Louisiana Baptist vs Trinity Theological Seminary

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by cesmith78, Nov 22, 2017.

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  1. cesmith78

    cesmith78 Member

    I graduated last year with a Bachelor of Theology from Andersonville Seminary. I am looking for a school that I could pay out of pocket for that would be acceptable among Southern Baptists (I pastor a small SBC church.) I know that both Louisiana Baptist and Trinity are not accredited but they both seem to have good reputations in SBC circles. Would they each be about equal or is one better than the other?
     
  2. AsianStew

    AsianStew Moderator Staff Member

    Would you want a non accredited degree or one that is accredited by DEAC? If you are open to a DEAC degree, you should get yourself a Nations University, Masters of Theological Studies - 36 credits, can probably finish it in a years time as it's somewhat competency based.

    Registration Fee. A one-time initial registration fee of $25, Tuition. There is an annual tuition charge of $960 per year - They may be upping their tuition by January 1, 2018. There are several people on this board and the sister board jumping onto this degree as the tuition is locked for two years if you start before January 1.

    I would highly recommend them over the two unaccredited degree providers you mentioned, as Nations U is DEAC accredited. If your Louisiana or Trinity program is more expensive and not accredited, then Nations U maybe a better alternative for you.
     
  3. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

  4. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

  5. cesmith78

    cesmith78 Member

    The problem with Nations is the Church of Christ connections. In SBC circles having a Masters from a CoC school would be worst than having none.
     
  6. Steve Levicoff

    Steve Levicoff Well-Known Member

    Perhaps we need to be reminded, dear campers, that Andersonville Seminary is a degree mill. I first wrote about them almost 25 years ago, when their entire program tuition for a bachelor's "degree" was a whopping $450.00. (Today, it's $1,500 in toto. That's inflation for you.)

    So, dear cesmith78, I hardly think that the acceptance of your credentials would be compromised by a degree from Nations, regardless of their restoration doctrine. For better or worse, your so-called degree from Andersonville is already worthless. In short, you've been royally scammed, m'boy.
    :drive:
     
  7. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    Way too many scam jobs out there among the religious institutions. There are pastors with three millish degrees out there, not a single one of them worth the ink to print them out on parchment, smugly taking the title "doctor". Some disgraced pastors set up mills themselves and rake it in. My wife once attended a charismatic church run by a pastor who tried to clean out the church coffers, got caught in his embezzlement, caused a church split, then remade himself as "doctor so-and-so" by making up a diploma mill and granting himself a doctorate or two and now sells diploma mill ThDs and PhDs to Pentecostals, mainliners, New Agers, whoever has the $450 for a fake transcript and a worthless piece of paper suitable for framing.

    There are a lot of fakes, frauds and phonies posing as members of my Christian tribe.
     
  8. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

    Ah Dr. Levicoff, that's a good catch -- as usual.
     
  9. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    The level of effort necessary to earn a legitimate bachelor's degree is far beyond that required to "earn" a "degree" from Andersonville. I'd suggest that on average the time required to earn three credit hours of legitimate university coursework is upwards of 120 to 150 hours of total study and class time. I take courses through the university where I've taught for the last 9+ years, the most recent course, Intermediate III accounting, involved about 200 hours of total study and class time. Based on what I've read from a number of sources, Andersonville specializes in credit for life experience and what coursework there is does not even approximate the effort required of legitimate education. My suggestion for you would be to go back and earn a bona fide degree, then seek legitimate doctoral work. Deposit the Andersonville diploma in the circular file, change your course of action, start anew. We Christians refer to that, of course, as "repentance". If you think yourself fit to lead anyone under any circumstances within a fellowship of believers in Jesus, you should start that repentance with yourself, knowing that those who think themselves fit to teach and lead are held to higher standards. That's biblical, Mr. Smith.
     
  10. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Well, if you want a degree from a degree mill, that's your business.
     
  11. lawrenceq

    lawrenceq Member

    I know a pastor with degrees from Andersonville
    and Trinity and he uses the title Doctor. It took me all of five minutes to find out all I needed to know about those schools.
     
  12. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    No doubt. And as for televangelists ...well, best not to get me started. :firedevil: Quite a list / article on fake degrees held by well-known ones here: Dr. Who?

    J.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 24, 2017
  13. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    I tend to think most televangelists are two bit grafters, so it's no surprise. This stuff is well known and knowing eyes roll throughout christianity when the latest "Dr. So-and-So Evangelist" is introduced at the local church to give a message which almost invariably is punctuated by "give me your money". Back when I was attending the institutional church, I made a habit of doing net searches on the educational credentials of the itinerant "doctor" evangelists and revivalists who'd come blowing through from time to time, and never once did I find a legitimate doctorate. Not one single time. Funny how Jesus never claimed worldy titles and always seemed to be just kind of hanging on financially. It's one of the factors that finally drove me away from those places, I think God is more likely found by sitting in a living room talking about the Bible, helping people in need, or drinking beers and enjoying time with with friends. I'm done with the freak show, the pinkie rings, big hair, and scoundrels who just have to have your wealth so they can get that private jet.
     
  14. Steve Levicoff

    Steve Levicoff Well-Known Member

    Keep in mind that this mill purports to offer some 25 degrees, most of which are at the masters and doctoral levels.

    So, want to have some fun? According to their contact page, "The seminary is housed in two large buildings at 54 South Butler Street, just off of State Highway 37 [in Camilla, GA]."

    Go to maps.google.com and punch up the map of their street address, then click on satellite view. You'll see photos of this joke of a school.
    :drive:
     
  15. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    I'm a transplanted Yankee in the Deep South and recently drove near Andersonville Seminary. It"s in a tiny town, the seminary must be either a post office box, a tiny room in an office park, or more likely, as a number of these scam religious seminaries, housed within some small, nondescript church as a cash cow for the leadership.

    Don't know where the name came from, but a little more than an hour due north is the infamous Andersonville prison camp where atrocities almost as bad as the Holocaust were committed against northern soldiers captured during the Civil War. What an ironic name for a sham seminary!
     
  16. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    Looks like a really dingy one story office park. There's a little metal building nearby with some landscaping and a bit of brickwork in front that looks like it could possibly be a church that might hold 100 parishioners or so, could that be it? Or is that also an office building? The whole works looks low rent and depressing, not surprising.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 25, 2017
  17. Awonder

    Awonder member

    Andersonville theological seminary Andersonville Theological Seminary is an affiliate institution of the Association for Biblical Higher Education. As
    They are also a member of
    Andersonville Theological Seminary is a member of the Council of Private Colleges of America.
    They also has recently upgraded their courses: and in the accredited process:

    of Theology

    New Testament – John

    Prerequisite: 120 Th.M. with a minimum of 30 hours of biblical language coursework.

    The Doctor of Theology in New Testament offers in-depth study of the New Testament through a focused study of one of three major New Testament authors.* Students may choose to focus upon one of the following three New Testament areas:

    The Writings of John, including translation of the Gospel of John, the Epistles of John, and the Revelation. (45 Semester Hours).The Writings of Paul, including translation of all of Paul’s writings except for 2 Corinthians. (45 Semester Hours).The Writings of Luke, including translation of Luke, Acts, and Hebrews. (48 Semester Hours).

    In conjunction with the translation work, each major will offer supplemental lecture courses to enhance the student’s understanding of the translated material.** These programs are designed to immerse students in the theology and style of the given human author.* Once a particular author has been investigated thoroughly, the student is in a better position to appreciate the “unity in diversity” of other New Testament texts. For example, students will be more sensitive to Paul’s message of grace if the student has been immersed in John’s theology of salvation.

    The Th.D. (New Testament) requires students to complete a 50,000 word Doctoral Dissertation upon a topic selected by the student and approved by the ATS Academic Review Committee.* Students will submit their topic for approval during the second year of coursework if the suggested timetable is followed.* The dissertation is the pinnacle of the student’s doctoral work and should contribute to the field of study in a meaningful way.

    The Th.D. in New Testament program is an advance-at-your-own-pace program.
     
  18. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Affiliate status with ABHE is not the same thing as accreditation.
     
  19. cesmith78

    cesmith78 Member

    I take it you don't think too highly of Andersonville. No opinions on the schools I asked for opinions on?
     
  20. Steve Levicoff

    Steve Levicoff Well-Known Member

    In NIFI, I listed both of them as degree mills (assuming the Trinity to which you refer is the one in Newburgh, IN).

    Bottom line: The SBC has many accredited schools. For whatever your reason might be, you're focusing, past and future, on so-called schools that are mickey mouse. Continue in this millieu, and the credible factions in the SBC will be laughing their born-again butts off at you. See 1st Thess. 5:21. End of story.
    :drive:
     

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