The head of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is predicting layoffs and tuition increases to manage a $3 million budget shortfall.  President Al Mohler said in a Dec. 15 letter to the seminary community that cost-saving measures — including a hiring freeze on non-essential positions and reduced travel — have already trimmed the Southern Baptist Convention school’s budget by $1.7 million…. Mohler attributed the shortfall to significant losses in the value of the seminary’s endowed funds. He also said the school projects annual gift levels this year to be lower than usual and has been advised by denominational leaders to expect economic forces to eventually show up in reduced giving through the SBC.

So reports Associated Baptist Press.  Some questions for Mohler… why are you attributing the budget crisis to economic factors rather than divine providence?  Might it not be the case that the Good Lord is displeased with what’s going on there in terms of theological ‘education’ and hence cutting off the spigot of funding?  Is the proper thing for a theologian, the President of a Seminary, really to seek naturalistic causes for such events?  If this were happening to a ‘liberal’ seminary, wouldn’t you ask the more relevant theological questions that have just been posed?  Why then the double standard?  What’s fair is fair, Al.  Maybe this is part of God’s plan to close Southern down…