Andersonville Theological Seminary

For what I know of it, I'd stay away. Most everyone I know that did work there said it was a joke. I'd go with a better school. Trinity (IN), Luther Rice, Liberty, Columbia all come to mind.

 

Tony,
Since you are in PA, check out the video studies program at Calvary Baptist Seminary in Lansdale, PA. www.cbs.edu

 

I visited the Andersonville website and could not find any reference to accreditation. Are they accredited? If so, by who (or is that whom)? When considering the cost factor remember that you always get exactly what you paid for. Tony, if you are a Southern Baptist (or even if you are not) you should check out SEBTS (in NC), SWBTS (in TX), and/or SBTS (in KY).

[ November 10, 2002, 05:51 AM: Message edited by: BibleboyII ]

 

Columbia Evangelical Seminary is at www.columbiaseminary.edu

Everyone I've talked to that looked into it said it was a diploma mill. Little to no work, shallow doctrinal content, weak productivity and benefit. I'm not big on trying to be impressive with your education, but you do want to be prepared. Don't waste time or money doing otherwise. As I said, I'd look elsewhere. The other seminaries are just as affordable. If you can go on campus, SBTS in Louisville is the best IMHO. But if you're looking distance, look at the ones I mentioned.

 

A lot of big-name distance learning colleges were mentioned in this thread, but all that is too expensive for me. That is the reason why I have decided for Andersonville. Education needs to be afforable, and I need to work full-time or not even Andersonville would be within my reach. Many other distance learning programs are beyond what I can afford. I'm not hunting for degrees, but for a good foundation for preaching the Gospel and serving the church. The Lord has called me to preach and I am longing for some more formal training and preparation to serve Him without leaving the healthy boundaries of the local church. I do not think it is right when churches send their young preachers off to a big-name seminary and let them indoctrinate them wihtout the supervision of the local church and when they come back from seminary ... Well, it is said here among Missionary Baptists that the "seminary is the cemetery of the Spirit". That is right when you consider that some of the world's most vicious dictators had seminary degrees. Christians don't need the "Greek life" experience that the big colleges and universities offer.

 

A lot of big-name distance learning colleges were mentioned in this thread, but all that is too expensive for me. That is the reason why I have decided for Andersonville. Education needs to be afforable, and I need to work full-time or not even Andersonville would be within my reach. Many other distance learning programs are beyond what I can afford. I'm not hunting for degrees, but for a good foundation for preaching the Gospel and serving the church. The Lord has called me to preach and I am longing for some more formal training and preparation to serve Him without leaving the healthy boundaries of the local church. I do not think it is right when churches send their young preachers off to a big-name seminary and let them indoctrinate them wihtout the supervision of the local church and when they come back from seminary ... Well, it is said here among Missionary Baptists that the "seminary is the cemetery of the Spirit". That is right when you consider that some of the world's most vicious dictators had seminary degrees. Christians don't need the "Greek life" experience that the big colleges and universities offer. </font>[/QUOTE]Hello Ingo,

Like I mentioned in my earlier post, I was not able to determine Andersonville Seminary’s accreditation. You do not want to end up with a degree that is not recognized due to the school’s lack of accreditation. Check that out and ask questions to determine if they are accredited and by whom. I am currently at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. I want to affirm for you that if it is God’s Will for you to attend seminary He will provide for all you needs. Don’t let the cost be a stumbling block. My wife and I sold our metro-Atlanta house, quit our jobs, and moved to Wake Forest, NC because we knew that God was leading me to prepare for full-time ministry. We were leaving everything behind. At first we thought that we were going even with neither one of us having a job. My wife was prepared to give up a solid career with Sprint Long Distance. However, two days before we made the move a manager in the Sprint office in Raleigh, NC called and offered my wife a transfer! Likewise, when we arrived at Southeastern we could not afford to pay rent here and the mortgage on our house in Atlanta while we waited for it to sell. Guess what, we closed on the sale of the house one day before the bank foreclosed on our mortgage. God has provided for us every step of the way since I entered Bible College in August 1998. Now I am in seminary and He remains faithful. Thank you Lord for your provision in our lives!

I guess the Missionary Baptist quote that you reference above about the seminary being the cemetery of the Spirit could hold some truth to it if one attends the wrong seminary. You want to be sure that you can discern the hand of God upon whichever school you attend. Also you should look for the movement of the Holy Spirit among the school’s students and faculty. Are they active in sharing the Gospel in the community around the school? Is there a sense of revival on the campus? If you don’t see these marks of the Holy Spirit at the school then don’t enroll there. You do not want to miss the experience of seminary life. The time you spend at seminary is the time where you develop strong friendships and accountability relationships with men that will last throughout your life in ministry. I am sure that you want to be as well prepared as God would have you. Therefore, do not simply look for an easy way to get your degree ticket punched so you have the “proper credentials.” I’ll be praying for you.

 

Here is more about the accreditation of Andersonville Seminary:
http://www.andersonvilleseminary.com/accreditation.html

 

I just wanted to weigh in on this education stuff. I have been a professor for over three years in an accredited school and from my obsevation of students, the quaility of their education is based on their commentment to learning and not on accreditation.

Our education in the Word of God should not be so that we can have BS's, ThM's and PhD's etc. but so that we are better prepared to preach and teach the word of God PERIOD.

Richard

 

Hello Tony,

You are correct. Most likely Westminster could not accept credits from those other schools because of the accreditation issue. Westminster, or any other school with solid accreditation credentials, can not award a degree based upon a bunch of transfer credits from other schools with either no or unrecognized accreditation standards. Additionally, keep in mind that there are plenty of schools that boast of their accreditation; however, their "accreditation" organization is not a nationally or internationally recognized organization. That means that their accreditation is not worth the paper upon which it is written.

Likewise, Bible Student is correct as well. The goal is to prepare one's self for service in ministry, to be the best God would have you to be. The work the student puts in results in the superiority or lack of education. However, accreditation is about the quality of education offered by the school, not the level of work the student puts into an education.

 

I would rather go with a school that doesn't even pretend to be accredited (assuming it was thorough) than a school with a phoney accreditation or questionable one. Integrity is at stake. That's why it's best to go with one that is accredited, and saving that, a school that is at least honest about it.

 

Andersonville is not accredited by a national or regional agency recognized by the USDOE or CHEA. My wife earned a degree from there many years' ago. The quality was okay. The teaching was all on cassette tapes and the tests were not difficult but not easy either. I developed their counseling courses which have been replaced by, I think, Dr. Hayes' wife who earned a master's in counseling from Liberty University. The school has made great strides. Accreditation should always be looked into. Many denominations will not accept certain types of accreditation so be careful if ordination is the goal of earning a theological degree. If an unaccredited degree meets one's criteria and objectives, I would recommend Bethany Divinity College and Seminary

Jimmy

[ May 28, 2003, 02:26 PM: Message edited by: Six-Principle Baptist ]

 

Andersonville Theological Seminary is an affordable school, which offers a variety of degree programs to meet the needs of the student who is motivated to study the word of God. This Theological Seminary is comparable to some of our better seminaries. I would recommend it to the serious and hard working student who wants to study God's word so that he/she can do the will of God.

Andersonville provides the student with a structured plan of study which can be pursued at the student's own pace.

 

Is it??

I don't think so.

 

Is it??

I don't think so. </font>[/QUOTE]It's not why

 

Andersonville is a great option for those who do not have the time or money to attend a full-time seminary (pastors [full or part time], family men). Being able to work at your own pace is a blessing in itself for some of us.

In Christ,
Trotter

 

It is an inferior education than other seminaries. i have a friend at Anderson. It is not as good an education. Period.

Plus, you can't replace the experience of actually being on campus at seminary, interacting with other students and getting to know profs.

I think that all ministers who do distance learning are cheating themsleves in a sense. In another sense, it could be argued that if they were serious about their call to ministry they would be serious about spending just a few years of their life devoted to training and preparation for ministry.

As baptists we are famous for having well-intentioned but ignorant pastors. I think programs like Anderson perpetuate that reality.