Best IFB seminary (Long distance)?

Although I’ve heard of Dr. Rasmussen, I don’t know him personally. Is this Roland Rasmussen’s son? However, my post was not criticizing him.

I do know folks connected to West Coast and have a good impression, as I have stated. Furthermore, a young, enthusiastic work, many times, makes up in energy and effort what it lacks in experience and credentials. However, I do think they need to do like PCC and even BJU to get their people qualified academically. The faculty needs to do graduate work in the summers to bring up their qualifications. I will say that one learns much from just teaching in college. Also, some young instructors will try to be rigorous and thorough to make up what they lack in formal credentials (some of us old fogies tend to coast a little and conserve our energy—you know this is tongue in cheek).

In the IFB circles, we are a little bit paranoid. We speak in superlatives and defend unconscionable things just because there’s an IFB connection. No, I’m not in favor of publicly airing our dirty linen, and we have plenty, but we must be realistic and honest in our statements. I am opposed to defending something just because it is IFB. IMHO, this gives us a bad name and soils the precious Name of Christ. We must be honest and forthright in calling the shots as they are. This, I believe, will earn the respect of honest, thinking folks. The prejudiced, embittered opponents of anything IFB are as bad as the most extreme IFB’ers. The opinions of those biased, hateful detractors of IFB are of no consequence anyway—their mind is already made up.

You’re read my posts on this and other threads. You know that I have both defended and critiqued IFB. Let’s be realists and keep a balance.

 

Just a few comments, hopefully to advance perspective and not to inflame emotions.

1. I don't understand Dr. Rasmussen's doctorate listed as an EdD from Hyles-Anderson. An EdD is an earned doctorate (I don't think I've ever seen an honorary EdD), and Hyles-Anderson does not offer any earned doctorates to my knowledge.

2. Paid's assessment of the academics at HAC is on the mark. I earned a Master of Education from HAC (graduating in 1978) and, after now having earned other degrees from accredited institutions, can testify that the work which I did at HAC was definitely substandard for what such a degree should require.

3. The experience at Hyles-Anderson is rigorous, but not because of academics. If a person has to work full-time, as I did, the church ministry requirements allow little time for study and rest. For instance, I went to classes and chapel from 8:00 till 1:00 or so, changed clothes and drove to South Holland, IL, to work in an auto parts distribution warehouse from 3:30 p.m. till midnight, drove back to Crown Point, getting home by perhaps 1:00 a.m., if memory serves. That was the schedule M-F, then Saturday was spent visiting our bus route in Chicago, and Sunday was an early departure to go to the bus barn, get on our bus, pick up riders in Chicago for Sunday school and morning worship, return the riders to their homes, get back to FBC in time to pick up a box dinner, go to evening worship, and, finally, return home.

4. With the exception of two earned doctorates, all the doctorates held by HAC faculty members are honorary, and almost all of these honorary degrees are from HAC. Some may think this a non-issue, but it betrays a lack of scholarship yet a desire to portray scholarship, IMHO.

5. While I am no longer independent Baptist, I still have many independent Baptist friends and appreciate their passion for ministry and the Word. However, most of my independent Baptist friends now understand the need for academic rigor and are not so paranoid as to think that their small group alone has the truth. A couple of men became good friends as we were together in PhD church history seminars at SBTS. They have many of the same concerns about such places as HAC as I do.

Again, I post not to inflame passions (though I fear it will) but to offer a concern about any college with a preponderance of Hyles-Anderson grads as instructors. These HAC grads are doubtlessly dedicated, well-meaning individuals who love the Lord and seek to serve Him. Because their own academic training was substandard, however, I question how they can take their students beyond where they have gone.

Blessings,
Bill

 

paid,

I didn't take your post as criticism.

My question in here has been a general one, while Ive used specific examples Im really wondering about it in a general way.

Dr. R. was one of the men who really helped my husband alot. I know you werent being critical of him either.

Thats neat, JOJ! I took a class from Suza myself while we went to that church.


paidagogos,
Ive taken your further comments to heart and I will think more about what you said. I try to remain balanced in my own head, but perhaps I don't come across that way in my posts.

 

Bill, leaving aside the academic lacks of HAC for the moment, it is entirely possible that Dr. Rasmussen has an earned doctorate from HAC. The only way to prove that HAC has never had such a program is to check all of their catalogs from over the years. The academic rigor of the degree would be, of course, a different issue.

 

IMHO,

Piedmont Baptist College - Winston-Salem, NC.
is a good "balanced" IFB College. They have a nice long distance program. My wife and I met there and graduated there.
It used to be named Piedmont Bible College. It has also been called "Piedmont Bridal College"
HA! Ha!
Maranatha is another good school. So is Northland Baptist Bible College. I'm not a greek scholar by any means but I've never heard nothing but good things about all 3 of these schools. I've also met some well rounded, balanced ,Godly folk from these schools consistantly through the years.

 

The SBC does not elect trustees to any Baptist college. The conservative SBC state convention in Virginia may. But that gives that convention no governance or control unless it elects all the trustees. This is being played out and has been played out in many other state conventions where schools have decided to get their own trustees independent of the state conventions, which in the schools' minds have gotten too conservative. My alma mater (Clear Creek Baptist Bible College) has trustees from other state conventions. Yet these conventions can't say diddly because the Kentucky Baptist Convention is the controlling arm. Similar arrangements are in place at other Baptist schools in the KBC, as well as one I know of here in Tenn by the TBC. LU is not an SB school.

Thomas Road Baptist Church would only have to give $1 per year to the Cooperative Program in order to make it eligible to send a messenger to the SBC. Please remember: there is no such thing as a church being a member of the SBC. That implies control, which the SBC does not have since it is autonomous and in one aspect, the SBC doesn't technically exist until it meets in session.

Yes he has. Imagine that...Falwell trumpeting something

 

I went to HAC for a brief period of time. My biggest beef about the place was that I was learning more their philosophies then I was the Bible. In my Old Testament Survey class they sometimes spent almost half the class setting kids up on dates! Granted I was 26 at the time I was there but it still seemed silly to me. Don't get me wrong, I am not a basher of HAC but I can see some of the flaws that they have. WCBC from the little I know seems to be a more balanced place while still being IFB and if I lived closer to CA I would definetly consider going there. If you want to take their distance education course though I would call them and make sure they have plans of having the entire Bachelor's degree program avaliable unless you want to move to Southern CA.