Steven S Veach

As part of my Doctor of Theology program at Forge Theological Seminary I am completing several preliminary foundational “seminars,” including reading through several books on dissertation development and production and developing overall research familiarity.

This book in particular, Surviving and Thriving in Seminary was the first book I have finished and will post this review on my ThD e-Portfolio.

So, let’s jump in and see what this book has to offer beginning and advanced seminary students….

Overall Impression of the Book

This book, of course, provides the typical advice for students going into academic studies. It addresses issues concerning health, juggling work demands with schoolwork, as well as the importance of maintaining devotional activities outside of academic research.

It’s a solid text, especially for those just coming out of high school or undergrad and who want a better understanding of what they will be getting into once they step into Christian education.

While it does touch on issues concerning research and how to conduct it and what good research looks like, the authors tend to focus more on work/school life balance – maintaining a strong marriage, putting children as a priority, etc. There is much less discussion of actual research or what a seminary workload actually looks like, and nearly nothing about advanced academic work, such as writing a Master’s Thesis or a Doctoral Dissertation.

The Appendix was the Best Part

It seems rather odd that the best part of the book was the appendix. They had several sections and one covered selecting a seminary and another on how to pay for seminary. While they did discuss (at length) about the dangers of student loans and the bleak job prospects for seminary graduates (I think they glossed over this a little too quickly), I thought their desire for students to find as many ways as possible to fund their education before they take out student loans is admirable.

Unfortunately, they did not address (at all) the major factors driving abysmal ROIs for seminary degrees. 1. The flooded job market, and 2. Progressive Ideology.

They pump out hundreds of PhDs and ThDs and DMins every single year, all in the name of their god Mammon. This phenomenon is not about serving the Church or the universal body of Christ. It’s not about equipping the saints. It’s simply about a system perpetuated upon greed. Career prospects have become so anemic for Seminarians, of the hundreds of graduates each year, there are maybe a dozen or so full-time faculty positions open.

This leads to the other factor, Progressive Ideology. A socialist agenda has infected nearly every cultural institution in the United States, the 2020 Presidential Election is only the latest evidence that there are sinister forces at work to erode, remove, and replace the Christian Worldview. This infestation is not sequestered to secular institutions alone, but is taking over and decimating mainstream seminaries throughout America, spoon feeding students in classrooms the new theologies of Intersectionality and Critical Race Theory. It is so invasive, it will be hard in the near future to even refer to these institutions as Christian.

Even Liberty University is showing overt signs of accepting these erroneous doctrines, the reality of which caused me to pause my own application into their PhD Program, and instead, sent me on a search for an alternative.

None of this is covered in this book. Granted, it was written in 2017, so who would have ever believed predictions of what we see now every day? Yet, it is an important question that Seminary students need to ask: are you willing to compromise your orthodoxy for the sake of your academic career?

There will soon come a point where students at mainline seminaries who refuse to embrace these socialist ideologies will be cast out. Professors in many of these institutions have already been fired over the last few years. Likewise, US Government leaders and activists are already discussing ways in which they can strip Christian institutions of their accreditation if they don’t bend the knee to their perverse ideology. As I discussed with the representative at FTS during my admissions interview, before long the only option for Christians to get an education will be either self-study or non-accredited institutions.

One element of the fiscal equation when considering Seminary is the issue of God’s genuine call. It was not really addressed other than to make the assumption that anyone who desires to get a seminary degree is entitled to get one. This is, though, not at all the case. In fact, just as James warned that not many of us should become teachers, so too I would caution prospects in their consideration of both the kind of Seminary they go to and if they should go at all.

If the motivation is money or a career in academia – don’t do it. Don’t spend the money. Don’t waste years of your life when you could be earning money and advancing in a different career. As one theologian put it, “become an engineer.” There is simply no money in academia but for a select few, and even those positions require a great deal of compromise on biblical principles.

If the motivation is for ministry, get only what you need – for as cheap as you can get it and still qualify. As the book discussed, if you can land a full ride, this is the best option. I would add, which is what I ended up doing, if you can find an alternative (such as tuition free seminary), this is the next best thing. Better yet still, take David Thoreau’s advice and “learn to live without something rather than figuring out how to make money to afford it.”

I have taken this advice to heart when I was in my early 20’s (even though I didn’t know it). Over the years I’ve learned to live like a college student and have found my requirements are much less than someone who is chasing after fame or legitimacy or popularity or the trappings of money and things. Because of that I now work only two days a week, have ample leisure time to devote to my own, independent research, and even have the disposable income to pay for Seminary if I so choose.

I weighed the options, though, and chose instead to enroll in a ThD program at a non-accredited, Church based seminary that officially rejects intersectionality and all the other socialist ideologies being pushed today. I determined, after a great deal of research and soul searching, a future in academia was really not for me. Because of this, I can pursue my doctorate degree without financial expense, in a research program I’m really passionate about, and might just fulfill the call Christ has placed on me.

Overall, this book is a good introduction to Seminary life, but it does have a lot of gaps within it. It does not serve (and the authors may never have intended to) those students who already have an undergrad degree and are pursuing a Master’s or Doctorate. For those students you will need to read other texts in addition to this one, specifically those focusing on researching and writing a dissertation or thesis, and books that cover the concepts of what it means to be a scholar, especially one for the Church.