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The threat that donors withholding contributions for Southwestern Seminary because Patterson got fired may not be as ominous as it originally sounded. There is evidence to suggest that at least a third of that money went to buy pianos for the music school. Yes. You read that correctly. Pianos. Six million dollars worth of Steinways.

https://baptist-blogger.com/2018/08/08/ ... no-cattle/

And if that's the case, perhaps a fair amount of that threatened $16 million or so wasn't funding anything related to the budget, it was just enhancing the decor and furnishings of the campus, perhaps much of it going to the building where the Pattersons were supposed to be the first "Theologians in Residence."

The party is over.

Well, first of all, Patterson is not "the Master," and giving to projects that enhanced the residential comfort of he and his wife on the seminary campus is not the same thing as the women who bathed Jesus' feet with perfume. Second, neither is Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in any way the equivalent of Jesus. The woman who anointed his feet was involved in an act of worship related to the Jewish custom of foot washing, because the Pharisee who had invited Jesus to dinner had been rude by not doing so. I do not believe that buying Steinway pianos for the music school of a seminary is anywhere even remotely connected to the context of that scripture, is certainly not an act of worship, and if it were, would be idolatry.

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is an institution which exists to train ministers of the gospel. It is not Jesus, nor is it a church, though I find it hard to justify spending the kind of money on a Steinway piano for a church and equating that to the anointing of Jesus' feet. Raising money to provide an opulent living space for a "president emeritus" and wife, and to furnish a church music school with a particular brand of piano at a cost of six million dollars is nothing more than poor stewardship, especially in light of the fact that Southwestern continues to struggle financially, is laying off employees, including professors, due to rapidly declining enrollment, is raising tuition and fees because of declining cooperative program revenue due to enrollment, and is becoming increasingly unable to perform its mission and purpose. That's just a demonstration of a complete lack of accountability, not to mention misplaced priorities by the trustees, and incredible incompetence of leadership, nothing more. Or blatant selfishness, if you want to put it in those kinds of terms.

But giving pianos to seminaries may honor the Master.

I think giving to support the theological education of students would be a much better way to honor the master.

Well, we use acoustic piano weekly at Fremont, and the Japanese-language service uses it weekly at JBC (the English service, I believe, only has an electronic one, poor folks). Queen Anne Baptist has a begging-and-pleading want ad out for a pianist. I certainly wouldn't have donated six million for pianos (how many instruments did this get them, did you say?) but if rich donors want to do it I won't jump to the conclusion that they were giving it to an elderly Southern Baptist jerk rather than to the Lord.

Acknowledging that pianos is way off topic here, we use an actual piano in at least two of our three services and sometimes all three. Two of those services are forms of contemporary worship. Church music is also hugely important in teaching theology. Probably more people learn their theology form the songs they sing in church than from the sermon, frankly.

Special "donor money" is a problem for most church institutions and for many churches as well. I am aware of churches that have funds tied to the wishes of people who died in the 1920's or earlier, churches with memorial funds that can only be spent when the item is approved by the surviving family, trust funds that cannot be touched except for certain needs, and hidden money in foundations and other separated funds. I often wonder how many of these funds benefit the kingdom. I agree with Sandy that the costs of theological education have risen sharply with the decline of the sponsoring denominational money. Free seminary was never fully practical, but the costs today are also not practical for tomorrow's ministers, whether they are in denominational seminaries or other schools. Ministerial salaries will never allow repayment of those debts.

Just to give some quick support using the websites from SBTS and BTSR, the costs at an SBC seminary or tuition, books, and a one-bedroom apartment run in the neighborhood of $15,000 per year (for an SBC student entitled to 1/2 tuition reduction) and the costs of a CBF-affiliated seminary would be around $25,000 per year. (Interestingly, Fuller Hall where Dawn and I lived for four years cost us between $85 and $100 per month for a one-bedroom furnished apartment. Now Fuller rents for $750 per month.)