Bethany to seek AABC Accreditation

Bethany Utility?

Here is an interesting post by Jimmy on the utility of a Bethany degree posted on 09/09/03 to Bethany's Forum.

http://pub107.ezboard.com/fbethanydivinitycollegeandseminary11622frm17.showMessage?topicID=1.topic

I see he lists his yet to be accepted into PhD (dissertation proposal in review) from Vista University there as well. I have always wondered if listing (in progress) is questionable, but listing a degree to which one has not even been accepted into the program seems quite premature!

 

Sorry Jimmy, your post on Bethany's forum was 9/3/03.

 

Re: Bethany Utility?

No apology necessary. I should change the signature line as it is no longer accurate. I will not be applying to Vista because they are no longer accepting applications. I was informed of this after having received this email and subsequently submitting my proposal


X-Original-To: [email protected]
Delivered-To: [email protected]
From: "ZANE DOLLY" <[email protected]>
Organization: Vista University - Port Elizabeth Campus
To: [email protected]
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 09:48:53 +0200
X-scanner: scanned by Inflex 1.0.12.2 - (http://pldaniels.com/inflex/)
Subject: RE: Application for Phd (Psychology)
X-Confirm-Reading-To: "ZANE DOLLY" <[email protected]>
X-pmrqc: 1
Priority: normal
X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v3.12a)
X-Spam-Status: No, hits=4.3 required=8.0
tests=MSG_ID_ADDED_BY_MTA_2,UNDESIRED_LANGUAGE_BODY
version=2.50
X-Spam-Level: ****
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 2.50 (1.173-2003-02-20-exp)


Dear Mr. James W. Clifton


Thank you for your enquiry and interest in studying at Vista
University.


Applications close around the middle of February 2004 amnd fees
are currently R4000-00. Please submit a CV and brief outline of
your research porposal for consideration.


Regards,
Prof Greg Howcroft
HOD: Psychology


-----------------------------------------------
Zane Dolley
Vista University, Port Elizabeth
Secretary to Prof G Howcroftsychology Dept
Tel: (041) 408 3178
Fax: (041) 464 1213
E-mail: [email protected]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________________
Content and Virus scanned
by Inflex and Mcafee

 

Re: Re: Bethany Utility?

 

Why do I keep posting twice when I hit the "edit" button?

 

Here’s another question. Why do you continually post the contents of private emails when it appears that you have not received permission to do so from the sender? The answer to both questions might be the same. However, providing you with the answer to these questions may very well violate the TOS of this forum.

 

Accreditation Or What?

Yes.

Very.

I guess that’s an “or what.”

 

===

He doesn't?? Curious given Walston's comments that Bethany of Dothan is a good school and that it has stayed away from misleading statements about accreditation. Walston's summarizes, "no easy degrees here...programs carry a heavy workload," (p 104, CDL). One would think there would be pride in a doc from Dothan.

 

Gus just gets a bug up the wazoo any time he comments about Jimmy's posts.

 

You may notice that I rarely comment on Clifton; in fact, I'm not sure that I have ever commented on him at all. This is because, despite his unavoidable presence here, I find his so obviously insignificant that he is not worth comment. Nonetheless, at this point I'm tempted to treat him more like the degreeinfo.com mascot - petting him on the head, tossing a stick, watching him go out to fetch it, and closing the door behind him.

Nonetheless, I found the speculation on whether I would aprove of uncle janko's seminary amusing. I have no idea what school he is discussing, but I have always evaluated schools on an individual basis (including Bethany, which I have always considered somewhat of a joke).

I am not even aware of janko's specific background, but I assume it to be WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod). I have always been impressed with the WELS' evangelical stance, although their worship services have way to much of a liturgical approach for my taste. I have never encounted an official WELS seminary, although I'm sure there is one, but I have always found their pastors to be fairy well trained within the context of a very liturgical arm of Lutheranism.

One school I have spoken on, incidentally, is the Lutheran Brethren Seminary in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Like WELS, the Lutheran Brethren denomination is very evangelical, but their worship services are far less liturgical (you could almost feel like they have more of a Baptist flavor until you see their very specific Lutheran doctrines). The Lutheran Brethren Seminary, which also has no accreditation whatsoever (and does not offer any distance programs), is one of the finest theologcial schools I have ever encountered. Thus, accreditation is not always the bottom line, although it is a key factor in a school's legitimacy. Likewise, the absence of accreditation does require closer scrutiny of any school.

I have, of course, also cited Bob Jones University as a school that exudes academic excellence despite lack of accreditation. They are also notorious to this day for their policies supporting racial discrimination and the absence of any freedom of thought, but in terms of quality they have always been top notch. Which shows that we can also separate a school's whacked-out positions from their programs. Besides, Fundies are so cute . . . and, like Jimmy Clifton, some of them can be taught to fetch as well.

As for Bethany - still a mill, but one close to my heart thanks to a lengthy correspondence I had several years ago with chancellor Harring Schumake. Come to think fo it, he promised to send me a Doctor of Hoaxology degree, and I'm still waiting for it . . .

 

Hi Dr Levicoff:
Thanks for the interesting post. The WELS seminary is (so where else?) outside of Milwaukee, and has been at its present location since the late 1920's. No DL--so far.
I was aware of the Lutheran Brethren, but knew nothing about their seminary. I'm very glad to hear it's a good school. Your assessment of our different worship styles is correct: chacun a son gout.
I didn't want to draw the parallel to BJU because I have no direct awareness of BJU, and I did not want even to appear to engage in special pleading on behalf of WLS.
______________________________________

A note for clarity's sake: "Bethany of Mankato" is the synodical college and seminary of the "little Norwegian" Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Mankato, Minnesota.
There is no connection to Bethany Theological Seminary of the Church of the Brethren in Richmond, Indiana (formerly Oak Brook, Illinois), and certainly none to Shuemake's school in Dothan, Alabama.