Steve Carell starred as The 40-Year-Old Virgin. If someone made a movie of my life this year, they could call it The 40-Year-Old Seminarian. After 23 years in public ministry, 17 of them as pastor, and 10 as the lead…
An open letter to Carson-Newman University
By Travis Cooper and Jared Champion Dear President O’Brien, We write to you regarding Carson-Newman University’s decision to seek and accept a waiver to the provisions of Title IX. In a moment when division and hate abound, we were heartbroken…
Baptist schools seek waiver from LBGT discrimination ban
By Bob Allen The federal government has granted waivers to more than two dozen religious institutions of higher learning from Title IX, which protects LGBT students from discrimination. Carson-Newman University, affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention, recently received exemption for…
Five keys to thriving in seminary
By Eileen R. Campbell-Reed What does it take to succeed in the Women’s Leadership Initiative – or most any other MDiv program? Recently I was talking over tea with a prospective seminary student when she asked, “What will it take…
Seminaries, spiritual formation and personal story
By Ron Crawford I am indebted to the thoughtful response of Scott Hudgins to my response to Brett Younger’s original article about seminary education. I will not review these two fine offerings but will extend the conversation. A key point…
There is nothing wrong with seminaries that a disruptive strategy couldn’t fix
By George Bullard In recent times we have witnessed a dialogue around the role and function of seminaries. This dialogue has been generated primarily by people involved in seminaries, divinity schools and other forms of higher education. Thus, their perspective….
How seminaries form ministers: a much-needed conversation
By Scott Hudgins A recent column by Brett Younger, an associate professor at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology, raises important questions about the changes in theological education, especially the emergence of exclusively online programs that are often described as…
Seminaries forging a future
By Ron Crawford A response to “Seminaries reluctantly selling their souls,” by Brett Younger. So, I bought the microwave oven anyway! Typically, my wife and I reach a consensus before we make major purchases; in the early 1980s a microwave…
Are seminaries ‘selling their souls’?
Brett Younger, associate professor of preaching at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta, is one of the best writers in Baptist life today.He is at his best when writing satirical, humorous columns on the church and its various…