I graduated recently from college and am on staff with a campus ministry. My interest is in studying the relationships of Christianity, church and culture. I want to go to a seminary first (probably for an M. Div) and then go on for a Ph.D. at a top tier secular graduate school or seminary (i.e. Princeton, Yale, etc). So my question is, where should I go to seminary now? I'm looking for:

1. Generally faithful to God's word and the reformed tradition, though I don't mind some challenging beliefs.
2. Good in training for academia and research (most seminaries seem to be completely focused on training pastors and missionaries).
3. A good enough reputation that I could go to on a to top tier graduate school.

Suggestions?

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John Fox,
Grace Bible Church
Denver, CO

I would recommend Gordon-Conwell for your situation, and ask for David Wells to be your advisor/mentor. He's written his quadrilogy on the relationship of contemporary evangelicalism, ecclesiology & culture.

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Will Shin
Pastor/Church Planter
Grace Reformed Church
Rockville, MD

This is a good suggestion. Westminster California has also produced some academics.

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Davidius
Member: First Reformed Presbyterian Church of Durham (RPCNA) - Durham, NC
Student: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, German Literature and Classics

And though the really inspired artist may complain that, with the majority, piano-playing is mere strumming, and painting little more than daubing, yet, the exuberant feeling of having a share in the privileges of art is so overwhelming, that the scorn of the artist is preferred to the abandonment of art training in education. To have laid a production of your own, however poor, upon the altar of art becomes more and more the characteristic of an accomplished civilization. - Abraham Kuyper

Too bad William Willimon is not still at Duke. I would not recommend any Divinity School.

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Benjamin P. Glaser
Pittsburgh, PA
Fairmount ARP Church

Student of Theology
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary
My Blog

I echo the commendations of Gordon-Conwell and Westminster California. Fuller is much less conservative but enjoys a good rep for getting their grads into top tier schools (cf. grads include Piper, Riddlebarger, Volf as well as Rob Bell and Rick Warren!). Given the proximity to east coast schools, GC may be your best bet.

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Dennis E. McFadden
Atherton Baptist Homes, CEO
First Baptist Church of Alhambra, Member, Transformation Ministries (CA)

I would not go to seminary for an MDiv, but rather go to graduate school for an M.A. M.Div's are for pastoral work; M.A.'s are for PhD work.

I say this as someone who was in a PhD program in a top 10 school (U. of Chicago) in my field (Classics), active in the church (as an RE) and a seminary graduate (RTS Jackson).

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Fredrick T. Greco
Senior Pastor, Christ Church PCA (Katy, TX)
Christ Church Blog

"The heart is the main thing in true religion...It is the hinge and turning-point in the condition of man's soul. If the heart is alive to God and quickened by the Spirit, the man is a living Christian. If the heart is dead and has not the Spirit, the man is dead before God." (J.C. Ryle)

Fred, it depends on what school you want to go to for your PhD. When a friend was looking at PhD programs, seminary based PhD's seemed to want a M.Div. If you are looking at a secular university (e.g., UCLA, University of Chicago, etc.), the M.A. makes more sense. It also depends on what your endgame might be. If you want to teach at a seminary, they tend to prefer ordained ministers with both a M.Div. and Ph.D. Universities would tend to expect the M.A./Ph.D. sequence.

Actually Pittsburgh Theological Seminary has had some students recently who have gone on to some Top-Flight English schools like the University of Durham and Edinburgh...

Question: If M.Div's are for pastors, what could one get who wants to go to seminary, but doesn't ever want to be a pastor?

I will, by God's providence, have a J.D. in 2 years. At some point, if I'm ever in the financial situation to do so, I'd like to go to seminary for my own personal edification. What degrees are available for those whose endeavors are sheerly academic and don't want an M.A. from a secular graduate school?

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Andrew DeShazo, Deacon
Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, Memphis, TN
"Send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey with haste, that they may lack nothing." -Titus 3:13
http://foolish-wisdom.blogspot.com/

I asked a similar question some time ago. The thread didn't go very far but Dr. Clark provided some helpful advice. Here it is if you'd like to check it out: link

You could get an M.A. at a Christian university or a seminary.

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Curt Hayashida
member, Community Bible Church (Non-denominational)
Vallejo, CA

I respect Fred's opinion but don't agree with it entirely. The MDiv is intended to send men into pastoral ministry but some men take a more indirect route. Some go on to do more grad work before entering the pastorate. We are blessed to have two seminary-trained men in our congregation and they have been a genuine blessing. Sometimes men take the MDiv and discover that they should not be in pastoral ministry.

FWIW, even though WSC majors in training pastors (abotu 70% of our students) the sem has a strong track record in sending students to top flight PhD programs. One of our current students was just accepted at Oxford (that makes about 5-6 in recent years). We've about 46 grads with PhDs. We have several more in PhD programs right now.

Students who want to earn a non-ministerial degree should take an MA. We offer three: MA (Historical Theology), MA (Biblical Studies), and MA (Theological Studies).

For more information contact Christa Haeck at

Westminster Seminary California admissions

For more on the MDiv program:

Westminster Seminary California academics

More more information on the MA (HT) program:

Westminster Seminary California clark

Westminster Seminary California academics

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R. Scott Clark, D.Phil
Associate Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology

"For Christ, His Gospel, and His Church"
Associate Pastor
Oceanside URC
The Heidelblog

Thanks for all the responses! After reading everything, I think I could explain my position a little better:

I like the possibility of being a professor at a secular university in a religious studies or sociology department. Having known the religious studies department where I did my undergraduate, there was not a single professor (out of about 20) that I think would have called themselves an evangelical Christian. Yet many of them are writing books and publishing papers and teaching students about what "Christianity" is.

The reason I would like to go to a seminary first is to get better foundation before pursuing the Ph.D. at a school with a good reputation in academia. But if going to a conservative seminary would even keep me from getting into those schools, then I'm not sure I would go. If an M.A. is better to get for this than an M.Div. that's fine. Do some students get two M.A.'s? (e.g. theology and philosophy of religion)