seminary Archives - Redeeming God

In the last episode of Theology.fm, I mentioned that N.T. Wright is one of the scholars and authors who has influenced my thinking the most.

I emailed N.T. Wright about two years ago to inquire about doing Ph.D. work with him, and he gave me some valuable advice. My ultimate decision was that I didn’t have the time or the money right now to get my doctorate. Nevertheless, I would have LOVED to study under him.

So I was thrilled to see this past week that he has three courses available on Udemy. If you were going to take these courses from him at the seminary where he teaches in the UK, they would probably cost around $900 each.

But you and I can now take these courses from N.T. Wright online, at our own pace, in our own time, while saving a bunch of money in the process.

Online Courses with N.T. Wright

Choose from Three Courses:

The great thing about these courses is that they never expire for life, you can take them at your own pace, AND there is a 30-day money back guarantee.

I will probably start with Galatians. Let me know if you take one, and which one you take.

Do Seminary and discipleship play nicely together?

By Jeremy Myers

20 Comments

Before I went to seminary, my greatest fear of seminary was that I would freeze to death. Not literally, but spiritually. I tried my hardest in seminary to ward off the frostbite, but to this day, over six years after graduation, I am not sure whether or not I succeeded.

I Was Afraid of Freezing in Seminary

I certainly know a lot more about the Bible and theology than I did before entering seminary, but looking back over my life, the times I felt the closest to God were all before entering seminary. Of course, I tell myself that feelings aren’t everything, but of course, feelings aren’t nothing either. And so there is a part of me that is afraid that despite my best efforts to ward it off, I froze to death in seminary.

I wrote about entering seminary several years ago, and also about my post-seminary experience. Yet I am still struggling with much of the aftermath of seminary and whether it was a help or a hindrance to my life as a follower of Jesus.

A Book about Surviving Seminary that might have helped

So it was with great interest that I recently read Blessed are the Balanced by Paul E. Petit and R. Todd Mangum, which purports to be a book about how seminarians can maintain their passion for Jesus while in seminary and after graduation. Interestingly, they frequently used the “freezing” and “frostbite” analogy in the book for what happens to many students while in seminary. I was also interested to see that both authors attended the same seminary I did…

Anyway, having read Blessed are the Balanced, I am not sure what to make of it.

On the one hand, I think the information it contained was good. If a person is in seminary, or is thinking about attending seminary, I recommend they read this book for helpful insights and suggestions on how to maintain a passion for Jesus while in seminary.

I also found the discussion in the book about the purpose of seminary to be extremely helpful (pp. 52-55) The authors equated seminary with boot camp where soldiers train for war. It is not the war itself, and in fact, many of the skills and behaviors learned at boot camp (or seminary) will never be used in war (and in fact, may be a hindrance). Nevertheless, it is helpful to learn these skills, not for their information, but for the way they teach discipline and commitment.

I think this is exactly true. I would not say that seminary taught me much that was helpful for life outside of seminary, but I would say that seminary taught me study habits and disciplined thinking patterns that have served me every day since graduation.

So in that sense the book was good. It really helped show what the seminarian should and should not expect to receive from seminary.

But while I was reading the book, it struck me as odd that I was reading a book about maintaining a relationship with Jesus which basically says that reading books can get in the way of maintaining our relationship with Jesus! It made me feel a little bit like an alcoholic who tries to beat his addiction to whiskey by turning to wine.

Nevertheless, what other way is there to learn information quickly than by reading? So I read the book.

If you are in Seminary…

Ultimately, I recommend this book, especially for people who are about to enter seminary, for those who are in seminary, or for those who have graduated from seminary. While many of us are acutely aware of the dangers of freezing in seminary, this book not only provides a good reminder of that danger and how to avoid it, but it also provides good insights for what seminary is (and is not) for.

If you are headed for seminary (or there right now), consider getting a copy of Blessed are the Balanced from Amazon and letting me know what you think!

10 Best Online Bible Colleges and Seminaries

By Jeremy Myers

70 Comments

Lots of people these days are looking for an online Bible college or seminary where they can take courses from home without having to leave their jobs and uproot their families and move to a new city or state. Thankfully, more and more schools are offering online Bible college courses and online seminary classes to meet this rising need.

This post contains what I consider to be the 10 Best Online Bible Colleges and Seminaries. Some of them even offer free online Bible college courses!

Of course, you won’t get actual college credit for taking these free courses, but at least you can get the information. Most of the people I talk to who are interested in taking online Bible college courses are not too concerned about the credit, but simply want the information that an online Bible college or seminary can offer.

So whether you are interested in getting an online Bible college degree, or if you just want to get the information that an online Bible college offers, check out the list of schools near the end of this post.

Online Courses with N.T. Wright

Before you spend a lot of time and money applying and enrolling to one of the online Bible Colleges or seminaries below, you might want to take a few courses first to see if online Bible college is for you. I highly recommend you first take some of the online Bible college courses from leading New Testament Scholar, N. T. Wright.

These courses are much cheaper than what you will pay at another online Bible College or Seminary ($600-$900 per course), plus you can complete them on your own time and at your own pace.

I recommend you start with N. T. Wright’s course on Galatians, but he has others there as well (such an online course on the Gospel and another on Philippians).

If you take one of these courses from N. T. Wright and you enjoy the online learning experience, then you should consider applying and enrolling into one of the online Bible colleges and seminaries below.

Online Bible Colleges and Seminaries I Recommend

I have actually attended four of these online Bible colleges, and have taken classes from them. The others I have heard good things about from friends and family members who have attended them.

If you are curious about whether an online Bible college course is equivalent to an in-person Bible college course, I will have a few things to say about this at the end of this post.

Moody Bible Institute Online – I got my Bachelor’s from Moody, and highly recommend this online Bible seminary. They probably have online Bible college courses as well if you look around their site for them.
Dallas Theological Seminary – I received my Masters of Theology from DTS. I took many of their courses online, and can vouch for the quality of these classes.
Biblical Education by Extension – I actually used to teach classes for BEE World. I haven’t done so in a few years, but might want to try to get back into it sometime in the future. One great thing about BEE World is that they specialize in offering online Bible college level courses around the world to people in other countries.
Rocky Mountain Bible College and Seminary – I strongly recommend this online Bible college and seminary. Though this school is relatively small, I am a strong supporter of their theology, even more-so than what is taught at Moody Bible Institute and Dallas Theological Seminary. The president, Dr. Stephen R. Lewis, is a friend of mine.
Grace School of Theology – I almost attended here instead of Dallas Theological Seminary. At the time, however, they were not accredited, and so Dallas won out. But I believe they are accredited now, and they offer some great online Bible college courses.
Tyndale Theological Seminary – This is another great online Bible seminary, and when I was in Dallas, I knew several students who were getting top-notch education at Tyndale. The cool thing about Tyndale is that you can take their courses for FREE if you don’t want credit for them.
Biola University – Half of my family went to this college, and it looks like they offer online Bible college courses.
Talbot Seminary – Talbot is the Seminary of Biola University. I don’t actually know if they offer online Bible courses, but you can check them out anyway.
Baptist Bible College and Seminary – I am not Baptist, but this seems to be a quality school, and they offer online Bible college courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
Biblical Seminary – I love the emphasis Biblical Seminary places on missional living and missional theology. In my opinion, they are one of the leading seminaries in the country for missional studies.

If you know of other good quality online Bible colleges and seminaries, let me know in the comments below.

Are Online Bible Colleges any Good?

I have taken many online Bible college courses, and have taught a few myself. In my opinion, modern technology has allowed online Bible college courses to be just as good as real-world, in-person Bible college courses.

Often you can chat live with other students and the professor. Frequently you can watch the video of the professor teaching the course. At the bare minimum, there is always audio which you can listen to and email to ask questions. Most often there is also some sort of online forum in which you can interact with the professor and other students.

The great benefit to online Bible College courses is that you can “attend class” when it is convenient for you. Though I was actually living in Dallas when I attended Dallas Theological Seminary, I always took at least one course online each semester. This means less time away from home and I could “sit in class” at 1 or 2 in the morning if necessary.

Another thing I liked about the online classes is that they often provided a transcript of what the professor said in the video. I downloaded every transcript of every class I took online and still have them stored on my computer. This is an invaluable resource.

The only downside to taking online Bible college course is that you may not get to personally meet other students and the class professors. But since you don’t have to move or uproot your family to attend Bible college or seminary, going the online Bible college route makes it worth it. If possible, maybe you could even find a few other people in town who will want to take the class together, and then you can all meet and talk about what you are learning in the online Bible college course.

Have you ever taken online Bible college or seminary courses? What was your experience? Do you have any other questions or comments about online Bible college courses? Let me know!

Upon Entering Seminary (What I Want to Say When I Come Out)

By Jeremy Myers

1 Comment

Are you in Seminary or thinking of going to Seminary?

When I began Seminary, I wrote a short post about what I wanted to be able to say when I came out. Then I put it aside and didn’t look at it again for three years.

When I wrote it, I was a pastor in a church in Montana. I loved the people, I loved the church, I loved the area, I loved what I was doing. Nevertheless, I felt God leading me to seminary. I was terrified to go, but I went anyway.

After I graduated, I pulled it out to see what it said. Here is what I wrote:

On Entering Seminary (What I want to say when I come out)

I am thankful for my seminary degree, but I am not glad I have it. It shows a compromise with worldly standards that are not necessarily God’s. It is what man wants of a pastor. God doesn’t really care. Letters and degrees and accolades mean nothing to Him. The Lord looks at the heart.

I will never put letters before or after my name, unless they are I.C. – in Christ. I will never stand upon the work I have done, but upon His work alone. I will never believe that I have earned my position of authority, or a certain level of respect because of the schooling I have received.

I was a pastor before I went in, and I am a pastor coming out. Any church I serve, fame I acquire, or recognition I receive is due to the grace of God upon me, and nothing else. I am worthy of nothing.

I will not become an academic. I will not talk about Greek and Hebrew unless it is absolutely necessary to explain the text. I will never say the words, “When I was in Seminary…” unless it is to humble myself.

The training I have received is but rubbish if it causes my heart to grow cold and my love for Jesus to wane.

Dear Lord Jesus, draw me ever closer to you. Let the education I have received not be a stumbling block to what You want for me.

I am making this public because I want to be held accountable to it. It really is amazing the work that God has done in my heart and mind while in seminary, not because of seminary, but in spite of seminary, and because of other things that have happened in my life while I have been here.

As I look over what I wrote before going to seminary, I am shocked at how God brought about exactly what I had written. I spent the time and money to go to Seminary, but when I came out, felt like it was all a waste. My degree meant nothing to me. I didn’t even attend the graduation ceremony.

I have often wondered why God brought me to seminary.

The truth I have learned is that seminary was simply a cover (an expensive one!) for something greater that He actually wanted to perform in my life.

God had truths to teach me, and things to show me about various idols in my life which I may never have seen had I stayed in Montana. I had to learn things and see things that I never would have learned or seen as a Pastor in Montana.

Seminary didn’t teach me these things, but I did learn them while I was in Seminary.

Have you gone to Seminary? What was your experience? What did you learn? Are you thinking of going to Seminary? If so, what do you hope to gain from it?

What You Learn in Seminary

By Jeremy Myers

27 Comments

Some people wonder what you learn in seminary. Others wonder if seminary is worth all the time, effort, and debt. (By the way, if you are thinking about Bible college or seminary, I recommend starting off with an online Bible college or seminary to see if it is for you.)

As for myself, I am glad I went to Bible college and seminary because I think it provided me a “speed course” in much of the things I was already learning. I think I still would have learned most of what I learned in Bible college and seminary, but it would have taken me much longer.

And yet… to get the knowledge that you learn in seminary, you have to wade through a bunch of crap. In other words, what you learn in seminary is often only helpful while you are in seminary.

What you Learn in Seminary

For example, I still remember in one of my “Eschatology” classes (study of the End Times), three different students were interacting with the professor about what we were learning. Between the three of them, they used the following terms: “ontological bridge,” “theological taxonomy,” and “epistemological center.” And yet we wonder why the average seminary graduate has a difficult time connecting with the average person on the street.

Thanks to seminary, I understood what they were saying, but all I could think was, “I hope those students don’t preach much.” If seminary teaches us to talk like this, seminary is a failure.

If you ever catch me talking like this, come burn my books.

People often wonder what you learn in seminary. While there some value to seminary, mostly you wrack up a bunch of debt to learn to talk like a moron.

Have you been to seminary? What was your experience of seminary? Do you know seminary-trained pastors? Are they able to interact well with non-seminary trained people? Are you thinking of attending seminary? Why or why not?

Take Online Courses from the Leading New Testament scholar, NT Wright

Online Courses with N.T. Wright

Do Seminary and discipleship play nicely together?

I Was Afraid of Freezing in Seminary

A Book about Surviving Seminary that might have helped

If you are in Seminary…

10 Best Online Bible Colleges and Seminaries

Online Courses with N.T. Wright

Online Bible Colleges and Seminaries I Recommend

Are Online Bible Colleges any Good?

Upon Entering Seminary (What I Want to Say When I Come Out)

On Entering Seminary (What I want to say when I come out)

What You Learn in Seminary

What you Learn in Seminary

Theological Study Archives

Bible Study Archives

Advertise or Donate

Search (and you Shall Find)

Get Books by Jeremy Myers

Schedule Jeremy for an interview

Click here to Contact Me!