Masters Divinity School Implements ThD Program

www.mdivs.edu/thd.html

 

I'se regusted. I hope all our Trinity groupies are proud to be associated with this.

 

Janko,

You just had to draw me out on this one, didn't you! You know my thoughts on this..he he.

Steve

 

Program Entrance Requirements: "Must currently hold licensure or ordination from a recognized denomination or an acceptable ecclesiastical body"

Weird...

Dave

 

At a real seminary, Dave, such a requirement would be far more appropriate for the DMin degree than for the ThD. The ThD is a research/academic degree, and unless a seminary has a church endorsement requirement for all admissions, there would be no reason to make a point of it with the ThD.

Brain dead by O-hi-o.

 

Thanks. I've seen the requirement of what amounted to creeds but I don't understand the utility of the requirement as stated, unless it is meant to get the student to reveal his or her preferred stripe of faith...

Dave

 

(see 'Program Philosophy) "...the "major TENANTS of the faith..." ???? hahahahaha...what bozos! Perhaps that is indicative of the rigor of the program.

 

"the major and minor tenants of Theological concepts"

So perhaps minor tenants of Theological concepts are only subletting space from the major tenants... Better to have a "faith-lease" than be faithless... ;-)

Dave

 

===

Scholarship is not the goal. Vanity and making money are the goals.

IMO what is telling about this program is its supposed focus: connecting the 'advanced' scholar with the raw Biblical data instead of with theological systems.

This "research oriented" doctoral program is rather to be done in both the areas of the Old Testament and the New Testament.

This focus is fanciful and reveals the program's deficits :

(1) ALL US evangelical accredited ThD/PhD programs in Theology connect the student to the Scriptures; they even require a high level of entry level knowledge and skills re the Scriptures,

(2) I know of NO US accredited ThD/PhD in OT/NT which one can finish, or even enter, without the ability to research in the Biblical languages, but this program does not require that. How can one do doctoral level research which has the Bible as its focus without the Biblical languages? It is preposterous.

(3) If one looks at the first three componants of this program, which supposedly prepare one to do scholarly dissertational research, it is clear that these componants have superficial goals which are quite well accomplished at the MDiv level in accredited evangelical seminaries.

Now for a comparison , this is what another "Master's" seminary requires for its ThD students:

www.tms.edu/dth.asp

note there that

*"Coursework is not dumbed down to the MDiv level." (the MDiv is a 120 grad sem hr , 3+ year, masters)

*The pre req is the 126 grad sem hr ThM (ie, 26 passed the Mdiv) which includes a research thesis being done.

*5 - 4 hr exams must be passed.

*4 languages!

 

Impi in hand, Shaka Bill comes roaring out of the hills of Oregon.

His aim is true
and sharp his dart:
"this MDS
ain't worth a fart."

Zulu Shave

 

Uncle Janko,

You just could not resist, could you?!

Rich Hartel

A.A. in Theological Studies, Trinity College of the Bible (present)

 

Nope. And I'm also not repentant, not really. Check out the Arafat thread in the pigpen-football oops I mean politics forum to find out how evil I really am.

Seriously, I do wish our TTS contingent well. I am sure you are doing real work and will happily congratulate you when you achieve the degrees toward which you are working. I am unsure that TTS is even substandard academically.

But it is corrupt.

The RA--and church-run--university from which I received my MA was corrupt, as was the department in which I worked. Do I recommend that school? No. But my degree is real, as yours will be.

Most people in my tradition would say "whaddya care what the sectarians do?" Well, I do care, because for any Christian educational institution (such as my not-so-alma mater and TTS) to behave corruptly is a bad business. It's a chillul ha-Shem.