Gordon-Conwell: Engage the Culture, Remain Biblically Orthodox
NEW YORK – Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary's new president, Dr. James Emery White, plans to revive the vision that the school was founded upon nearly four decades ago in a contemporary context.
As more Christian institutions lean to the left, Gordon-Conwell is advancing a vision across the states to engage the culture while remaining an orthodox Bible-based seminary.
"I'm going to be tireless in pursuing this vision," said White Thursday at Calvary Baptist Church in New York. White, who became the seminary's fourth president on July 1, is currently on a 20-city national tour that he kicked off mid-September to "Advance the Vision."
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Gordon-Conwell has four campus sites along the East Coast, each with its own individual identity. A "one size fits all" approach to having multiple campuses would not effectively serve each city, said White. White has had his heart on New York and plans to bring the seminary to the city.
"New York City is a logical place for us," he commented. White is currently in talks with a number of churches in the local area including Redeemer Presbyterian Church and The Journey.
In an earlier talk with the Rev. Billy Graham, co-founder of Gordon-Conwell, at his home in North Carolina, White was enlightened with the original vision that the world-renowned evangelist had when he started the school by merging Conwell School of Theology and Gordon Divinity School.
He wanted to create a "force of change" – a school that would bring together evangelicals, uphold biblical orthodoxy, and be the "leader of leaders."
As he was listening to Graham, White said it was "almost like he (Graham) was saying, 'maybe it will be fulfilled in your generation.'"
With the baton passed on to White, Gordon-Conwell is seeking to advance to be the "vanguard of evangelical movement."
"We're prepared and we're ready to roll," said White.
Acting on a vision to advance Christ's kingdom in all of life and culture without losing biblical orthodoxy, White commented, "If you don't have biblical orthodoxy but you're trying to reach the culture, then you're not offering the world what it doesn't [already] have."
Gordon-Conwell is also in conversations with such leaders as Chuck Colson, founder of think tank The Wilberforce Forum, to create a center on Christian worldview. The center would help Christians reclaim the culture through such areas as the media, education, science and law. White says at this stage, it is an "idea" and a "dream."
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary is a multi-denominational, evangelical Protestant graduate school serving more than 2,000 students on campuses in South Hamilton and Boston, Mass., and Charlotte, N.C., and an extension site in Jacksonville, Fla. It is the fifth largest seminary in the nation.
