Louisiana Baptist University

Paul, my two cents on accreditation is put the emphasis on the quality of the school. When most here say go to an accredited school, they mean accreditation approved by the US Department of Education. We can reach for a higher standard than that set by the US Government. Some unaccredited schools are much better than some accredited. Investigate and follow your dreams.

 

Name one?

If you are adding your two cents then I assume that you have cash on hand to pay your fee. Would you please name at least one unaccredited DE school that is much better than accredited ones? Furthermore, I would ask by what standard or standards is the unaccredited one better?

I look forward to your reply. Thank you.

 

In the first place, I was not talking to you. In the second place, anyone who puts his entire stock on the quality of schools based on a US Department of Education standard has got a screw loose. Since you have been around since 1950, it seems you would have noticed the federal government does almost nothing correctly and efficiently. Why on earth would you base a person's future education on what the federal government thought, especially in the spiritual realm.

As far as naming schools, since I have only been to accredited brick and mortor colleges, no idea which ones. However, since then, lots of accredited and unaccredited schools are available on the internet and by other means.

 

snobbery or robbery???

re:LBU

While the graduate programs in Bible/Theology IMO are substandard, I think LBU may be one of the better unaccredited distance schools. I base this on (1) having several virtual friends who graduated from LBU, (2) being aware of some highly successful LBU grads (even in academia) as ICE and Couch (I think), (3) the fact that a Baptist denomination approves of LBU.

However, one should realize that despite Ice/Couch above, in academia LBU is considered substandard. IMO, it should be. I base this on the presumption that few can be prepared by LBU masters programs in Theol/Bible to enter and succeed in accredited doc programs in Theol/Bible. If I'm wrong, I'd appreciate knowing of three who did!!!

In fact, on another forum I had a lengthy chat with a Jason who said he had finished the masters in Bible at LBU with an "A" average. Now, he is doing the PhD in Bible. In the same breath he asserts that Strong's Concordance is quite adequate to do lexical studies at the PhD level. Were this true, then let one such as Jason investigate the meaning of monogenes in the LXX , [which translation John and his readers often use] . From these data I elicit my hunch that LBU is not at times very stimulating or challenging academically!

And that is why I could not fully recommend LBU. But then, like Rhet supposes he may be seen, perhaps my conviction that Biblical and Theological studies should be rigorous is snobbery. Or, is it robbery to do less than our best for the Word of God ,and if our best is not the equivalent of normal expectations, then are we really honest and forthright if we seek the same degrees in substandard programs for doing less?



Bill

 

By what standard?

• Your post is brusque to the point of bordering on rudeness. Good manners and civil speech are signs of character and refinement.
• You posted on an open bulletin board where your post and comments are open for critique and response by any user.
• You blast a position that I have never taken or intimated. In other words, you are answering a question that I didn’t ask.
• By your own admission, you do not have any specific information in regard to the two questions that I did ask. In other words, you don’t know what you are talking about. If you ask me, which you didn’t do, I can give you specific facts and knowledgeable opinions why I call some of these schools substandard. You admitted that you could not support your assertions with facts. Your only reason is that you don't trust the Department of Education and you haven't named any specifics in regard to this.

Andersonville, for example, awards doctorates for which I can find no language requirements. In fact, I can find no Greek or Hebrew requirements at any level. According to their catalog, they offer a first year Greek course by William Mounce that can be purchased off his web site. Even this is not a requirement as far as I can tell. There are no Greek exegesis classes at any level according to my perusal. I know of no reputable school, either accredited or unaccredited, that will award a D.Min. or Th.D. without some knowledge of Greek and Hebrew.

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LBU, on the other hand, offers two courses in Greek and two in Hebrew. Here is their course description:

“BIB531 GREEK I. The Greek used in the New Testament is called Koine or common Greek. This course emphasizes the learning of the Greek alphabet, and the use of available scholarly resources to understand and employ Greek more efficiently in Bible study, teaching, and preaching.”

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This is not Greek (i.e. grammar, vocabulary, etc.) but it is how to use the Greek language tools such as concordances, lexicons, etc. This may be appropriate for Bible institute instruction but it is not graduate level Greek language instruction as implied by the course numbering.

On the other hand, I will agree with UZThD that LBU is probably the best of the "less than wonderful schools." Of course, the ironic thing is that some people will go through the schools and do great. This is due to the hard work, character and intelligence of the individual, not the school and its instruction. One can learn Greek and Hebrew on his or her own. The sad part is that these individuals have actually have done work comparible to a doctorate elsewhere but they end up with a questionable degree that does not fully signify their accomplishment.

 

By what standard?

Not all unaccredited colleges are substandard. Here is the curriculum for the M.Div. at Georgia Baptist Seminary(unaccredited). Compare with Bethany, Andersonville and LBU.

Theological Studies 20
Biblical Studies 20
· Old Testament 10
· New Testament 10
Pastoral Studies 12
Biblical Languages 22
· Greek 15 · Hebrew 7
Religious Education 7
Historical Studies 9
Field Education 4
Total Hours 96

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Suggested Course of Study​

Freshman
OT 500 Adv Old Testament Introduction 3
NT 500 Adv New Testament Introduction 3
Th 501 Systematic Theology I* 3
Th 502 Systematic Theology II* 3
CH 501 Anc & Med Church History 3
CH 502 Modern Church History 3
La 501 Elementary Greek 3
La 502 Elementary Greek 3
PS 400 Pastoral Theology 2
RE 701 Sunday School Administration 2
NT 601 Apostolic Age 2
NT 602 Romans 2
Total 32
Middler
NT 501 Life & Ministry of Christ 3
OT 502 Historical Books 3
La 601 Intermediate Greek 3
La 602 Exegesis of Galatians 3
Th 501 Systematic Theology III* 3
Th 602 Systematic Theology IV* 3
PS 502 Biblical Evangelism* 2
Mi 502 Introduction to Missions* 2
PS 603 Homiletics 2
PS 604 Expository Preaching 2
NT 703 Exposition of Revelation 2
PS 602 Spiritual Warfare 2
FE 601 Field Education 1
FE 602 Field Education 1
Total 32
Senior
Th 701 Old Testament Theology 3
NT 702 New Testament Theology 3
CH 702 Baptist Hist & Distinctives* 3
RE 501 Intro to Religious Education 3
La 611 Elementary Hebrew 4
La 612 Exegesis of Micah 3
La 703 Exegesis of Phil & Col 3
OT 607 Exposition of the Psalms 2
OT 701 Exposition of Isaiah 2
RE 704 Teaching Bible in Ch & School 2
FE 701 Field Education 1
Th 702 Historical Theology 2
FE 702 Field Experience 1
Total 32

Notice that all the leadership and how to do it fluff is missing.

 

Explanation

This is a follow up to my preceding post on Georgia Baptist College. Please do not construe my post as an endorsement of their academic quality. I was simply using their curriculum as a comparison to the "less than wonderful" schools that fill their course of study with fluff. GBC has some issues of its own. Although most of the faculty have graduate degrees from other schools, they are pushing the faculty qualification limits on their graduate programs. I do think the faculty is vigorously pursuing graduate degrees to remediate this relative weakness. I hope that most of them do not stay home to do their degrees.

 

==

I know you will and have agreed that the height of the school's bar, not the height an individual student jumps, should be the criterion by which schools are judged, because not all students will jump the same. So, we do not evaluate schools by individual effort but by what the school requires. I think it is more likely that an accredited school sets the bar at the appropriate height.