# Bible school's view of the other side.



## blhowes (Mar 15, 2004)

As has been often said, reading threads on this forum is an excellent way to learn the scriptural reasons why others believe the way they do. This forum is truly a blessing.

Many of you have graduated from a Bible school and then have furthered your training/education at seminaries. I was just wondering something about the education that you received there about opposing viewpoints, primarily baptist vs CT.

I would imagine (hope) that the main thrust of your education was to teach what the Bible says. If you're at a baptist college/seminary, you'd primarily learn the scriptures from the baptist perspective and if you're at a reformed college/seminary from the reformed perspective.

A well-rounded education in preparation for the ministry would give you some exposure to the other systems, though not to the same depth. Looking back on your experiences at bible college and seminary, do you feel that the &quot;opposing view&quot; was presented accurately and fairly, or was it presented more from the perspective of that university? (ie., CT viewed through baptist glasses and baptist theology viewed through CT glasses).

Bob


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## Preach (Mar 15, 2004)

Bob,
I attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. We were never taught CT. As a matter of fact, we were never taught any partcular hermeneutical principle for interpreting the Bible. There was much that we did not learn, and I have to now &quot;fill in the gaps&quot; with Reformed theology. It was a great experience, but the seminary did the students a great disservice (We were never taught covenant theology, or dispensational theology-so as to compare, never taught biblical theolog, never had a hermeneutics course, never had an apologetics course, etc).


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## blhowes (Mar 15, 2004)

Preach,
That's interesting that you had no hermeneutics courses, apologetics courses, and weren't taught CT or dispensational. 

So, I'm wondering if it'd be safe to say that you studied the scriptures more from a historical perspective rather than a theological perspective. Was the focus more on what God did in history rather than trying to figure out his overall plan from eternity past and how it all fits together?

[b:736af97802]Preach wrote:[/b:736af97802]
It was a great experience, 

What'd you like best about the experience? 

Bob


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## pastorway (Mar 15, 2004)

At The Criswell Bible College (Southern Baptist) where I graduated my Systematic Theology prof was a five pointer who was from England and had graduated from Spurgeon's College. My Greek prof was also a five pointer who had done his PhD at the University of Edinburgh, and while the school was premillennial some of my professors were dispensational premil, but my Hebrew prof and a few others were historic premil. (I was dispensational at the time and did not come to the historic position until years after college).

So I got a good balance in the theology department and good exposure to the Doctrines of Grace. My hermeneutics classes were fantastic. We had to have our language classes done before we could take hermenuetics in fact.

Over all, it really was an education in the Word!

Phillip


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## SolaScriptura (Mar 15, 2004)

[quote:776f213321][i:776f213321]Originally posted by Preach[/i:776f213321]
Bob,
I attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. We were never taught CT. As a matter of fact, we were never taught any partcular hermeneutical principle for interpreting the Bible. There was much that we did not learn, and I have to now &quot;fill in the gaps&quot; with Reformed theology. It was a great experience, but the seminary did the students a great disservice (We were never taught covenant theology, or dispensational theology-so as to compare, never taught biblical theolog, never had a hermeneutics course, never had an apologetics course, etc). [/quote:776f213321]

I think we've discussed this before... I am appalled at the quality of education you recieved at SBTS. When was this??? On campus now there is a required hermeneutics course, at least 3 semesters of philosophy/worldview (which are in essence apologetics courses... this mirrors Mohler's commitment to engaging culture...), excellent biblical theology courses (NT theology taught by Tom Schreiner, OT theology taught by Dan Block)... etc... 
Things certainly have come around.


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## blhowes (Mar 15, 2004)

Sola,
Looks like your school has changed for the better. 

Just curious, to what extent do your theology classes cover CT?

It must be quite an experience to attend classes with the likes of the professors you mentioned. Their credentials are very impressive. It must be challenging/fun for the students to try and &quot;stump the professor&quot; with their questions.

Bob


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## blhowes (Mar 15, 2004)

[b:1e492efd68]Pastor Way wrote:[/b:1e492efd68]
So I got a good balance in the theology department and good exposure to the Doctrines of Grace. 

Did you get much exposure to CT in your theology classes, or is that something you've learned on your own &quot;over the years&quot;?

Bob


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## KayJay (Mar 15, 2004)

I went to a Dispensational. Bible college for 2.5 years (yeh I'm a Bible college dropout - got my degree from a pagan university) though all the faculty at this Dispensational school was reformed. It wasn't Masters heh...its called Trinity College. It was really a great school though - took an apologetics course which was classical but the professor, Tom Woodward, is FANTASTIC. We got to hear people like Michael Behe and Phil Johnson (as in the &quot;Darwin on Trial&quot; Phil Johnson - not the Masters guy). NOT BAD for a Dispensational school...oh yeh but I had to read &quot;Things to Come&quot; by Dwight Pentecost (whose son-in-law taught at the school) which is a REALLY BIASED BOOK!!!!!


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## exscentric (Mar 15, 2004)

I went to Dispensational five point schools basically and got a good overview of reform/ct but nothing indepth. 

From what I've read here and aother reform board I think it was a quite well rounded view.

The profs were mostly ex dallas or dallas graduates.

One prof was a doctorate from winona lake and he also gave a fairly good accurate overview.


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## KayJay (Mar 15, 2004)

HAHA Exscentric - almost all my Dispensational. reformed professors were DTS guys too...man what a strange slew of people that seminary puts out...


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## Puritan Sailor (Mar 15, 2004)

I went to a Jesuit university and my few Bible classes taught everything from a liberal perspectice. No Dispie, no CT, no Baptist, no nothing. Not even Roman Catholic!


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## exscentric (Mar 15, 2004)

KayJay: Yes, Dallas has a wide breadth. They even had three charismaniacs a few years ago on the faculty. They resigned, but they were there awhile before anyone found out. 

Puritansailor: Jesuit, met a man that graduated from a Jesuit seminary - was saved in last semester of his senior year and decided to go ahead and get the degree.

He applied at Bob Jones thinking he could pick up Bible knowledge in a year there - they said nix nix and told him four years or nothing :shocked:

He went ahead with four years and said that after it was over, the nix nix was just the thing he needed, because it took him all four years to get some decent grounding.


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## Puritan Sailor (Mar 16, 2004)

[quote:7eb38c169d][i:7eb38c169d]Originally posted by exscentric[/i:7eb38c169d]
Puritansailor: Jesuit, met a man that graduated from a Jesuit seminary - was saved in last semester of his senior year and decided to go ahead and get the degree.

He applied at Bob Jones thinking he could pick up Bible knowledge in a year there - they said nix nix and told him four years or nothing :shocked:

He went ahead with four years and said that after it was over, the nix nix was just the thing he needed, because it took him all four years to get some decent grounding. [/quote:7eb38c169d]
My university also had a seminary there. Knowing what I know about the students I met there, I am not surprised that Bob Jones said &quot;do over.&quot;


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## cupotea (Mar 17, 2004)

My schooling was at a Baptist Dispensational Bible school. They were more interested in promoting their views than in knowing the truth. Because my parents had become Reformed I knew that much of what they taught was buncombe. 

I found the education invaluable. It forced me to study on my own. They would not graduate me (even though I had a 3.9 GPA) because I would not subscribe to the Pre-mil, pre-trib view.


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## SolaScriptura (Mar 17, 2004)

[quote:6e35148cd8][i:6e35148cd8]Originally posted by ss385tm[/i:6e35148cd8]
My schooling was at a Baptist Dispensational Bible school. They were more interested in promoting their views than in knowing the truth. Because my parents had become Reformed I knew that much of what they taught was buncombe. 

I found the education invaluable. It forced me to study on my own. They would not graduate me (even though I had a 3.9 GPA) because I would not subscribe to the Pre-mil, pre-trib view. [/quote:6e35148cd8]

So what did you do? Did you transfer your credits? Did you just say &quot;forget it&quot; and give up on your bachelor's?


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## cupotea (Mar 18, 2004)

I left school two weeks before the end of the year and never did get a degree. I am an autodidact and so did not discontinue studying.


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