A great pastor with an enormous missions heart, died yesterday.

God give us more men like Mark Corts.

August 30, 2006

Dr. Paige Patterson
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
2001 W. Seminary Dr.
Fort Worth, TX 76115

Dear Dr. Patterson:

Thank you again for the opportunity to preach during chapel at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and for the opportunity to enjoy lunch with you and Mrs. Patterson. I appreciate the email you sent regarding chapel on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 and I do find it fair and affirming of all parties involved, yet inconsistent with views attributed to you, views you’ve written, and other outstanding Baptist scholars, theologians, and preachers.

With regard to the “public criticism of the actions of a sister board,” the IMB policy regarding missionaries who practice a private prayer language is a public policy that is in direct contradiction to what many noted Baptist scholars and preachers believe about the practice of a private prayer language. My statement was designed to cause the students to critically think about whether or not the IMB policy lines up with Scripture, not to criticize the IMB. If addressing the policy violated SWBTS chapel protocol, and apparently it did, I deeply apologize for having done so. Please forgive me; I was unaware of this protocol. I was speaking from my faith tradition (National Baptist Convention), and cultural background that encourages addressing unbiblical and discriminatory issues prophetically and publicly. However, I do believe in submission to authority and I will submit to SWBTS protocol in the future to the extent that I am aware of it.

I am very comfortable with your decision to discontinue the video streaming of my message because again, I honor and respect your position of authority at SWBTS. Because I said nothing during my message that contradicted the Bible or the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message, I fail to see how my comments are viewed as outside of the Baptist mainstream. I do believe that banning the free distribution of my message on the school website is a form of unnecessary censorship that is most unusual considering the fact, again, that many Baptist scholars and leaders (Dr. Billy Graham, Dr. Ken Hemphill, the late Dr. Jack Gray, Dr. Jerry Rankin, Dr. J.W. McGorman, Dr. Timothy George, and the current Southern Baptist Convention President, Dr. Frank Page as cited at the end of this letter) have expressed views similar to mine. Nevertheless, I value and love you and SWBTS, and I will continue to do so as I submit to your authority in this matter.

Just as you suspect that most of the faculty and trustees at SWBTS do not believe the Bible affirms a private prayer language, the leading evangelical African-American churches in America including Black Southern Baptists, would affirm the practice of a private prayer language by those who are so gifted by the Holy Spirit. They would certainly not invoke a policy denying freedom of a gifted person to practice a private prayer language. The practical effect of the IMB policy is treating adults as if you have authority over their private lives and personal relationship with Jesus Christ, beyond the boundary of Scripture. For those of us who believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, I find it difficult to understand how we can hold that view and at the same time disregard or deny tongues or a private prayer language as a valid spiritual gift.

I remain committed to support and recruit students to attend SWBTS, but if the majority of the faculty and trustees believe that the Bible forbids the exercise of a private prayer language for those gifted by the Holy Spirit, this would be extremely alienating to the vast majority of evangelical African-American Christians, and many Black Southern Baptist Pastors and congregants, including those who don’t believe in or practice a private prayer language. The IMB policy is not in keeping with Baptist conviction regarding religious liberties and it encroaches upon the autonomy of the local church. It also prohibits and thwarts missionary endeavors for which I thought was the main purpose of the convention.

Finally, if offered future opportunities to preach at chapel, I would submit my manuscript to you for your approval and would try not to veer from my approved manuscript. However, I do understand if I’m not invited again, and that would in no wise affect my love and respect for you and the school. My prayerful, moral, and financial support of you and SWBTS will continue whether or not I’m ever asked to preach again in chapel.

I am putting this statement on our website and will release it to those interested in the matter. I look forward to future fellowship opportunities with you and my tenure on the trustee board at SWBTS.

Sincerely In Christ,

Rev. Wm. Dwight McKissic, Sr.
Senior Pastor

If Dr. Patterson had a problem with the comments of Rev. McKissic in chapel at SWBTS yesterday, why did he not feel it necessary to at least discuss it with him? According to McKissic, in an interview done by ABP Patterson did not mention it at all though given ample opportunity to.

He [McKissic] noted that he had lunch with Patterson and his wife, Dorothy, following the chapel service. “I love Dr. Patterson, Dr. Patterson loves me, we had rich fellowship today,” he said. “If they had a problem with it [the sermon], they didn’t utter it to me at all.”

As I’ve continued to think, and discuss with others, the events of earlier today at the SWBTS chapel, some information has surfaced that I think has bearing on this conversation.

A few short months ago Dr. Jerry Rankin was unceremoniously drug through the mud for his refusal to allow a video of a private inner-office staff meeting at the IMB headquarters to be released to interested parties. Today Patterson has essentially done the same thing, except this chapel service is a public event that is typically produced with uninhibited access. Rankin was publicly reprimanded by many, particularly so at the trustee meeting that was held in Tampa, FL.

Additionally, it is my opinion, as I’ve already stated, that the school has the right to withold the information if they so choose. To produce a statement to that effect is also within their rights. However, to go on record stating that the views of one of their own trustees is “harmful to churches” is to arrogantly assume that both his understanding of scripture and the understanding of SBC churches is so limited that we need someone else to provide biblical commentary for us. It seems to me that this comment was unneccesary and unhelpful when promoting the exercise of biblical exegesis.

While it certainly may be true that McKissic’s position is not that which is held by a majority of Southern Baptists, it is also not an absent position within SBC life. There are a number of SBC’ers who find truth in his statements. Therefore, to make claims like the ones mentioned above, seems both theologically irresponsible and careless at best.

I’m sure by now many of you have heard of the situation that occured in the chapel service at Southwestern Seminary today. In short the preacher, Rev. W. Dwight McKissic, who is a local pastor in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and also a recently appointed trustee of SWBTS claimed, from the pulpit, that he began speaking in tongues while a student at SWBTS and that there is no biblical support to require that others not speak in tongues. He went on to clarify in such a way so as to leave no one unaware that he was opposing the recent policy changes by the IMB Board of Trustees. You can read more about the events by reading Art Rogers ( found here and here) or Wade Burleson (found here).

Dr. Paige Patterson, president of SWBTS, has issued a statement stating that they choose not to release this message via their website. While I was first upset about that decision, after reading their statement I decided that they had every right to limit that accesibility. I still believe that their statement, standing in isolation, is a wonderful example of their rights and responsibilities as an institution. However, this statement does not stand in isolation. The refusal to release information that is critical of another SBC institution is certainly ok for them to do, however, due to the fact that the same ones making this claim of “responsibility” towards sister institutions, i.e. Dr. Patterson, have previously circulated documents that describe in detail their criticisms of the same sister institution, than this document becomes one of pharisaical hypocrisy.

I hope that I am not being overly harsh, and I have no doubt that many of you will remind me if I am, but it seems to me that this is a double standard philosophy. Am I wrong?

I never really thought too closely about forever death until I had the opportunity to stare it in the face. During my time in Burkina Faso I was terrified as I realized that all around me people were dying and would spend an eternity separated from God, not because they rejected Him, but rather because they never had the opportunity to reject Him.I call this forever death. I know that all death apart from God is technically forever death, but death apart from the opportunity to know Christ is particularly frightening.

It was again driven home to me today when I read this story about a mine collapse in Burkina. Burkina is a country with a fair amount of gold but due to a lack of investment capital, machinery and infrastructure, there is very little that is unearthed. However, when given the opportunity Burkinabe will pursue gold in order to provide some money to offset the average household income which amounts to around $300 per year. In a horrific turn of events at least 46 Burkinabe are now presumed dead after the mine that they were in collapsed. They are guessing that 46 died because they counted that many shoes at the entrance of the mine. Unfortunately, as any of you who have traveled in Africa know, many people don’t wear shoes at all, particularly children.

This tragedy occured within an hour or two of Dissin, the village that Tracy and I called home. As I think tonight about those 50 or so that have died I can’t help but wonder how many had ever even heard of Christ?

God, I pray, please call many to share your word with the unreached. Send us out to spread Your Name, Your glory and Your grace to those who desparately need to hear. God, forgive us of calloused hearts when we hear stories like this and aren’t driven to our knees in prayer for those who are condemned to an eternity of separation from God as a result of it.

A while back, John Stickley and I attempted to create a website to facilitate missions involvement and expression. We did a pretty good job, I would say, with missionsconneXion.com but we have been outdone. A couple of guys have put together a fantastic site as a resource for missionaries and missions supporters. I would really encourage you to check it out and get involved. You can find it @ missionaries.in.

From Dr. Al Mohler. Please read and respond. I’m convinced that he’s hit on a very important understanding of theological issues. It is important that we come to a point where we recognize that what he is saying is truth.

I hope that we can remove ourselves from fundamentalism enough to recognize that we can all still be believers without being unanimous in our thoughts. I also hope that we can remove ourselves from liberalism enough to recognize that we must believe something, and we often must be strong in our belief about those somethings.

I’m looking forward to hearing what your thoughts are on his thoughts.