Transcript
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Let us pray. O God, who art infinite, eternal and unchangeable, glorious in holiness, full of love and compassion, abundant in grace and truth, look with favor upon those who now graduate from this and go forth to serve in those places to which thou hast fallen. Continue to guide
and empower them by thy spirit. That, through their diligence and obedience, thy church may be built up and thy world redeemed through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
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Please be seated. The Old Testament scripture comes from the Book of Isaiah, chapter 43, beginning in the eighth verse. Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears. Let all the nations gather together
and let the peoples assemble. Who among them declared this and foretold to us the former things? Let them bring their own witnesses to justify them and let them hear and say it is true. You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant, whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no God was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the
Lord, and besides me there is no Savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed when there was no strange God among you, and you are my witnesses. I am God, and also henceforth I am he. There is no one who can deliver from my hand. I work and who can hinder it. This is the word of the Lord. The New Testament reading is taken from the Book of Acts, the first chapter, verses one through eight. Listen now
for the word of the Lord. In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught, from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven after giving instruction through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them
not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. This, he said, is what you have heard from me. For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. So when they had come together, they asked him, Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel? He replied, It is not for you to know the times or periods that the
Father has set by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
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God of our lives, through all the circling years, we trust in you. We trust in you as the one who has created us, the one who in Jesus Christ loved us so much that he laid down his life for us, who in our hearts condemn us is greater than our hearts and forgives us. So we ask your forgiveness for wandering from your ways, for wasting your gifts, for forgetting your love. God of the past, our times are in your hand.
This day we give you thanks for all who have shown us your love, for the witness of faith in the lives of teachers and professors, for those we have loved and lost a while, who have gone before to show us the way. Bless the seminary, we pray, that it may be a place where your spirit guides all who teach and all who learn to a knowledge of your son, Jesus Christ. We will not soon forget those
whom we have known here, nor the legacy of faith and discipleship that is at the heart of the seminary. God of the coming years, through paths unknown, we follow you. We go out this day like Abraham and Sarah. We go out in faith not knowing the land that you will show us. And so we pray that in your spirit you will go before us, guide us, and keep us in your care. May those who graduate this
day find strength and joy in the journey that they will follow for you. May your light shine through them. May your love be shown in them. May their families be drawn closer in a life of love for you and your people. We ask this day that you would make of your people a sign of hope to a world that waits in darkness, where there is hunger and suffering, where there is pain and despair, wherever there is
anguish and emptiness. Pour your love through us, we ask, in the name of Jesus the Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.
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Please be seated. The Board of Trustees of Princeton Theological Seminary records with sorrow and gratitude to God for their witness and service among us the deaths of the Reverend Dr. Clem E. Beninger, Trustee Emeritus, on September 29, 1995, and Dr. David A. Weadon,
C. F. Seabrook, Director of Church Music, on December 30, 1995. The Board announces with pleasure the election of two new members of the Board of Trustees, the Reverend Dr. Gary O. Dennis of La Cañada, California, and the Reverend Julie E. Neraas of Minneapolis, Minnesota, as alumna, alumnae, trustee in the class of 1999, to succeed the Reverend Audrey L. Schindler. The Board of Trustees records the retirement from active service on the Board of the Reverend Dr. David B.
Watermulder of Devon, Pennsylvania, and announces his election to emeritus status with gratitude for his 38 years of service to this institution. The Board announces with pleasure the appointment to the faculty of Dr. Donald H. Juel as the Richard J. Dearborn Professor of New Testament Theology. We take this occasion to record the retirement this summer of Dr. Alan P. Neely, Henry Winters Luce Professor of Ecumenics and Mission, and Dr. Conrad H. Massa, Charlotte W. Newcomb Professor of
Practical Theology, and to announce their election to emeritus status. We also take this opportunity to express our appreciation for her service on the faculty to Dr. Julie Ann Duncan, Assistant Professor of Old Testament, who is resigning her position this summer to accept a tenure-track position at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. The Board of Trustees takes pleasure in announcing the recipients of the seminary's fellowship prizes and awards, and I'm going to be reading only the names of
the award winners and not the name of the award, so I invite you to follow along in your program. The list of awards is the next to the last page in your program. For those of you who are award winners, if you are so able, I ask you please to stand as your name is called and to remain standing until all the names have been called, and to all of us, I ask you please to hold
your applause until the very end. [Note: the following list of names may contain spelling inaccuracies] Edward Todd Shy, Frank Schaefer, Heather Lynn Brown, Dwight Preston Davidson, Kathleen Michelle Edwards, Gita Arumahan, David Matthew Bell, Charles Eric Christensen, Cecil Alderdice Grant, Thomas William Knight, William Franklin Mansel, Lane Shelton, Matthew Stith, Michael George Hegeman, Shelly Patricia Sanders, Chester Daesung Kim, Daniel John Baumgartner, Laurel Underwood Brundage, Angela Deinhart Hancock, Michael George Hegeman, Amy Louise Keiter, Karen Olleman, Peter James Henry, Matthew Hillgartner, Mary McKay, Emily Ruth McCall, Heather Lynn Brown,
Tiffany Leah Nicely, Donna Giver Johnston, Diane Walton Hendricks, Tiffany Leah Nicely, Eric John Loverance, Douglas Laird Stenberg, Henry Chakudum Nutekuba, Casey Darryl Elledge, Matthew Lawson Skinner, Unnie Patricia Lee, Brian M. Egloff Baker, Faye Voschel-Bird, Rebecca Barto, Gregory Lee Finch, Katherine Lynn Fitch, Garvestor Kelly, Allison Jane Estes, John B. Falkenberry Miller, Jeffrey Kent Chapman, Jung Suk Kim, Jeffrey Kent Chapman, Maria Alene Stroup, Bertram Gerard Johnson, Stephen Morrison Carpenter, Michael Roger Wilson, Laurel Underwood Brundage, Michael Roger
Wilson, Lance Allen, Laverne Gill, Yenna Huang, Kenneth Locke, Karen Ruth Nelson, Mike Poteet, Allison Risk, Tokunbo Adelekan, Shane Kirkpatrick, Frank Schaefer, Grace Ng Myong, Jae Young Peter Kong, Joseph K. Yoon, Dwight Preston Davidson, Angela Deinhart Hancock, Colin Brooks Winchester. Now you may join me in a round of applause. [applause] Will the candidates for the degree of the Masters of Arts please rise. The degree of Masters of Arts with specialization in Christian education is a professional degree
for church educators. It is conferred upon those who have successfully completed the studies in education and in certain of the theological disciplines as prescribed in this seminary. Mr. President, on behalf of the faculty, I proudly present to you these candidates for the degree of Masters of Arts, certifying that they possess the requisite academic credentials and have fulfilled all of the requirements. By virtue of the authority granted to this school of theology by the state of New
Jersey, and in the name of the Board of Trustees, I admit you to the degree of Master of Arts with specialization in Christian education and to all of the privileges and responsibilities pertaining thereto. So use this right to teach that every thought may be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Marina Minhee Kang Sunghee Kim Henry Chikudum Notokoba Maria Jang Park Barbara Lewis Peacock Amy Elizabeth Red Kyung Hee Chang Sim Suzy Su in absentia Yongheng
Yu in absentia Will the candidates for the degree of Master of Divinity please rise. The degree of Master of Divinity is the basic professional degree for the practice of ministry. It is conferred upon those who have successfully completed studies in scripture, theology, the history of Christianity, and certain of the behavioral sciences, together with an apprenticeship in ministerial practice, as prescribed therefore in this seminary. Mr. President, on behalf of the faculty, I present to you these candidates
for the degree of Master of Divinity, certifying that they possess the requisite academic credentials and have fulfilled all of the requirements for admission thereto. By virtue of the authority granted to this school of theology by the state of New Jersey and in the name of the Board of Trustees, I admit you to the degree of Master of Divinity and to all of the privileges and responsibilities pertaining thereto. So use this right to teach that every thought
may be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. [Note: the following list of names may contain spelling inaccuracies] Tukunbo Adelikan Grace Eunmi Ahn Karen Hen Alleman Iola S. Allender James Calder Alley Andrew Elvis Arterberry Robert Milam Ostell Jr. Daniel John Baumgartner Steven Edward Beard Bridget Ann Boyle Diana Claire Brawley Heather Lynn Brown Laurel Underwood Rundage Kathleen D. Bunting Philip Glenn Camp Steven Morrison Carpenter, in absentia, Patrick William Caruso Jeffrey Kent Chapman Han Qun Zhou Sarah Zhou Ye Jin Chun Charles Eric Christensen Gordon Dale Compton
Pamela J. Cook Doris Ann Cooper Courtney Beth Cromie Mary Ann Curiton Dwight Preston Davidson Darlene Elizabeth Davis Rebecca Jane Dean Peter Howard DeBahn William Albert Dembski Esther Yeo-Pyeong Do Kathleen Michelle Edwards Marie A. Edwards Juan Daniel Espichia, in absentia Kathleen Julia Fanati Heather Marie Fink Amy Elizabeth Flack Brian Arthur Frederick Rolando Galvez Donna L. Gibber Johnston Geraldine Mae Godfrey Cecilia Evelyn Green Ernest Leroy Greenwood Jr. George R. Gunn Jr. Martin Scott Haggemann Todd Henry Haynes
Deirdre King Haynesworth Marilyn Keller Hale Elizabeth C. Hallen Angela Deinhart Hancock Trent Deenhart Hancock Blanche L. Harris Michael George Haggemann Diane Walton Hendricks Krista Lee Henning-Furkin Peter James Henry Lisa Elaine Hess Matthew Hillgartner David Lee Hoffman Peter G. Hofstra, in absentia Kimberly Lynn Hyatt Robert Louis Jacobs Bertram Gerard Johnson Monte Maurice Johnston Kyung Hwa Kevin Jung Mary Charlotte Person Jung, in absentia Jiung Peter Kang Howard Joel Kass, in absentia Amy Louise Keiter Keith Charles Kerber
Chester Daesung Kim Jung Suk Kim Gunhwa Kim Nam Young Kim Shane Kirkpatrick George Franklin Lamaster Eric John Loverance Deborah Ann Lehman Charles Lynn Lowell Charles Michael Lyons Barbara Jo McClure Duncan Boyd McCall Emily Ruth Egbrotten McCall Christina Lynn McCormick John Erickson McIntyre Mary McKee Roderick Neon McNeese Daniel John McEwan James Andrew Metzger Matthew Thomas Mills Haeyoung Nam Zach James Newton Tiffany Leah Nicely Kirk Jeffrey Nolan Matthew Marinus Hall Deborah Lynn Peterson Kathleen G. Phillips William Lewis
Pinches Michael Dale Pugh Ross Allen Purdy, in absentia David Charles Ramage Shelley Lynn Rambo, in absentia Andrew Rauch Nancy Joyner Reiner Emily Eaton Riley Mark Rivera William Edmund Whitten Robinson Christopher Shannon Duff Rogers Daejun Roh Dawn Lynette Russell Shelly Patricia Sanders Frank Schaefer Suzanne Eva Christine Schultz Jeffrey J. Shade Elise Marie Sharrett Mary Ann Schulner Edward Todd Shy Valerie Easter Smart Rebecca Smedley James Patrick Smolin Walter James Soha Nicholas Quinn Serrani Douglas Laird Stenberg Maria Eileen
Stroop Justin Dan Sundberg David Meredith Sutton Jeanette Noel Reed Sutton Jonathan Toby Swanson Logan Ayeki Tambidurai Thomas Merlin Trinidad Michelle Loreen Turbeville Vernon Larry Van Huyse Jeffrey Allen Wargo Mark Andrew Watson James Arlen West Emily Rebecca Horton Brian Wiggins Michael Roger Wilson Joseph Hwang Yun Songjun Yoon Christian Philip Zebley Richard Kimball Ziegler Glenn Michael Zuber Please be seated. Will the candidates for the degree of Master of Theology please rise. The degree of Master of Theology represents
advanced study in one or another of the disciplines of religious scholarship beyond the basic professional program. It is conferred upon those who have successfully completed the course of study prescribed therefore in this seminary. Mr. President, on behalf of the faculty, I present to you these candidates for the degree of Master of Theology, certifying that they possess the requisite academic and theological credentials and have fulfilled all of the requirements for admission thereto. By virtue of the authority
granted to this School of Theology by the State of New Jersey and in the name of the Board of Trustees, I admit you to the degree of Master of Theology and to all of the privileges and responsibilities pertaining thereto. Mr. President, so use this right to teach that every thought may be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. [Note: the following list of names may contain spelling inaccuracies] Clifford Blake Anderson Gita Arulmohan L. Delafayette Upward Paul Michael Bomber Cynthia Mae Kalalang Dan S. Caldwell, in
absentia, Yonghuang Zhang Kimberly Ellen Parsons-Chastain, in absentia, Andrei Leydinomirovich Zheren Zengyi Cui Mark Sterling Cherne Helen Anne McLeod Francis Kenneth Franklin Gable Bruce Taron Grady Karis Ka Graham John Warren Grove Kyu Young Han Carolyn Lee Herring Katherine Alexandria Horstman Charlotte Hunter, in absentia, Xin Gun Zhang James David Jones Junu Joseph, in absentia, Chen Noh Ka Sylvester Beyanga Kahakwa Stanley Khasa Khattamwensi Rachel Keefe Lee Ju Kim Tae Hyun Kim Yo Seon Kim Wynell Joanne Curtin Roberts
Yosep Kwok Oh Gyeon Gwon Timothy Spencer Lance Robert Paul Lansley Arturo Pierre Lewis Ross James McDonald Thomas E. Newbiller Mark Douglas Norbet Ariel Rodriguez Oliveira Mulyang Gobil Uman Uman Joseph Y. Pong, in absentia, Billy Gahamraj Susan Leatham-Reeds Clive Howard Rodger Kenneth Leroy Sampson Mark Constantine Santangelo Tamara Jane Seidel Horace Sixmines Dorothy Judith Thomas Leslie Ann Traylor, in absentia, Yin Song Wang Yahya Huijaya Carl Spencer Young Ambrose Aristotle Zografos Please be seated. Will the candidates for
the degree of Doctor of Ministry please rise. The degree of Doctor of Ministry represents distinguished achievement in ministerial practice and systematic postgraduate training in the professional dimensions of ministry. It is conferred upon those who have achieved such excellence in practice and have completed the studies prescribed therefore in this seminary. Mr. President, on behalf of the faculty, I present to you these candidates for the degree of Doctor of Ministry, certifying that they possess the requisite academic and
theological credentials and have fulfilled all of the requirements for admission thereto. By virtue of the authority granted to this School of Theology by the State of New Jersey and in the name of the Board of Trustees, I admit you to the degree of Doctor of Ministry and to all of the privileges and responsibilities pertaining thereto. So use this right to teach that every thought may be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. [Note: the following list of names may contain spelling inaccuracies] Jerome Woods Berryman
II Robert Charles Erickson Jr. Eleanor Ruth Fowler John Charles Hembrook Vincent James Inglaterra Albert Henry Keller Jr. in absentia Fritz Fraugott-Christbergs Robert Bruce Letzinger John Griffin McFadden David Roger Peirce Stella Millett Roberts in absentia Fred A. Ryle Jr. David Malcolm Scott in absentia Noel Dean Vanik Gary Alan Spencer David Turner in absentia Robert Alan Wierenga Please be seated. Will the candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy please rise. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy
represents theological scholarship and inquiry on the highest academic level, marking its holders as peers with their teachers and qualified to serve on university, college, and seminary faculty. It is conferred upon those who have successfully completed the course of study prescribed, therefore, in this seminary. Mr. President, on behalf of the faculty, I present to you these candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, certifying that they possess the requisite academic and theological credentials and have fulfilled all
the requirements for admission thereto. By virtue of the authority granted to this School of Theology by the State of New Jersey, and in the name of the Board of Trustees, I admit you to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and to all of the privileges and responsibilities pertaining thereto, and welcome you to the company of scholars. So use this right to teach that every thought may be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. [Note: the following list of names may contain spelling inaccuracies] Johnny Boutros
Awal Steven Richard Beckler Walter Carroll Bizarre Jr. Wai-Tung Cho Elisa Carol Diller Eunjoo Kim Cleophas James LaRue Jr. Kyu Min Lee, in absentia. John Gary Lamont George Peter Liakopoulos Douglas Brent Miller James Alan Moose Katherine Lee Roberts Scott Richard Austin Starbuck Thomas Robert Thompson Andrew Graham Vaughn Welcome to the company of scholars. Thank you. Thank you. Please be seated. Comedian Flip Wilson once quipped, I'm a Jehovah's bystander. They wanted me to be a witness, he
explained, but I didn't want to get involved. There is a sense in which that sentiment belongs to us all. Consider Israel in its time of Babylonian captivity. 586 years before Christ, Jerusalem fell to the army of King Nebuchadnezzar. The city was sacked, the temple was destroyed, and the leadership of the nation was carried off to Babylon as displaced people. There they found themselves among the many other military and political victims of the conquering Babylonians. The people
of God found themselves in the midst of cultural, ethnic, and religious pluralism of the first magnitude. Without the cultural support of their king, their temple, and their holy land, they were compelled to keep faith alive as best they could improvise. As the psalmist lamented, by the waters of Babylon there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres, for there our captors required of us songs, and our
tormentors mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land? Clearly Israel would have preferred to circle up the wagons, go into lager, and keep a very low profile. In that situation, however, Israel hears the prophet of God declare to them, You are my witnesses and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me
no God was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord, and beside me there is no Savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed when there was no strange God among you, and you are my witnesses, says the Lord. In an exposition of this text, philosopher Paul Ricoeur calls attention to the fact that in passages like this the biblical authors use the terms witness and testimony metaphorically. The literal sense of such language
is located socially in the institution of the court of law, where there is a judge and a jury, a prosecution and a defense, and an issue to be tried. The prophet of God, according to Ricoeur, uses the concept of a trial as a metaphor for human history itself. History is the trial where the disputed issue is who is God? Who is God really? Who really is God? And thus the ringing challenge, bring forth the people who
are blind yet have eyes, who are deaf yet have ears. Let all the nations gather together and let the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to justify them and let them hear and say it is true. Professor Ricoeur points out further that the testimony a witness gives has a quasi-empirical character. We testify to what we have seen and heard, or at least to
what we have experienced. But he points out testimony also has a confictional dimension. Testimony represents what we believe in the depth of our being. Moreover, testimony in a trial is never neutral. We bear witness in behalf of either the prosecution or the defense. And this is the biblical context in which we hear the New Testament call Christians to the witness stand. Following the resurrection, the disciples asked Jesus if the trial of history was about to conclude.
Will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? His answer was this. It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses. In Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. History continues. The trial goes on. The issue remains unresolved. Who is God?
Who is God really? Who really is God? The God who claimed Jesus as his son and raised him from the dead still calls his people to give their testimony, to bear their witness. And that responsibility falls especially upon those whom God calls to leadership roles in the church. That responsibility falls particularly upon the class of 1996 as you graduate this day from Princeton Theological Seminary and go forth to places of ministry across the world. It is
a world very much like ancient Babylon with its ethnic, cultural, and religious pluralism. What goes around comes around. It is a world very much like the Greco-Roman civilization into which the risen Christ sent his apostles armed only with his spirit and his gospel. The world into which you go forth today is called by many postmodern, meaning a world without intellectual foundations. A world which views truth claims as merely matters of opinion and moral convictions as
simply personal preferences. A world which considers what William James called truth with a big T and in the singular evidence of false consciousness. Speaking on this theme just last month at a West Coast Pastors Conference, a minister attested to the validity of this assessment from his own experience as a university pastor. Years ago he said, my witness to Jesus Christ was greeted with the demand, what evidence do you have for that claim? That's the modern question.
Today my witness, he said, is met with the sneer, what right do you have to make such a claim? The postmodern question. It is no wonder that our time in history is known as the age of suspicion. Nathan Scott picks up on the metaphor suggested by the Russian literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin and renames our time as the age of carnival. A carnival is a scene at which everyone is trying to get your attention. Everyone is trying
to lure you into their sideshow, to play their game, to take their ride. No attraction has a privileged position and the arrangement is without rhyme or reason. By comparison, a three ring circus is a model of organization and rationality. According to Nathan Scott, what Bakhtin takes to be the most fundamental fact about carnival is that under its strange kind of dispensation, ambivalence of viewpoint is the prevailing sentiment. Nothing is accorded a privileged status and everything is
relativized. In other words, the world into which you go expects you to be Jehovah's bystander. Will respect you if you are only Jehovah's bystander. At such a time and into the world you now go forth to assume leadership roles in the Church of Jesus Christ and it is admittedly an awesome task. But no more awesome than the task to which the prophet called Israel in its time of Babylonian captivity and certainly no more daunting than the
mission the risen Christ laid upon his disciples. I tell you, do not look to the culture for support of your witness or your testimony. There will be none. And do not be surprised if even the Church resists your witness and is indifferent to your testimony, for the Church today is an acculturated institution. But remember that the Lord God has called you to be not bystanders, but witnesses. And he does not send you forth alone to bear
witness in your own strength and not even according to all the wisdom you have attained at Princeton Theological Seminary. I urge you to remember his promise, you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. Today the Seminary has accredited you academically. Your respective churches will authorize you ministerially. But only God can empower you. [music]
And now go in peace, and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. [music]