Ok, I thought I would bring back the seminary poll again. I don't know how long it's been maybe a year or so. What are your thoughts in regards to seminaries in the US. What is the best seminary? What seminary would you support and why? Are there any schools you would avoid?
In regards to most seminaries, it seems that they are sliding down that slippery slope to total liberalism.
I have been investigating seminaries recently because, as I mentioned on the Prayer forum, I am trying to sort out whether God is calling me to the ministry. If He is, I want to receive training from a seminary with the following criteria: thoroughly Reformed teaching with an emphasis on pastoral excellence; capable, godly, friendly, passionate faculty; and affordability (i.e. don't want to have to go deep into debt).
In light of those criteria, I would advocate Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. It is Truly Reformed, the faculty truly cares about its students, and, if your church will support the seminary with $2,500 per year for four years, doesn't cost you a dime in tuition (at least this is what I gathered from their catalog).
With GPTS being in first, Westminster Seminary California is my second choice. Wide variety of students from solidly Reformed denominations and spectacular faculty make this seminary another "winner" in my book. I hope to visit the campus in January when I attend their conference on Calvin's legacy. In my humble opinion, the only thing that bugs me about WSC is that the combined cost of tuition with the cost of living is so high. I've heard the adage, "You get what you pay for," but how can a student going there avoid going into debt?
In reference to schools I would avoid, shun Fuller like the plague! (Sorry in advance Mr. McFadden!) Also avoid any schools that teach dispensationalism. It truly is too bad the The Master's Seminary is dispensational because I've heard they produce fine preachers. My pastor (PCA) went to DTS back in the seventies without any noticeable side effects (pre-trib rapture, for example-
), and there are still some fine professors there (e.g. John Hannah), but it's dispensationalism combined with outrageous tuition costs totally destroy, in my opinion, the case for going there.
Also, it's too bad there are no reformed seminaries in South Texas.