To answer in part some of Clint's questions about apostasy in seminaries, I present the following information.
There are more links if you are interested, or just go online, and type in Apostasy Seminaries, and you will find lots of info.
Princeton, Yale, Harvard and most other universities in this country started off as orthodox, Bible believing training centers, but soon apostasized. Others branched off from these, which in turn apostacized.
Here is a fairly recent poll done at a Southern Baptist seminary.
http://bz.llano.net/baptist/apostasyatsbts.htm
Article by Bynum about Southern Baptist seminary.
I KNOW GOD REALLY EXIST.
Diploma Students-------------------------------------------100%
1st Year M.Div.---------------------------------74%
Final Yr. M.Div.--------------------------65%
I BELIEVE JESUS WAS BORN OF A VIRGIN.
Diploma Students------------------------------------------96%
1st Yr. M.Div.------------------------------66%
Final Yr. M.Div.--------------33%
PROOF THAT SOUTHERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL
SEMINARY PRODUCES UNBELIEF
In 1976, Noel Wesley Hollyfield, Jr., wrote his thesis for a Master of Divinity degree from SBTS, Louisville, KY. Hollyfield's thesis was titled: "A Sociological Analysis of the Degrees of 'Christian Orthodoxy' Among Selected Students in the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary." His thesis was read and approved by the SBTS committee composed of G. Willis Bennet, chairman, E. Glenn Hinson, and Henlee Barnette. Their approval indicates that they believe that the contents were accurate and the conclusions validated.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------Diploma----1st Year----Final Yr.-----Grad.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS---------Students----M.Div.------M.Div.-------Students
I know God really exists
& I have no doubt about it.-------------100%--------74%---------65%---------63%
Jesus is the Divine Son of God
and I have no doubts about it.--------100%---------87%---------63%--------63%
I believe the miracles actually
happened just at the Bible says
they did.---------------------------------------96%---------61%---------40%--------37%
The Devil Actually Exists:
Completely true.----------------------------96%---------66%---------42%--------37%
Probably true.---------------------------------4%---------18%---------26%--------15%
Probably not true.----------------------------0%---------12%---------23%--------32%
Definitely not true.----------------------------0%----------5%----------9%---------15%
There is Life Beyond Death:
Completely true.---------------------------100%---------89%---------67%-------53%
Jesus Was Born of A Virgin:
Completely true.-----------------------------96%---------66%--------33%-------32%
Probably true.----------------------------------4%---------17%--------33%-------37%
Probably not true.-----------------------------0%---------14%--------21%-------15%
Definitely not true.-----------------------------0%-----------2%--------12%------15%
Jesus Walked On Water:
Completely true.-----------------------------96%---------59%--------44%-------22%
Do You Believe Jesus Will
Actually Return To Earth
Some Day?
Definitely.------------------------------------100%--------79%---------56%--------53%
HOW NECESSARY FOR SALVATION DO YOU
BELIEVE THE FOLLOWING TO BE?
Belief In Jesus As Saviour:
Absolutely necessary.--------------------100%--------85%--------60%--------59%
Holding The Bible To Be
God's Truth:
Absolutely necessary.----------------------73%--------42%--------33%--------21%
TO WHAT DEGREE DO THE FOLLOWING HINDER SALVATION?
Being Completely Ignorant Of
Jesus As Might Be The Case
For People Living In Other
Countries:
Definitely---------------------------------------70%--------24%--------26%--------26%
Being Of The Hindu Religion:
Definitely---------------------------------------39%--------29%--------16%--------21%
Probably---------------------------------------17%--------17%--------26%--------16%
Possibly------------------------------------------9%--------36%--------42%--------42%
Not hinder--------------------------------------35%--------19%--------16%--------21%
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hollyfield's thesis proves that modernism is being taught at SBTS, and that it is having a devastating effect upon the students. The SBJ in a digest of Hollyfield's thesis correctly said, "The MORE EDUCATION students get at Southern Seminary the LESS THEY BELIEVE." The thesis of 159 pages contains numerous charts which show beyond any doubt that the more education Southern Baptist students have and the longer they study at SBTS, the more liberal and modernistic they become in doctrine.
Keep in mind that Hollyfield was a student at SBTS and that his thesis had to be written and approved before he could receive his Master of Divinity degree. His statistics were gained by using a standard 37 question questionnaire that was answered by the students. If his method had been unfair and biased, no doubt the three member faculty committee would have rejected the thesis.
Hollyfield considers the students under 7 different statistical tabulations. For our purpose we shall consider only four of his statistical groups, which will give us an overall picture of the modernism that SBTS is producing. For the convenience of our readers, we shall number these four divisions of students and explain what they are.
Diploma students. Most of these would not be college graduates and therefore ineligible for the seminary degree. These would tend to be more orthodox and fundamental, since they have not had part of their faith destroyed in a Southern Baptist college.
First year M.Div. students. (Master of Divinity). These would be college graduates with perhaps most of them being from Southern Baptist colleges. Final year M.Div. students. These students would have already spent many hours in the SBTS classrooms, plus much research work. Their beliefs would tend to show whether SBTS was building faith, or destroying faith. We should closely watch the difference in the beliefs of first year M.Div. students and final year M.Div. students. Graduate students. (Ph.D., Doctor of Philosophy; Th.M., Master of Theology). These would be the most advanced students and the most highly educated of all students.
The above facts and figures provide irrefutable proof that Southern Seminary does not produce faith but destroys it. You would believe that faithful Bible teaching in a seminary should produce greater faith in the Bible and the fundamentals of the faith. The student might come to school with some questions, but as Bible believing professors taught and influenced the students, unbelief would be replaced by faith. At Southern Seminary they come believing the Word of God and leave in unbelief (at least believing less than when they came.)
For instance 100% of the diploma students (the uneducated) believe in the existence of God. Only 74% of the 1st year M.Div. and 65% of the final year M.Div. believe that God really exists. That means that 9% lost their faith in the existence of God in Seminary. Among diploma students 100% believed in Jesus as the Divine son of God. Only 87% of the 1st year M.Div. students believed that, and only 63% of the final year M.Div. students believed it. That means that 24% of the M.Div. students lost their faith in Jesus being the Divine Son of God during their time at Southern Seminary. I would say that this is absolutely appalling to say the least. Also the question needs to be asked, why does SBTS accept students for a M.Div. degree who do not believe in the existence of God or that Jesus is the Divine Son of God?
The above chart shows that 21% of the M.Div. students lost their belief in miracles while in Southern Seminary. By that time only 40% of these even believed in miracles. During their stay at southern seminary 24% of the M.Div. students lost their belief in the existence of the Devil, and only 42% in their final year even believed in the Devil. While in Seminary 22% lost their belief in life beyond death. How sad that 33% of the M.Div. students lost their belief in the Virgin Birth of Christ while they were in SBTS. Only 33% were completely sure that they believed in the Virgin Birth of Christ.
During Seminary 25% of the M.Div. students lost their belief that it was absolutely necessary to believe in Jesus Christ to be saved. During the final year only 60% believed it was necessary. These and many other frightening trends may be gleaned from the condensation of Hollyfield's findings.
The question that each of the 35,000 churches of the SBC must face is: "Shall we continue to send mission money to help pay the salaries of professors who teach their students that the Bible is not the infallible Word of God, thus destroying their faith?" These students who graduate are going to become pastors, teachers in seminaries or colleges, and thus destroy the faith of those who sit under their ministry.
See
http://bz.llano.net/baptist/apostasyatsbts.htm
for the whole article.
Another article on the apostasy in modern Evangelicalism by David Clould found here:
http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/fbns/fbns450.html