Can anyone tell me which degree major is better, or what kinds of jobs/services are attributed to each??? "Religious Studies" "Ministry" I am leaning towards the Religious Studies degree, which i believe is a more academic degree. I would really love to hear from some of you. The "Religious Studies" degree includes the following: The Hebrew Scriptures The Greek Scriptures Theology of the Hebrew Scriptures Theology of the Greek Scriptures Hermeneutics Church Management Ministry through the Ages Church Life The Cultural Environment Living Religions Personal Worldviews Worship The "Ministry" degree includes the following (some of which are electives): The Hebrew Scriptures Critical Introduction to the New Testament Theology of the Hebrew Scriptures Theology of the Greek Scriptures Biblical Hermeneutics Church Management Ministry through the Ages A Search for Spirituality Ancient Mythologies Roman Catholic Theology Intertestamental Literature The Stone-Campbell Movement Worship The Former Prophets Thessalonians and the Pastorals The Epistles of John Thank you.
larryjf: What school are we talking about? I frankly don't see all that much difference in orientation between the two, save for the "Living Religions" and "Personal Worldview" courses. The ministry curriculum is clearly oriented to those who chose to work as Christian ministers of one form or another. The religious studies curriculum looks to me to be a watered-down version of the ministry curriculum. It is hardly a balanced academic program in religious studies, I would say, which would normally have a broader array of offerings than simply the two nods to the non-Christian world mentioned above. My two cents. marilynd
Indeed. Is this a seminary or a bible college or what? And precisely which one? And that's the least of the things we'd need to know... others being, for example, what are you trying to accomplish, in a larger sense? How are you planning on using this credential? Do want to be a minister or pastor? Do you want to do social work or counseling? Or are you planning on doing something not even related to religion, but you just want the knowledge? And so on and so on and so on. Spell-out, in some modicum of detail, what the heck you're trying to do, here, and you'll get good responses... ...or so I believe.
Are you referring to the Masters degrees at Nations University? http://www.nationsu.org/index.pl/masterofreligiousstudies
Yes, the school is Nations University. That's the problem - i feel that God has called me to study, but i don't know to what end. It may be simply to further my education and get a better knowledge of some subjects. If i knew more of what each major cooresponds to it might help. I am leaning towards Religious Studies. Thank you.
Unfortunately, you are gonna hear from the rest of us too. At least as I conceive it, 'religious studies' applies history, philosophy, literary studies, anthropology, psychology, sociology, art history, even ethnomusicology, to the phenomenon of religion. It's the original interdisciplinary subject. But the point I want to make is that religious studies addresses religion "from outside" on earthly terms as a scholarly subject and it doesn't presuppose any particular faith commitments. Usually religious studies doesn't restrict itself to a single faith tradition and shows interest in the worldwide phenomenon of religion, often taking up comparative questions. (Some departments call it 'comparative religion'.) Here's the catalog listing for UC Santa Barbara's Religious Studies department. (I think that it's conceivably the best program of its kind in the United States.) Scroll down to see the impressive lineup of courses. The program's scope is suggested by the languages they offer which include: Arabic, Chinese, Coptic, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Latin, Pali, Sanskrit, Syriac, Targumic Aramaic, Tibetan and Ugaritic. http://www.catalog.ucsb.edu/ls/relst.htm You can compare that to theology, a peculiarly Christian subject, which treats its material from within the Christian faith tradition. There are also ministerial studies that also address the material from within the tradition, but in a less intellectual and more applied manner, treating things like church management, liturgical stuff, preaching and pastoral counseling. There are also programs out there in stuff like Rabbinics and Islamic jurisprudence, and there's even the Dali Lama's new "easy" stripped-down fast-track master's program in Tibetan Buddhist Dharma that takes 19 years to complete including some six years of meditation retreats. (Damn degree mills. )
Since you have stated that you feel that God has called you, I'm going to make two assumptions. Please tell me if I'm wrong. 1. It is the Christian God that you feel has called you, and 2. It is therefore the Christian religion that you want to study. If it is simply a matter of getting your feet wet, so to speak, in order to determine if you have the interest and abilities to do this work, then of the two concentrations at Nations mentioned, you might well consider the religious studies concentration. First, it is the shorter concentration of the two but with--a least nominally--more breadth of perspective (i.e., the three "non-Christian" courses). A good way to get your feet wet. Second, there is enough commonality in course offerings between the two concentrations that you should be able to slip easily into the ministry curriculum if you should decide to go that route. BTW, with a seemingly myriad number of religious degree programs available via DL, why have you centered on Nations University? Hope this helps. marilynd
Fair enough. You mentioned "call." That can be powerful stuff. May we... no, strike that... may I learn some additional things about you, then... that is, if you're willing to share them? What is your age (or approximate age, if you're unwilling to get too specific)? What formal education (certificates, diplomas, degrees), if any, do you now have, or are you now pursuing... and, in either case, from where? What, if anything, do you now do for a living? And/or, if you're not already doing it, what would you like to do -- or rather do -- for a living? In what, if any, Christian denomination is your upbringing and/or background? Do you currently go to church and, if so, what denomination is it; and how active are you? How 'bout others in your family -- especially a significant other or spouse, if any -- but siblings and/or parents, too? What are your positions on controversial secular social issues like, for example, abortion or same sex marriage, etc.? And do you consider yourself, from left to right, to be a political liberal, moderate or conservative? What theological/religious/Christian reading, if any, have you done so far, in life? Are there any books or authors whose religious or theological or Christian writings you either liked, or thought you would like? And what, if any, are they? You mentioned Nations. Is that because you either can't or won't pay alot -- or maybe even anything -- for the religious education you seek? If so, why? And if not, then how much do you think you could pay to achieve your goals? You've come to a distance learning forum (although residential, brick & mortar institutions are certainly discussed here, too). Does that mean that you're kinda' locked-in to the notion of getting this religious education strictly or mostly via distance learning; or might more traditional, residential methods be okay, too? If it's the latter, are you mobile (i.e., can you move to another city or state so you can go to a given school)? Or have you decided that Nations -- or something similar -- is pretty much the only way for you? And, if it's that, why? You said you don't know why you're being called to learn more about Christianity, or what you're supposed to do with it once you have; but that the call is, nevertheless, palpable... my words, I realize, but that's basically what you're saying, right? My experience with such things is that when a person starts to have those feelings, even though they say they don't have any idea what they'll do with their religious education once they have it, in reality they really do have at least an inkling. While it's certainly possible that they really can't yet imagine how in the world they'd ever use it, most have secretly allowed themselves to dream... to picture or envison themselves in some kind of setting as either a pastoral counselor, or a lay minister, or ordained clergy in a church or as a chaplain or something, or as a rescue mission director or employee, or... well... the list of possibilities just goes on and on and on and on. Do you really and truly have no earthly idea how you might -- and the operative word, here, is "might" -- use this education; or have you allowed yourself to dream a little; and have you pictured or envisioned yourself in any particular religious professional setting using your religious education? And, if so, what was it? Or has there been more than one and, if so, what have they been?[/list=1]There are, of course, many other questions that could be asked. But if you're willing to start there, I'll bet there are some very smart and experienced people here who would be only to happy to offer some serious and meaningful guidance. I, for one, would be happy to share my opinions about what you should do -- for what they'd be worth, that is -- once I have the information that I've just requested... which, incidentally, you're certainly free to refuse to provide and no one, including me, will mind. I just think if we knew these things about you, some of the folks around here who are pastors or ministers or religious educators -- or who just know alot about this particular area -- will chime in with really thoughtful and well-meaning commentary and advice. You could, conceivably, end-up getting the kind of religious education -- and maybe even career -- counseling, here, that would typically cost you a whole lotta' money pretty much anywhere else. Or not. Who knows. It's just that have alot of faith in the goodness and helpfulness of many of the folks around here; and I've observed that when someone like you comes here in earnest and honestly wants the very best opinions this place has to offer -- and then is willing to provide enough information to make it really meaningful -- said opinions seem to materialize. And, moreover, sometimes people's lives get changed. I kid you not.
I am concerned with the academic level of the studies, for example this is the description of one of the foundation courses that gives 3 graduate credits. (taken from http://www.nationsu.org/index.pl/BRS1description ) "BRS 1/MRS 001 The Hebrew Scriptures (undergraduate/graduate) An introduction to the factual content of the Old Testament Normally, the first course in all certificate, diploma, and degree programs of NationsUniversity. The course is organized in five modules: (1) The Torah, (2) The Former Prophets, (3) The Latter Prophets, (4) The Writings: History, and (5) The Writings: Wisdom and Worship. 5 semester hours of undergraduate credit or 3 semester hours of graduate credit. The standard for the course is the attainment of the following competencies: 1. The ability to identify at least 100 Old Testament characters 2. The ability to identify major geographical sites 3. The ability to demonstrate acquaintance with the stories, events, content, and/or prophetic discourses in each OT book 4. The ability to place leading characters and events in a sequential timeline Credit for the course requires a score of 70% or greater on each of 5 module examinations. All exam problems are multiple-choice or true/false. Sample questions are given below: 1. The first man was (A) Aaron, (B) Abraham, (C) Adam, (D) Moses. 2. A river flowed from the Garden of Eden and divided into this river: (A) Arnon, (B) Jordan, (C) Nile, (D), Tigris. Textbook. The only textbook the student will need for this course is a Bible. The New International Version is recommended because of its readable translation and wide use. Exam questions will use the language and spellings found in this version. However, if the student has some other English version, this should do fine."
got both... I've got degrees that fit into your descriptions... Undergraduate degree is in Religion (Religious Studies) and M. A. is in Ministry. Just started a Ph.D in Religion. The responses you are getting are good and should be helpful. The question you have to answer is what do you intend to do with your life... If it is ministry, then the ministry degree is probably the best place to start... If you intend to teach, research, etc... then you should go onto the Religion and make it more academic. It doesn't appear to me that the programs are all that different, so I don't think it would really matter all that much. The Ministry degree will help you get into seminary with a M. Div direction. The Religious Studies degree will help you get into a seminary with a M. Th - M. A. direction. Generally it looks like this: B.A. - M. Div - D. Min. B. A. - M. Th or M. A. - D. Th or P.hD
You may want to look at Liberty's BA in Religion (Christian, broad based, should help to prepare you for ministry as well as other Christian and secular opportunities), BA Multi-Disciplinary Studies (you can pick a secular and religious dual concentration), or Briercrest's BA Christian Studies (covers a lot of ministry as well as some theology, history, etc.) All three degree programs also provide a traditional core (english, math, social sciences, etc.) Of course, both of these schools, unlike Nations, charge tuition. Does anyone know if a degree from Nations can be used as entrance into a grad program or spring you into a job? Pug
After taking a look at the Nations website, I see that they are affliated with the Non-instrumental Churches of Christ (NICoC)... If you are looking for ministry - teaching positions within the NICoC then either bachelors degree will be acceptable and you should be able to get into one of their affliated grad schools. Most C of C congregations will not require seminary to serve as a minister.
Revkag: "If you are looking for ministry - teaching positions within the NICoC then either bachelors degree will be acceptable and you should be able to get into one of their affliated grad schools." I'm not sure that would be the case. Most graduate schools affiliated with Churches of Christ with which I'm familiar would require that one's undergraduate degree be AT LEAST nationally accredited -- preferable regionally. If larryjf has any plans to pursue his education on the graduate level at a COC affiliated school, Nations U. probably isn't the best choice. At the very least, he certainly ought to check with the particular graduate school he's interested in to see if a Nation's Bachelor's degree would be sufficient. Maybe at some it would be... they seem to have some sort of a relationship with Lipscomb. But I'd DEFINITELY check first! If knowledge and ministry training is larryjf's goal, then Nations may be exactly what he's looking for. As others have said, it really depends on his plans and goals...
My comments are based on the relationship of Nations with Lipscomb, which is a cofc school, which would open the door to some others, perhaps... You are correct... better check first!
