Reasons To Attend These Seminaries

There is a tendency of Christians of certain theological persuasions to eat their own. They may agree of virtually every issue that arises from God's Word, but what fun is that? So they dive in on what might be considered secondary or even tertiary issues and become petty.

Withstanding that temptation, which particularly affects younger ministers like myself, I would like to commend the following seminaries, with only positive comments about each:

Greenville Theological Seminary. This school is particularly strong when it comes to southern Presbyterianism, from which many of our nation's greatest Reformed theologians arose. You will not lack opportunities to read the likes of Dabney, Thornwell, and even the more obscured theologians of the South, like Benjamin Morgan Palmer.

Reformed Theological Seminary. Between its many campuses in places like Jackson, MS, Orlando, FL, Charlotte, NC, and Washington, DC, RTS boasts a strong line-up of top-notch professors, including particularly strong Old Testament and Church History departments. The DC campus features a bunch of up-and-comers and brings in great theologians from other seminaries for week-long courses to fill in the gaps. The Jackson campus does a lot of work on biblically-based racial reconciliation and the Charlotte campus does a lot of work with the military chaplaincy. On top of all of this, RTS boasts an extensive online curriculum that enables aspiring pastors throughout the world to access superb lectures and further their training for the ministry.

Covenant Theological Seminary. The former president of this institution (which is the "official" seminary of the PCA), Bryan Chappell, was a pioneer of modern, Christ-centered preaching. His legacy of identifying the Fallen Conditional Focus ("FCF") enabled a generation of preachers to home in on the particular struggles of God's people as they sought to faithfully preach Christ crucified from various passages.

Westminster Theological Seminary. This school is the direct descendant of "Old Princeton," the most mighty and faithful of seminaries through much of American history. In a sense, all other Reformed seminaries can trace their lineage to this one (based in Philadelphia). It's faculty is second-to-none, with a wide range of scholars in every field. Their biblical counseling department is particular impressive and influential, providing some of the best, theologically sound material for the sin, suffering, joy, and hope of everyday life.

Westminster Seminary California. I am particularly partial to my alma matter, where a great deal of ecumenicism is displayed by the faculty, which all subscribes to both the Dutch Reformed and Presbyterian confessions. I don't believe that there is a better systematic department out there right now, and there are few better lights on Christ-centered preaching and pastoral ministry than those found at WSC. Every professor is also required to have pastoral experience, lending a shepherding quality to the academic rigor. In addition, the White Horse Inn, a nationally-syndicated radio program founded by one of the WSC professors is one of the great driving forces for the revival of Reformed theology found throughout the Church in America today.