Imagine if this woman had simply relied on the means of covenant nurture to acquire a better understanding of God and salvation:
Is seminary absolutely necessary to get that foundation (or any of the other things I’ve mentioned)? No, not necessarily. Could a person learn all I learned without a seminary education? Probably. But it’s harder to do it on your own. There’s something to be said about surrounding yourself with trustworthy, godly professors who will guide you to a deeper faith in God and knowledge of his Word.
Well, there it is. That’s what I’d tell a friend if they asked whether I’m glad I went to seminary. I’d refill her coffee, double check the time to ensure we weren’t late for preschool pickup or whatever errands we were supposed to be doing, and if we still had an extra minute we’d discuss the ways seminary might be possible for her if she were interested.
No matter where God leads me from here, I’ll never regret the time I spent in seminary.
Makes me wonder if I would have had to go to seminary if my church had offered the kind of instruction that I was seeking. Did I really need Greek and Hebrew to understand what the Confession of Faith lays out so well?
Old Life 
I wish the local church would provide that rigorous reading/study for kids and adults. It would save some people a lot of money. My guess is that it would be poorly attended.
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I was sucked into the P&R world by an invitation to an 8am Saturday morning mens group reading the WLC. How do the church consultants feel about that?
And concerning attendance, over half the men in the church (8-10) attended this study!
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I thought that the cheapest way to get a seminary education was to get in an argument with a Calvinist.
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How does not the despair of the evanjellyfish world not drive folks into P & R world? How many times do you have to sit through a frustrated musician/stand up comedian/car salesman posing as a preacher before you decide this way leads to hell?
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DG Harts says Did I really need Greek and Hebrew to understand what the Confession of Faith (CF) lays out so well?
Need? How about desire. And it is not:
-When your (confessions) came; I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty. Jer 15:16
-Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the (confessions) Eph 6:17
-Let the (confessions) richly dwell with you Col 3:16
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This is about seminaries needing money so they draw upon people who have the time and money. True. While some good can come out of it, only men gifted in the word should be in seminary (2 Tim 2:2 cf. 1:13-14; 3:10-11).
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Something like this seems like a better deal than seminary. You get the advantage of the structure of a formal class without the greek. Not bad for laity I think. I assume there are prot versions, but if not so.e seminary is going to find a way to cash in.
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dante, thinking the Lord is glad to have one avail any and all resources and help, as each individual decides and desires. Seminary likely is not a common decision for most women but might be for some.
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Luke 24:27 beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
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1. Personal retreats are occasionally helpful but more often fruitless and self-indulgent time-outs.
2. How many Eugene Peterson, Tim Keller, or Benedict XVI books does anyone need to read before realizing everyone famous repeatedly repeats themselves?
3. Seminary is grad school, and grad school is a bloated, self-perpetuating cash cow where the few worthwhile courses are swamped by the bulk of mind-numblingly unfortunate ones. If students had to *really* master the languages, that would be one thing. But that would also mean squeezing out the courses that help in identifying and ‘pursuing passions’ and learning ‘spiritual disciplines,’ so you know that is not gonna be happening.
4. Unashamedly over-priced text books that take 300 pages to communicate what should only require a ten slide power-point presentation are demoralizing.
5. How many people would be in grad school if they actually had to pay for it all themselves? Not many. Says something about value for price paid.
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I sound ‘bitter?’ My post-grad school bank balance, and my subsequent experience teaching in the anti-matter universe of the university, may account for some of that.
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Yes, I was thinking you sound bitter JM. But there is truth in what you’ve said. For wisdom to be fruitful, we need to get a handle on our frustration. I was offered a scholarship in seminary but my pseudo-ref’d pastor who did not like my commitment to Scripture and zeal refused to support the school’s offer. I paid every penny of my seminary education myself and, gratefully, came out with zero debt.
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