Sydnor Stealey, the President of SEBTS (start-19:14). Dr. Olin Trivette Binkley, Professor of Christian Sociology and Ethics and Academic Dean of SEBTS, then gave the charge to the graduates (19:15-33:02). [The recording ends at this point due to the rest having being inadvertently overwritten at some point before digitization.]
On Thursday, May 15, 1958, the commencement sermon was given in the SEBTS Chapel. After the prelude and processional (start-0:34), Dr. Sydnor Stealey, the President of SEBTS, gave an invocation (0:35-2:40). After a few more songs, prayer, Scripture reading, and the graduates’ gift to the seminary (2:41-22:20), Dr. Dotson McGinnis Nelson, Jr., the pastor at First Baptist Church of Greenville, SC, gave the main address entitled, “Truth Incarnate” (22:21-1:07:15). The service concluded with a hymn, a benediction from Dr. Stealey, and the recessional (1:07:16-end).
The service begins with prayer (00:00-01:12), and Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 6:20-25, Psalm 121, Isaiah 55 is read (01:13-07:13). Next, Scripture is read aloud from Ephesians 3:14-21 (07:14-08:40). After this Scripture reading, Dr. Stewart Albert Newman, Professor of Theology and Philosophy of Religion, is introduced to bring the faculty’s charge to those graduating (08:41-09:54). He says that students have been equipped with two main tools to be reasonably successful: a structure of accurate and well-ordered knowledge, and a right spirit or motives (09:55-15:52). One last word of admonition is given, namely that they would not lose sight of their spirits in the rushing of events and the busyness and stress of ministry. He exhorts the graduates to blend their knowledge with this right spirit which honors God (15:53-25:12). A closing prayer is offered (25:13-25:40).
