
Fred Shackelford, pastor of Ellendale Baptist Church in Bartlett, far right, serves as the host of a panel discussion with, from left, Jeremy Sandefur, president and headmaster of The King’s Academy; Charles Fowler, president of Carson-Newman University; and Samuel “Dub” Oliver, president of Union University, during the 2023 Summit at the Chattanooga Convention Center. — Photo by Dan Ferrell
CHATTANOOGA — Charles Fowler, president of Carson-Newman University, takes great joy in seeing college students walk across the stage and receive their diplomas.
And yet, Fowler is quick to point out that even something as important as education pales in comparison to the spiritual needs of the students.
“If these students leave our institutions, and have a degree, and don’t have the Lord Jesus, we should be heartbroken,” said Fowler. “They need to come to know the Lord Jesus Christ, and learn how to let the gospel shape their lifestyles and their decision making. … This is the greatest need for this generation.”
Fowler made these comments during a panel discussion held on the second day of the 2023 Summit in Chattanooga. Fowler was joined on the panel by Jeremy Sandefur, president and headmaster of The King’s Academy, and Samuel “Dub” Oliver, president of Union University.
Fred Shackelford, pastor of Ellendale Baptist Church in Bartlett and a former president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, hosted the on-stage conversation.
Sandefur said many students at The King’s Academy, and elsewhere around the globe, are seeking to find out who they really are and their purpose in life.
“One of the greatest challenges across our state, across our country, and even our world, is identity,” said Sandefur. “Students are really, really battling the concept of who they are, and who the world tells them to be. They’re dealing with failure or let downs. (It is our challenge) to help them be able to overcome these things, and really rely on who they are, their identity in Christ.”
Oliver said another challenge that he and Christian educators are facing with their students is a lack of spiritual depth.
“Students that are coming to us just don’t have a knowledge of the scriptures as even previous generations had,” said Oliver. “That’s not a knock on our churches. We know our churches are invested in sharing the good news of God’s Word with young people, but so many young people are unchurched, and they come to our institutions, and haven’t had even some elementary exposure to God’s word. So, sharing that with them (becomes vital).”
The members of the panel expressed concern about the harmful impact that social media, such as YouTube and TikTok, is having on today’s students. The upside to social media platforms, however, is that it enables, and even empowers, students to make a difference in the world.
To that end, Sandefur said, “We’re trying our very best — in all of our institutions — to make sure that (our students) understand the importance of asking, ‘What is the biblical worldview? What can we do with the gospel to solve these problems throughout the world?’ ”
All three panel members asked the Summit attendees to continue to pray for them as they guide their respective schools.
“Sometimes, at all of our institutions, we need people to not only pray for us, but to come alongside us, and encourage us, and help be valuable resources to help propel the work forward,” Fowler said. “And it’s not that we sit out on an island, and you send your students to us, and we send them back four years later. It’s that we are an expression and an extension of the churches of the convention.” B&R — Video of the panel discussion can be viewed in its entirety at tbcsummit.org.


