Bethany verses Louisianna Baptist

jmtaylor · #1 19th June 2010, 05:20 PM

I need some help deciding on a distant education program. I am not in it for a better job or anything like that. I just want to learn more so that I can be more effective in ministry. I think I may have narrowed it down between Bethany Divinity College and Seminary out of Dothan, AL or Louisianna Baptist University. Both are non acreditted instututions and both have reasonable tuitions. I don't live that far from Dothan so I thought that might be an advantage. I don't know anyone who has attended or knows someone who has attended neither one. I thought maybe I could find some advice on these schools or another similar one that I might be unaware of from some of you. I thank you for your input in advance.

heron · #2 25th June 2010, 11:30 AM

Hi JM,
If you are not taking the courses for advancement, you might ask the registrar if you can audit a course. That usually gives you half the tuition and no deadlines or grades -- the teacher involves you in the class learning process and will give you feedback on your projects.

Looking at Bethany's site, I am disturbed over how their promotional material was written. A little sloppy for a college.

Bethany Divinity College & Seminary :: Our Difference

But their curriculum developers have respectable terminal degrees, and only a few were from Bethany:

Bethany's Curriculum Developers

Louisianna Baptist University appears similar, slightly more reputable. Which does not necessarily make one better or worse for what you hope to gain from it.

http://www.lbu.edu/education.htm

If you are looking for refreshing professional input, I would start by looking for teachers you want to learn from. Any school is a shell of buildings and software systems, with teachers that help define what your learning experience will be. You can have a bad or good learning experience in the same school.

Figure out what you want to explore and learn, and then look up who teaches it... find out a little about them.