By Sherri Huleatt  

Congratulations to Mark Abbott!

Several years ago, Mark Abbot and his wife of nine years, Alyson, were given the most heartbreaking news of their lives: their doctor informed them that they were unable to bear children. “When we first got that news, it was like our world, hopes, and dreams had crumbled,” wrote Mark. “I’ve spoken about the sovereignty of God, sung songs about it, even preached a time or two about it, but this time God was asking me if I was really going to believe it.”

Although devastating at the time, God used this heartbreak to shape a new goal for Mark and Alyson—to adopt.

At the same time, Mark was feeling a tug on his heart to return to seminary to pursue his Doctor of Ministry. Although this sounded great in theory, the cost of adopting a child within the United States is well beyond what most families can afford; add to that the expense of pursuing seminary and you may very well sink yourself into decades of debt.

But Mark’s faith was never shaken. “I know that no matter what happens to me in this life, God has a way of taking the bad things that happen and using them for good,” he wrote. And he couldn’t have been more right. Mark was recently awarded the Leith Anderson Scholarship—an $18,000 scholarship that will allow Mark to earn his DMin for free through Knox Theological Seminary.

Mark was shocked when he heard the news. “This was a gift from God,” he wrote. “It was the opportunity of a lifetime to earn my doctorate for free.” With this scholarship, Mark and his wife can follow through with their adoption plans without the additional financial burden of paying for seminary.

Knox’s DMin program also allows Mark to pursue his degree on his own time and keep his day job—something many seminary students have to sacrifice while attending school.

Mark is incredibly passionate about music and serves as the Minister of Music at Cherokee Avenue Baptist Church in Gaffney, SC. He received his Master’s degree in Church Music from Southern Seminary in 2009, and intends to put worship at the forefront of his Knox studies as well. “I really look forward to learning more about how the local church can spread the Gospel in this culture without compromising its values, traditions, or the Gospel itself,” he wrote.

In addition to preparing for his new educational journey, Mark and his wife are now in the final stages of the adoption process and are on the waiting list for a child to be placed in their home. “I’ve stopped asking why and started trusting that His plan is better for me,” wrote Mark. “His plan is better than any plan that I could come up with on my own.”

Learn more about pursuing your DMin on your own time with Knox.

by Brandon Ratliff, Outreach Ministry Coordinator at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church

Click on the graphic to read the full article:

Brandon Ratliff, Human Trafficking Ministry

*This article was in the winter 2013 issue of Knox Now. See the full magazine here:

Join Knox and Logos in Bellingham, WA: June 26–28, Morris will be teaching Camp Logos at the Logos headquarters in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest.

Come study the Bible with us and get powerful software training. Take the first step and fill out our inquiry form.

Get started today!

Taught by Dr. Terry Gyger 

Founder and Former Executive Director, Redeemer City to City, where he planted over 300 churches

Former Executive Pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church (Manhattan)

Former Coordinator of The Presbyterian Church of Americas’ Mission to North America where he planned and supervised the planting of hundreds of churches.

He is a recognized expert in the field of church planting.

WHEN AND WHERE:

3 credits  •  October 7-11,2013

Knox Theological Seminary  •  Fort Lauderdale, FL

WHO CAN REGISTER: This course is open to all Doctor of Ministry students. Master-level students may take the course with prior permission from the Dean of Faculty. Other interested individuals may take the course as non-degree-seeking students. Please contact the registrar about registration (lgottshall [at] knoxseminary [dot] edu).

Click on the graphic to get all of the details:

For a list of all Doctor of Ministry course offerings, please click here.

Award: Dr. Bray won an Award of Merit in the 2013 Christianity Today Book Awards for his book, God is Love: A Biblical and Systematic Theology.

Dr. Warren A. Gage

Books: Spring of 2013

The Romance of our Redemption (with Chris Barber)

Preaching morning services: May 24-26, 2013

Corpus Christi Christian Fellowship, conference with Pastor Don Leavell.

July 14-19, 2013

Lamplighter Guild for the Creative Arts, conference with Mark Hamby, Dr, Jeff Myers, and Michael Card.

Mohonk Mountain House (New York)

August 7-13

Pyungkang Chiel Church (Dr. Abraham Park).

Conference with Dr. Bruce Waltke

Seoul, Korea

Lecturing for the Christian Union: September 12, 2013

Columbia University

September 13, 2013

Yale University

Teaching Trip: November 15-24, 2013

Knox Seminary & Rio Vista Holy Land Study Tour to Israel. Students can receive course credit for the trip.

Dr. Sam Lamerson

Teaching: Continuously in 2013

Sunday School at Cross Community Church

Deerfield Beach, FL

Preaching: Dr. Sam Lamerson’s latest sermon preached at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church:

Blog: Follow Dr. Lamerson on his blog.

Dr. Michael Allen

Speaking: April 11-12

Bible Backgrounds

Pastorum LIVE

Chicago, IL

Dr. Jim Belcher

Books: In Search of Deep Faith

Pre-order on Amazon

Due out in September 2013

Dr. Jono Linebaugh

Speaking: March 4-6, 2013

Cathedral Church of the Advent’s Lenten Series

Birmingham, AL

All of Dr. Linebaugh’s sermons from this series can be accessed here.

Publications:

God, Grace, and Righteousness in Wisdom of Solomon and Paul’s Letter to the Romans: Texts in Conversation (Novum Testamentum Supplements, Brill, 2013).

Preaching: Dr. Jonathan Linebaugh’s latest sermon preached at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church:

Speaking: February 21-24, 2013

 Liberate 2013 Conference

Dr. Scott Manor

Speaking: 

July 7-11

Society of Biblical Literature 2013 International Meeting

“Diversity or Disharmony: Patristic Writers on the Different Accounts of Jesus’ Cleansing of the Temple”

Saint Andrews, Scotland

Dr. Daniel A. Siedell

Speaking:

May 1, 2013

“Who’s Afraid of Modern Art?”

Christ Episcopal Church

Charlottesville, Virginia

May 5, 2013

“Art and the Church”

Trinity Presbyterian Church

Charlottesville, Virginia

Blog: Follow Dr. Siedell on CULTIVARE at Patheos.

Pastor Tullian Tchividjian

Watch Pastor Tullian at LIBERATE 2013

Hosted by Dr. Warren A. Gage and Rev. Tom Hendrikse

November 15-24, 2013

“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.” ~Psalm 84:5

Dear Friends:

We invite you to join us as we take a life-changing study tour. People from all over the world come to Israel to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and see places they have read about in the Bible. When you come to Israel you will not only visit powerful historic sites, but you will experience the fresh footsteps that Jesus makes today. Just as Christs’ encounter with people left them forever changed, you too can experience the powerful presence of Christ a fresh in your own life. You will see the places where Jesus walked, Old Testament history was made and Bible prophecy was fulfilled and will be fulfilled in the future. This entire tour is not just any tour; it is a faith-building and learning experience. We have already begun to pray for the group that God will draw together on this spiritual pilgrimage. We look forward to seeing you in the Holy Land with us.

Come Join Us, Blessings,

Dr. Warren Gage and Rev. Tom Hendrikse

Student Credit

Knox students have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit the Holy Land, study under Dr. Warren Gage and Rev. Tom Hendrikse, and get seminary credit for the trip. Students will pay for the trip but the course tuition is waived. The deadline to register for the trip and receive credit is August 1.

AT582 (Master level) or DM982 (Doctoral Level)

This three credit hour class is offered as an elective in all programs. It is a focused study tour of Israel, surveying the most prominent sites of biblical interest. It is led by a seminary faculty member and a local licensed guide. Highlights include: Joppa (The port of Jonah), Caesarea by the Sea (Paul’s Prison, Herod’s palace), Mount Carmel (Elijah and the priests of Baal), Megiddo (view of Jezreel Valley, site of biblical Armageddon), Nazareth, Cana (site of Jesus’ miracle of wine), Sea of Galilee (boat ride on the Sea, Mount Arbel, Mount of Beatitudes), Tell Dan (Caesarea Philippi), Beth Shean, Jordan River baptism, Dead Sea, Masada, Qumran (Dead Sea scrolls), Jerusalem (Temple Mount, Mount Skopus, Mount Olives, City of David excavations, Garden of Gethsemane, Garden Tomb communion), Bethlehem, Valley of Elah (David and Goliath).

By Dr. Scott Manor

The love of the world is incompatible with the love of the Father, John insists. Specifically, the desires of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are signs of those who love the world (I John 2:15). These temptations, hallmarks of major cities, easily lure believers into sin. That is why some people think Christianity is purer and more devout the further away it is from metropolitan areas. But our Christian heritage challenges this perspective. In fact, early Christians targeted the largest cities of their time and became the first urban Christians.

The earliest record of church history is found in Acts. Its author, Luke, time and again emphasizes the urban focus of Paul’s mission. He preached the gospel in major cities like Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth, Phillipi, Athens and Rome. He followed that up by writing to many of these churches in metropolitan centers. Comprising a significant portion of the New Testament, these letters, rich in theology are also encouragement and instruction for Christians who were living and ministering in these cities. As Paul reminded believers in Rome, the power of the gospel sets us free from sin and transforms our hearts and minds away from a love of this world towards a love of God.

Acts ends with Paul’s imprisonment in Rome. Yet he continued to preach the gospel, planting new seeds of faith in the heart of the Roman Empire. Subsequent generations of Christians followed in Paul’s footsteps, discovering cities as opportunities for the power of the gospel to radically influence and change the world. Ignatius of Antioch, a contemporary of Paul, wrote several letters to urban churches as he was led to Rome to face martyrdom. In one such letter to believers in Rome, Ignatius does not tell them to flee from the perils they faced in the city; rather, he encourages them to remain steadfast in their faith so that together they may not just “claim the name Christian” but also prove themselves to be Christians.

Paul and Ignatius typify the early Christian awareness of both the struggles and opportunities that come when the Christian faith intersects the secular world. It is remarkable that Christian martyrdom, intense intellectual opposition, slander, and social ridicule did not deter others from belief; nor did it cause fellow believers to retreat underground or move to rural quarters. In fact, just the opposite occurred. Christianity was emboldened and spread even more rapidly as believers and unbelievers alike witnessed a sincerity of faith in the midst of adversity.

What compelled believers to be faithful witnesses in hostile cities? In fact, it was simply their unshakeable belief in the faithful promises of God. As Hebrews 11 tells us, great men and women of faith hoped for a heavenly city that God has prepared for them. As Christians we anticipate the city that is to come (Hebrews 13:12), and we know that God promises restoration for the world in which we now live.

The growth of Christianity was certainly not because early believers feared the truth of the gospel to be too fragile for a hostile world. Rather, they embraced the opportunity for countercultural demonstration of their faith to others. They followed Jesus’ command to care for the poor, the widows and the orphans. In the midst of calamities like famine, war, and disease, Christians protected and supported those in need. Christian service, to the poor and destitute within cities, sets believers apart from a society that deemed such people unclean or worthless. These believers understood that the gospel could bring real, redemptive change to the broken world around them and it did.

What might we learn from these testimonies? Here at Knox, we emphasize the centrality of being Christ centered, gospel driven, and mission focused. Our purpose is the same today as it was then, and yet we should not forget the persevering witness of our Christian predecessors. They understood that a spirit of fear and separatism is incompatible with the transforming work of the gospel in cities and throughout the world. Just like them, we are not promised comfort and ease in our ministry; but thankfully we have excellent examples of believers who show us that the power of the gospel is strong enough to overcome our struggles and transform a broken and fallen world.

Dr. Scott Manor, Historical Perspective

*This article was in the winter 2013 issue of Knox Now. See the full magazine here: