Southern Trustees Reject Simmons Buyout

                                                                                                                         Vol. VI, No. 1, January 1993

Southern Seminary trustees met in Atlanta 15 December to consider a proposal to offer controversial ethics professor Paul Simmons up to $362,000 to terminate his relationship with the seminary. The board debated for four hours in executive session before voting 34-21 against the motion to offer the severance package. Reportedly trustees had earlier rejected a severance package negotiated by seminary president Roy Honeycutt estimated at up to $650,000. Because Simmons Is a tenured professor, he can be fired only for heresy (teachings in violation of the seminary's Abstract of Principles doctrinal statement) or for violating his contract.

Simmons has come under increasing fire from trustees for his extremely liberal views on abortion "rights" and homosexuality. A number of trustees prefer to seek dismissal through formal heresy charges. A committee is examining that possibility. [BP]

Editor's note: The following quotes give an Idea of Dr. Simmons' views. In his book Birth and Death: Bioethical Decision-Making, p. 96, he writes, "God may call for the active participation of people in the killing of germinating life. When he does so, It does not constitute murder.... The command of God to abort Is a secondary command to that of keeping alive. 'Secondary' does not mean less Important, however, but more nearly means 'less frequently given.'... Even so, the secondary command ‘to abort' will also be heard by significant numbers of persons. Among these certainly will be women with unwanted pregnancies who hear the command to terminate." On p. 104 of the same book he write; "In the face of the recalcitrant and rebellious will of men, God is powerless to intervene." Regarding homosexuality Simmons has written, "We can grant the distinction between orientation and action. I find nothing unacceptable as such about being homosexual any more than I do about being heterosexual. The question of acceptability and unacceptability is what you do with what you've got ... Now we're dealing with morality. Now we're dealing with action, with life-style. With which of these life-styles are we going to identify as persons who are trying to live consistent with their commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives." (Ethical Issues and the Family, 1985)