# MA and PhD philosophy program at Southern Evangelical Seminary



## chrisleeberk (May 5, 2017)

Folks,
I was wondering if any of you have had any experience with the MA Phil or PhD in philosophy of religion program at Southern Evangelical Seminary.

I want to increase my technical skills and I thought that this would be a good way to do it. I would also eventually like to get an MDIV (most likely from GPTS). My ultimate goal would be to go into the pastorate and participate, as time permits, in ETS and EPS events and journal writing etc... It has been my desire for quite some time now to be more conversant in analytic philosophy, analytic theology and philosophical theology etc...

Part of the draw for SES is the cost and they have flexible options re: distance and streaming etc... I got some good advice from folks outside the Puritan Board, so the more the merrier.

Due to my age, and dimming prospects of a teaching post (at the college or seminary level) as I get older, this is why I am not gunning as much for any sort of big name philosophy program for PhD, esp since I am looking at going into the pastorate anyway, and doing academic work on the side. If I were younger, I would probably consider it much more.. But, I am still very open to any suggestions that folks may have.

For perspective, I am a Van Tillian presuppositionalist in the particular vein of Bahnsen (as opposed to the Frame/Anderson strain for example). So, I am well aware that SES is of the classical and evidential school.

Thanks for your support.


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## Pilgrim (May 6, 2017)

chrisleeberk said:


> For perspective, I am a Van Tillian presuppositionalist in the particular vein of Bahnsen (as opposed to the Frame/Anderson strain for example). So, I am well aware that SES is of the classical and evidential school.



And you will also very likely run into some anti-Calvinism although I don't know that the faculty and administration is uniformly of that persuasion. But particular redemption is not compatible with their statement of faith. I believe Norman Geisler started that seminary and it is now led by Dr. Richard Land, former head of the SBC's ERLC. 

That's not to say that you can't learn anything there. There probably are a good many things to be learned there about philosophy, etc. (I know that they have a good bit of material online, and maybe you've already looked at that.) But given the depth of your Reformed convictions as expressed in your profile, you'll have to ask yourself if you would really be able to tolerate an institution that is hostile to presuppositionalism, perhaps hostile to Calvinism and probably largely if not uniformly dispensational.


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