Southern Indiana Baptist College

SIBC response.

Probably, an IFB student. I would not attend a Pentecostal school if I was not.
Where else would you go if you were an IFB.

Sounds like a true blue Baptist Church.

Ehud

 

I, too, feel compelled to chime in here. I convinced myself for almost 2 years that Trinity Seminary was a legit seminary (Indiana). However, when I started in Liberty's M. Div. program this past January, I quickly found out the two aren't even in the same ballpark! The class lectures, the readings, the papers--all are more substantive at Liberty than Trinity ever could hope to be. While SIBC's actions might be LEGAL, it doesn't make them RIGHT. I learned this the hard way.

Learning through Liberty's DLP and loving it!
nkypastor

 

This most certainly should not be illegal, any more that cheap merchandise should be illegal.
That said, we should look at a place like this in the same light as any other product.
What I believe should be done is shame disrespect for any such pathetic degrees.

 

Generalizations

Rhet, I think your point may be a bit overly generalized. Remember that TTU and LU had their humble beginnings as local church schools.

 

Same name is found in two colleges in Indiana.

Indiana Baptist College in Greenwood, IN only uses the KJV in classes and pulpit. This IBC is NOT like "Hyles" college or "Clarence Sexton" college. It is a humble college.

Another college is near Jeffersonsville, IN. It is a new one. This college differs from IBC in Greenwood, IN.

 

A reply to Bob

a $500 ego trip? Sounds like judging to me you whited wall! Could it be that you are on a ego trip "DOCTOR"?

 

A Reply from the secretary of SIBC

Fellas,
I was sitting at my desk here at Southern Indiana Baptist College when I received a phone call of encouragement from a pastor, who happens to be a student, concerning the poo-poo splattered on this site. Of course, being preoccupied with the Lord’s work, I was unaware that anyone had anything negative to say about us… Yesterday was the first time that I visited this site and today will be the last time, but, I AM going to take the time to respond with the help of Primepower7 (Thank you, Brother!).
First off, some of you made it sound like you could get our degree with only 6 hours of course study, which is not true. Each course is 6-8 listening hours. It takes more than one course to get a degree!
Next, for the obtuse ignoramus who insinuated that the “administrators” are making some easy money, (Which is farther from the truth than your doctrine it sounds like.) for your information, as the person who handles the finances for SIBC, I can tell you: SIBC has TWO regularly paid employees: a secretary and a printer whose salaries TOGETHER are a WHOPPING $214.71 a week. Now that’s what I call easy money! We’re rolling in the dough! LOL! Where does our money go you ask? Since we are an independent, fundamental, Bible believing, Baptist, LOCAL CHURCH MINISTRY, NOT Southern Baptist like most of you, our money goes to supplies, advertising other outreach programs in our LOCAL CHURCH.
As for the quality of our studies, we do take pride in the fact that “the Bible is your only text book”. We offer degrees in Theology (Webster’s Dictionary: The study of the nature of God, of Religious ideas, beliefs, and practices, and especially of humankind’s relation to God), Ministry (WD: The act of serving: ministration), and Divinity (WD: The condition or quality of being divine; God; Theology). What other book could compare to the LIVING WORD OF GOD when trying to learn about such things? To compare a degree in Theology to a degree in medicine is preposterous and is like comparing apples to oranges. Furthermore, I would ten times rather listen to 6 hours of Godly, practical teaching, from humble men of the Lord than the 25 hours of haughty, high minded, mumbo-jumbo that you call spiritual. I Corinthians 1:27 KJV
In a community of approximately 300, we are a hard working church who wants to make a difference for the Lord, which despite anything that you have to say, we are doing! We have had scores of Pastors who have told us of how it has helped them personally and spiritually. One pastor began teaching his congregation one of our courses and at last count had 12 people snatched out of eternal hell-fire because of it! So as far as this poor, uneducated, servant of the Lord is concerned, fellas, that is worth any amount of persecution from you! 2 Timothy 3:12 KJV

 

Poo-poo? Persecution?

All I saw was some folks telling the truth about the difference in the work to obtain what SIBC offers vs an accredited college.

I am glad you are doing what you are doing, but it would be misleading for anyone to put their SIBC degree up against a doctorate or masters from an accredited school.

God bless.

 

Brother, you are painting with a very wide brush there. I'm sure there are arrogant people teaching in seminaries (and in the pulpit), but I've met a professor or two from accredited seminaries, and this was NOT my impression of them. They were not haughty nor high minded.

 

This is not Sunday school.

===

Now Martin don't be overly pessimistic about the potential of SS.

Actually quite a bit can be done in Sunday school. In the last year I taught for the folks 25 weeks on Christian doctrine including such beefy topics as the hypostatic union and the forms of kenotic Christology, exegetical evidences of Christ's deity, Lordship vs Free Grace, egalitarianism vs hierarchicalism, Calvinism vs Arminianism, Millennial Concepts, and thoroughly discussed the views on the Tribulation's relation to the rapture stating and answering 15-20 or more arguments for each of the several views with extensive references to Systematics and monographs ,and 25 more weeks on Mormonism based on an exposition of portions of about 30 primary and 10-15 secondary sources and included exegetical comments supporting the Evangelical view on a number of tenets where we disagree with the LDS.. Now I'm starting Life of Christ. luvit,luvit,luvit...thankyou LORD for letting me serve now in my waning years despite my distancing myself from service to God and His church in my younger days.

Now, why don't I begin giving degrees too.. for my SS students? I'll sell my degrees for a modest cost of only $450 to give SIBC some competition

If any body like Dr. Bob , who actually earned his,complains that people should not get a doctoral degree for doing a mere 50 weeks of SS teaching, I 'll get really huffy and begin the old standby in such differences of opinion : ad hominum attacks. EG, Dr. Bob must be very proud otherwise in a forum about higher education he would not reference his own education. uh huh!

Bill G

 

Since I am evidently the resident "obtuse ignoramus," please allow me to respond. If one wonders about the quality of instruction at this institution of "higher" education, the post quoted above casts more light than I'm sure PP7 could have imagined. Actually admitting that each course requires "6-8 listening hours" and bragging about it is sad. If SIBC is really legit, then require 15 listening hours of the greatest and godliest teaching known to mankind. Don't cut corners simply because one makes the arrogant claim concerning the supremacy of the lectures over us "worldlings." These are simply Bible-institute-type requirements, not rigorous college or seminary training.

Also, if the money from the students who think they're getting a legitimate college education is going to support the local church, that, too, is sad. Might as well go all out and have a cake sale and a flea market.

One last word: "persecution"? Puleeze. All we're doing is questioning, based upon SIBC's own information and that of its supporters, the legitimacy of the degrees based upon the requirements. If you disagree, please argue your case and show us where we're wrong. Don't hide behind platitudes and baseless accusations. I simply question what makes SIBC think it's qualified to grant graduate degrees, particularly masters and doctorates, let alone bachelor degrees.

Bill

 

==Sounds like you have an excellent Sunday School class :thumbs: .

==Well, its worked for others :laugh: .

 

==In the above statement you contradict yourself. Why do you need lectures? Are not lectures just verbal textbooks?

The FACT is what is described on that school's website is NOT graduate level or doctoral level work. It is Sunday School level, maybe institute level, but not higher level education. You brag about 6-8hrs of lectures per course. Well most real schools/seminaries require students to sit through 30-40hrs of lectures PER COURSE along with several textbooks (which include the Bible if it is a seminary), research projects, and exams (closed book/note). Real colleges/seminaries that offer online courses without lectures make up for the lectures in reading, research, and group projects. SIBC just does not rise to the level of graduate education.

==I agree. Theology is more important (since its results are eternal) and should therefore require much higher standards (not lower). Seminaries should be some of the most academically demanding schools in the world. More demanding than medical school in fact. Is SIBC that? No, SIBC falls far, far, far short.

==Well that statement is not humble at all, is it? That "high minded, mumbo-jumbo" is called higher education. It is called being academically challenging.

==That may well be true. However that has NOTHING to do with the academic standards of your "seminary". Your church maybe great but that does not mean your seminary is up to par academically.

==Again, that has nothing to do with graduate level/doctoral level education. A pastor can say the very same thing after attending a conference, attending a Bible study, or a prayer breakfast. We are talking about higher education. There is more to higher education than being helped personally and spiritually. Those things should be a PART of any higher education (mainly seminary) but another part of higher education is high academic standards.

==Actually God did the saving, not the sermon. The sermon was the instrument God used to bring those to Him. I am glad your material was used by God in that manner. However, again, just because it makes a great sermon/evangelistic message does not mean that it is a proper graduate level/doctoral level course of study.

==So you believe saying that seminaries should hold the highest of academic standards is a form of persecution? Do you really believe that? I hope not.

Btw: 2Timothy 3:12 has nothing to do with this so please stop mis-applying the Word of God.

 

==Answer: Based on the webpage and what has been presented here I feel very safe in saying it's not qualified. I am not saying anyone is being dishonest since I am sure the church that runs the school views it as a ministry. I will also give them the benefit of the doubt that they believe they are doing right. However none of that means their school should be granting higher education degrees. The work load clearly is not graduate level. If SIBC was just handing out diplomas there would be no problem.