I am looking at NIU (formerly Northland Baptist Bible College) for my undergraduate work. I had been looking at The Baptist College of Florida (formerly Florida Baptist Theological College) but I found that they did not have a Biblical Languages program, which is something I am looking to pursue. I have been praying about this and I believe that this may be a good decision but I wanted to seek Godly counsel. I have plenty of time before I go (Fall 2011) but they say it is never too early to start preparing. They are quite a "strict" school but not legalistic, which is a plus for me. I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge of this particluar institution? If so, please share.

__________________
Joseph F Scibbe
Chaplain Assistant
Chapel of Wings Ft Rucker Al
Ephesians 1:4-7, 1 Thessalonians 2:8, Romans 12:1-2
Titus 2:2 - But you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.

http://twitter.com/just_joe_scibbe

I know that when students transferred from Northland to Bob Jones (where I attended), they almost always had to catch up because they were behind where we were. I don't think their biblical languages program is particularly strong.

I did quite a bit of NT Greek and tutor on occasion, and most of the best professors and scholars in the field have concurred on these points -

1) if you want to be really good at it, take a Classics program and work some NT or Koine study into it. The value of learning classical Greek is enormous. (It is my greatest weakness in Greek that I do not have a classical background).

2) Don't learn two second languages at the same time. Rather, get one second language down very well first. Then, if you have the aptitude, you can learn more at pretty much whatever pace you want. One exception is that learning Greek and Latin together can actually be beneficial, since they support each other so much and Latin is useful for so many things. (So, go take Classics somewhere.)

__________________
Charlie Johnson
Downtown Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, student

Some of my family members went to Northland. I gather that it suffers from endemic weaknesses in fundamentalism - fundumentalist pop star speakers, lack of reflection on worship, no real system of theology, just a series of cobbled-together ad hoc principles, etc.

__________________
Ruben
Moderator
F.P.C.I.
Indiana

Vanities and disguises have covered us, and thereby we are naked; licenciousness hath inflam'd us, and thereby we are frozen; voluptuousness hath fed us, and thereby we are sterved, the fancies and traditions of men have taught and instructed us, and thereby we are ignorant.
John Donne

Board Rules - Signature Requirements - Suggestions?

Calvinistas Conversando
Teología en Mexico
The Howling Wilderness

I went to the rival school. I'll just say that Northland is going in a better direction than Maranatha.

__________________
EJ
Reformed Baptist
Chicago, IL

A "god' whose will is resisted, whose designs are frustrated, whose purpose is checkmated, possesses no title to Deity, and so far from being a fit object of worship, merits nought but contempt.
A.W. Pink

One of the interns at my church here in Escondido graduated from Northland a couple of years ago. He tested out of the first few language classes in both Hebrew (into Hebrew IV - Deuteronomy) and Greek (into Greek IV - John's Gospel) here at Westminster, which is about all I know in regards to their languages.

I do know he's extremely glad to be away from Wisconsin winters (the campus is quite spread out, which made things worse) and the fundamentalism of the school. His wife graduated from there as well, and she concurs on both points.

If you'd like, I can ask them for more details when I see them next.

__________________
Jennifer Petrik
Member, Grace Reformation Church
Associate Member, Escondido Reformed Baptist Church
Student, Westminster Seminary California (M.A.H.T.)
Woodland/Escondido, CA
per caliginem