How to be make it through Seminary financially while being poor

Photo by Startup Stock Photos on Pexels.com

Are you thinking about going to seminary to study to be a Pastor?  Even if you are not going to seminary but you are a Christian who loves God, do you know someone who is thinking about going to seminary but might be working through the issue of finance?

Here are ten practical things that I found helpful to get through Seminary when the finances are hard.  They were things that I personally found helpful to make it through my Master’s of Divinity (MDiv) and Master’s of Theology (ThM).   While there’s personal responsibility I also realize it was God’s grace that provided for me and also the means of others who showed me love and help along the way too.

Read Full Post »

Free PDF Apologetics’ Dissertation: How Language, Beauty, and Literature Point Toward the Existence of God

Here’s a doctoral dissertation that Southern Seminary has made available titled “An Argument from Sublime Literature: How Language, Beauty, and Literature Point Toward the Existence of God.”  This is a treat for those into apologetics!  The dissertation was written by Daniel Blackaby and was completed on November 7th, 2018.  Its neat to see his dissertation is available online for free.

Here’s an abstract:

Read Full Post »

Free Master’s Thesis: A Defense of Presuppositional Apologetics and Its Practical Application to the Public University Campus

Today I want to share a thesis that was completed for a Masters of Religion that was completed over at Reformed Theological Seminary.  It was completed last year in 2018.  It is titled “A Defense of Presuppositional Apologetics and Its Practical Application to the Public University Campus” and written by R. Shane Hartley.  I have found Presuppositional apologetics when properly understood and properly employed to be a very helpful and powerful apologetic.  I am also involved with college campus evangelism in which I will start back again next Lord willing (pray for me!).  So this thesis obviously caught my attention.

What is this thesis specifically about?  In his introductory paragraph to his thesis Mr. Hartley wrote the following summary:

Read Full Post »

Example of what’s being taught overseas 2019: Survey of Daniel

Here’s a sample of what I’m preparing to teach overseas in the Spring.  What follows below is a survey of the book of Daniel.

Read Full Post »

Temporarily Free E-Book: How to Stay Christian in Seminary

On the one hand some of the readers will say it is sad that a book like this is needed.  I agree.  But on the one hand I also know in seminary for some it is a spiritual cemetery because they saw the Bible as only academic knowledge and other problematic views.  For the record I had a great time in seminary with both my masters.  It was a great time of spiritual growth in life and in doctrines.

So a book like this is necessary.  And while it was written after I graduated and I have yet to read it, I’ve read enough positive review I can recommend it.  Fortunately it is not made available for free electronically for a short time: this weekend!

Read Full Post »

Free PDF Apologetics’ Dissertation: The world in His hands: a Christian account of scientific law and its antithetical competitors

Here’s a doctoral dissertation that Southern Seminary has made available titled “The world in His hands: a Christian account of scientific law and its antithetical competitors.”  For those of you who are into worldview apologetics this is a treat!  The dissertation was written by Chris Bolt and was completed on October 27th, 2016.  Christ Bolt has written quite a bit on apologetics online over the years so its neat to see his dissertation is available online for free.

Here’s an abstract:

Read Full Post »

The Five Solas Theology Conference

Today is the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany which is the beginning of the trajectory that led to the Reformation.

One of the important thing that came out of the Reformation is the recovery of the Gospel.  From the Reformation we also get the five Solas.  During the Fall 2015 Theology Conference at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary the five Solas was the topic that was discussed from some of evangelicalism’s finest scholars as they unpack for us the meaning and significance of each of these themes.  From these lectures they have also partnered with the publishers Zondervan to released “The 5 Solas Series.”  You might want to check out my review of one of the volume, Faith Alone: The Doctrine of Justification by Thomas Schreiner.

Here are the videos:

Read Full Post »

Free Historical Theology Seminary Lectures: Reformation onwards by Dr. Nathan Busenitz

All throughout the month I have posting resources and reviews of things related to the Reformation in light of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.  Here’s another one of those resource posts!

The following below are seminary lectures by Nathan Busenitz for a course at the Master’s of Divinity level on historical theology from the Reformation onward.  There are 26 lectures total and 11 of them alone are on the Reformation.  Lectures 12-15 also cover the Puritans which those who love Reformation history and Reformed theology often enjoy also as well.  What a treat!

If you enjoy these kinds of lectures don’t miss also 2017 Seminary Lectures: The Reformation by Dr. Carl Trueman.

Here are the videos featuring Dr. Busenitz:

Read Full Post »

Review: The Messiah and the Psalms by Richard Belcher

Richard P. Belcher Jr.  The Messiah And The Psalms.  Ross-shire, Scotland: Mentor Imprint, September 20^th, 2014. 288 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster | Amazon

This book is on the topic of a Christ and the Psalms by an Old Testament professor at Reformed Theological Seminary.  The author Richard Belcher takes a Christocentric approach towards the Psalms.  If you are interested in the Psalms, Messianic prophecies, hermeneutics and preaching Christ this book might be for you even if you don’t necessarily agree with everything the author has to say.

Read Full Post »

Dissertation on PDF: A Worldview Analysis of Sam Harris’ Philosophical Naturalism in The Moral Landscape

Here’s a doctoral dissertation that Southern Seminary has made available titled “A Worldview Analysis of Sam Harris’ Philosophical Naturalism in The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values.”  It is a critique of atheist Sam Harris one of the “New Atheists.”  The dissertation was written by Mike Blackaby and was completed on December 23rd, 2016.

Here’s an abstract:

Read Full Post »

Seminary on Saturday: Dr. Oliphint on Apologetics

First off thanks to Jeff Downs for letting me know about these lectures!

Westminster Theological Seminary have these “Seminary on Saturday” series and during April 2017 they had their professor of Apologetics Dr. Scott Oliphint teach.  For those of you who didn’t know Westminster Theological Seminary is the seminary where Cornelius Van Til taught at many years ago who was the founder of Presuppositional apologetics.  Christians must be informed by the Bible in how they do apologetics and that’s one of the plus of this method (among other things).

These lectures took place at Covenant Church in Nashville, TN.

Here are the lectures:

Read Full Post »

2017 Seminary Lectures: The Reformation by Dr. Carl Trueman

In the past I have appreciated Dr. Carl Trueman’s teaching on Medieval theology and also the Reformation available through Itunes University.  He’s also written a more practical book on the Reformation for today for the general Christian readers titled Reformation: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow by Carl Trueman.

Every year The Master Seminary brings in a scholar to teach for the Winterim and for this year (2017) they have Dr. Trueman of Westminster Theological Seminary taught on the history of the Reformation.

The entire 19 lectures in video form have been made available online for free!

Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Trinities Podcast 163: Dr. K. Scott Oliphint on How Christianity Trumps Philosophy

Rev. Dr. K. Scott Oliphint (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is professor of apologetics and systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary.  He is a proponent of Presuppositional Apologetics which starts with a high view of the God of the Bible, Scripture and engages in apologetics at the level of worldviews.

He was recently on a show for the “Trinities Podcasts” which was loaded up online two days ago.  The topic: How Christianity Trumps Philosophy.  Readers should beware that not necessarily everything associated with “Trinities Podcasts” is orthodox although Dr. Oliphint who is being interviewed is himself orthodox.  Since our blog has a new wave of readers I would say if you are new to Presuppositional apologetics its better to start with Greg Bahnsen’s free Apologetics Course.

Here’s the show as found on Youtube with further description below:

Read Full Post »

Two Apologetics’ Themed #WisdomWednesday Clips from Reformed Theological Seminary

Reformed Theological Seminary has for the last three months or so posted short videos answering various questions with the hashtag “#WisdomWednesday.”  Here’s two that’s related to apologetics by Dr. John Frame and Dr. Michael Kruger respectively.

Read Full Post »

Review: Common Grace and the Gospel by Cornelius Van Til (First Edition)

Cornelius Van Til. Common Grace and the Gospel.  Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 1972. 233 pp.

This book is a collection of various essays by Reformed apologist and theologian Cornelius Van Til on the topic of common grace.  The writings found in this book spans twenty five years of Van Til’s teaching career.  By common grace we mean God’s unmerited favor shown both towards the believer and nonbeliever.  The subject of common grace has been a topic of no small debate in Reformed circles in the twentieth century (and carries over to the twenty-first century as well).  How the doctrine of common grace is understood or even rejected has implications for other areas of theology beyond the attributes of God such as the area of evangelism, apologetics, and one’s theological view of culture.  Here is Van Til’s contribution to the discussion gathered conveniently in one book.

Read Full Post »