Paige Patterson
Encyclopedia
L. Paige Patterson is the eighth president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
in Fort Worth, Texas
.
) in Dallas, Texas. Patterson formed a strong connection with Dr W.A. Criswell of the First Baptist Church of Dallas while in this position. After 17 years he became president of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
in Wake Forest, North Carolina
(1992-2003). Patterson was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention
(SBC) in both 1998 and 1999. He has lectured and preached extensively and authored and edited many books and journals. In 2003, he became the 8th president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He currently serves on the board of trustees of Cedarville University
.
as Convention President. Believing SBC seminaries and other SBC institutions had drifted away from their conservative Biblical roots, Patterson joined with Judge Paul Pressler of Houston, TX to carry out a plan that included exposing the liberal theology
taught and practiced by the leadership in SBC institutions. The most important issue was the nature of scripture, particularly, whether or not it is inerrant. Patterson, Pressler, and a host of pastors and laymen began to spread the word that the teaching of SBC leadership was not reflective of their constituents who were paying their salaries.
Patterson and the conservatives won the support of hundreds of like-minded churches, and as many as 40,000 messengers (church members willing to travel to the annual Southern Baptist Convention
to vote). Patterson's influence has been felt at all levels of Southern Baptist life. The seminaries have for the most part returned to their conservative moorings. Local churches are hiring pastors educated at schools led by conservatives. Missionaries are being influenced by Patterson's leadership. By the time Patterson was appointed president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
in Fort Worth, Texas
, the conservative leadership required that all faculty sign documents stating their allegiance to Southern Baptist doctrine, most notably, the Baptist Faith and Message
.
Patterson has been associated with the Council for National Policy
, an umbrella organization and networking group for social conservative activists in the United States.
, SNAP asked the trustees of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
to put Patterson on administrative leave in order to more fully investigate charges against Darrell Gilyard, a friend accused of sending sexually explicit messages to a teenager.
Patterson responded that "SNAP is just as reprehensible as sex criminals. To make false accusations against a person in an effort to tarnish his reputation, as they regularly do and have most recently done to me, is just as reprehensible and involves just as little integrity. My little granddaughters, 10 and 8, were here the other day and heard on TV that their grandpa harbored sex criminals! I suppose that this is somehow OK since I am a pastor?"
In 2009, Gilyard plead guilty to "lewd molestation" of a fifteen-year-old girl under his pastoral care. He is scheduled for release in 2012.
es and related areas such as the academic training of ministers. According to Patterson, the "highest and noblest calling of God" for women is that of "mother and grandmother." Additionally, Patterson's interpretation of the Bible includes "an assignment from God, in this case that a woman not be involved in a teaching or ruling capacity over men". This stance was highlighted in a case involving Sheri Klouda, a Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary professor hired prior to Patterson's arrival. Klouda's case against Southwestern and Patterson was dismissed because of church-state concerns and a lack of evidence. The judge in the case concluded (1) that the constitution did not permit the court to involve itself in the matter, and that even if it did (2) no reasonable person could conclude that there was any evidence against Patterson or Southwestern.
Southwestern Seminary has a number of female faculty members, though Paige Patterson's wife, Dorothy, is now the only female faculty member listed among the School of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Her teaching responsibilities are for the women at the Seminary.
Patterson has summed up the role of wives in one succinct sentence: "‘You just lead and, honey, I’ll follow.’". He has also compared female submissiveness to an encounter with a police officer. Although the officer and Patterson would be equal before God, "He is above me,” Patterson said. “God gave him an assignment that affects me and made him a minister of God to correct my evil ways.".
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a private, non-profit institution of higher education, associated with the Southern Baptist Convention...
in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
.
Education
- B.A.Bachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
- Hardin-Simmons UniversityHardin-Simmons UniversityHardin–Simmons University is a private Baptist university located in Abilene, Texas, United States.-History:Hardin–Simmons University was founded as Abilene Baptist College in 1891 by the Sweetwater Baptist Association and a group of cattlemen and pastors who sought to bring Christian higher...
, Abilene, TexasAbilene, TexasAbilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County... - Th.M. - New Orleans Baptist Theological SeminaryNew Orleans Baptist Theological SeminaryThe New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is a private, non-profit institution of higher learning affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, located in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the first institution created as a direct act of the Southern Baptist Convention. Missions...
- Ph.D.Ph.D.A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
- New Orleans Baptist Theological SeminaryNew Orleans Baptist Theological SeminaryThe New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is a private, non-profit institution of higher learning affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, located in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the first institution created as a direct act of the Southern Baptist Convention. Missions...
Career
Patterson started preaching while still in his teens. He held several Pastorates before becoming president of the Criswell Center for Biblical Studies (now the Criswell CollegeCriswell College
Criswell College is a Dispensationalist Christian college and divinity school in Dallas, Texas. It is known for training students to teach and preach the Bible with emphasis on evangelism, the original languages, and Biblical inerrancy.-History:...
) in Dallas, Texas. Patterson formed a strong connection with Dr W.A. Criswell of the First Baptist Church of Dallas while in this position. After 17 years he became president of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is a seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention , created to meet a need in the SBC's East Coast region. It was voted into existence on May 19, 1950 at the SBC annual meeting and began offering classes in the fall of 1951 on the original campus of Wake...
in Wake Forest, North Carolina
Wake Forest, North Carolina
Wake Forest is a town and suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina in Wake County in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is located just north of the state capital, Raleigh. The population was 12,588 at the 2000 census. In 2009, the estimated population was 27,915...
(1992-2003). Patterson was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
(SBC) in both 1998 and 1999. He has lectured and preached extensively and authored and edited many books and journals. In 2003, he became the 8th president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He currently serves on the board of trustees of Cedarville University
Cedarville University
Cedarville University is a private, co-educational liberal arts university located in Cedarville, Ohio.At its founding, the school was affiliated with the conservative General Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America. Today, Cedarville is a Southern Baptist school known for its...
.
Role in the SBC Conservative Resurgence
Patterson is best known for his prominent role in the Southern Baptist Convention conservative resurgence starting in 1979 with the election of Adrian RogersAdrian Rogers
Adrian Pierce Rogers served three terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention , a Southern Baptist pastor, and a conservative author....
as Convention President. Believing SBC seminaries and other SBC institutions had drifted away from their conservative Biblical roots, Patterson joined with Judge Paul Pressler of Houston, TX to carry out a plan that included exposing the liberal theology
Liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity, sometimes called liberal theology, is an umbrella term covering diverse, philosophically and biblically informed religious movements and ideas within Christianity from the late 18th century and onward...
taught and practiced by the leadership in SBC institutions. The most important issue was the nature of scripture, particularly, whether or not it is inerrant. Patterson, Pressler, and a host of pastors and laymen began to spread the word that the teaching of SBC leadership was not reflective of their constituents who were paying their salaries.
Patterson and the conservatives won the support of hundreds of like-minded churches, and as many as 40,000 messengers (church members willing to travel to the annual Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
to vote). Patterson's influence has been felt at all levels of Southern Baptist life. The seminaries have for the most part returned to their conservative moorings. Local churches are hiring pastors educated at schools led by conservatives. Missionaries are being influenced by Patterson's leadership. By the time Patterson was appointed president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a private, non-profit institution of higher education, associated with the Southern Baptist Convention...
in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, the conservative leadership required that all faculty sign documents stating their allegiance to Southern Baptist doctrine, most notably, the Baptist Faith and Message
Baptist Faith and Message
The Baptist Faith and Message is the confession of faith of the Southern Baptist Convention . It summarizes key Southern Baptist thought in the areas of the Bible and its authority, the nature of God as expressed by the Trinity, the spiritual condition of man, God's plan of grace and salvation,...
.
Patterson has been associated with the Council for National Policy
Council for National Policy
The Council for National Policy , is an umbrella organization and networking group for social conservative activists in the United States...
, an umbrella organization and networking group for social conservative activists in the United States.
Sexual Abuse Problem in the Ministry
In about 2008, the Survivors Network of those Abused by PriestsSurvivors Network of those Abused by Priests
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, established in 1989, is the oldest and most active support group of survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their supporters in the United States...
, SNAP asked the trustees of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a private, non-profit institution of higher education, associated with the Southern Baptist Convention...
to put Patterson on administrative leave in order to more fully investigate charges against Darrell Gilyard, a friend accused of sending sexually explicit messages to a teenager.
Patterson responded that "SNAP is just as reprehensible as sex criminals. To make false accusations against a person in an effort to tarnish his reputation, as they regularly do and have most recently done to me, is just as reprehensible and involves just as little integrity. My little granddaughters, 10 and 8, were here the other day and heard on TV that their grandpa harbored sex criminals! I suppose that this is somehow OK since I am a pastor?"
In 2009, Gilyard plead guilty to "lewd molestation" of a fifteen-year-old girl under his pastoral care. He is scheduled for release in 2012.
Stance on Women in Ministry
Patterson has attracted interest because of his stance on the role of women in churchOrdination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
es and related areas such as the academic training of ministers. According to Patterson, the "highest and noblest calling of God" for women is that of "mother and grandmother." Additionally, Patterson's interpretation of the Bible includes "an assignment from God, in this case that a woman not be involved in a teaching or ruling capacity over men". This stance was highlighted in a case involving Sheri Klouda, a Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary professor hired prior to Patterson's arrival. Klouda's case against Southwestern and Patterson was dismissed because of church-state concerns and a lack of evidence. The judge in the case concluded (1) that the constitution did not permit the court to involve itself in the matter, and that even if it did (2) no reasonable person could conclude that there was any evidence against Patterson or Southwestern.
Southwestern Seminary has a number of female faculty members, though Paige Patterson's wife, Dorothy, is now the only female faculty member listed among the School of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Her teaching responsibilities are for the women at the Seminary.
Patterson has summed up the role of wives in one succinct sentence: "‘You just lead and, honey, I’ll follow.’". He has also compared female submissiveness to an encounter with a police officer. Although the officer and Patterson would be equal before God, "He is above me,” Patterson said. “God gave him an assignment that affects me and made him a minister of God to correct my evil ways.".
Personal Activities
Dr. Patterson has also become known for participating in African hunting expeditions. He has taken animals, such as giraffe, lion, leopards, and buffalo, and shares images of his killings on his official web site and at Christian hunters' banquets.External links
- Official web site
- http://chronicle.com/free/v53/i32/32a01001.htm Chronicle of Higher Education article on the Klouda event and Patterson's role therein
- Interview with Dorothy Patterson