Nov
06
2009
Bethlehem College Undergrad Programs
Bethlehem College & Seminary is now taking applications for a number of undergraduate programs:
- 2-year degree in Christian Worldview
- 4-year degree in the History of Ideas
- 4-year degree in Biblical and Theological Studies
- Degree Completion Program in Theological Studies
They have small classes, numerous godly teachers, low prices, and God-centered curricula–all in the context of a local church.
Below is more information on these degrees:
Two-Year Degree in Christian Worldview: a two-year, cross-disciplinary undergraduate program designed for students who want an intellectually-challenging understanding of the integration of philosophy, history, culture, and the Christian faith in a global context. The curriculum covers the entirety of world history, from creation to the present day, over the course of two years, weaving the subject matter into the meta-narrative of redemptive history. Content areas include Old and New Testaments, Theological Foundations, Biblical Greek, World Religions and Civilizations, Church History, Philosophy, Social Science, Math, and Life Science.
Four-Year Degree in the History of Ideas: Building upon the historical and theological framework established in the Christian Worldview program, this undergraduate major focuses upon many of the great works of Western Civilization as well as representative works from non-Western traditions with a view to equipping students to evaluate the seminal ideas in the history of thought in light of the self-disclosure of the triune God. Significantly, this program does not merely focus on the development of abstract ideas, but will also challenge students to examine major developments in the history of thought in light of the key people, significant historical events, and technological changes that influenced them. Additionally, the program will demonstrate the role of the affections and the heart in the development, transformation, and spread of philosophies, religions, and worldviews.Four-Year Degree in Biblical and Theological Studies: Building upon the historical and theological framework established in the Christian Worldview program, this undergraduate major focuses more deeply on interpreting Scripture in its historical, literary, canonical, and redemptive-historical contexts. Students in this major will learn both Greek and Hebrew and will apply their study of the biblical languages to exegesis of select books in the Old and New Testaments. In addition to careful exegesis, students will also grow in their ability to synthesize and articulate theological truths by participating in a series of upper-division historical, systematic, and biblical theological courses.
Degree Completion Program in Theological Studies: The Degree Completion Program in Theological Studies is a non-traditional program designed to help working adults complete their college education. Classes in this four-semester, year-round program are held for four hours one night a week for sixteen months. In order to qualify for admission into the program, students must have 50 semester undergraduate credits in key general education categories. Students will not only systematically study “the whole counsel of God,” but will also come to understand the storyline of the Bible, the remarkable Christ-centered unity between the Old and New Testaments, and the incredible expansion of God’s global kingdom.
9 Comments
Note that, while these may be excellent educational programs from great teachers, the school is not accredited (yet). So, potential students should keep in mind the limitations of such degrees.
Accredited by who? The state? Who cares.
We need more of this. God bless BCS.
Is accreditation necessary? No. There are good Christian schools which are not accredited. From the faculty that BCS has on staff, it seems like a good school.
However, I was just pointing out the fact that an unaccredited degree will have less utility (from a pragmatic sense, some people/schools/businesses won’t accept it easily or at all) than an accredited one. I don’t think that’s a disputed or controversial statement. That’s why students should be aware of this limitation.
Here is the BCS statement on accreditation.
http://www.bethlehemcollegeandseminary.org/about_us/accreditation.html
The short version is that we are beginning the process of accreditation, but it won’t be completed for a few years. I should also note that the Track 2 program at TBI (the predecessor to Bethlehem Seminary) operated for over 10 years as a non-accredited, masters-level program. Our apprentices went on to study at some of the top seminaries and PhD programs in the world (both evangelical and non-evangelical). Some of them even got jobs at prominent evangelical publishers :)
In addition, we are also in the process of developing credit-transfer agreements with like-minded institutions. We are confident that our students will be able to excel in rigorous academic programs the world over. If the accreditation question is an issue for you, we encourage you to contact us through our website. Blessings.
Joe Rigney
Bethlehem College and Seminary
Question: why pursue accreditation at all? What is the rationale?
Any of this available via online distance education?
No distance education options yet as far as I know.
As a current student in the Degree Completion Program at BCS and a former student in the FOCUS program at Northwestern College; I can say that I like this program much more than Northwestern’s degree completion program.
This program is both rigorous and flexible. If you are looking for a degree completion program that will still give you quality education despite not having as many classroom hours as a traditional program then you might want to consider BCS!
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