Andersonville Seminary

Martin

Six points:

1) I believe that it is true that many do not really understand accreditation. Believe it or not , when I entered TTS in 2000 AFTER finishing the work for three RA accredited masters degrees in Theology and two RA accredited teaching credentials, I still gullibly thought that TTS' $225 sticker on my diploma indicating "global accreditation" through Liverpool must be better than RA since it is, after all, geographically larger !!! I just had never had the reason to investigate the meaning and importance of real accreditation!

2) You raise the issue of cost. Most perhaps do not realize that there are many opportunities to finish degrees with the foreign equivalent of RA at a fraction of the cost of US RA programs. My USA ThM cost around $10,000, but my SA ThD only about $2000-$2500!

3) Probably it is true that some who opt for UA substandard doc work do so not necessarily because of the inability to suceed in a better program, but because they lack an accredited higher masters in the appropriate subject.

4) The fact of the matter , I think, is that some denominations and churches really don't care whether or not their ministers have rigorous and/or accredited docs or not. IMO that is a wrong attitude, but I have little hope that it ever will change. Somehow we are expected to do our very best for God in everything but doing academic docs appear at times to be exempted from that expectation. Why that is, I don't know.

5) You and I know that many Christian leaders as, say Zhodiates or James White, are highly sucessful despite having UA docs. People may reason that what is good enough for these is good enough for us. Such logic supposes that the man generally makes the academic doc and not the academic doc the man. This logic IMO is based on extreme exceptions to the rule that in most cases doc level rigor is more likely to happen in accredited programs than in UA ones. It is the rigor of doing really substantial academics that IMO in most cases makes the man an academic. And that rigor usually, but not exclusively, attends accredited not UA programs because the former requires it most often.

6) IMO it probably is true that some othewise fine Christians really wish to be be called "Dr." more than they wish to genuinely earn that title. Sometime I will tell you the story of "Dr." Withy who finely exemplifies that situation!

Again my points connect to Biblical/Theological studies , not to praxis.

Bill

[ September 19, 2005, 11:56 AM: Message edited by: UZThD ]

 

Is there anything in sight that might indicate that Andersonville is or will be raising the level of thier courses?

 

I know price was a factor for me and I agree that mainly it is how you apply yourself.
You could well have more bible knowledge from attending 4 years at a bible college than having 4 years at a secular university with a bachelors in cooking and then attending a seminary for 2 years and getting your MDiv.

 

a 2 yr MDiv? Where?

 

Well my friends had their bachelors and went to southern seminary and got their masters in 2 years, so I'm not sure if they were in a excellerated program or maybe had extra credits.

 

My bag. I did talk to one of my friends and
it did take him about 4 years.
For some reason it seemed shorter.

 

==

no problem.

Quite a few enter seminary with a BA in Bible (not cooking) as I did. Then they finish the three yr MDiv or do another yr for a ThM too.

Often the Biblical languages and more in depth studies are taken in seminary not college.

 

Strong's! Everyone knows to do proper word studies in Greek one needs the Englishman's Greek Concordance of the NT!

 

steveo

Isn't it ironic that your friends were on a two-year accelerated MDiv tack (because of their Bachelor's) and it still took 4 years?

[ September 21, 2005, 11:00 AM: Message edited by: El_Guero ]

 

Thanks for all your comments folks.

I spoke with the Director of Church Development from the Jacksonville (FL) Baptist Convention (SBC). He encouraged me to continue on and finish the D.Min. at Andersonville. He said that in the SBC in Florida, pastor's backgrounds varied from no education to various doctoral degrees from accredited and non-accredited institutions.

I have no call to teach at a university or seminary. The Lord has called me to pastor and I feel from the counsel I have received from other pastors and full-time ministry employees, the degree I earn at Andersonville will be sufficient at this time.

I don't know about the possibility of completing future education as I have a son that will enter college in two years and a daughter in six. I'll have a hard time justifying more money on my education with the cost of sending them to college.

Thanks again.

 

Hey Brother Ian

Much education makes one mad! It is a worldly fallacy that godly education at a public institution accredited by worldly standards is the best godly education.

To this I respond: BUNK!

Your inner calling by God's Spirit cannot be compared to formal education. The Spirit's calling is categorically different from human wisdom in teaching God's Word.

Go to whatever school you have been led to attend. It matters not which one you choose. Lend your formal education to the Spirit's teaching!

Lloyd

 

"A first hope of mine is that as Evangelicals we will set high standards, both in scholarship and in education...while not making liberal or secular scholarship our standard, we will, however, want to make sure that we not only equal but exceed it."

Millard J. Erickson,
Presidential Address,
"Evangelical Theological Scholarship in the Twenty-First Century,"
54th Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society,
Nov 20th, 2002.

 

Bunk! Accreditation has nothing to do with adopting worldly criteria to certify spiritual teaching. Accreditation is an attempt, though fallible, to certify that the institution is capable of, and is doing, what it claims able to do.

The issues are rigor and ethics (or a lack thereof). I have no idea how much work is involved with a DMin at Andersonville, but I do know that they cannot ethically offer a ThD, which they do offer. They don't have the faculty capable of overseeing such study. Check out http://www.andersonvilleseminary.com/pdf/teachers.pdf , scroll through the list of "teachers," and find the ones who actually are listed as teaching at Andersonville.

In addition, the requirements are really minimal. The following comprises their Master of Theology and ThD requirements as listed in their catalog:

Institutions which refuse to pursue accreditation would have it if they qualified, but they don't, with rare exceptions. Andersonville couldn't get real accreditation if they wanted, and if they raised their standards high enough to obtain it, they would lose students . . . and money.

My question to folks attending Andersonville is this: Why choose Andersonville when there are quality alternatives available?

Bill

 

Both degrees combined do not measure up to an M.Div. degree.

 

How does a deceased person teach? It is incredible that a deceased person is listed as a faculty member.

Something isn't right here.

Why do the legitimate scholars allow their names to be listed as faculty?

Who actually does the teaching or mentoring?

I'm starting my own school, and with the degrees I've already earned from accredited institutions, I'm going to award myself a Ph.D. I've done more work than what is required for a Th.D. at Andersonville.