Two Perspectives on Seminary

I stumbled across two articles on seminary education in the last couple of days. Both make good points and have helpful perspectives.

The first article, “Why Seminary? The Continuing Importance of an Educated Ministry,” is by Michael S. Horton (Wikipedia | Theopedia), who is J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California. As you would probably have guessed, Horton argues for the indispensability of seminary education, even if it does not guarantee a well-equipped minister.

To be sure, the church’s history (and present) is littered with examples of many who received an excellent education and were examined, approved, and ordained, who nevertheless led God’s people astray. In fact, especially since the Enlightenment, university divinity schools and theological faculties have borne much of the responsibility for converting sons of evangelical families and churches into skeptics. Yet we do not abandon a formally educated ministry any more than we abandon doctors and hospitals in spite of run-ins with “quacks” and “hacks” in the medical profession. Rather, the Christian faithful, for their own health, must insist upon rigorous training in sound, confessional seminaries and examinations on the floor of classis and presbytery. The proper response to bad education is good education, not abandoning formal training altogether.

Read the whole article at the WSC website.

The second article, “Should Missionaries Go To Seminary?,” is by David Hosaflook, a missionary serving in Albania. (His website, www.hosaflook.info, requires a username and password, which may be obtained by sending an email to hosaflook[at]pobox[dot]com.)

Why didn’t I go to seminary (and don’t regret it)? Because it wasn’t God’s plan for me. When I was 21, God opened a great door in Albania and made it crystal clear that “NOW” was the time. In Albania I learned how much I did not know and was forced to find answers (and discover more questions). But God provided the educational opportunities I needed. He blessed me with $1000 for books through a church in Naples, Italy. He provided a smattering seminary courses done by correspondence. And meanwhile, I’ve been able to throw the strength of my youth into climbing mountains and planting Albanian churches. I’m sure seminary would have given me a sharper axe, but it would have also taken away many years of strong, youthful legs. The cream of the crop of our ministry today is the group of high school and college students I reached when I was 21-28 years old (you tend to reach people your own age). If I had chosen seminary, I would have missed most of those years and opportunities. There is much to be learned in a classroom but just as much on an unchurched mountain range. Much can be said about the need for missionaries to be seasoned and matured by the years of seminary disciplines; but as much can also be said about the need for young people to throw their strong bodies and youthful energies into the throngs of unreached people groups whose median age is getting younger and younger. How much education do we need to be equipped to splash light upon a dark frontier?

Read the whole article at David’s blog.

Both men make good points. The real issue is the indispensability of continuing education. That usually takes place most effectively in a seminary. But I’d guess that there are some who have never been to seminary who are more equipped for ministry than others who have MDivs and PhDs. The availability of distance education, audio and video classes and lectures online (e.g., Biblical Training, Covenant Seminary’s Covenant Worldwide, Gordan-Conwell’s Dimensions Courses, and iTunes U), and electronic resources for Bible software (e.g., Logos, BibleWorks, and Accordance) and online (e.g., CCEL, Amazon, and Google Books) make self-study for the self-disciplined—even in a foreign country without a traditional library—a viable option.

See also our previous, related posts:

• Bryan Chapell Audio
• Thomas Schreiner Audio
• Russell Moore Audio
• Online Courses at iTunes U
• The Value of Distance Seminary Education
• Free Classes from RTS
• BiblicalTraining.org
• Free MP3 Sermons and Lectures

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