Luther Rice Bible College and Seminary???

[Jerusalem Blade]

Can anyone tell me anything about Luther Rice Seminary? Are they dispensational?

Thanks!

 

[R. Scott Clark]

I'm not certain about their theology but one of the first things I learned I arrived here in '97 to serve as academic dean was: "We don't accept transfer credits from Luther Rice."

Fiat.

For what it's worth.

 

[Jerusalem Blade]

Thanks, Scott!

 

[Reformed Baptist]

They are dispensational and Arminian, though there may be 1 or 2 calvinists on staff. I was enrolled there for awhile. It's a typical baptist/evangelical seminary education.

 

[puritanpilgrim]

I don't think they are accredited.

 

[Pilgrim]

http://www.lru.edu/
Page on accreditation: http://www.lru.edu/Content.aspx?page=accreditation

 

[puritanpilgrim]

I stand corrected.

 

[Pilgrim]

I stand corrected.

I had thought they were unaccredited as well until I looked up, and I don't know how long they have been accredited.

 

[2 Tim 4:2]

More than ten years for sure. But it is the tracs accreditation. I understand they are working on their sacs accreditation.

 

[R. Scott Clark]

When folks say "accredited" they usually mean the regional agency such as central states or western association of schools and colleges or the like or ATS.

I've heard that TRACS is trying to improve but it used to be regarded as a second-rate agency for those schools that can't get an actual accreditation.

I would be wary.

rsc

 

[Ivan]

Did you know Charles Stanley got his doctorate from Luther Rice?

 

[R. Scott Clark]

Among the more distinguished alumni.

The prosecution rests.

rsc

 

[Ivan]

Among the more distinguished alumni.

The prosecution rests.

rsc

 

[Ivan]

This is interesting...from John Armstrong's bio:

He earned the D. Min degree (1979) at Luther Rice Seminary, Atlanta, Georgia.

I wonder who else has graduated from Luther Rice.

 

[Ivan]

I wonder who else has graduated from Luther Rice.

To answer my own question....

I'm sure there are many more but here's a short list:

Jerry Vines
John Ankerberg
Dorothy Patterson (wife of Paige Patterson, President of SWBTS)
Charles Stanley
John Armstrong

It's just odd to me to see Armstrong's name in that list.

 

[2 Tim 4:2]

When folks say "accredited" they usually mean the regional agency such as central states or western association of schools and colleges or the like or ATS.

I've heard that TRACS is trying to improve but it used to be regarded as a second-rate agency for those schools that can't get an actual accreditation.

I would be wary.

rsc

Being considered second rate does not take away from the fact that an agency has awarded them accreditation. The tracs accreditation is accepted by other regionally accredited schools and qualifies for government loans. And to answer the op they are dispensational.

 

[Broadus]

Luther Rice's accrediting agency is TRACS, a nationally-accrediting agency recognized by both the USDE and CHEA. Luther Rice has made at least two attempts at regional accreditation (SACS), but both were unsuccessful.

For what it's worth, I earned an MDiv ('85) and a DMin ('92) from LRS. However, I was never satisfied with the requirements or rigor of my MDiv. I even worked the DMin to be more academic than practical to try to beef up my training.

I ended up doing another MDiv ('98) and a PhD ('03) at SBTS in order to acquire the training I believed needed to engage in the type of pastoral ministry I envisioned.

Having said all that, I believe the Luther Rice of today is much stronger than the Luther Rice from which I received my MDiv in the mid-'80s.

One reason that Luther Rice is looked upon with some question today goes back to its early days in the 1960's and 1970's, in my opinion. Not a few SBC "leading" pastors received doctorates from LRS with dissertations which were little more than a compilation of sermon transcripts. Such would not be accepted today.

To the OP, Luther Rice is dispensational, in the way that most of the SBC is. It is quite Arminian, with some exception, and the evangelism put forth is quite decisionistic. In short, it fits quite well with most of the SBC of today, unfortunately so, in my opinion.

Still, for distance education, one could do much worse. However, I would personally be more inclined to some place such as Whitefield.

Bill

 

[Ivan]

Luther Rice's accrediting agency is TRACS, a nationally-accrediting agency recognized by both the USDE and CHEA. Luther Rice has made at least two attempts at regional accreditation (SACS), but both were unsuccessful.

For what it's worth, I earned an MDiv ('85) and a DMin ('92) from LRS. However, I was never satisfied with the requirements or rigor of my MDiv. I even worked the DMin to be more academic than practical to try to beef up my training.

I ended up doing another MDiv ('98) and a PhD ('03) at SBTS in order to acquire the training I believed needed to engage in the type of pastoral ministry I envisioned.

Having said all that, I believe the Luther Rice of today is much stronger than the Luther Rice from which I received my MDiv in the mid-'80s.

One reason that Luther Rice is looked upon with some question today goes back to its early days in the 1960's and 1970's, in my opinion. Not a few SBC "leading" pastors received doctorates from LRS with dissertations which were little more than a compilation of sermon transcripts. Such would not be accepted today.

To the OP, Luther Rice is dispensational, in the way that most of the SBC is. It is quite Arminian, with some exception, and the evangelism put forth is quite decisionistic. In short, it fits quite well with most of the SBC of today, unfortunately so, in my opinion.

Still, for distance education, one could do much worse. However, I would personally be more inclined to some place such as Whitefield.

Bill

to all of this post!