Which seminaries are teaching "easy believism" vs. the Gospel and Why?

Rest assured that Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is not teaching "easy believism". Neither the current or previous administration teaches such.

 

It's not so much that the seminaries are teaching easy believism but that many pastors once they leave are looking for the "secret" to church growth rather than teaching people to study the Bible on their own, to pray and share their faith. I have watched many who were taught the same thing I was, leave the seminary and get caught up in those other things. Many do not keep up on their language skills. It is often those who are the denominational leaders who try and convince pastors of the ways to church growth. Even the congregations often read about some other churches and expect their church to do the same thing. On one occasion I pastored a church that had three volunteer state workers. So I regularly heard what was being taught. Most of it I disagreed with. The church I was pastoring was growing quite rapidly but they thought it should grow faster. When I realized what they wanted I gave them a chance to apply what thewy thought they knew and it was a huge flop. God will not be mocked. What I did was to teach people how to walk with God and disciple others. Those three state workers are still there and the church is stagnant.

What we need to do is to get down to business with God and get honest before Him and seek Him. Churches do not grow because of what they know but because of whom they know.

 

I'm not sure that the seminaries (at least SBTS is my experience) teach "easy believism" as much as they promote as models for their students "successful" pastors who practice such. Consequently, the theology learned is undone by the methodology displayed and practiced.

Blessings,
Bill

 

Too many definitins of "easy believism" to make it a worthwhile term.

For me, "easy believism" is a negative way that some refer to those who argue against Lordship salvation.

For many Armenians, Wesleyans, etc, "easy believism" is almost synomymous with eternal security.

Based on the posts so far, it also seems as though some would define "easy believism" as a soteriology that doesn't explain the demands of discipleship.

So to answer the question, "Which seminaries teach easy believism?" I woud propose that the response lies in the presuppositions of the one answering.

 

Bill

That is so true.

If you were to guess, what percent of a seminary education directly deals with the Gospel?

 

I would agree completely with this from my experience

 

A number of my friends are seminary and college professors. Everyone of them shake their heads at times. In their view and mine as well is we see a very liberal view of what scripture teaches at the leadership level in an effort to look good without serious study. Many of the leaders have pushed an easy believeism and an easy church growth methodology.

I can speak from experience that when you preach the truth you will get a lot of surprises. Some will get mad and speak against you and even gossip about you while others will bless you and thank you for the rest of their life.

 

Okay. Then I'll say that I can't imagine that any seminary would teach those things as official soteriology.

Perhaps I just don't understand the intent of the thread.

 

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary has a course called Continued Witness Training (maybe the "c" means something else.. but thats my recollection). The tract that is used in this class would be labeled "easy believism" by many. I dont think any of my professors were more than one point calvinists. Lordhship Salvation had become a little strong when I left in 1991.
I cant say anything for the rest of the seminaries.

 

What seminaries are teaching an easy "say the prayer," "ask Christ into your heart," "walk the isle," "hit the 'sawdust trail,'" type stuff! WHICH ones (seminaries) are doing this? A Better question might be; WHY art they doing it?

==I don't know of any that do. However Dallas Theological Seminary has a history of producing students/teachers who promote easy believism. I think of Tony Evans, Zane Hodges, and Bob Wilkin. In fact most of the "teachers" at Wilkin's Grace Evangelical Society's school of theology (which promotes/teaches easy believism) are graduates of Dallas Theological Seminary. This is concerning because Hodges taught at DTS for years, and is even featured in their Bible Commentary.

I don't wish, however, to make Dallas the sole school responsible for easy believism. Several good teachers have come from Dallas, teachers who do not teach easy believism.

In very modern circles I think easy believism is associated with the church growth movement. The main people now seem to be Rick Warren, Bruce Wilkinson, and others in that movement. This movement does not want to offend anyone because offense will drive people out of their churches. That is the "new school" of easy believism and it is motivated by the church growth movement. I think the "old school" easy believism was more theologically based (eternal security, etc). That can be seen by visiting the Grace Evangelical Society's website, or reading a book by Hodges or Wilkin (or Tony Evan's book "Totally Saved").

Martin.

 

I think it is the outgrowth of pragmatism of the latter nineteenth/early twentieth centuries. Churches began adapting whatever methodologies produced quantifiable results. "Church efficiency" was the buzz-term. Gaines Dobbins of SBTS wrote a book in the early 1920's entitled The Efficient Church and was the chair of the Department of Church Efficiency at Southern.

Bill