SPRING 2018 www.rts.edu Interview With Keith Getty, Modern Hymn Writer Also in This Issue: Dr. Carl Ellis on Cultural Captivity • Dr. Mark McDowell on Ezekiel 34 • Nancy Guthrie: Hope Restored REFORMED CONFESSIONAL THEOLOGY INTEGRITY BIBLICAL FIDELITY EVANGELICAL WINSOME IDENTITY COMMUNITY VISIT RTS.EDU JACKSON | ORLANDO | CHARLOTTE ATLANTA | WASHINGTON D.C. | DALLAS | HOUSTON MEMPHIS | NEW YORK CITY GLOBAL TABLE OF CONTENTS Ministry & Leadership Spring 2018 5 28 Chancellor’s Message Fishing for Souls Dr. Ligon Duncan gives seven reasons why to sing the Robbie Hughes invests in the kingdom of God Psalms. through the endowment of an RTS scholarship. 8 News 31 Learn about the inauguration of Dr. Scott Swain in The Reason We Sing Orlando and other happenings across RTS. Interview with Keith Getty 15 Fear and Groaning in the People of God 37 by Dr. Mark McDowell “Dr. K”: 1930-2017 The RTS family loses Dr. Simon Kistemaker, one of its historic professors. 20 Minstrels or Messengers? 40 by Dr. Carl Ellis RTS at Work 24 Restoring Hope Nancy Guthrie carries out a public ministry born in family tragedy. 3 Ministry & Leadership www.rts.edu Spring 2018 WHO WE ARE Reformed Theological Seminary Copyright 2018 exists to serve the church by Reformed Theological Seminary. preparing its leaders through a globally accessible program All rights reserved. of theological education based For reprint permission, on the authority of the inerrant please call 601-923-1643 or Word of God and committed email [email protected]. to the Reformed faith. This program promotes biblical All Scripture references from fidelity, confessional integrity and the English Standard Version academic excellence, and seeks to except where noted. prepare students marked by “A mind for truth. A heart for God. Reformed Theological Seminary A life for ministry.” Jackson • Orlando • Charlotte Atlanta • Washington D.C. As such, Ministry & Leadership Houston • Dallas • New York City STAFF seeks to show how God is working Memphis • Global through the ministries of RTS Publisher Managing Editor Photography Director graduates, faculty members and 800-543-2703 Dr. Ligon Duncan Paul Schwarz MattMcQuade students. Our goal is that readers [email protected] will become partners with RTS www.rts.edu Editor in Chief Art Director Editorial Assistant through prayer, financial giving, Brad Tisdale Bill Henderson TiffanyBryson educational experience and student referral, as well as providing Director of placement opportunities. Communications Phillip Holmes 4 Ministry & Leadership www.rts.edu Spring 2018 CHANCELLOR’S MESSAGE by Dr. Ligon Duncan Seven Reasons to Sing the Psalms his September, • Teach everyone why and how alongside biblical and RTS friends we sing. theologically rich hymns Keith and • Build deep believers through and songs, have always loved Kristyn Getty are what we sing. and sung the Psalms. But hosting another • Strengthen and encourage even in the Bible-believing Sing! conference families to sing together. Presbyterian world, the in Nashville (find • Build churches by singing Psalms have become out more on pag- together and to each other. increasingly overlooked and es 31-36 and at • Witness to our wider unfamiliar in public worship. gettymusicwor- communities by our singing. This is one reason that Terry shipconference. Johnson says, “The Psalms com). I will have This year’s conference will are the sleeping giant of to the devotions of the saints the privilege of focus on the Psalms in our evangelical public worship.” than the Psalms. joining a number congregational singing. I Why should we sing the of other speakers am thrilled that Keith and Psalms? There are many rea- 2 The Psalms give us a won- at the gathering, Kristyn would address this, sons; here are a few. derful summary of Christian which “exists to because for most of Christian doctrine in lyrical form. Mar- help pastors, mu- history, most Christians 1 The Psalms are the best tin Luther called the Psalter a sicians, and lead- have primarily sung the Christian devotional book “little Bible” or a “short Bible,” ers build a bibli- Psalms. Only in the last ever written, and we need to because in it we find a beau- cal understanding and creative hundred years or so have the sing them to get them into our tiful abstract of the whole. vision for congregational sing- Psalms largely disappeared hearts. Matthew Henry (the In fact, the early church fa- ing in their churches.” Keith from public worship in the wonderful Bible commenta- ther Athanasius said that the and Kristyn explain five goals various Protestant traditions. tor) once said that no one book Psalms are the “epitome of the for this conference: Presbyterians especially, of Scripture is more helpful whole Scriptures.” 5 Ministry & Leadership www.rts.edu Spring 2018 CHANCELLOR’S MESSAGE 3 The Psalms are full of 5 When we sing the Psalms, 6 Singing the Psalms is a won- When we sing Christ. Tim and Kathy Keller we are joining our hearts and derful way to memorize them. recently wrote a devotional voices with the saints in all I have often been struck by book on the Psalms and called ages. Obviously, the Psalms how much of the Psalter my the Psalms, it, appropriately, The Songs of were sung by Old Testament Scottish Presbyterian friends Jesus. The Psalms not only saints, but they also formed the can sing. Why? Because from prophesy of the life, ministry, core of the praises sung by the a young age they sing the we are joining death and resurrection of our New Testament church. From Psalms in home and church. Savior, Jesus the Messiah, but the earliest days of Christian- Their words and phrases natu- Jesus himself uses the Psalms ity down through the centu- rally roll off their tongues in our hearts to explain and express His own ries, the Psalms have been on conversation and prayer. Per- redemptive work and suffering. the tongues of believers, in haps you know this experience their hearts, and sung in their from singing favorite hymns and voices with 4 The Psalms give voice to assemblies. The late Alec Mo- and songs over and over. Well, Christian experience. Luther tyer (who once taught a course what better way to memorize once said that the Psalms on Isaiah at RTS Jackson) said, God’s Word than to sing it! the saints supply appropriate words for “From earliest times the Psal- And what more appropriate whatever kind of life situation ter has been both the hymn part of God’s Word to memo- the Christian finds himself in. book and the prayer book of rize by singing than a portion in all ages. Calvin called the Psalms “the the Christian church.” Singing that was explicitly composed anatomy of all the parts of the the Psalms is one important to be sung! soul.” Just as Jesus used the way to join in the great com- Psalms to express His own ex- munion of the saints. 7 I am struck by how much perience, so also we believers of the Psalms are meant for will find the Psalms to give us our sanctification. The Psalms the words we need to express serve to show us the way of and understand our own expe- godliness, motivate us by God’s riences in life. mercy, urge us to build life on God’s Word, believe His prom- 6 Ministry & Leadership www.rts.edu Spring 2018 CHANCELLOR’S MESSAGE @ligonduncan ises, live for His praise and glo- Read the old Scottish metrical The Psalms ry, and see our sin and His for- Psalms at hymnary.org/hymnal/ giveness. In short, the Psalms SPAP1800 and a newer version are designed to help us live the of the Psalter at freechurch.org/ are designed to Christian life, grow in grace resources/praise/sing-psalms. and come to maturity. Good editions of the Scottish Psalter are available on Kindle help us live the For these and many other and other e-book platforms, reasons, the Psalms ought not as well as in print. Great to be neglected. I love great Commission Publications has Christian life, hymns. I love singing gospel also published The Trinity Psalter songs. I love spirituals. I really with all the Psalms set to familiar enjoy Reformed University hymn tunes. grow in grace Fellowship songs and the new hymns that the Gettys, Stu- art Townend, Matt Boswell, and come to Bob Kauflin, Matt Merker and others are writing. I hope you do too! But don’t forget the maturity. Psalms. They should be an es- sential part of the Christian’s praise. 7 Ministry & Leadership www.rts.edu Spring 2018 DOWNLOAD THE RTS MOBILE APP www.rts.edu/mobileapp SEMINARY LECTURES CHAPEL MESSAGES BIBLE READING PLAN NEWS DR. SCOTT SWAIN REMEMBERING DR. R.C. SPROUL INAUGURATED When Dr. R.C. Sproul went home to be with the Lord on December IN ORLANDO 14, this world lost a historic stalwart of the Reformed faith. Dr. Scott Swain, RTS Orlando president (left), wrote this remembrance of the former RTS professor. n September 20, 2017, Dr. Scott Swain was formally inaugurated as the fifth president of RTS Orlando. Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School delivered the keynote address, and Andrew Peterson provided music. ODr. Swain has served on the RTS faculty since 2006 and was named academic dean at RTS Orlando in 2012. In January 2017 he was appointed campus president as well as James Woodrow Hassell Professor of Systematic Theology. 9 Ministry & Leadership www.rts.edu Spring 2018 NEWS he RTS family joins the was he in establishing the campus broader Reformed and that some friends of the seminary evangelical world in on occasion would mistakenly mourning the loss of Dr.