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"Union Card" Southern Baptist

Discussion in 'Baptist Colleges & Seminaries' started by Rhetorician, Jul 13, 2008.

  1. Rhetorician

    Rhetorician Administrator
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    To all who might have an "ear to hear!"

    I have just now finished Witness to the Truth by Louis Moore. Moore is a journalist who worked for and in the SBC during the "Conservative Resurgence." He also worked for some secular press agencies as religion editor. The book's thesis is that he shows twenty something lessons he has learned both inside and outside the SBC, ie, "life lessons" and "things not taught in school."

    One of his "lessons" is that to be successful in the SBC "then" one had to have their own "union card." I found this particularly funny b/c:

    A. I am personally a "Building Trades Journeyman," ie, a Steamfitter-Pipefitter-Welder. I served a 4 year indentured apprenticeship. If you do not know about this type of program. It would pay you to inform yourself, but we leave that for another post.

    B. I had said and do same the same thing myself. This had been my own experience. If you do not have an MDiv from one of the "Big Six" then it is hard to have the network to "play in the big sandbox" with the "big kids" if you know what I mean?

    I have said all of the above to ask:

    A. Do you have to have an SBC education, read "union card," to be a real SBCer?

    B. If "A" is true, then what does it take to be an SBCer?

    C. Have you, in your own personal experience, found that w/o the "union card" you have been slighted or not have had opportunities that you may have had otherwise?

    D. What about those who have the MDiv from some other seminaries like Mid America or Luther Rice, are they "read Southern Baptists?" (keep in mind that I am a MABTS alum myself).

    E. Just in general, if you do not have the MDiv degree, maybe only Bible College or Liberal Arts Christian college; has it been difficult for you to make the moves from church-to-church or to get a denominational position like you might want to do b/c you do not have the MDiv degree from one of the "Big Six?" Or have you felt "slighted" at the Associational level b/c of your lack of grad school education?

    Let me hear from you! Open up and let her fly! I, and others, can take it. I am glad that I did go ahead and get my "union card" in both venues: as a Building Trades steamfitter journeyman AND the MDiv Degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

    "What think ye?!

    "That is all!"
     
    #1 Rhetorician, Jul 13, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 13, 2008
  2. Tom Butler

    Tom Butler New Member

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    In the past 40 years, the church I serve has had six pastors. Only one of them had a degree from one of the "big six." The others include Mid-America Seminary (two), Luther Rice Seminary, and Moody Bible Institute.

    Two of the pastors earned their doctorates (D.Min) while they were pastor here.

    Don't know if that's typical or not.
     
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