The year 2020 was not only marked by sheltering-in-place and social distancing but also the civil unrest following George Floyd’s death, which permeated every facet of our lives. In this political climate, Jonathan Edwards (1703 – 1758) continues to be targeted on various social media platforms for his complicity in institutional slavery. In response to indiscriminate cancel culture, the Jonathan Edwards Center (JEC) at Gateway Seminary hosted a virtual event on November 2, 2020, with the theme of “Jonathan Edwards and Slavery: Christian Leadership with Feet of Clay.” In a ‘news-interview’ style, I moderated three speakers: Ken Minkema, pastor James Westbrook, and Dr. Leroy Gainey.

Dr. Minkema is the director of the JEC at Yale University and is the foremost expert on this historical question. James Westbrook is a former Gateway student who took my Edwards class several years ago, and he had some keen insights on this issue. He spoke on how he came to appreciate Edwards. Dr. Gainey is senior professor of educational leadership at Gateway and is the first trustee-elected African American professor in SBC history. He addressed the broader subject of how modern readers can think about a Christian leader’s legacy who lived and died before the abolitionist movement in the 1830s. For 90 minutes, the panel examined the issue of slavery in the early American period and assessed how modern readers ought to interact with Edwards’ position.

I received positive feedback from people who joined us by watching the panel discussion. President Iorg thought it was outstanding and was particularly impressed with the panel’s discussion on cancel culture. He added, “Good words on a difficult subject!” JEC board member and professor at Southwestern Seminary Rob Caldwell said, “Each of the presenters offered very helpful perspectives on how we are to appreciate Edwards in the wake of the racial unrest this year. It is so important that nuanced, complex answers are available out there on this topic. The simplistic, emotive reactions of cancel culture are not constructive; this discussion was.” The panel’s consensus indicated we can still appreciate Edwards within his historical context without justifying his complicity in the institution of slavery. I ended our discussion by asking the following question to the audience: “Every generation has their own mistakes, but our mistakes are different from theirs. If Edwards, a godly person who loved scripture, who authored The Nature of True Virtue and Religious Affections, was so blind to the great sin of his generation, how about us? How about those of us living in the twenty-first century?”


Watch the full digital panel


Event

Register for a free lunch and lecture with Lisanne Winslow on March 31, 2022, at 12 p.m. at Gateway Seminary. Dr. Winslow is a professor of biology at the University of Northwestern, St. Paul. Having earned doctoral degrees in both theology and biology, Winslow’s research interests integrate the two disciplines.

Dr. Winslow will be presenting themes from her recently published books:

A Great and Remarkable Analogy: Jonathan Edwards’ Onto-Typology of Nature (Yale University Jonathan Edwards Center, “New Directions in Edwards Series” published through Vandenhoek and Ruprecht Publishers), and A Trinitarian Theology of Nature (The Princeton Theological Monograph Series, with a Foreword by Alister McGrath, Director of the Science and Religion at the University of Oxford).


Read More

Devaluing Marriage

Dr. Iorg challenges the church and its leaders to continue and uphold the institution of marriage.

Jeff Iorg
President
Dr. Jeff Iorg is the president of Gateway Seminary. Prior to his service at the Seminary, Dr. Iorg was the Executive Director of the Northwest Baptist Convention for almost ten years. He was also the founding pastor of Greater Gresham Baptist Church in Gresham, Oregon, and has served as a pastor in Missouri and a staff pastor in Texas.

A Perfect Opportunity

Dr. Iorg expresses why he loves living in the West and in particular Southern California. The need for the gospel is great and Dr. Iorg encourages others to do more work in areas that may not be so comfortable for Christians.

Jeff Iorg
President
Dr. Jeff Iorg is the president of Gateway Seminary. Prior to his service at the Seminary, Dr. Iorg was the Executive Director of the Northwest Baptist Convention for almost ten years. He was also the founding pastor of Greater Gresham Baptist Church in Gresham, Oregon, and has served as a pastor in Missouri and a staff pastor in Texas.

Listen

10 Questions with 10 Pastors
March 27, 2023

Will Browning

Will Browning is the final guest of season two of Ten Questions with Ten Pastors! He is the Send City Missionary for Los Angeles with NAMB.

In this episode, Browning shares how he went from planting a church in South Carolina to being a church planting

Lead On Podcast
March 26, 2023

The Use of Power and Authority in Ministry Leadership—Part 1

The concept of power and authority can lead to mixed reactions depending on who you talk to. Dr. Iorg defines and provides an overview of power and authority and provides ways for leaders to examine if they are using power and authority responsibly and effectively. <


Watch

Spirituality of Jonathan Edwards | JEC at Gateway Seminary

Dr. Chris Chun hosted a digital symposium with Dr. Michael Haykin and Dr. Robert Caldwell to discuss Edwards’ spirituality, devotional life and theological impact in American Christianity.

Chris Chun
Professor of Church History | Director, Jonathan Edwards Center
Dr. Chris Chun is the professor of Church History and the director of Jonathan Edwards Center at Gateway Seminary. Chris’ doctoral research at St. Andrews University was focused on the eighteenth-century Edwardsean Baptists in Britain. He also has served as president of The Evangelical Theological Society (Far West Region).

Faculty Dialogues: Dispensationalism or Not

In this episode of Faculty Dialogues, Dr. David Rathel and Dr. Paul Wegner held a live discussion on their views on dispensationalism.

David Rathel
Associate Professor of Christian Theology
Dr. Rathel is the associate professor of Chrisitian Theology at Gateway Seminary. Prior to Gateway, Dr. Rathel supplied pastoral care to churches in the United States and Scotland, served as an Adjunct Professor of Theology and Philosophy for the Baptist College of Florida, and provided teaching assistance for the University of St Andrews.

Get updates on new content!