Reformed Baptist Seminary Reputation

[jshealey]

I am looking at several different seminaries and would like to know if anyone has any thoughts on Reformed Baptist Seminary. Their lack of accreditation is a concern for me but would not be a deal breaker if the school and degree has a good reputation. I have looked at other Reformed seminaries but most are either out of my price range (even with tuition assistance from my church), won't accept my MA degree from Liberty, or have no feasible online options. My preference would be to attend either Master's, Westminster California, or RTS but at this point it appears as though my options are Luther Rice, Veritas Evangelical, or Reformed Baptist. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Pilgrim]

If you are looking at a M.Div, what difference would acceptance of the M.A. make unless you are looking to transfer credits?

Two of the three schools you noted as your "only other options" are not Reformed in any sense. There are a lot more options than that. NOBTS and maybe some of the other SBC seminaries have 100% online options now. And why wouldn't Liberty be an option if you're considering Luther Rice?

With regard to Masters, if you are a dispensationalist or at least an ardent premillennialist, it might be a good fit. Otherwise, probably not, although it would be better regardless than some of the others you have listed. It is accredited and is one of the least expensive accredited seminaries that I'm aware of.

 

[Covenant Joel]

Do you know about the RTS tuition assistance program? Unless it's changed, the deal is that if your church assists at 1/3 of tuition, they discount 1/3, meaning you only pay 1/3 of tuition. They have 3 fully online programs now.

 

[jshealey]

Thanks for the reply.

You are correct, I would like a school that would at least consider giving advanced standing or accepting some or all of my previously earned credits. Liberty will give me full credit for all of the classes I took towards my degree there. That being said, even though I hold to reformed theology, my reasons for wanting to pursue education elsewhere are not strictly theological, even though that is part of it.

Luther Rice and Veritas are options based on cost, access, and acceptance of transfer credit. Both schools with accept at least 36 of the 45 hours that I have taken through Liberty. I live close to Veritas and could attend some of the modular classes and Luther Rice is completely online. Theology is the main issue with these schools, as well as reputation. The issue with SBC schools is that I am not SBC and the cost is double or more for non-SBC students. Believe me, I have tried to devise a plan to attend SBTS through their hybrid program.

Masters would be an option if they had some type of online or hybrid option as I currently work outside the church and can't take days off every week to go down to Sun Valley for class.

 

[jshealey]

I have spoken with RTS Orlando about their hybrid M.Div and tuition assistance. I have seriously considered it but am not sure what I am going to do yet. The main issue with RTS is that I would have to take all 106 hours as they will not accept any transfer credit from Liberty due to their lack of ATS accreditation.

I may still look into attending there.

 

[Stephen L Smith]

Westminster California has the Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies. As I am sure you are aware Dr Jim Renihan [a personal friend] is a world expert on the 1689 Baptist Confession [he has looked at early 1689 source documents that probably no other scholar has looked at] so a confessional Reformed Baptist training course at Westminster California would be of a very high standard.

 

[TylerRay]

Have you considered Whitefield Theological Seminary? It is affordable, has several graduate-level offerings, and is done entirely through distance education. It is not accredited, but does have a great reputation.

 

[Andres]

What do you seek to do with your education? I assume you are referring to pursuing an MDiv, but you also mentioned that your reasons for pursuing your degree are not "purely theological". An MDiv is for ministry and if you are going to be doing ministry, then I'd stress the importance of a solid school.

 

[SolaScriptura]

I agree with Andrew. At the risk of being too blunt: Your ability to get a solid education should be a factor in your estimation of whether or not you've been called. What I mean is, if your circumstances are such that to get "an" education you are forced to look for options that will enable you to cut as many corners as possible, then perhaps your circumstances are actually a means by which our Lord is saying, if not "no," then perhaps "not now."

Just a thought.

 

[jshealey]

My reason for not wanting to attend Liberty are not purely theological. I have issues with the school and leadership beyond just theology. I also understand the importance of attending a solid school.

 

[mhseal]

I took some courses at Liberty Seminary and most of them transferred fine into my program at PRTS. Our cost is low and the financial assistance has been plentiful. https://puritanseminary.org/

 

[SolamVeritatem]

Jeff,

Just a couple of notes that I hope will be helpful.

-Have you looked at the scholarship/grant page at Westminster? There seems to be quite a bit of funding available based upon need, merit and other criteria. In case you have not had a chance to check it out, here is the link.

Westminster Seminary California - Admissions - Scholarships, Grants & Academic Awards:: Westminster Seminary California

Perhaps the first thing to do when considering seminary is to exhaust every possible venue for financial assistance possible. This applies not only to Westminster alone, but as Michael and Joel mentioned above, there are other solidly reformed schools that have a great deal of financial assistance available.

-I didn't see these on your list, but if accreditation is really not a factor for you, Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary (formerly Midwest Center for Theological Studies) and Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary are two other excellent options that are easy on the wallet. Check their sites below:

Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary: Owensboro, KY
Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

-Finally, let me state that going the route of U.S. Navy (or other service) chaplain might be wise. Finishing at LU with your MDIV and going the Chaplain Corps route could help pay for other academic and theological pursuits while in the service. I'm almost certain that Liberty will allow you to transfer MA credit to MDIV, and you need an MDIV to qualify for chaplaincy. If you're interested, be sure to contact your local military recruiter in your area.

I pray that this is useful to you in some way...

In Him,

Craig