Bethel Seminary
Academic Information and Policies
Pre-Seminary Studies
Prospective seminary students who know that they are headed in the direction of Christian ministry should plan their college courses so as to derive maximum benefit from theological studies. The seminary urges a strong emphasis on the liberal arts. The essential foundations for a minister's later professional studies, as well as his or her future responsibilities in the ministry, lie in a broad and comprehensive college education.
Many students, however, sense the call of God to some form of Christian service when their college work has been completed or nearly completed. Such students may not have a concentration in the liberal arts. The seminary still encourages these students to apply.
The Function of Pre-Seminary Studies
College courses prior to theological seminary should provide the cultural and intellectual foundations essential to an effective theological education. They should issue in at least three broad kinds of attainment.
- The college work of a pre-seminary student should result in
the ability to use certain tools of the educated person:
a. The ability to write and speak English clearly and correctly. English composition should have this as a specific purpose, but this purpose should also be cultivated in all written work. Course work in speech will aid significantly.
b. The ability to think clearly. In some persons this ability is cultivated through courses in philosophy or specifically in logic. In others, it is cultivated by the use of scientific method or by dealing with critical problems in connection with literary and historical documents.
c. The ability to read at least one foreign language and in some circumstances more than one.
- The college work of a pre-seminary student should result in
increased understanding of the world:
a. The world of ideas. This includes knowledge of English literature, philosophy, and psychology.
b. The world of nature. This is provided by knowledge of the natural sciences, including laboratory work.
c. The world of human affairs. This is aided by knowledge of history and the social sciences.
- The college work of the pre-seminary student should result
in a sense of achievement:
a. The degree of mastery of a field of study is more important than the credits and grades received.
b. The sense of achievement may be encouraged through academic concentration, or through "honors" work or other plans for increasingly independent work with as much initiative from the student as he or she can muster with profit.
The Subjects in Pre-Seminary Study
The following are suggested areas of study for a student's college years. The student's work in these fields of study should be evaluated on the basis of mastery of the fields rather than in terms of semester hours or credits. To make this suggestion more practical, students are encouraged to take three-fourths of their college work in the following specific areas:
English—language, composition, and literature
Speech—fundamentals, argumentation, group communication, persuasion, oral interpretation, and drama
History—ancient, modern European, American, and non-Western cultures
Philosophy—orientation in history, content, and method
Natural Sciences—the physical and life sciences
Foreign Language—one or more of the following linguistic avenues to human thought and tools of scholarly research: Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German, and Frenchwith Greek especially recommended. Students who anticipate postgraduate studies are urged to undertake these disciplines early in their training.
Religion or Christianity—Increasingly, biblical studies, together with an introduction to the major religious traditions and theological problems, are becoming viable options for pre-seminary studies. The area of concentration among the above suggestions will depend on the interests and abilities of the student.
The Nature of this Recommendation
There has been no attempt in the preceding paragraphs to list all of the work that would be profitable for the pre-ministerial student. It is possible to include many other elements in one's college studies while still fulfilling the ideal program for an adequate foundation for seminary studies. The aim is to prepare persons who understand the world and develop the ability to communicate effectively the Word of God to that world.
Further, the preceding paragraphs offer only suggestions. Students who have completed college work and have not followed these suggestions are still urged to make application to the seminary if God is prompting such action.
The Bethel Seminary Catalog is provided online as a convenience for those who desire course information in electronic form. The printed version of the Bethel Seminary catalog is the official version, and it will be treated as the document of record in all seminary business.