April 1999
Back Issues

Contents

• Former Student Helps Complete Bryant Commentary
• Leroy Garrett to Bring Commencement Message
• From the President: Mudheads
• Student’s Love for the Church Leads Him to Emmanuel
• 1999 Summer Courses Scheduled
• Join Emmanuel in Denver for the 1999 NACC
• Insurance Policies: Using insurance to give a larger gift to Emmanuel School of Religion
• Emmanuel Announces New Scholarships
• Professor Rodney Werline Publishes Book
• Heritage of Excellence Campaign Update

Former Student Helps Complete Bryant Commentary

When Dr. Beauford Bryant, Professor of New Testament Emeritus, passed away in September 1997, he was in the midst of writing a commentary on John for the College Press NIV Commentary series. Despite his illness, Dr. Bryant was able to finish chapters one through five of the commentary, which he had been working on for several years. Mrs. Dorothy Bryant then enlisted the help of Dr. Mark Krause, a former student of Dr. Bryant’s, to finish the work and meet the 1998 publication deadline.

Mrs. Bryant says she asked Krause to finish the work because he and Dr. Bryant had been friends over the years. “I knew pretty well how Mark thought, and I felt that his thinking about the scripture was a lot like Beauford’s and that he would represent Beauford pretty well,” she said.

“His family tried to compile a lot of his notes and thoughts before he passed away,” said Krause, who received the M.Div. from Emmanuel in 1983, and now serves as Professor of Biblical Studies and Academic Dean of Puget Sound Christian College. Bryant’s former student Eric Thomason also helped gather the notes. “The first five chapters were true commentary material that Dr. Bryant had worked on very carefully,” Krause said. “Then he and his son finished outlines of the rest of the chapters.” Krause then used some of those notes and much of his own research to finish the book, which was published in September 1998.

Bryant had been working on the commentary for several years, according to his wife. “He was a perfectionist. He wanted enough theology and enough scholarship in it, and yet he wanted to make it so the average person could read and study it, so that was one of his dilemmas in doing the research. He researched it for a good year before he started writing,” she said.

The College Press NIV Commentary on John, by Beauford H. Bryant and Mark S. Krause (hardcover, 415 pages), is available from the Emmanuel bookstore for $24, including tax and shipping. Books can be ordered over the phone or via email by credit card (call 423-461-1545, or email bookstore@esr.edu) or though the mail by sending a check to Emmanuel School of Religion Bookstore, One Walker Drive, Johnson City TN 37601. Please allow two weeks for delivery.

Leroy Garrett to Bring Commencement Message

Leroy Garrett, Christian educator from Denton, Texas, will bring the message at Emmanuel School of Religion’s 33rd Commencement on Sunday, May 23, 1999.

After growing up in Dallas, Texas, Garrett received the B.S. from Abilene Christian University. He then earned the Th.M. from Princeton Seminary and the Ph.D. from Harvard.

Dr. Garrett’s career as an educator spans more than fifty years. He began teaching in public high schools in Dallas and then moved on to teach philosophy and religion at Bethany College, Texas Women’s University, Bishop College, Richland College, the University of Dallas, and Dallas Christian College. He edited the Restoration Review for forty years and has served as a visiting minister and college lecturer in over 30 nations.

Dr. Paul Blowers, Professor of Church History at Emmanuel, says, “Dr. Garrett has been a tremendous bridge-builder for communication among the three branches of the Stone-Campbell tradition. His book, The Stone-Campbell Movement, is a fine text still regularly used as the base textbook for the course (of the same title) which I teach here.”

Dr. Garrett has recently joined the board of trustees of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society.

From the President
Mudheads

I had never heard our people called “Mudheads.” I came across the term in an enjoyable book entitled Come When the Timber Turns by Bessie Willis Hoyt. The book recounts the experience of Bessie and her friend Mary who went to a remote area of Appalachia as teachers in 1926. There on Dark Ridge, about five miles above the present community of Heaton, North Carolina, they began their teaching career in a two-room schoolhouse. Having had ministries in nearby Elk Park, I recognized family names and places. And I readily entered into the nostalgia of this account of early 20th century life in one of the most beautiful places in the world.¹

The surprise came when Bessie was recounting the strong political feelings left over from the Civil War. There was only a sprinkling of Democrats in the predominantly Republican mountain area. One girl whose family had always been Republicans married a young man whose family had always been Democrats. “She remarked that she had always been taught to believe that Democrats and Mudheads were the worst people in the world, but love changed that.”² Bessie comments,

Mudhead was a name given to the religious followers of Thomas and Alexander Campbell, called Campbellites, whose belief in total immersion was so strong that when they were baptized in creeks they came up with mud on their heads.³

My guess is that the expression mudhead did not originate in the immediate area. The favorite place for baptizing was at the Fork of Elk, now known as Heaton. After tumbling down several miles, the clear waters of the Elk River form a pool just beside the Heaton Christian Church. After an icy plunge in this swift moving stream, it was unlikely that converts were going to come up with mud on their heads! Besides, my friend Jim Heaton recounts being called a mudhead while trying to find one of our churches down in Tennessee. I leave it to church historians with time on their hands to find the origin of the expression.

A few weeks ago I attended an ordination service at the Heaton Christian Church. It was a most remarkable occasion. To begin with, in a community with one store, one church building and about ten houses, the attendance regularly runs well over 200. Brent Nidiffer is the minister, and Emmanuel students Dan Lincoln and Misti Woolery work with the young people and children.

The candidate for ordination was not a young, smartly dressed ministerial student that you expect on such occasions. Instead he was a man pressing middle age who wore jeans and a black leather vest. He was being ordained to serve with the Christian Bikers Ministry. He may not have had mud on his head, but given the way he wore his beard and hair, all he needed was a World War II German helmet to be mistaken for a Hell’s Angel. But of course that was the idea, as D.Q. and Beth Roberts have pointed out to us when they have made presentations at Emmanuel on behalf of the Christian Bikers Ministry.

Big Al and his wife Tiny are headed for a mission field that is as challenging and dangerous as most any mission field today. They are two sweet-spirited people who have found what the power of Christ can do in their lives, and now they want to share it with those who are alienated both from Christ and from society. It takes an extraordinary congregation like the Heaton Church to enter wholeheartedly into the ministry of those who just do not look like typical middle-class Christians. The Heaton Christians are the heirs of those people who were known as Mudheads. Of course, they knew what they were: “Christians only.” But Christians have always had a way of taking something derisive and turning into a name of honor. It was done with the Cross. Even the term Christian may have first been used as a derisive name for believers when it was first used in Antioch.

Big Al and Tiny and D.Q. and Beth are the modern Mudheads of the Restoration Movement. Thankfully there are congregations among us who recognize how God entrusts the treasure of His Good News in “jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God.”⁴ May we all have the grace to wear a little mud on our heads.

Bessie Willis Hoyt gets the title of her book from a mountain expression. “When the timber turns” is the fall of the years when the Appalachian Mountains become radiant with color. It is no accident that Emmanuel School of Religion schedules its fall board meetings for the height of the fall colors. And thus let me invite you, “Come to mountains when the timber turns.” And when you do, plan to visit the Emmanuel campus.

— Dr. C. Robert Wetzel, President

1 If you think this is an exaggeration, I invite you to drive up to Heaton and turn left past the country store on to Beech Mountain Road. A spectacular five-mile drive will take you to Dark Ridge. Don’t expect any tourist shops.

2 Bessie Willis Hoyt, Come When the Timber Turns, Pudding Stone Press, Lees-McRae College, Banner Elk, North Carolina, 1983, page 119.

3 Ibid.

4 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV)

Student’s Love for the Church Leads Him to Emmanuel

Emmanuel student Michael Tanner says that “a passion for seeing the lost come to Christ and a real love for the church” is what led him into the ministry. A Beaverton, Ore., native, Michael is a second-generation student of Emmanuel School of Religion. His father, Clark Tanner, received the MRE degree is 1975, and is now senior minister of Beaverton Christian Church.

Despite the family link and an undergraduate degree in ministry, Michael says that what ultimately led him to Emmanuel was his desire for further preparation for the ministry. “I wanted to obtain a deeper understanding of not only the Bible, but also the history of the church, and to use that to more effectively prepare for the ministry,” he said.

After receiving a degree from Pacific Christian College in 1996, Michael worked for a year before beginning studies at Emmanuel School of Religion in the fall of 1997. His first year of study here was enabled by a one-year full scholarship from Emmanuel’s Fig Tree Fellowship.

Michael expects to graduate from Emmanuel in 2000 with a Master of Divinity Degree. He plans to write his thesis on the topic “Worship: A Celebration of God’s Presence.”

He currently ministers at Boones Creek Christian Church in Johnson City, a congregation of about 400, as minister to young adults. His wife, Stephanie, also works in a local church, serving full time as secretary for publications at Johnson City’s First Christian Church.

1999 Summer Courses Scheduled

Summer School courses at Emmanuel provide opportunities for seminary students to accelerate their degree programs, for ministers already preaching and teaching to improve their skills, and for other church members to prepare for more effective Christian service. All the requirements must be completed within six weeks after the end of a course. The professor may set an earlier date for completion of course requirements.

Tuition for each course is $185 per credit hour, $92.50 per audit hour. The registration fee for summer school is $10. Fees are due and payable for each course at its beginning date. Tuition is free to teachers in Bible and church-related colleges and directors of campus ministries supported by the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ. Meals are available at nearby Milligan College. For more information call 1-800-933-3771 or email the Office of the Dean.

Biblical Exegesis for Contemporary Preaching
June 8–18

A serious approach to the biblical text in order to properly interpret it for contemporary living. Special emphasis will be given to the need for doctrinal preaching and how to get from the text to the sermon. CMP 7910. 3 hours.

Professor: Dr. Myron Taylor, B.A., M.Div., D.D., Adjunct Professor of Preaching and minister of Westwood Hills Christian Church, Los Angeles, Calif.

Seminar in Theology: The English Mystical Tradition
June 22–July 2

An examination of the phenomenon of mysticism in the Christian life using the English mystics of the fourteenth century as primary data. The course will begin with a theological and literary examination of mysticism and a survey of English church history in the fourteenth century. Thereafter students will read the works of Richard Rolle, The Cloud of Unknowing and Julian of Norwich and either Walter Hilton or Margery Kempe. CD 7950. 3 hours.

Professor: Dr. Bonnie Thurston, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Professor of New Testament, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

Seminar in World Mission: Ministering to Cities – The Cutting Edge
July 13–23

This course is designed for those interested in planting churches in urban areas, in developing urban ministries, in revitalizing downtown city ministries, and in ensuring that urban ministries are growing and healthy. A full emphasis will be placed upon practical programs for church growth and health. CMM 7010. 3 hours.

Professor: Dr. Gordon Moyes, Senior Minister of Wesley Mission, the largest urban church in the world, with over 45 services of worship every week and 2100 paid staff members.

Seminar: Prayer in the Bible
July 27–Aug. 6

In only the past few years has critical scholarship turned its attention back to Biblical prayer. The results have been quite useful. This class will benefit from the work of careful modern interpreters by engaging with them in the analysis of Hebrew Bible prose prayers (excluding the Psalms), early Jewish prayers, and the prayers of the New Testament. The class will follow the growth of prayer traditions and functions and notice how Israelites, Jews, and early Christians appropriated prayer traditions as a living part of their faith. OT 7940. 3 hours.

Professor: Dr. Rodney Werline, B.A., M.Div., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Old Testament.

Join Emmanuel in Denver for the 1999 NACC

Emmanuel School of Religion will be represented at the 1999 North American Christian Convention in Denver at the Colorado Convention Center.

• Visit with members of the Emmanuel faculty and staff at our exhibit booth, #1300-1302, in the Exhibit Hall.

• Emmanuel’s annual breakfast will be held Wednesday, July 7, at 7:30 a.m. in the Silver Heels Room of the Holiday Inn Downtown. Tickets for the breakfast are $15 and will be available beginning May 1 through the Office of the President.

Insurance Policies
Using insurance to give a larger gift to Emmanuel School of Religion

The Dilemma

Many friends of Emmanuel have limited resources that make it impossible to give a large gift to the Seminary. Yet they desire to be as supportive as possible of the mission and purpose for which Emmanuel exists. How is it possible to match that enthusiasm for Emmanuel with a similar financial gift?

The Solution

The answer is insurance. We insure our health. We insure our houses. We insure our automobiles. We even insure our lives. There are many types of policies in the insurance market that cover our lives and mature at death. Some of these policies have a cash value that grows with the age of the policy, while other policies have no cash value. These “term policies” simply have a death benefit.

Life insurance is both easy to give and to receive. It is so easy that the donor does not even need a formal planned giving program to contribute such a planned gift. In fact, life insurance is one of the many assets the donor can contribute without much assistance at all. Through life insurance, a large gift may be given to Emmanuel through the small cost of annual premiums.

Let’s Be Specific

• Years ago you purchased an insurance policy to insure that there would be sufficient funds for your children’s college education if you should die. Now that your children have finished college, the policy is no longer needed. Or there may be other purposes for which you purchased insurance which are no longer valid. You might consider changing the beneficiary of such a policy to Emmanuel School of Religion or some other charity, especially if the policy is paid up or has any cash value.
• You may set up a new insurance policy, either a whole life or term policy, and name Emmanuel School of Religion as beneficiary. The premium amount may be sent to Emmanuel each year and the Seminary will pay the premium payments to the insurance company. The premium amount you send to Emmanuel is considered a contribution and is therefore tax deductible as a charitable contribution each year. Upon your death, Emmanuel will receive the face amount of the policy, a far greater gift than the cost of the premiums.
• If it is impossible for you to purchase insurance on your life, you might consider purchasing a policy on the life of another. You may insure your spouse or a sibling, for example. When Emmanuel is named as the owner and beneficiary, premiums are tax deductible.

Some Questions You May Have

Upon my death does life insurance become a part of my estate?

Life insurance gifts are not subject to probate costs nor delays in settlement unless the policy proceeds are payable to the estate. If you name Emmanuel as the beneficiary of the policy, the life insurance gift is immediate. The proceeds do not become a part of your estate and can be paid at your death, in cash, to the School.

Are there any tax benefits in giving life insurance to a charity such as Emmanuel?

Yes, but it depends on the policy. If you give a paid-up policy, then you may deduct the approximate cash surrender value of the policy. If you purchase a new policy and name Emmanuel or another charity as beneficiary, then you may deduct the premiums if the charity is named as owner. If you give a policy on which you are still paying premiums, you may deduct the cash surrender value as well as future premiums that you pay to keep the policy current.

Can I name more than one beneficiary on an insurance policy?

Yes! You may name co-beneficiaries on a policy. Emmanuel can be one of the beneficiaries and the second beneficiary may be another charity or an individual. You also may name Emmanuel as the secondary beneficiary in the event the first beneficiary has died. Or you may name Emmanuel as the last beneficiary if primary or secondary beneficiaries are deceased.

I own a life insurance policy and would like the change the beneficiary to Emmanuel. How do I do that?

Simply write a letter to your insurance company, citing the policy number, which tells them you would like to make a charitable gift of your life insurance policy. Tell them you would like the appropriate documents to make Emmanuel School of Religion the primary beneficiary upon your death.

What sort of documentation is needed to name Emmanuel as beneficiary of an insurance policy?

To insure that your wishes are carried out, it would be helpful for Emmanuel to have a copy of the insurance policy, which should contain information such as the policy number, policy face value, the official naming of Emmanuel as beneficiary, and the naming of any co-beneficiaries. It should also note whether any premiums are due or if the policy is paid up.

A Service to You

If Emmanuel can assist you using insurance to give a gift to the School, please contact us and we will be happy to talk you through the transfer process. After the transfer, Emmanuel will send you a receipt that you may use in declaring your charitable deduction on your tax return.

For additional information about using insurance to give a gift to Emmanuel School of Religion, contact:

Dan Lawson
Emmanuel School of Religion
One Walker Drive
Johnson City, Tennessee 37601
(423) 926-1186
lawsond@esr.edu

The purpose of this material is to provide information of a general nature. Neither Emmanuel School of Religion nor any of its associates are engaged in giving legal or tax advice. Individuals should seek the advice of their attorneys and tax advisors for specific tax implications and laws governing estate planning and charitable gifts.

Emmanuel Announces New Scholarships

Emmanuel School of Religion is blessed with over $2,000,000 in approximately 100 different endowed scholarship funds. These permanent funds range in value from $5,000 to over $100,000. Each scholarship award comes from annual income generated by the fund. The amount of funding necessary for an endowed full scholarship is $50,000; however, a partial scholarship may be awarded in the name of the donor once the fund reaches a minimum of $5,000.

We are pleased to announce the following scholarships recently established at Emmanuel School of Religion for the benefit of our ministerial students:

Milton Warren and Ozello Mckenzie Christie Scholarship

Margaret Ann Scott of Athens, West Virginia, has chosen to endow a tuition scholarship at Emmanuel School of Religion as the appropriate vehicle by which to honor her grandparents, Milton and Ozello Christie. As the Christie Scholarship is awarded each year, the name of Milton and Ozello Christie will be remembered and honored through the lives of these worthy students. Ms. Scott has had opportunity to see first hand the quality of servant leaders produced by Emmanuel because two of her church’s recent ministers have been students of the seminary. While honoring her grandparents, it is her desire to help students at Emmanuel in their effort to obtain a graduate level theological education.

First Christian Church of Orofino, Idaho, Scholarship

This scholarship was recently established by the First Christian Church of Orofino, Idaho, with funds given to the church by one of the members. It is the church’s desire to aid students for the ministry at Emmanuel School of Religion in their effort to obtain a graduate level theological education. In order to encourage students from the west to further their ministerial preparation at the seminary level, the church has asked that first consideration for qualification be given to students coming from First Christian Church of Orofino, second consideration be given to students coming from Idaho, and third consideration be given to students from western states. Clarence Howard, minister of the congregation, is an Emmanuel graduate having received his Master of Divinity degree in 1985. Emmanuel School of Religion looks forward to awarding the First Christian Church of Orofino Scholarship to a worthy student in the near future.

Leslie and Pauline Zimmerman Scholarship

This scholarship is being established by Joe and Sue Sutherland now of Banffshire, Scotland. Joe and Sue have a long history with Emmanuel School of Religion dating back to 1973 when Joe joined the faculty as Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling. He continues his association with the seminary as Adjunct Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling, teaching courses during the winter intersession or summer session. In establishing this endowed scholarship to help students at Emmanuel obtain a graduate level degree, Joe and Sue wish to honor Sue’s parents, Leslie and Pauline Zimmerman, faithful servants of Jesus Christ. Shortly before his death, Sue’s father made the request that at least a tithe of his estate be given to help further the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Joe and Sue know that helping students at Emmanuel prepare for ministry each year is a wonderful way of insuring that his wish is fulfilled, again and again.

The Roy C. Derting Memorial Scholarship

For many years Roy Derting had been a strong supporter of Emmanuel School of Religion. A graduate of Milligan College, Mr. Derting was a native of Scott County, Virginia, but lived most of his life in Salisbury, North Carolina, where he was Professor of Business and Finance at Catawba College. He moved to Johnson City after retirement and was a resident of Appalachian Christian Village.

Mr. Derting wanted to insure that his support of the mission of Emmanuel would continue after his death. Therefore he planned a gift for Emmanuel as part of his estate. After his death, his family wished to memorialize him in a way that would illustrate the things that were important to him during his life. They suggested establishing the Roy C. Derting Memorial Scholarship at Emmanuel using a portion of his bequest to the school. Not only does the establishment of this scholarship reflect positively on his life, it provides an opportunity to his family and friends to honor his life by contributing to this endowed scholarship.

Each year the Roy C. Derting Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a student at Emmanuel who is preparing for the preaching ministry. In this way the good name of Roy Derting will be perpetuated and worthy students assisted in their effort to be well prepared for a ministry in the name of Jesus Christ.

J. Paul and Coralie R. Huff Youth Ministry Scholarship

The family of Paul and Coralie Huff wish to honor the memory of their parents by establishing an endowed scholarship at Emmanuel School of Religion to help students who are being called to minister to children and youth. Throughout their lives, Paul and Coralie demonstrated a love and concern for young people. They were actively involved in sharing their lives and their faith with young people through their church, and through many community activities. Paul and Coralie had a special place in their hearts for those who ministered to young people and always became the surrogate parents and grandparents to the youth minister and his family at First Christian in Chicago. Their home was always open and there the young ministers found love, encouragement and wise counsel. The example of Christian charity lived by Paul and Coralie had a profound effect on their children. All three have established Christian homes and are active in their respective churches. Their son, John, is an Emmanuel alumnus and minister of the Perry Christian Church in Canton, Ohio. In their retirement years, Paul and Coralie lived at the Sunshine State Christian Homes in Tavares, Florida. Emmanuel is grateful to the Huff family for choosing to memorialize Paul and Coralie through this endowed scholarship. It will be an honor to award a scholarship that bears their name to a worthy youth ministry student each year.

Professor Rodney Werline Publishes Book

Dr. Rodney Werline, Assistant Professor of Old Testament, has published Penitential Prayer in Second Temple Judaism: The Development of a Religious Institution, as part of the “Scholars Press Early Judaism and Its Literature” series.

The work grew out of Werline’s doctoral thesis for the University of Iowa, where he concentrated on Judaism and Christianity in the Græco-Roman World.

Werline describes the book this way: “The literature of Second Temple Judaism contains a number of penitential prayers. While scholars have often grouped the prayers together because of their basic similarities, no one has offered a systematic treatment of the prayers, and no one has traced their development as a religious institution. The present book addresses these gaps in scholarship. The author studies the deuteronomic rhetoric and ideology permeating these prayers, and shows how the prayers consciously reinterpret such traditions in order to address new cultural concerns. His investigation also reveals that biblical interpretation frequently accompanies penitential prayer, and that some ancient authors saw these two activities as constituents of repentance.”

Penitential Prayer in Second Temple Judaism: The Development of a Religious Institution, by Rodney Alan Werline. Scholars Press, ISBN: 0-7885-0325-1, $39.95. Available by mail from the Emmanuel bookstore. Please email or call (423) 461-1545 for more information.

Heritage of Excellence Campaign Update

Emmanuel School of Religion launched the largest fund raising campaign in the history of the Seminary in October 1997. The goal was to raise $3,275,000 for four projects: (1) scholarships, (2) three new staff positions, (3) the expansion of our library with the addition of the Beauford Bryant Floor, and (4) building The Emmanuel Village, a new on-campus student housing complex.

At the meeting of Emmanuel’s Trustees and Associates in Christian Education in October 1998, it was announced that we had reached our goal, but that we needed to go beyond that financial target in order to complete all of the projects in our plan. We have received over $3,500,000 in commitments for all of the projects. However, we still need more than $30,000 to complete the library expansion, which we hope to begin in June.

We currently have commitments that will allow us to construct 24 cottages in six courts in the Emmanuel Village. We are still soliciting funding for at least one more cottage at $50,000 and one more court. We have $775,000 in firm commitments toward the Thompson Community Center, but an additional $750,000 is needed to equip the center as planned. There is $330,000 committed toward site preparation, with another $80,000 pending responses. An additional $525,000 in asks are yet to be made.

You can see that while we have reached our campaign goal, there is still a great need for financial involvement in this crucial effort if it is to be done in a quality manner. We have plans that will enable us to reach all of our financial goals for the Village, therefore the campaign is not complete until we have worked our plan of solicitation. God will provide. He has been faithful over these many years. He will continue to shower us with His many blessings in the days and years to come.

General Fund contributions continue to be encouraging. Normally when an institution such as Emmanuel embarks upon a major financial campaign, the initial period of campaign enthusiasm will often take a toll on donations needed to operate the school on a day-to-day basis. While we are most grateful to the individuals and churches who have made strong commitments to our Heritage of Excellence Campaign, we are equally thankful for the many friends of the Seminary who are faithful in their giving to the general fund.

December is always a strong month for gift income for Emmanuel. Gifts to the general fund in December a year ago were $163,160. General fund income in December 1998 was $182,544. At the close of December 1997 we were $210,352 behind expenses, while December of this year we were $171,547. The good news is that while our giving in both years produced a deficit at the close of the calendar year, there are still five months before the conclusion of this fiscal year, which we hope to end in the black.