Recommendations For Fundamental Bible College or Seminary?

[Thirsty1]

We are in the early stages of looking at college opportunities for our daughter. While there are some prayer and discussion about what she wants to do as a career, our desire first and foremost is that she attends a Bible College or Seminary that is still truly and deeply and unashamedly all-in for promoting the Lord's Word.

We have unfortunately found that some Christian schools (K-12) are not as advertised - so we are very wary of what is advertised on websites or brochures, or even what is said on tours. She - and we - wants her to go to a place that is still totally committed to the faith, and hasn't been infiltrated by the spirit of the age.

It's not easy to easy to know if this is the case without some level of intimate knowledge of the individual institutions.

I was wondering if anyone here had some guidance for Bible Colleges or Seminaries that still hold firm to the faith, and the campus atmosphere reflects that. Is there such thing as a list that accurately reflects this?

(Realizing this is necessarily subjective, there are some clear markers - such as stance on LGBTQ, the housing arrangements and rules on Campus, the clubs on campus, the curriculum itself, the behavior and stances of leadership and staff.)

Any thoughts or guidance would be most appreciated.

 

[xlsdraw]

Landmark Baptist College in Haines City, Florida. A ministry of Landmark Baptist Church. You can pm me with any questions.

 

[John of Japan]

We are in the early stages of looking at college opportunities for our daughter. While there are some prayer and discussion about what she wants to do as a career, our desire first and foremost is that she attends a Bible College or Seminary that is still truly and deeply and unashamedly all-in for promoting the Lord's Word.

We have unfortunately found that some Christian schools (K-12) are not as advertised - so we are very wary of what is advertised on websites or brochures, or even what is said on tours. She - and we - wants her to go to a place that is still totally committed to the faith, and hasn't been infiltrated by the spirit of the age.

It's not easy to easy to know if this is the case without some level of intimate knowledge of the individual institutions.

I was wondering if anyone here had some guidance for Bible Colleges or Seminaries that still hold firm to the faith, and the campus atmosphere reflects that. Is there such thing as a list that accurately reflects this?

(Realizing this is necessarily subjective, there are some clear markers - such as stance on LGBTQ, the housing arrangements and rules on Campus, the clubs on campus, the curriculum itself, the behavior and stances of leadership and staff.)

Any thoughts or guidance would be most appreciated.

Thirsty1, I started a private conversation with you about our college, Baptist College of Ministry (BCM).

Up front, we oppose LGBTQ and have no such students. We have no clubs on campus, but the young people fellowship in "Fellowships" named after famous missionaries. We have no intercollegiate sports, but have intramural sports seasons between the four fellowships. Our rules are very strict, and some don't come here because of that, but our attitude is that we want to protect the young people from the world and lock in a great spiritual relationship with their parents. (We strongly emphasize the family.)

 

[Armchair Apologist]

It is really dependent upon first of all, what you would consider as being "Fundamental?" If you are talking conformity to strict, biblical standards as they see it and you happen to be living in the "IFB World," I would say that perhaps West Coast Baptist College out in Lancaster, CA would probably be your best bet. Paul Chappell is quite fundamental but I would say that he makes a valid attempt at staying away from the "nuttiness" that often goes along with that crowd. Does your daughter wish to train for a vocational career or is her intention to marry a pastor or a missionary? This is most important to understand up front as most "Fundamental" Bible Colleges are focused only upon vocational ministry. Pensacola Christian College is quite "Fundamental" but they also have a nursing program so they may be worth considering. I also hear many good things about Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Watertown, WI so you may want to include them on the list along with Springfield Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO.

How far away do you want your little girl to be from you?

 

[John of Japan]

It is really dependent upon first of all, what you would consider as being "Fundamental?" If you are talking conformity to strict, biblical standards as they see it and you happen to be living in the "IFB World," I would say that perhaps West Coast Baptist College out in Lancaster, CA would probably be your best bet. Paul Chappell is quite fundamental but I would say that he makes a valid attempt at staying away from the "nuttiness" that often goes along with that crowd. Does your daughter wish to train for a vocational career or is her intention to marry a pastor or a missionary? This is most important to understand up front as most "Fundamental" Bible Colleges are focused only upon vocational ministry. Pensacola Christian College is quite "Fundamental" but they also have a nursing program so they may be worth considering. I also hear many good things about Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Watertown, WI so you may want to include them on the list along with Springfield Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO.

How far away do you want your little girl to be from you?

Maranatha Baptist U. also has a very good nursing program, the best in Wisconsin according to one survey, and several of our young people have done the program.

 

[Deacon]

... but they also have a nursing program so they may be worth considering.

As a recently retired nurse, I would not recommend nursing as a profession.

Rob

 

[Armchair Apologist]

As a recently retired nurse, I would not recommend nursing as a profession.

Rob

I'm not sure why you would say this. As far as job security goes, Nursing is the way to go! I am certain it is not an easy career though.

My oldest granddaughter wants to become a Doctor and my youngest granddaughter says she wants to be a nurse. I told her that she probably picked the better career because everybody loves nurses! In order for Doctors to make someone better, they sometimes have to cut you open and sew you back up! All a nurse has to do to make you better is take your temperature and give you a baloon or sticker!

She is 4 years old and her mother is a nurse!

 

[Thirsty1]

I appreciate the feedback so far. I will look into the instructions listed. Oddly enough, nursing is on the list of possible vocations, but again lots of options are open (not excluding frankly getting a deep Biblical education and finding a good husband to support in ministry work). But before anything else - we want her to be in an institution that will draw her to our Lord, not pull her away - with the need to be able to learn something to earn an income being of significant importance too.

Preference would be for schools in the southeast, although we would not exclude schools further away that meet the criteria already mentioned.

For a few specific examples - does anyone have experience with/opinions on: Bob Jones, North Greenville, Liberty, Regent, Southeastern Seminary, Southern Evangelical Seminary, Fruitland, Campbell , Southern Baptist Seminary, Gardner-Webb, Campbell, Anderson University, Judson College, Boyce College or Carson-Newman University?

 

[Armchair Apologist]

I appreciate the feedback so far. I will look into the instructions listed. Oddly enough, nursing is on the list of possible vocations, but again lots of options are open (not excluding frankly getting a deep Biblical education and finding a good husband to support in ministry work). But before anything else - we want her to be in an institution that will draw her to our Lord, not pull her away - with the need to be able to learn something to earn an income being of significant importance too.

Preference would be for schools in the southeast, although we would not exclude schools further away that meet the criteria already mentioned.

For a few specific examples - does anyone have experience with/opinions on: Bob Jones, North Greenville, Liberty, Regent, Southeastern Seminary, Southern Evangelical Seminary, Fruitland, Campbell , Southern Baptist Seminary, Gardner-Webb, Campbell, Anderson University, Judson College, Boyce College or Carson-Newman University?

Believe it or not, there are actually some Bible Colleges out there who offer a degree in "Marriage and Motherhood" to women and the ultimate goal is to get them "married off to a preacher" as the ultimate 'capstone' to their collegiate experience! Aside from this, any "vocational training" would be in line with the old-school mentality that a young lady would work as a secretary, teacher, or nurse until she got married and/or started having children and from there, they would focus on raising children and keeping the home.

With a specified geographical area, more specific recommendations may be made. I would say that PCC would still be a strong choice so long as you are cognizant of their peculiarities and can intelligently deal with them. Same goes for Bob Jones University. "BoJo's" can be a strange lot but I hear you can still get a good education there. You also have some SBC colleges and seminaries listed so it appears you are casting a wide net. Houston Christian University (Formerly Houston Baptist University) is in my area and just up the road from me but if you are looking to keep your little girl "sheltered from the world," I'm afraid you would probably find many of the same snares and temptations there as you would in any secular State University or whatever. You really have to keep your guard up wherever she goes!

 

[John of Japan]

I appreciate the feedback so far. I will look into the instructions listed. Oddly enough, nursing is on the list of possible vocations, but again lots of options are open (not excluding frankly getting a deep Biblical education and finding a good husband to support in ministry work). But before anything else - we want her to be in an institution that will draw her to our Lord, not pull her away - with the need to be able to learn something to earn an income being of significant importance too.

Preference would be for schools in the southeast, although we would not exclude schools further away that meet the criteria already mentioned.

For a few specific examples - does anyone have experience with/opinions on: Bob Jones, North Greenville, Liberty, Regent, Southeastern Seminary, Southern Evangelical Seminary, Fruitland, Campbell , Southern Baptist Seminary, Gardner-Webb, Campbell, Anderson University, Judson College, Boyce College or Carson-Newman University?

Bob Jones has drifted somewhat towards New Evangelicalism in my view and the view of some other fundamentalists I know. It's still a good school, but it's not Baptist and never has been. (I went there for two years back in the day.) It's going downhill, IMO. I was there for a Bible Faculty Summit last year. We were treated well, but the facilities are running down. The famous fountain doesn't even work now and is empty of water!

I don't recommend Liberty. It's standards have gone down in recent years. Jerry Falwell, a friend of my Grandpa's, God bless him, opted for human greatness rather than faithfulness IMO, especially in the area of intercollegiate sports. My old school, Tennessee Temple, did that too and no longer exists.

Southeastern is a seminary, for which you have to have a BA before you can go there. It does have a college connected with it, but I know little about that. My son got his PhD at Southeastern some years ago (though we are IFB), and it is probably the most conservative of the Southern Baptist seminaries, but doesn't call itself fundamental (at least openly ). Southern Baptist Seminary, same thing, except add Calvinism to the mix.

I don't know personally the rest you listed, but I do know they are not Fundamental (big F) Baptist.

 

[Thirsty1]

This is great feedback everyone. Really appreciate it. This helps a great deal.

 

[John of Japan]

One thing a parent should consider in this age of romantic licentiousness when looking at Bible colleges for a child is, what is their stance on dating and courtship? It is so easy nowadays for young people to get into trouble in this area. They may not mean to, but once the feelings are taking over, if unhealthy privacy is available, it is very easy for a young couple to get into trouble, even at a Baptist college.

1. Are a young couple allowed to be alone without a chaperone?
2. Are there limits and chaperones on dating off campus?
3. Are there places on campus where a couple can hide without being seen?
4. Does the college have coed dorms? If they do it must be strictly regulated. My wife's small Baptist college had one dorm with different floors for men and women, but there were guidelines in place.
5. Are the young people required to keep their parents informed of their courtship?

Our college has what some consider extreme views on this, but the rules require the young people to have their parents involved in every step of the courtship, and the freshmen get guidance in these areas as soon as they arrive. Compare this to the near-complete freedom, but complete ignorance about romantic relationships most Christian colleges give to their students.

Our college's dating/courtship system has proven remarkably effective. Our pastor has performed over 200 wedding ceremonies over the decades of his pastorate, and likes to say that only one has ended in divorce!

I deeply wish such a system had been there to protect the students when I was in Bible college. Shy around girls, I hated the dating system we were forced to go with, and was clueless about whatever God's plan was for dating. God was so good to give me my wife through the leaders of my mission board while I was on deputation for Japan at age 28. My son came here as a single man to teach with me. He'd been too busy getting 4 degrees to date! A few years back he found a wonderful woman who had been his student, but had graduated. They included my wife and me in the dating/courtship, and are now proud parents, and we are the proud grandparents, of two little girls. God's plans are awesome!

 

[Armchair Apologist]

Bob Jones has drifted somewhat towards New Evangelicalism in my view and the view of some other fundamentalists I know. It's still a good school, but it's not Baptist and never has been. (I went there for two years back in the day.) It's going downhill, IMO. I was there for a Bible Faculty Summit last year. We were treated well, but the facilities are running down. The famous fountain doesn't even work now and is empty of water!

I don't recommend Liberty. It's standards have gone down in recent years. Jerry Falwell, a friend of my Grandpa's, God bless him, opted for human greatness rather than faithfulness IMO, especially in the area of intercollegiate sports. My old school, Tennessee Temple, did that too and no longer exists.

Southeastern is a seminary, for which you have to have a BA before you can go there. It does have a college connected with it, but I know little about that. My son got his PhD at Southeastern some years ago (though we are IFB), and it is probably the most conservative of the Southern Baptist seminaries, but doesn't call itself fundamental (at least openly ). Southern Baptist Seminary, same thing, except add Calvinism to the mix.

I don't know personally the rest you listed, but I do know they are not Fundamental (big F) Baptist.

Such terms as "New Evangelical" and "Fundamental" are often thrown around but the actual definitions tend to slide around and are often used as perjoratives towards those deemed to gravitate one way or the other. Historic Fundamantalism used to stand for those who held to and contended for the core fundamental (hence the name) doctrines of the faith (Inspiraition of scripture, virgin birth, deity of Christ, Etc.), and separated from and reproved those who stray from these doctrines. It also became a term used for those who, after the scopes trial (for example) turned tail, holed up in their own institutions, and basically formed their own alternate society away from the "worldly influences" and so forth. Evangelicals realized it was their responsibility to engage the world in which they lived and it is from such a mindset that we have many of the great Christian Apologists such as Francis Schaeffer, Josh McDowell, Henry M. Morris, and ministries such as Campus Crusade for Christ and Answers in Genesis. Certain of these evangelicals became so desperate to sit at the "Cool Kid's Table" that they would sometimes compromise their worldview in order to make accommodations and this also was not good. "Fundamental" has also come to mean certain standards of dress, grooming, and styles of worship, and prohibitions (movie house, alcohol, smoking, dancing, etc.) which in many cases has rendered the term meaningless and such is the reason (IMO) why many no longer refer to themselves as being "Fundamentalist."

I am sure there are both good and bad professors every one of the seminaries you have listed here and must deal with the fact that we will not always agree with those we may take courses from but I would stress this is a vital part of the educational process. We do not wish to receive an indoctrination but a means by which we can gather and sift through information and thus formulate a strong biblical stand and Christian worldview! I would bet that there are professors on both sides of the Calvinism/Arminianism debate representing many different shades inbetween and to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way!