Dear Biblical Theological Seminary Board of Directors,

             For many years I have been quiet about the direction BTS has traveled since my graduation with a Masters in Old Testament in 1993.  Because of the seriousness of the situation there I hope that the many letters and conversations from concerned alumni will enable you to take a clear stand for the cause of Jesus Christ so that someday when you stand before Him you will have been responsible with what He has entrusted you, i.e., being a board member of Biblical Seminary.

            Soon after my graduation from BTS John Franke visited us in Oxford, England (where we were living while my husband worked on a doctorate).  He brought some startling news. John told us that someone in a position to know had told him that someday the theological positions (conservative) that Dr. Vannoy held would no longer be taught at Biblical. This was not a surprise to me because I had watched BTS hire John who I knew to be Barthian in perspective. As I was a student at the time he was hired, it was not appropriate for me to question faculty, board members, or those involved in the hiring process as to why they were inviting a Barthian on the faculty. Laird Harris, I believe, even had a part in the examining process. So, looking back, I find myself wondering if Dr. Dunbar had such a conservative scholar as Harris endorse the hiring of Dr. Franke to begin the changes he wanted to make at Biblical?  Some people say Biblical was taken by stealth, but many of us were not blind to the change, just incredibly saddened watching it. In the same conversation my husband and I had with John Franke, he told us he wanted to be President of BTS someday. If he wants to be President, of course he will need an institution that believes the things he believes, and those changes would have to be made from the inside, at least at BTS. That would be my understanding for some of the charting of the course for BTS.

            When my husband, Stephen, helped Dr. MacRae sort through his many papers before Dr. MacRae moved to the Quarryville home, one day Dr. Dunbar encountered him while he was cleaning out some of the papers. My husband told him what he was doing and Dr. Dunbar’s not-so-humorous response to him was, “got a match?”  In our view, that was a clear statement as to what he thought of the history preserved in those papers that included letters from Machen, R.D. Wilson, Billy Graham, Francis Schaeffer, Karl Barth, the White House, Albright, and so on. My husband got a letter from the archivist at Princeton Seminary begging that they be the recipients of those papers because “the other side needs a chance to be heard.” That is a terribly significant comment coming from a person who had access to the papers of those who did the silencing of the conservative voices during the change at Princeton Seminary. Despite the fact that the BTS board at that time rejected Stephen’s proposal to them to preserve these papers, and the offers of several other seminaries to receive them, they deteriorated in the BTS basement for years.  Thankfully, these papers were finally rescued by the PCA archivist who told us he is “having the time of his life” with this treasure trove of history. That leads me to the obvious question:  are the board members who have allowed the silencing and removal of conservatives (or non-Post Modernists) at Biblical Theological Seminary going to be examined or remembered someday for their part in helping those who have departed from what BTS stood for and for encouraging “new voices” to have a hearing in the theological world?

            Currently I am employed at the US Army War College Protestant Chapel. I conduct a choir made up of professors who teach at the War College, Colonels in the class, and their wives and families. These people are senior military leaders. (A. Swartzkopf, D. Eisenhower, A. Haig, etc. were trained here.)  I talk to them about Biblical Theological Seminary. I talk to them about postmodern theology. I talk to them about the confusion in the graduates of Biblical Seminary (one was recently fired in our town because of his theological confusion.) One of the men who trained Swartzkopf told me about a book called Stand Your Ground: Building Honorable Leaders the West Point Way by Dr. Evan H. Offstein. Perhaps if Dr. Dunbar or Dr. Franke read it they would glean something from the military about preparing honorable leaders to serve in the Lord’s army. One of the Colonels shared with me “it is possible to stand tall in the military.”  I see this in the impressive men and women I serve in this position. I see high-ranking officials being faithful to the Bible, their spouses, and their country. I would be ashamed to give them a book by Dr. Franke as they prepare men to serve in a foxhole. I would also be ashamed to introduce them to Todd Mangum who had to defend his position to me that he had not told a friend of ours that “Francis Schaeffer is a quack.”

            Having friends and acquaintances who made choices on the basis of their understanding of the theology found in mainline denominations has led me to understand the situation at Biblical enough to say that I need to ask your forgiveness for not writing this letter years ago. The outworking of wrong theology leads to death. I am not only talking about eternal separation from God. I am talking about the consequences in this world for young people who are not given clear direction from the church. To the extent that the leadership at Biblical veers from biblical Christianity, they and board members who do not take a stand for truth as defined by God will be responsible for much suffering where they could have offered abundant freedom in Christ. To be point-blank, I have to write that to the extent that the leadership at BTS veers from the truth, they are going to be responsible for abortions. They will have blood on their hands. Liberal theology has always contributed to people having abortions. I challenge you to carefully re-examine the “new theology” (neo-orthodox, or “post-Christian”) and the PostModern hermeneutics presently taught at BTS. I sincerely hope and believe that neither Dr. Dunbar, Dr. Franke, nor members of the board would want their children or grandchildren to suffer the effects of theologies that lead to death.

            I also hope that the letters you receive will not be ignored, but that you will make the right choices to help Biblical bring much needed and longed for light to the world and not the obvious confusion they are currently creating.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Gloria L. Hague (93)