MDiv DE or B & M

I too experienced both and hated the on campus junk that went on at a public institution. Of course the only two reason I even went to college straight out high school was to appease my parents and play football. Then the coaches chewed me out for being sick during spring practice so I quit and left.
Then I attended classes at a small bible institute and finally attained my AA. The balance was DE and credit for life experience which even some public schools are doing now. Lamar University in Beaumont Texas offers life credit with clepp testing. University of Phoenix also offers life experience credits after they assess your carrer experience. Pass the test get the credit have your life experience assessed and get the credit, it is becoming very common for those established in a carrer to be able to complete their degree outside the B & M utilizing life experience coupled with DE. I know most of you don't think that should happen but start checking you will find it becoming more and more accepted by many schools.

 

I pointed out that you were correct. Accredited MBA degrees are giving LE credit (usually, only about 3-6 hours worth).

 

That's it exactly. Having done it all online through D.Min., I cannot very well compare to B&M seminaries, but I have sat through many lectures in military schools. Ministry happens in the church, on the street, wherever, and integrating what I learned through Liberty DLP / Online then TBS online with a little on campus was fantastic for making sense of the academic study in a practical way. Granted, both of those schools programs are inherently built to produce Pastors with scholarly ability, I would suggest, not just "philosophers of religion."

 

I think it would be more helpful to seek the pros and cons of each delivery system rather than trying to determine which is 'best'. I did 4 years undergraduate the old fashion way and then completed an M.Div. completely via DE. There are some subjects that are harder to teach/learn via DE. During my undergrad, I took many classes in linguistics that I don't think could be adapted for DE.

Nevertheless, DE is great. One big pro for DE for me was being able to take classes AND continue in full-time ministry under a seasoned pastor. That proved to be an excellent learning environment.

Of course, B & M students can have this too if they intern or serve in a local church while going to Seminary.

 

"Under a seasoned pastor" is the key here. I heard Dr. Al Mohler expressed similar ideas recently at a conference. His hope is that this would become the model. You know, seminaries coming along side local churches who are training future leaders under the guidance of seasoned pastors and other church leaders. I love it!

 

I attended 3 B & M schools before completing my BS through Liberty's distance program. My father received his master's through Liberty's DLP, and I received mine at Fuller.

From my limited experience, I can tell you that the *kind* of rigor is different. At B & M schools, I have had to put much more effort (or, at least, time) into day-to-day assignments. My attendance has mattered more, and I have felt that my actual learning has been hampered by the work. In fact, I was so excited to get a break between quarters at Fuller, since that would be the time I could actually do the studying (learning!) I wanted to do. I spent so much time translating and parsing Hebrew for my class on the exegesis of Psalms that I never actually got to study the Psalms. I learned very little in my time at B & M schools, though I had plenty of assignments to do.

DE required more personal study time. The assignments were less horrendous, which gave me the time and energy to study what I felt was necessary, to grapple with the material, and to write the solid papers that I felt truly demonstrated gained insight and understanding. My father expressed similar sentiments about his master's work at Liberty. The study was more demanding -- but only if you wanted it to be. I am the kind of person who spends his free time doing research, so DE was fitting for me.

Both B & M and DE can be as simple as you'd like. The lectures can walk you through the book material so that reading is kept to a minimum, and the amount of coursework varies from class to class. But the effort I invested in my DE courses was, in my estimate, significantly more worthwhile than the amount of time I invested in B & M courses.