Torch, Spring 2003

Spring 2003 / TORCH 15 Because of its required Bible minor, Cedarville is a model of what every Christian liberal arts institution ought to be.” Patterson has spoken on Cedarville’s campus on many occasions. Dixon has pursued Patterson as a Cedarville trustee for a number of years. Due to his responsibilities at Southeastern and his presidency of the SBC, Patterson has only recently been able to accept this opportunity. “We’re thrilled with the alliance with Cedarville,” related Dr. Jack Kwok, executive director of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio. “Cedarville is a quality Baptist school. They wholeheartedly embrace Southern Baptists. A significant number of our pastors are Cedarville graduates. We’re looking to them as a resource for future church leaders. We would recommend Cedarville not only to Ohio Baptists but all Southern Baptists.” Kwok has also recently become a Cedarville trustee. “This is an important moment in the cause of Christ,” said Dr. Joseph Stowell, president of Moody Bible Institute and a Cedarville alumnus. “As a leading figure in the GARBC, my dad reached out to a young Southern Baptist when he was a student at Princeton University in New Jersey. That young man, by the name of Paul Pressler, went on to become one of the leaders of the conservative movement in the SBC and now serves as the first vice president of the convention. I know that my dad is as appreciative of this relationship as I am.” Mohler stated, “I believe that [Cedarville is] one of the premier institutions defining Christian education in this generation. I am going to go beyond that and say I believe that the Lord is doing in this place something unique, to demonstrate that there can be academic excellence that is culturally relevant and yet deeply rooted in the life of the church and upon the faith once for all delivered to the saints.” Mohler is also a veteran speaker on Cedarville’s campus. His most recent visit was as speaker at the University’s annual Charter Day observance on Jan. 26, 2003. Dr. Morris Chapman, chief executive officer of the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., said, “Thanks to Ohio Baptists, Southern Baptists will now learn more about the high standard of Christian values that characterize the Cedarville campus.” “They will discover,” he added, “an institution and faculty committed to providing a quality education based upon conservative biblical principles historically rooted in biblical inerrancy. They will rejoice to learn that this institution is teaching the Truth to future leaders of our nation.” Dixon was equally delighted. “This announcement by the Ohio Southern Baptists should be met with great anticipation for the future. We have the unusual opportunity to keep our independent identity while working with the SBC and other conservative evangelical groups,” he explained. “In most cases, undergraduate institutions are owned and operated by the state conventions. In our case, we remain a self-governing institution with an independent board.” “We are most excited about how this relationship came about,” Dixon explained. “Leaders of the movement that returned the SBC to doctrinal orthodoxy — an event unique in church history — recognized Cedarville as a place where their young people could receive an ‘education consistent with biblical truth.’ “I wonder how many people understand just what has happened in the SBC over the past two decades in terms of doctrinal issues,” Dixon said. “It really is epic, miraculous, and critical. It is a true watershed event. This relationship is an affirmation of where Cedarville University has stood over the years. Our commitment to the inerrant Word of God is clear and unequivocal. That steadfastness is what attracted the attention of the SBC. And now, many thousands of Southern Baptist young people who are seeking an institution where they can receive a quality education in a thoroughly Christian environment will find it at Cedarville.” Clockwise from top left: Dr. Paige Patterson, Dr. Morris Chapman, Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Dr. David Jeremiah, Dr. Joseph Stowell, Dr. Jack Kwok T