Bible Colleges?

Right. I think BJU is a good school academically. But it is comical that Bible schools wouldn't seek accreditation until BJU did.

Good for MBBC for blazing their own trail regardless of what BJU thought.

 

I like the introduction on the Landmark Baptist College website:
It says...

"Do You Remember?"

... When the term Bible College meant that you were training people directly in the use of the Bible -- pastors, church planters, missionaries, evangelists, and Christian educators?

... When you could use the term Bible College and everyone knew what Bible you meant?

... When Bible Colleges would not have accepted accreditation from the world even if the world had offered it?

... When preparing missionaries for the foreign field was a top Bible College priority?

... The past glory days of the Bible College movement when Bible College graduates were starting and building dynamic, growing churches?

At Landmark Baptist College we don't just REMEMBER
the past glory days of the Bible College movement -- WE'RE LIVING THEM!

I'll be going there in the Fall of this year. I've already received my AA degree from a community college and am excited about continuing my education at this school.

didn't really answer any questions... but either way that's my 2 cents.

 

Many Bible colleges are just glorified Sunday Schools. The quality of education just itsn't up to the par it should be.

If I had to do my education over again I would get an acreditted degree from a Christian liberal Arts college, and then go one to Seminary for a more in depth theological training.

 

One of the problems in addressing the issue on this thread is a lack of defined terms. What is meant by a "Bible College?"

The real history of this movement began in the Bible Institute movement which were sometimes refered to as "Bible Schools." These schools were 1, 2 or 3 years in duration and taught doctrine, Christian living, and ministry skills and primarily focused on training young people for fulltime ministry. There was little or no liberal arts type class work included.

The Bible College movement was an upgrade of that and took the liberal arts core of the traditional college and interfaced it with a Bible major in a 4-year format. The result was a somewhat classical liberal arts degree with a Bible major and a professional major or minor. These colleges realized that not all young people were called to fulltime ministry and thus gave these students other options for training along with a Bible major. This gave solid Bible training but also provided other career options.

I cannot speak for all Bible Colleges, I only know the one I graduated from and the one all my kids have attended, that is Maranatha College in Watertown, WI. Currently all the students are pre-tested in various liberal arts disciplines as well as in Bible at the beginning of their freshman year. Then they are post-tested at the end of their training just before graduation. That post-testing level for Maranatha College usually on a year-by-year basis ranks their students academically above the small colleges and in some cases at or above the degree granting colleges (eg. University of Wisconsin).

I believe there is a real place for such colleges and will continue to be for years to come.

 

I know some of you may interpret what I'm going to say as "small-minded" but IF I did feel led to attend a school of any sort for further education I'd ONLY consider a church based Bible College that would give me a solid grounding in the scriptures and christian living/ministry skills since I've LIVED enough years(50)of "liberal" arts education in the "school of hard knocks" to know that I don't need to be further educated in the ways of this world.I'd desire something that would bring me closer to the Lord and how to daily walk in a way that is more pleasing to Him.I believe way to much emphasis is placed on education these days....and much of the time all it serves to do is to distract christians from the pressing need of this hour.That need is to surrender to God..submit ourselves to Him and get about the pressing business of doing all we can to spread the saving Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to a lost and quickly dying world in these last days before His return.I know many of you who have studied long and hard will disagree with me and I intend you no disrespect.I just think that a lot of well-intentioned people WASTE a lot of time being educated in things that have no redeeming eternal value.In my humble opinion,the only kind of education that will bear any fruit at the Judgement Seat of Christ will be that which glorifies the Lord in and through His Word and brought more souls into the Kingdom.All valuable education will center itself on the Word of God and the will of God.If college were...or ever is a choice for me,I'll take one that gives me a more thorough understanding of the Scriptures...thats all that really matters at this point in life.Just my humble opinion folks.

Greg Sr.

 

Medical Doctors study for years. Lawyers study for years. These are professionals, and much more ought a person in life time service for Christ be educated. We live in a professional society, and nothing, not even lifes lessons though they are good, can replace a sound acedemic education.

We have enough sloppy preachers and pastors, let the next generation take the time neccessary for a quality education. Baptist are some of the most theologically ignorant people I know. Alot of that comes because pastors and leaders themselves are theoligically ignorant and/or they fail to instruct their people properly.

The adult SS classes at my church provide the same information and undersatnd, and sometimes more, than some of my Bible College classes.

There was a time no doubt that is standered was ok, but times have changed. More now than ever before is the need for pastors and leaders to step up academically and meet the needs of todays congregations.

Education is never a waste of time. It is part of doing Christ's work. Education does glorify the Lord, He would not have us to be ignorant. Theological bankruptcy and poor preaching is not excused by the pastor who says he does not want to waste his time with education.

 

If I were 50, I would attend a solid Bible college if I were interested in ministry.

The previous post makes a valid point too. It needs to be a solid Bible college that is academically rigorous. Bible colleges do serve a purpose and one would be right for you.

 

No one can know everything or be everything. A man must find his place and fill it, and not try to fill someone else's.

A fellow might have a solid understanding of the Arian controversy and still not know how to shut up and leave when a visit in a home has reached its end. Academics are a small part of a pastor's tool kit.

Different congregations need different kinds of men. A ThM grad might feel frustrated in a church where nobody went to college. But God could call an Amos in from the field to shepherd those folks.

To our own master we stand or fall.

Charles Woodbridge told of speaking to a large gathering of missionaries in, I think, Africa. He asked how many had graduated from 4-year colleges, and only a few hands went up. He then asked how many had graduated from Bible institutes and "a forest of hands" went up. This was his response to a slur against the old evangelicals by the New Evangelical movement that we needed to avoid a Bible institute mentality. Woodbridge prayed that God would give us more of the mentality that filled the ranks of foreign missions.

And Woodbridge's pedigree included Princeton, Duke, Berlin, Marburg, and the Sorbonne!

 

I think the Bible college and Bible Institute movement came from the need to get large numbers into ministry quickly and they did a right good job of it for many years. Personal opinion, they were training people to go to a world that was less educated for the most part - to the world to poor areas of our country, small towns etc.

Today the average american is more educated and needs a minister that is on a similar level at least so the schools have been upgrading to match. There are a few small schools that may not be keeping up but for the most part they are improving with time and need. Philadelpia is one example, Calvary in Kansas City, Faith Bible in IA all started small and have kept up with needs of the people.

The smaller schools still fill a need, there are some very small schools that give mostly Bible and their main purpose is just giving common folks some good Bible training - many grads are tremendous assets to local churches as laypeople. Some put out great ministers/missionaries as well.

I think part of it in the beginning also was that back then seminaries required four year degrees, then seminary for three years and the sum of seven years was a long time. The Bible college/institute cut that to four and did a fine job of it.

The small schools train well for mission work or small town chuches.

They were a great asset when WW II was over. Many service men came home from the war and trained for the ministry and returned to the world as missionaries.

"Many times they have some particular theological or political "axe to grind" such as dispensationalism, "holiness," "separation," and such."

As if most seminaries don't?????

 

I think the original question asked whether bible colleges still existed. The link below has a list of over 200 of them.
http://www.christiansunite.com/050.shtml

Whether they are "traditional" or not, I don't know. I do believe that:
--Despite a generally more educated society, we are generally less literate about the bible.
--Some of the old bias against accreditation was due to the fact that some solid schools persued accreditation and went liberal in the process. (Don't get me wrong...I have nothing against accreditation).
--We need more (and better) bible education, in any way we can get it.

 

Personally I don't see the 4-year Bible College replacing the seminary program, but rather providing a stronger basis for it. I still encourage young men who are finishing Bible college to go on to seminary and get their M.Div. The Bible college provides a strong base upon which the theological specialty of seminary can be well built. I have no reqrets about going on to seminary and even getting my D.Min. degree.

 

Although it is somewhat late in this thread, please allow me to apply a slight corrective to the originating post. BJC (Bob Jones College) was never a Bible college and it was never intended to be one. Please reference Dr. Bob, Sr.’s pamphlet, Three College Shipwrecks. BJC was a liberal arts college from the beginning. People have mistakenly referred to it as a Bible college and many people have tried to get a Bible college education from it. The undergrad B.A. in Bible has been criticized in the past for having fewer hours in Bible than the typical Bible college diploma. The criticism was accurate but it was totally misplaced. The B.A. in Bible was intended to be a broad liberal arts degree with a concentration in Bible. The whole idea was a well-rounded education in language, literature, the arts and the sciences along with Scriptural instruction. Therefore, the evolution of BJU has nothing to do with changes in Bible colleges. It was not and is not a Bible college in the strict sense of the term—it was not a part, although sympathetic, of the Bible college-Bible institute movement.

 

Without taking individual swipes at anyone, I would like to offer a few very general observations about the posts and opinions on this thread. As a whole, the majority seems to think that Bible colleges and institutes are a relic of the past generation. RA accredited universities purporting academic respectability are the future wave of Christendom. I respectfully differ.

Overall, these opinions seem to come from one’s own narrow and biased experiences. People naively think all IFB circles are like their own. There is great divergence between IFB’s. It is true that IFB is an upward mobile segment of society and education is an important part of that motion. However, the views expressed on this thread seem to be representative of only some currents in the IFB stream. In certain quarters, the traditional Bible college and institute are alive and well. Admittedly, there is the ever-upward push for higher degrees. Witness the proliferation of degree mills. On the other hand, there are many good reasons for a niche of Bible colleges and institutes. Please consider the following:
1. Less expenditure of time and money
2. Accessibility of Bible college or institute when it is located nearby (many small ones scattered throughout the country)
3. Lower admission standards for those who did not complete high school or came to ministry later in life
4. People are interested in more practical applications of Bible knowledge and learning rather than academic pursuits
5. Some folks are looking for Biblical lay education to serve in the local church (I especially see a need for this aspect—it’s one close to my heart.)
6. Let’s face it—not everyone is intellectually equipped either by ability or background for a university/seminary education. We cry and whine about declining standards in higher education but this is exactly what we get when we try to have open admission to university level higher education. Duh?
7. Bible colleges and institutes train many dedicated workers who fill the ranks of missionaries, church staffs, church ministries, etc.

In sum, I say emphatically that the Bible college and institute are not relics of the past. They are vital elements in equipping and training workers in Christ’s service.

 

I realize that I am probably a maverick with my opinion represented only by possibly Tonto and myself. However, I still hold some old-fashioned ideas because they were right when I accepted them and I believe they are right in principle today. The big issue on accreditation and higher education seems to be job related. Somewhere along the way, I thought the purpose of my college education was to learn and improve my mind. I did not go to college to make more money. There is a strong case against college if you are looking for financial benefits.

My Dad, who does not have a college degree, became a millionaire but his son, who has several degrees, will probably never achieve that distinction. Furthermore, the richest man that I ever knew dropped out of school in the 4th grade but he had many educated guys working for him. I’m amazed at the guy whining that he didn’t know his Bible college was unaccredited until after several years. What pumpkin wagon did he fall off? Caveat emptor IMHO, I don’t believe an unaccredited degree hurts your employment nearly as much as gullibility and naivety.

It is a known and provable fact that we are awash with unaccredited degrees. Many of these are from real degree mills with no academic worth whereas others are real academic achievements of varying value. A few, such as BJU’s, represent high standards and excellent quality. The fact this situation exists and continues to proliferate demonstrates that few employers are knowledgeable enough to differentiate the good from the bad. Their knowledge of accreditation (bogus schools claim accreditation from bogus accreditors) and the issues are beyond their capacity to evaluate. So, many accept the frauds or the low quality degrees along with the rest.

 

And as you have shown and everyone of us has seen with our own eyes, there are millions of people with more skill, knowledge, and common sense than many of the so-called educated.

My grandfather had a third grade education and also became a millionaire.

My friend, without any college education, can run circles around engineering graduates.

etc. etc.