[This essay was originally published on February 5, 2016.] The Reformers erected the doctrine of calling in reaction to the Romanist distinction between clergy and laity. At the time, Catholics recognized only two vocations: the calling to consecration (which typically involved joining an order) and the calling to ordination (priesthood). In other words, monks and priests had a vocation; other people did not. Over against this distinction the Reformers insisted that God calls all Christians. Their vocation is whatever station enables believers to demonstrate God’s love by serving others. In th ..read more

This week, Central Seminary welcomed Ellis and Jillian Narcisse, distance education students from South America, to spend some time at our campus in Plymouth. The Narcisse family, along with their three children, are missionaries in Bolivia planting New Life Baptist Church. Their visit to Central Seminary coincides with a family visit to North America this spring and summer. The global pandemic of Covid-19 opened doors for the Narcisse family in an unexpected way. Cell service became available for the school system in their remote village high in the Andes mountains. This newfound connectiv ..read more

I learned to read in first grade. I loved it immediately. Being able to conjure meaning from black marks on a white page was like magic. I no longer had to rely on others to read stories to me. I could discover for myself what Dick and Jane, Sally and Spot were doing. An aunt used to bless us with copies of the great children’s books. Together with books that my parents gave us, my siblings and I had whole shelves of reading. These included the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries (we read them all, indiscriminate of gender). We had some volumes of the Bobbsey Twins, and I remember reading seve ..read more

In today’s episode, we sit down with Pastor Tim Bonebright (M.Div. Class of 2024) to talk about balancing education and ministry. We discuss the process of preparing for the doctrinal defense and how taking classes has supplemented pastoral ministry. Takeaways Preparing for the doctrinal defense starts with each systematic course, gets refined with senior seminar, and with feedback from professors. Taking classes at Central Seminary has helped in pastoral ministry, particularly in preaching and clarity of message. Pastors can benefit from theological education by gaining a greater ..read more

Central Baptist Theological Seminary is thrilled to announce its commencement ceremony, honoring the graduates of the class of 2024. The ceremony will be held on Friday, May 10, at 7:00 PM. in the auditorium of Fourth Baptist Church. Diplomas will be conferred for the Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling, Master of Arts in Theology, Master of Divinity, and Doctor of Ministry degrees. 2024 Commencement Speaker: Dr. Lee Ormiston  Our 2024 commencement speaker will be area pastor and long-time faculty and board member Dr. Lee Ormiston.  About Dr. Ormiston Lee Ormiston is the founding ..read more

Central Seminary typically offers two weeks of modular classes in the middle of each semester. During those weeks, professors do not teach their usual courses, but they don’t just take the time off. We have plenty of other responsibilities to keep us busy. One of the activities that commonly occupies our time is hearing defenses. This semester I’ve listened to three of those. One was by a Doctor of Ministry student who was defending his major project. The other two—which I listened to this Wednesday—were by graduating Master of Divinity students. During their systematic theology courses, all s ..read more

Highlights from our Senior Doctrinal Defenses  During the final weeks of their Senior semester, our Master of Divinity students complete their final step in completing their degree: the Senior Doctrinal Defense.   What is the Senior Doctrinal Defense?   As each M.Div. student progresses through the Systematic Theology courses, one assignment is to compile a doctrinal statement for each area of theology. The Senior Seminar course, taken in the student’s final year, prepares the student for his oral doctrinal defense (and ordination).   During the week of April 1-5 ..read more

I first entered Cambridge when I was fifteen years old. I was too young, really, to know what I was doing or to appreciate the advantages that had been presented to me, and I’m afraid that I rather frittered away my time on walks to the river, tramps in the nearby hills, and involvement in local theatrical productions (I really wanted to be an actor). Still, the experience was not entirely wasted, since I was introduced to many of the concepts that would come to govern my life. Furthermore, these were the years when I stumbled across J. R. R. Tolkien. At the time I had no idea who he was, but ..read more

      In today’s episode, we discuss the opportunities and challenges in discipling the next generation. We are joined by Mark Massey & Scott Sivnksty in discussing the importance of investing in young people’s lives and providing them with opportunities to serve and grow in their faith.   Chapters 01:26 Discipling the Next Generation, introducing Scott Sivnksty & Mark Massey 04:30 Involving the Younger Generation 08:54 Discipleship without an Agenda 11:19 Challenges Faced by the Next Generation 15:28 Unique Difficulties and Distorted Values 22:38 Enco ..read more

After the Second World War, three thinkers established an intellectual foundation for modern conservatism in America. The philosophical case for conservatism was articulated by Richard M. Weaver in his book Ideas Have Consequences. The link between political and economic freedom was established by Friedrich Hayek in his volume The Road to Serfdom. A comprehensive history of the development of conservative thought came from the pen of Russell Kirk in The Conservative Mind. These three authors were later joined by William F. Buckley who, in addition to providing further development of conservati ..read more