This new book is full of good advice from two young guys who recently completed doctoral degrees and are now full-time professors:
Danny Zacharias and Benjamin K. Forrest. Surviving and Thriving in Seminary: An Academic and Spiritual Handbook. Bellingham, WA: Lexham, 2017.
Also available from Logos Bible Software.
25 excerpts: [Read more…] about Surviving and Thriving in Seminary: An Academic and Spiritual Handbook
Southern Seminary’s magazine recently asked me three questions. Here’s how I answered the first:
What advice would you give to students considering doctoral studies but unsure whether they should pursue them?
Think through diagnostic questions such as these: [Read more…] about Advice for Students Considering a PhD
John Frame stirred the pot about how a seminary should train church leaders in “The Academic Captivity of Theology,” John Frame’s Selected Shorter Writings: Volume Two (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2015), 59–76. He follows up with a new essay: “What Seminaries Can Do Without,” in John Frame’s Selected Shorter Writings: Volume Three (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2016), 145–56. He provocatively elaborates on seven items he thinks seminaries can do without: [Read more…] about Should Seminaries Require Students to Write So Many Academic Research Papers? John Frame Says No
Gerald Hiestand and Todd Wilson give three reasons for a pastor-theologian to get a PhD. This is from their book The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015), 104–5:
Strategy One: Get a PhD
We begin with this not because it is the most important strategy, but because it is a critical part of the preparation we believe is necessary for ecclesial theologians. The costs of a PhD—financial, emotional, familial—are significant and not to be taken lightly. For some, a PhD may not be possible or prudent. Yet those who aspire to be ecclesial theologians should think seriously about pursuing a PhD. True, Karl Barth didn’t have PhD. But until you’ve written something remotely akin to his Römerbrief, you should probably get on with getting one; it will almost certainly be necessary for pursuing the sort of vision we’ve laid out for the ecclesial theologian. We say this for at least three reasons. [Read more…] about 3 Reasons for a Pastor-Theologian to Get a PhD
In his post “Should You be a Pastor or a Professor? Thinking through the Options,” Michael Kruger lays out six options in a chiasm:
1. The Pastor
2. The Pastor-Scholar
3. The Pastor-Scholar who is active in scholarly world
4. The Scholar-Pastor who is active in the church
5. The Scholar-Pastor
6. The Scholar
Kruger’s taxonomy (and the way he explains it) is insightful and helpful. [Read more…] about Should You Be a Pastor or a Professor?
I’m just completing my first year on faculty at Bethlehem College & Seminary, and it’s been a joy to serve here. My family loves Bethlehem College & Seminary, and we’re all in. We love the mission and strategy.
I explain why in this 4-minute video:
This book releases on March 1:
Alex Chediak. Preparing Your Teens for College: Faith, Friends, Finances, and Much More. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2014. 64-page sample PDF. 2-minute video trailer.
Chediak’s 2011 book is for teens. This one is for their parents. Both are helpful guides.
And WTS Books has a special sale on Chediak’s book starting today. [Read more…] about Preparing Your Teens for College