Who all is attending/will attend/has attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary? I have some questions for you.
First, here is my situation (by the way, this is the bulk of an email that I sent to Tom Schreiner as well):
In a perfect world, I would eventually like to be able to teach at either a seminary or a Christian university while also serving in a pastoral role in a church. Of course, that is the perfect world, which, last I checked, we do not live in. My passion is biblical studies and theology. I am a conservative, reformed Baptist, who earnestly desires reformation and revival in the church of Christ. I have a BA in Biblical Languages from Union University in Jackson, TN and am seeking to build on the foundation of those studies. I also
attended Regent College for one year. I have a wife and daughter; my wife would like to finish an Masters that she started at Golden Gate. We are not wealthy people; we would thus need income while in seminary. I would prefer serving in a church, as I feel called to the ministry of the word.
Now, the questions: should I come to Southern? I know, you cannot tell me what to do (especially since you do not know me). However, for someone in my position, would you recommend it? Are there ample opportunities to serve in solid, biblically-based churches? My interest is in New Testament studies (which is one of the reasons why I wrote to you); is NT studies a strength of Southern? Related to that, what are the strengths and weaknesses of Southern? What sort of opportunities for doctoral study are afforded Southern M.Div. graduates? Where have some of them gone on to study? Why wife and I are also considering Southeastern; in what ways are Southern and Southeastern similar and different? Finally, are professors generally available for students? At Union, I always felt welcomed in the offices of my professors. Conversely, at Regent, I felt like I was intruding each time I spoke with a professor. Which of these would be indicative of Southern?
Answer away!
Lon
First, here is my situation (by the way, this is the bulk of an email that I sent to Tom Schreiner as well):
In a perfect world, I would eventually like to be able to teach at either a seminary or a Christian university while also serving in a pastoral role in a church. Of course, that is the perfect world, which, last I checked, we do not live in. My passion is biblical studies and theology. I am a conservative, reformed Baptist, who earnestly desires reformation and revival in the church of Christ. I have a BA in Biblical Languages from Union University in Jackson, TN and am seeking to build on the foundation of those studies. I also
attended Regent College for one year. I have a wife and daughter; my wife would like to finish an Masters that she started at Golden Gate. We are not wealthy people; we would thus need income while in seminary. I would prefer serving in a church, as I feel called to the ministry of the word.
Now, the questions: should I come to Southern? I know, you cannot tell me what to do (especially since you do not know me). However, for someone in my position, would you recommend it? Are there ample opportunities to serve in solid, biblically-based churches? My interest is in New Testament studies (which is one of the reasons why I wrote to you); is NT studies a strength of Southern? Related to that, what are the strengths and weaknesses of Southern? What sort of opportunities for doctoral study are afforded Southern M.Div. graduates? Where have some of them gone on to study? Why wife and I are also considering Southeastern; in what ways are Southern and Southeastern similar and different? Finally, are professors generally available for students? At Union, I always felt welcomed in the offices of my professors. Conversely, at Regent, I felt like I was intruding each time I spoke with a professor. Which of these would be indicative of Southern?
Answer away!
Lon