Best Degree for Teaching: American or Foreign

Michael, excellent advise given. As I mentioned earlier a UNISA M.th probably has a lot more flexibility than Liberty. I thought of another example. I was thinking of taking some religious classes from Liberty when I was an Episcopalian as prep for the deaconate. I asked a conservative Episcopal priest about it. I could tell he was not thrilled with the idea and suggested Fuller. I think the priest made the Falwell connection. Now, imagine what a liberal priest would have thought and consider that the majority of the Episcopal clergy are liberal.

At any rate, UNISA M.Th and then as someone suggested a Ph.D./Th.D sounds excellent, affordable, and flexible. All of my undergraduate religious classes in a provincial university were taught by Ph.D.'s/Th.D.s

Best of luck.

North

 

Hey, Russell! Yes, I've been carrying on a very encouraging dialogue with Byron Evans and Christopher Killacky of GST for a few months now. At first, I wasn't sure that PUCHE/GST would have what I was looking for. However, as I've corresponded with these men and received answers to my questions, I've been nothing but impressed. Furthermore, they have been very prompt in responding, and have shown much enthusiasm for providing me more information and assistance than what I actually request. For example, other schools I've contacted (like SATS, for example) have informed me that an initial step in my doctoral work would be to draft and submit a research proposal. Okay, fine. GST, however, sent me an email indicating that I would need to submit a research proposal, and attached a lengthy, thorough document explicating "this is what we mean by a research proposal and this is how you go about drafting one." This communicated to me that this is a first-rate institution that takes seriously its commitment to excellence. Also, the leadership at GST has seemed quite eager to network me. After I had dialogued with Byron Evans a few times over the course of a few weeks, I received an email from him stating that he was going to South Africa for a few weeks, but that if I had any questions in the mean time I could contact Christopher Killacky, whose email address he provided. Then, a couple of days later, I received an unsolicited email from Christopher that essentially stated, "I'm here if you need me and am glad to be of service." After I had dialogued with Christopher by email a bit, he sent me another message indicating that he had asked the financial officer to get in touch with me to address any financial concerns I might have. The financial officer, in turn, has been completely helpful. This kind of service orientation is very important in distance learning, I believe (and is a big part of why I have pretty much scratched UNISA off of my list). Essentially, Greenwich School of Theology has won my heart! This kind of availability and service-orientation is very much on par with the experience I've had with Spurgeon's and the outstanding leadership there. Why should I settle for less as I move on to the next level!

From some of your earlier posts, Russell, I see that you are enrolled in a PhD in Practical Theology. I, also, intend to undertake research in Practical Theology. So, as soon as I get this Spurgeon's College degree wrapped up, you and I very likely might end up Potchefstroom peers.

Christopher Killacky informs me that about 6 Americans presently are pursuing PhD study through GST. Are you all acquainted with one another? By this I mean is there any contact between the 6 of you? If not, getting something started along those lines would be very neat.

I would love to learn more about your experiences with PUCHE, your general impressions, etc.

 

C.L.,

I would be glad to dialogue with you. My e-mail address is [email protected] .

Russell

 

CL, and anyone,

Do you think a degree from Spurgeon's College would be as highly regarded as one from UNISA?

I'm greatly interested in Spurgeon's MTh in Anabaptist/Baptist Studies; I haven't found anything like it anywhere else.

 

Hey, another good question. I will try to provide as unbiased a response to this question as possible. I don't know if I can necessarily make a fair comparison between the two institutions. However, I can provide you a bit more insight into the reputability of Spurgeon's. As I mentioned earlier, Spurgeon's is the largest of the Baptist Union of Great Britain schools; so, in UK Baptist circles, Spurgeon's is a very prominent and respected name. Of course, Spurgeon's was founded by the renowned Baptist "Prince of Preachers," Charles Haddon Spurgeon, in 1856, so its origins provide it a rich heritage that is deemed quite intriguing to many Baptists. Spurgeon's has many strong cooperative agreements with other institutions in many corners of the world. They have an exchange program with Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, and seem also to have some semi-formal ties with Beeson Divinity School in Alabama. In addition, they have taken International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague, Czech Repub. under their wing. IBTS was once a strong and highly respected school that, by means of some changes in its funding and support structure was left in dire straights. Spurgeon's has now partnered with this school, and the degrees offered in Prague are granted by Univ. of Wales by means of IBTS's relationship with Spurgeon's. Additionally, Spurgeon's has some strong ties with an institution in Ghana, largely due to the influence of renowned Ghanain theologian, Kwame Bediako, who seems to be a close friend and supporter of Spurgeon's. Additionally, there is some talk of Spurgeon's partnering with a well-established seminary in Uganda, which would result in Spurgeon's degree programs becoming available in that country.

Spurgeon's graduates are in teaching positions at institutions of higher education throughout the world, including at various well-respected theological colleges throughout the UK.

The Spurgeon's faculty is widely-published. In addition, there seems to be a tradition of the Spurgeon's principals (similar to Presidents at American seminaries) leaving their posts at Spurgeon's and assuming high-ranking faculty posts in the US. Two examples: several years back when the late G. R. Beasley-Murray left the Spurgeon's principalship, he became professor of NT Interpretation at Southern Bapt. Theo. Sem. Just last year, the most recent principal, Michael Quicke (who came to Spurgeon's from Cambridge) assumed the endowed chair of Preaching/Communication (or something like that) at Northern Baptist Theo. Sem. in Lombard, IL.

In addition, for the almost 140 years of Spurgeon's existence, it was strictly a residential institution. While it is now doing distance learning with excellence, one advantage of Spurgeon's College is that it is not known primarily as a distance-learning school. This being so, you might not have to face quite so many of the biases you might face with a degree from an institution that is widely known to specialize solely in distance learning.

So, while I can't necessarily provide you a precise comparative rating of Spurgeon's vs. UNISA, I must say with all confidence that a degree from Spurgeon's will not hurt you. Furthermore, you must bear in mind that your degree ultimately will be granted by the University of Wales, which also has a strong reputation.

One interesting connection between Spurgeon's and UNISA: last year, Louise Kreschmar, who at the time was the Head of the Faculty of Theology at UNISA, and who has for many years been a prominent figure in UNISA's dept. of Systematic Theology, came to lecture at spurgeon's. She speaks very highly of Spurgeon's. Wouldn't it be interesting for you to complete an MTh in Bapt./Anabapt. Studies at Spurgeon's and then proceed to a doctorate under the supervision of this prominent South African Baptist scholar at UNISA?

 

You are quite right that this program is pretty neat. There are not too many programs like this out there, even among residential institutions. So, if Bapt./Anabapt. Studies truly is of particular interest to you, this might pose a fairly unique opportunity.

 

CL,

Thanks once again!

Speaking of Dr. Louise Kretzschmar, I have been in contact with her; she said she would likely be my supervisor--or whatever they call it--after I started work on my MTh. I had told other faculty members of my interest in Baptist history and theology, and they put me in touch with her.

I like UNISA a lot, and it costs considerably less than Spurgeon's, but I'm really excited about that Baptist Studies degree at Spurgeon's. I e-mailed the professor in charge, Dr. Randall--haven't heard from him yet but hope to soon.

I like the idea of getting the MTh from Spurgeon's and the doctorate from UNISA, under the supervision of Dr. Kretzschmar; maybe it will work out like that.

I also e-mailed the University of Pretoria and the University of Stellenbosch and look forward to hearing from them. Do you know anything about these two schools?

 

Yes, I am familiar with both schools. Stellenbosch is really one of the more widely respected theological faculties in South Africa. In fact, several Stellenbosch DTh's are teaching around the US (mostly Americans who earned these degrees while serving as missionaries in SA). However, I haven't ever heard anything about them offering degrees externally. Please let me know if you learn of anything to this effect.

Pretoria is also reputed to be a strong school, although I'm not sure how widely known it is outside of South Africa. They have begun to offer some degrees externally, but at this time only in the departments of Old Testament and Church History.

Dr. Randall, of whom you speak, is currently my advisor for the module in "Spirituality" I am wrapping up (I just received a grade report from him yesterday). He's a quality, authentic guy, and likely should be getting back to you soon. He's kept somewhat busy because he divides his time between Spurgeon's and IBTS in Prague.

It's neat to learn of your prior contact with Dr. Kretzschmar. It looks as though things may really be shaping up for you. How exciting and encouraging.

Please keep me posted!

 

CL,

I heard from a woman from IBTS whom Dr. Randall had sent my e-mail to; she said he was busy lecturing in London, so she was sending me an application packet and course description.

I also heard from the Univ. of Pretoria; the man said that it was possible to do the MTh from a distance but that I would have to come to the campus one time. Since I am unable to do that, I guess that rules out the Univ. of Pretoria.

 

Michael,
Glad to hear you've received contact from the Spurgeon's family, and that the natural process of elimination is helping to simplify this process for you. If you have any further questions about Spurgeon's, or anything, please feel free to email me at [email protected].

 

It appears that you have had a very positive experience with GST. I just wish they had a web site! That guide to the research proposal sounds terrific. Potch indeed seems to be getting a reputation here. Now, James White needs to pay attention and do his Ph.D. through them as his mentor Waltson did.

With regard to SATS, I have contacted them with about the SATS/UZululand programs. They (SATS & Zululand) were very prompt in responding to my inquiries and evaluating my own situation. SATS communicated with UZululand and I received a quick response.

Best of luck to you in your studies (present and future). Reformed theology is interesting and seems to be making a resurgence. An article in Christianity Today noted it's rise within Southern Baptist circles. I believe they were talking about it in relation to Mohler (?) at Southern Baptist Seminary.

North

 

Excuse me. That should have been Walston not Waltson.

North

 

North,

Do you prefer the U. of Zululand to UNISA? Why or why not?

 

All things being equal I would choose UNISA for a couple of reasons:

i) More Established Theology Department
(I believe that UZ's is about 40 + years old)

ii) I like the name UNISA better than UZ

iii) UNISA has greater name recognition

However, I am likely to go with UZ for a couple of reasons.

i) I believe the cost of the doctorate is much less expensive. Both are actually quite affordable.

ii) I like the idea of going through SATS to help navigate the educational waters (kind of like the GST/Potch arrangement).

iii) There is something exotic about getting a degree from University of Zululand (the Zulu connection).


North

 

North,

What do you intend to use your degree for? Teaching? Writing? Something else?

 

Hey Michael!

Sorry about not replying earlier but I was out of town on business.

My number one goal in earning the doctorate is personal satisfaction (goal achievement).

In the back of my mind I have considered the possibility of teaching with the D.Th. I am interested in Practical Theology.

Good luck in making your decision!

North