What exactly is a Bible College?

laferney · Jul 22, 2006

What exactly is a Bible College? Can a graduate of a Bible College go on for a graduate degree ,say in Psychology or Business, in a non-religious field at a state or private college? On a resume for a job would a Bible college graduate be considered equally with a person with a B.A in a Liberal Arts area? Pardon my ignorance on this but I'm just not that familiar with this. Thanks for all replies in advance.

dntw8up · Jul 22, 2006

Generally a bible college is a school with four-year undergraduate degree programs but their curriculum focus is courses to prepare students for ministry careers. In most non-religious schools a degree from a bible college would not be considered sufficient preparation for graduate work in the liberal arts. Most employers, state schools and non-religious private schools do not consider a degree from a bible college equivalent to liberal arts degrees.

pugbelly · Jul 23, 2006

Re: Re: What exactly is a Bible College?

Originally posted by dntw8up
Generally a bible college is a school with four-year undergraduate degree programs but their curriculum focus is courses to prepare students for ministry careers. In most non-religious schools a degree from a bible college would not be considered sufficient preparation for graduate work in the liberal arts. Most employers, state schools and non-religious private schools do not consider a degree from a bible college equivalent to liberal arts degrees.
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I don't know if I can agree entirely with that definition. A Bible College is typically a four year college where the Bible is always a central componet to the learning. All majors offered at the college will be religious in nature but not all lead to ministry. Examples would include (BA Christian Studies, BA Ministry, BA Biblical Studies, BA Pastoral Counseling). Not all graduates want to go into ministry. Graduates of Bible colleges can, and often do go on to do graduate work in other fields.

A Christian Liberal Arts college is similar but it usually offers a wider array of degree options that are not soley Bible based. All degree programs will teach from a Chriatian perspective and all majors, even secular offerings, will contain mandatory religious core classes. A Christian Liberal Arts college may offer "Bible College" type degree options like the one's listed above, but may also offer Nursing, Business, Liberal Arts, Legal Studies, etc.

Pug

KariS · Jul 23, 2006

History of Bbible Colleges

A good synopsis is at History of SPABC

The modern Bible College movement grew out of the need for trained workers to meet the frontiers of human need at home and abroad. The first was established in England in 1873 by Dr H Grattan Guinness who set up the East London Institute for Home and Foreign Missions (later known as Harley House) to train candidates for work with the rapidly growing interdenominational "faith" missions movement. Rev A B Simpson, founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, was influenced by the success of this college and set up the Nyack Missionary College in 1882, the first of its kind in the USA. The evangelist, Mr D L Moody, focused his attention on the urban centres of America and in 1996 founded the Chicago Evangelization Society which used short-term programs to train young men to go out on the streets and into the shops and factories to take the gospel to the common man. In 1889, it became the Bible Institute for Home and Foreign Missions, being later named Moody Bible Institute and becoming the most famous and influential of all Bible Colleges. Training missionaries for other lands, training evangelists for the lost at home - these two strands were combined in the first Bible Colleges, and in all that have followed them.

Bible Colleges multiplied rapidly in the North American continent and in Britain, and from there spread to every continent of the world. More than fifty per cent of all Protestant missionaries in the world today are graduates of the Bible Colleges. The first function of these colleges, in contrast to existing theological colleges and universities, was to prepare students for Christian ministries through a program of Biblical and practical training. Guinness, Simpson and Moody envisioned the answer to the world’s needs in terms of men and women of spiritual maturity with knowledge of the Word of God, and with communicative skills to serve effectively. This has remained through a century the purpose of all our Bible College training.
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Another factor was to provide an education with out the secular impact of public and private colleges and universities.

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