The Doctrine of Humankind
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 63, No. 2 – Spring 2021
Editor: David S. Dockery
Nearly two decades ago at a major bioethics conference, I heard a significant presentation from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary alumnus C. Ben Mitchell. In his talk, Mitchell asked the question, “What does it mean to be human?” The way he framed the conversation was profound. Though I had taken courses in and taught courses about Christian anthropology, I began to reflect on this vitally important question in ways that I confess I had not previously done. Realizing the importance of this question and the various implications for our lives and ministries, we have invited a group of thoughtful theologians and ethicists to help us think carefully and wisely about these challenging issues.
Building on the overarching theme for this issue, “The Doctrine of Humankind,” Rhyne Putman, director of worldview formation at Williams Baptist University and author of The Method of Christian Theology (Nashville: B&H, 2021), has, with the goal of doctrinal disciple-making in mind, attempted to answer the question: “Who Does God Say I Am?” John Hammett, the seasoned theologian at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, who is co-authoring the volume on Christian anthropology for the Theology for the People of God series (forthcoming from B&H), has engagingly written on what it means for men and women to be created in the image of God. Katie McCoy, who serves in a number of roles at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and who is Hammett’s co-author for the Christian anthropology volume, has offered a well-written article, which addresses some of the key cultural issues of our day titled, “God Created Them, Male and Female.”
A type of Gnosticism regarding the human body seems to have returned to the thinking of many in the twenty-first century. Countering these false notions, Gregg Allison, professor of Christian theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has authored an insightful piece “A Theology of Human Embodiment.” W. Madison Grace II, associate professor of Baptist Heritage at Southwestern Seminary, extends Allison’s thoughts in the article on “The Body and Human Sexuality.”
Carl Bradford serves as assistant professor of evangelism at Southwestern. This devoted churchman has provided the readers of the Southwestern Journal of Theology with a grace-filled piece on racial reconciliation. Clearly grounded in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, Bradford has authored “A Gospel-Centered Approach to the Issue of Racism.” “Race and Racism in the Southern Baptist Convention,” by O. S. Hawkins, president of GuideStone Financial Resources, explores two approaches to these important issues in the life of ministry of two SBC icons, George W. Truett and W. A. Criswell.
Jacob Shatzer, associate professor at Union University and author of Transhumanism and the Image of God: Today’s Technology and the Future of Christian Discipleship (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2019) wrestles with future-oriented ethical questions in his contribution to this issue. We are grateful for Shatzer’s work on “Fake and Future ‘Humans’: Artificial Intelligence, Transhumanism, and the Question of the Person.”
A number of substantive book reviews conclude the issue. I am grateful for the quality work from the authors of these fine articles and the book reviewers as well. The editorial work by Wang Yong Lee, Alex Sibley, James A. Smith Sr., Katie McCoy, and Andrew Streett is certainly worthy of commendation, as is true for the design team as well. I especially want to express my appreciation for the extraordinary efforts of Andrew Streett to help us get this volume to press in a timely fashion.
In December of 2020, an announcement was made regarding the Southwestern Journal of Theology’s initial Book of the Year Awards. The faculty of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary voted on these choices, which may be found at the back of this issue. We offer hearty words of congratulations to Professor Carl R. Trueman, of Grove City College in Pennsylvania, whose book on The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution (Wheaton: Crossway, 2020) was selected as the overall book of the year.
Soli Deo Gloria
