The MDiv: Should It Become BDiv?

I would think it would be good for those applying for seminary to have proven themselves in a local church in the areas of evangelism and discipleship. It seems to me that would take care of a lot of elementary classes that every believer should already know.

 

Actually, I had him for part of a semester before I had to drop out due to a family emergency that took me completely out of school for that semester.

I enjoyed his class, but frankly, it was much above the level of my undergraduate work. I suspect my undergraduate program was much more rigorous than other comparable programs (it certainly demanded more than the state school I had attended previously), so my perspective may be skewed.

That was essentially my impression too. I talked to a number of friends about what they were doing in the R.E. program, and I was surprised by how little was expected. A few of them ventured into mainstream M.Div. courses and were surprised by how "hard" they were. For the most part, I was bored in them.

The best classes I had (challenging and interesting) were:
- Biblical Interpretation (B. Keith Putt)
- Christian Faith and Contemporary Art Forms (B. Keith Putt)
- Old Testament Survey 1&2 (D. David Garland)
- Church History courses (William Estep)
- Church and State (W. R. Estep)
- Theology of American Cults (James Leo Garrett)
- Introduction to Missiology (Henry Smith)

Among the worst were:
- Personal Evangelism (big name professor who read his notes, would not engage the students and hated to answer questions)
- Biblical Backgrounds (well known professor who seemed more interested in talking about himself and nitpicking student's answers instead of actually laying out a strong foundation for us)
- Philosophy of Religion (we barely got past the surface of anything and it was clear the professor wasn't interested in the class or his students)


The best classes were at the same quality (or higher) than my undergraduate work. The worst classes reminded me of freshman classes at a state school where teaching assistants taught the class poorly.

 

Back to the original post as I think I have some input. I have an undergraduate in Biblical Studies, an MA in Religion, an MDiv and finishing my MBA. I have taken classes at three seminaries: Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary (MABTS), and Mid-West Center for Theological Studies. Here are my thoughts.

1. Both Liberty and MABTS were rather shallow in some areas. There were exceptions at both schools, but I found some of their studies lacking. MABTS had a more of a "you are hear to learn what we teach you" mentality, a reason I left the school. The classes used books that were not always fit for Post-Graduate work. One exception was Dr. Millikin's Old Testament Theology, which used a great book that they had to reprint and one I still own today despite it's dilapidated condition. Liberty had some highlights in their history department and Greek Department. Yet, I found some of Liberty's classes too easy (as I did MABTS). Overall, though, in comparison to MABTS, Liberty is a much better school.

2. The Midwest Center was more academic than either of the other two schools. The focus was theological studies in the classroom but Pastoral education outside, which they also provided. I found the lectures in-depth. There were some areas of improvement to include bridging academic lectures into student synthesization. Yet, I have never seen a group more focused in trying to mix theological education and pastoral ministry into coursework. I think people are shepherded at this school. Academically, this school excelled above the other two but is limited in expertise in many areas which does not make for a well rounded student.

3. As far as comparing this to my MBA? I believe my MBA is the hardest degree I have worked for. Last Semester I had a 4.0, and to be honest, I do not know how. The MBA is from Liberty, so I can accurately judge one school in two different departments. While I see some areas needing work in the MBA program, but I am extremely pleased with the MBA at Liberty and would recommend it to anyone. If Liberty's theology department was as demanding, I would begin to recommend it to people more proactively.

So, I would agree that a Master's Degree at the seminaries I have chosen are probably less challenging than in other career paths (though, they have more courses). Yet, I am sure there are schools that are very demanding, I believe many are not.

 

Great post. I found my M.Div. program at TEDS to be significantly easier and a lighter work load compared to my undergraduate work in Bible.

Two solutions:

A.A. degree in general studies at community college and then three years at seminary for a combination B.A. and M.A. A total of five years.

B.A. in Bible and then one year in seminary for a M.A. degree.

Otherwise, a B.A. followed by three years of seminary should earn one a Doctor of Divinity degree, just like law school's J.D.

 

Did you do your work online or on campus. The reason I ask is because I believe online courses are generally more labor intensive than residential courses.

 

That would depend on the professor. I have taught both and give more work to those in class than those who study online simply because not everything I teach can be found on a book.

 

Even within departments you will find some professors much more demanding than others.