Prefatory Note: We are presently working on several different items for The Baptist Blogger, some of which results from our examination of pickings pieced together after a season of denominational dumpster diving. Without further commentary, we give you this excerpted teaser from an undated, handwritten letter from the mid 1980s we found in the Kaemmerling Collection, located in the publicly-available Archives of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Quote:
Chuck, you are a teacher of preachers. While your expertise can be evangelism, you must, as a prophet of God, be able to address authoritatively the great issues of your own day. It will not do not to know what Paul meant on the women’s issue in 1 Timothy 2.
Yes, I know that having the women “preach” in chapel was not the same as ordaining them or as installing them as pastors. Yes, I am aware that under the guise of allowing “prophecy” to women, one might slip them by on a deal like this. But there remains no (emphasis in the original) question about the side aided and the position assisted by what was done and how it was done. Chuck, who protested this on your campus? Who stood strong for Pauline Christianity? Who raised the question about further polarization in the convention as a result of such action? Should not a Bible-believing man be the conscience of the campus?
… May God grant you the wisdom of Solomon (except where women were involved).
(SIGNED) Paige
The Baptist Blogger 
Someone seems to have accused a Seminary President of ignoring parts of Scripture. Ironically, he ignored a lot more in making such accusation.
Kinda curious about their family gatherings.
BB,
I assume since the letter is undated we don’t know with precision, but is it safe to say this was written before Chuck was president? If memory serves that wasn’t until circa 1995. Seems PP’s indictment falls upon his predecessor if this was mid-80s.
Your friend,
BE
There are other parts of the multi-page handwritten letter that would place the time somewhere in the 1985 range.
The event referenced may have occurred in 1987 or 88. Landrum Leavell was still at the helm and Chuck Kelly was a professor of evangelism at NOBTS. I was an M.Div student at the time. A female (scheduled to graduate at the top of her class with honors) was rightly selected to deliver a chapel address due to her diligence in the classroom. A male M.Div student ( whose name I will withhold here) took his bible, scratched himself out a place in the Book of Lamentations and proceeded on the lawn outside the chapel to call down fire and brimstone on the whole shebang from professors to students. Was quite a scene. Not sure if this is the event referenced by Kammerling but sounds close.
Scott:
I would love to know how the Seminary responded to this students behavior–for me it sounds way over the line–surely he was told to apologize to her-fellow students-and professors.
I remember seeing some professors and students taking issue with the guy.
Scott Shaver,
Since the public invocation of fire from heaven was in a public forum, on campus property, designed to bring attention to impending doom, I believe the prophet in question should be named.
I would love to contact him.
I see no reason to name him. Was 30 years ago and perhaps, he too, has had a change in perspective since that day. Perhaps you could request his name from Chuck Kelly, or other students and professors who were there at the time and still in the SBC game