SATS or Free State

Re: SATS v. Free State v. UNISA

I have very little background myself but I'd like to offer an opinion, or perhaps a "guess" would be a better term.
I tend to think of Seminaries (like SATS) as being pretty closely linked to a specific denomination. This link will hold true regardless of the various comings and goings of the faculty. A general university, however, is perhaps less inclined to be closely linked to a specific denomination (I know there will be exceptions here) and the prevailing Theological inclination might be more closely tied to the beliefs of the dominant members of the faculty.
What does this mean in regards to SATS v. UNISA v. UFS?
I haven't a clue. Others may be of more help in this specific matter.
Jack

 

My hunch is that SATS is expressly Evangelical with some strains of charismatics. It should be determined that were such emphases a part of the curriculum that such would not impair the student's progress or the acceptability of the qualification in a denominational context. In other words, a distinct system of belief may exude through the coursework or the evaluations of minitheses. Trigo would know perhaps. Or ask SATS pointblank the question.

My experience with Unizul was that while a vast amount of critical evaluation was made about my grammar, spelling, and foreign language usage, no pressure was brought to bear on me at all in regard to the immense yet specific theologizing [wherein minute, distinct tenets were affirmed and defended] done in my dissertation. Nevertheless, what I did note was that the members of my committee without exception applied the conclusion of my dissertation to another current issue in SA Theology re gender roles about which the three profs concur.

For Clint's edification (ha) my dissertation argued the relational equality of the Trinal Persons. In American evangelicalism there is today a strong current of teaching re *relational* inequality in the Trinity. This opinion then is applied by such as Grudem and Dahms and made a corollary to the issue of whether there should be an equality in gender roles. My committee ,opining that I had shattered the bases of Grudem and Dahms arguments re hierchy in the Godhead , then found that conclusion much relevant and evidential to the trend of egalitarianism in SA.

Of course, from my perspective the issue of choosing SATS over a public university would be in part resolved by whether or not the SATS MTh would open doors to a higher degree should I ever feel led to do one and whether I were convinced that the learning at SATS would be the equivalent of that obtained through the auspices of a public university. Cost and ease of communications certainly are important, but they are not the only criteria which I would consider.