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What if you had..

Discussion in 'Baptist Colleges & Seminaries' started by ReformedBaptist, Jul 22, 2010.

  1. ReformedBaptist

    ReformedBaptist Well-Known Member

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    5 months to prepare before beginning your distance seminary education. What would you do to prepare yourself?
     
  2. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    Save up lots of money!!

    Maybe try to get a reading list to see if books can be gotten cheaper. Get a better laptop with the best Bible software programs.

    Is that what you mean?
     
  3. ReformedBaptist

    ReformedBaptist Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, something like that. I am going to start in January, God willing, and thought I should make good use of the time. I sent a similar request of the seminary itself.

    I should be good on the laptop and Bible software. But some reading could make sense. I was also thinking of brushing up on my grammer...been a long time since I wrote papers.
     
  4. Earth Wind and Fire

    Earth Wind and Fire Well-Known Member
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    Buy Rosetta Stone Greek & Hebrew. Is it a reformed or evangelical seminary?
     
  5. ReformedBaptist

    ReformedBaptist Well-Known Member

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    This initial part will not require languages. However, one of the elders in my church should be teaching a Greek class soon which I will take.

    I would not willingly attend an evangelical seminary. lol
     
  6. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
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    I'd begin by getting some of the basic stuff squared away and do exactly that kind of thing you are already thinking about.

    Forget the Greek and Hebrew primers, most likely you'll start to learn them wrong and have to unlearn a bunch of stuff when you do get around to the coursework. (This isn't saying you're ignorant, I've just seen too many guys go and grab Black's Greek or Ross' Hebrew and start going through it only to find out they were doing a bunch of stuff wrong.)

    I'd personally grab a theology like Erickson's Systematic Theology and start reading it...oh wait you're screen name says "reformed"...um, grab Grudem's instead. I mean really reading it. ;)

    Also get a good college level English Grammar textbook and start going through it. Get a copy of Turabian (its a style guide) and page through it.

    For software and computer (this is vital stuff for seminary):
    * Get a top rated Mac or PC, it doesn't matter (the newest will last you three years)
    * Get Accordance (for Mac) or BibleWorks (for PC)
    * Get Microsoft Office (check with your school for an academic discount)
    * Get Endnote or some kind of citation software (if you learn how to use it properly it will save you countless hours per paper in formatting, researching, and citing.)
    * Grab a couple examples of seminary classes off iTunesU (Reformed, Concordia, DTS, etc all have video and audio lectures for FREE)

    Finally, read through the NT once or twice before you go.

    Honestly, as someone who has done the seminary thing through PhD this is exactly what you need to start with. If you finish all of this stuff let us know and we can get you a better reading list.
     
  7. Havensdad

    Havensdad New Member

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    I have to strongly disagree. I bought Mounce's Grammar that has the videos, and matching workbook, before my first Greek class, and worked through it. It made my first Greek class unbelievably simple. I already had the vocab memorized, the basic paradigms memorized, and while everyone else was complaining about the course load, I concluded that this was the easiest class I have taken to date.

    Also, I am (currently) finishing up my first Hebrew class. I was COMPLETELY lost, until I stumbled upon this website:

    http://www.freechurchseminary.org/Grammar Videos.html

    Now: straight "A"'s...

    Seriously, I cannot see how someone could have any problem studying the languages on their own. I have found that, in light of such resources, that class interaction, and even the professor's input, is almost useless (this latter is useful on the very rare occasion that something does not make sense).

    So my advice; go over your Greek and Hebrew Grammar. Depending upon your current level of study, I would recommend different resources. The free resource I gave above, for Hebrew, is great. Mounce's Grammar is top for self study, for the first year of Greek. Even if you just memorize the alphabets, and some basic word structure and syntactical elements, (and ESPECIALLY vocabulary Words!!!), you will be MILES ahead.
     
  8. TomVols

    TomVols New Member

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    First and foremost, review your grammar/composition skills. You need to learn to communicate well, and writing well is a major component since you're going to write a billion pages per year. At the same time, read Warfield's "Religious Life of Theological Students." Trust me, this is a must read. You can likely find it online. Also, read "How to Read a Book" by Adler and Van Doren. Dividends galore will be yours. Fourth, read a short book called "If I were Starting My Ministry All Over Again" by Drescher. It will help you make sense of what your calling is and how to prepare for it. Another good small book is "Making Sense of the Ministry" by Wiersbe. Read it again about halfway through your studies.
     
  9. Ruiz

    Ruiz New Member

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    I am curious on which seminary you will be attending. I think some of the talk about getting acquainted with Mounce is solid.

    If you are going to go to a reformed Baptist school, I would recommend you pick up Sam Waldron's exposition of the 1689 London Baptist Confession.

    Next, i would begin reading some of the class materials at TNARS (The North American Reformed Seminary), go to RTS and listen to some of their recorded lectures.

    Finally, I would begin reading and digesting Romans. Buy a couple of very good commentaries and breathe in that book for the next few months. If you want another book, I would also work on the Gospel of John and Deuteronomy.

    Finally, I would spend extra time in the practice of the spiritual disciplines. Seminary work is very cognitive but students often starve themselves of a healthy spiritual life when in Seminary. Engage in the whole of the spiritual disciplines and get in a practice as the rigors of seminary can take a toll on you spiritually.
     
  10. Siberian

    Siberian New Member

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    Hmm. If I were you I would do three things with the free semester.

    1. Buy a good, readable English grammar and beef up my writing skills.

    2. Buy a style guide (the style your seminary requires - i.e. Turabian, etc.) and figure out how to make cover pages, TOC, footnotes, etc. This is especially important if it has been a while since you have written a paper.

    3. Beef up my reading habits by reading as much as possible, choosing books that are helpful and pleasurable. You will be reading a ton over the next three years, and you won't get to select the majority of your reading material.
     
    #10 Siberian, Jul 23, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 23, 2010
  11. ReformedBaptist

    ReformedBaptist Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the tips. These are very useful and good. I was thinking the same about English grammar. It has been awhile since I have written academcially.

    Not sure about the style....I will have to re-read the catalogue.

    The seminary I am contemplating is Whitefield Theological Seminary.
     
  12. Earth Wind and Fire

    Earth Wind and Fire Well-Known Member
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    And I will get you a Pilgrims Progress:laugh: tee shirt
     
  13. Rhetorician

    Rhetorician Administrator
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    Seminary Response

    Hello Dear Brother,

    I skimmed over the posts, did anyone tell you to pick the classes you will take, contact the prof., get the syllabus and work ahead? Sounds good and basic to me.

    Secondly, I would not take too many classes at first. If you are balancing ministry, wife, kids, work, etc., then you need to learn how to pace your study time/hours and do the other "stuff" that God has called you to do equally well!!! :praying: And pray much!!

    I would also try, it at all practical, to have you a "place" to study. This will be a great help. I wish I had had such when I did my seminary degrees.

    Let me know what you think of my suggestions. :applause:

    "That is all!"
     
  14. Siberian

    Siberian New Member

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    Whitefield follows Kate Turabian's, "A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations; 7th Edition"
     
  15. ReformedBaptist

    ReformedBaptist Well-Known Member

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    I think getting the syllabus and working ahead is a great idea. I do need to learn Turabian also. I have a place to study, essentially a home library.

    Excellent suggestions and advice. I have been reading and studying already to learn the habit of balance again. Here are the courses I will initially work on to complete the M.A.R. in Christian Studies:

    Christian Studies
    Required Courses: Hermeneutics / Systematic Theology I / Systematic
    Theology II / Systematic Theology III / Systematic Theology
    IV / Apologetics I / Apologetics II / Biblical Ethics / Biblical View
    of Culture / Church History I / Church History II / American
    Church History / Thesis
     
  16. StefanM

    StefanM Well-Known Member
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    I recommend getting a head start on Turabian, for sure. I have used MLA, Turabian, and APA, and, IMO, Turabian is the most difficult to format. You really need to know how to use your word processor. APA and MLA seem to be more forgiving in my experience.
     
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