WTS PA... Overrated?

[SolaScriptura]

Originally posted by Draught Horse
Is the overall tenor thus, or is it just like this in a few subjects? Like, could they speciallize in one area and be weak in another? I don't know. Just curious.

I think that is entirely probable.
Also, it is also likely that at a given school you have professors that are "tougher" and "more demanding" than other professors in their same department.

 

[RamistThomist]

Originally posted by SolaScriptura

Originally posted by Draught Horse
Is the overall tenor thus, or is it just like this in a few subjects? Like, could they speciallize in one area and be weak in another? I don't know. Just curious.

I think that is entirely probable.
Also, it is also likely that at a given school you have professors that are "tougher" and "more demanding" than other professors in their same department.

Following that line of thought, what is the primary emphasis at SBTS?

 

[SolaScriptura]

Originally posted by Draught Horse
Following that line of thought, what is the primary emphasis at SBTS?

It is a little harder with SBTS than with WTS (any campus) or RTS (any campus) or GPTS... the reason is that SBTS is so huge that we have different schools within the seminary. (Think a university...)
Each school has different emphases. However, the overarching emphasis of SBTS is to prepare graduates to effectively engage culture with the historic Christian message.

 

[DanielC]

Originally posted by SolaScriptura

Originally posted by WrittenFromUtopia
Well, Ben, Rev. Buchanan is an ordained minister of the PCA, of which you are a member. All ordained ministers of the gospel deserve our honor and respect, but we don't always have to agree with them.

He's not in my church or in my presbytery, so he has no authority over me.

I agree that ministers (in general) deserve respect, but of the same type that every person is owed.

If Bruce was offended by my opinionated response to his opinionated response, then I invite him to let me know.



But these subterfuge posts have attempted to divert attention from the topic of this thread:
Can it be that WTS-PA is overrated?

I think it is at least possible that their "glory days" are behind them.

[Edited on 2-13-2006 by SolaScriptura]

Ben,
My point was that I was offended, and as a fellow believer, somewhat embarrassed. You are certainly entitled to your opinions, and you have a right to discuss. Since my point wasn't clear, just go back and replace "minister of the gospel" with "a brother in Christ" and my point remains. "Minister of the gospel" was for emphasis.

I think it would've been better to phrase yourself like this:
"It wasn't my intention to knock WTS-PA. I merely meant to have a critical discussion about a seminary's academic reputation."
rather than:
"how about this: quit trying to..."

For another example, rather than saying:
"these subterfuge posts have attempted to divert attention..."
you could have said:
"these posts have diverted attention..."
or
"these posts have gotten us off track"
or
"but to get back to the topic at hand..."

In the first, by syndoche, you have accused me of deceptive motives, as if I, as a fellow member of the Body, were not really concerned about your well-being, but was merely interested in getting everyone's attention off of WTS-PA. Once again, this is offensive, and not what I would consider to be temperate or uncontentious. In this new case, an apology to me would be appropriate. Ben, a word to the wise should be sufficient, and should be welcomed.

But to get back to the topic at hand, yes, I agree with you. Westminster Philly is not what it used to be, in my opinion. I still think it's a good school, but doesn't have quite the monopoly that it used to have, now that a WTS grad started RTS and WTS started WSC. Machen, Van Til, Murray, and Stonehouse were all top scholars. EJ Young could read in over 30 languages. It would be hard for any seminary to compete with that, in terms of the aptitude of their professors.
On the other hand, I don't know that much about what other seminaries require of their students, though I have seen some reading lists for CTS that I thought looked pretty easy. Your new contact only spent one year at WTS, and if he was taking his languages, he wouldn't have even met the prereqs for the exegetical and most systematic classes (that is, the hard classes). I've taken some of those via videoconference, and not all classes are equal, but most have been pretty demanding. Last month I took a two hour practical theology class on the preaching of John Calvin - and was required to read 2100 pages for it. Maybe I am a slacker, but that was pretty heavy (I thought) for a two hour practical theology class. Typically, a three hour exegetical class at WTS requires a paper, a couple exams, a few hundred verses of translation with quizzes, and around 2000 pages of reading. That might be less difficult than other schools, but I just don't know. I'd be interested in hearing what typical classes at other seminaries require.

 

[SolaScriptura]

Originally posted by DanielC
I think it would've been better to phrase yourself like this:
"It wasn't my intention to knock WTS-PA. I merely meant to have a critical discussion about a seminary's academic reputation."
rather than:
"how about this: quit trying to..."

For another example, rather than saying:
"these subterfuge posts have attempted to divert attention..."
you could have said:
"these posts have diverted attention..."
or
"these posts have gotten us off track"
or
"but to get back to the topic at hand..."

Ok. I see your point. I can see how my choice of words were not conducive to cordiality.

In this new case, an apology to me would be appropriate.

Actually, the "subterfuge" language was in response to both you and Gabe. So: Gabe and Daniel, I apologize for using inflammatory rhetoric to give the impression that you were intentionally attempting to change the subject.
I'll go back and erase the line from my original post.

[Edited on 2-13-2006 by SolaScriptura]

 

[DanielC]

Thanks Ben. I appreciate your perspectives and contributions to the board. Now I'm curious - those of you at various seminaries - what are the typical requirements for your classes?