I have recently been accepted into the Master of Divinity (MDiv) Program at the seminary I am currently employed at: Forge Theological Seminary. While not a student-directed program, it has been customized and is being administered under a faculty exemption policy, which means requirements have been altered, credits from parallel degrees have been transferred in, and majors have been mended to provide specific vocational requirements according to individualized need. All progress and artifacts will be recorded on this main page which will serve as a program ePortfolio.
This program will require completion of the following Milestones for graduation:
- The original, published program requires the completion of 91 credit hours of study.
- These courses (57 credits) have been fulfilled with transfer credit:
- Introduction to the Old Testament I (3) – completed (transfer)
- Introduction to the Old Testament II (3) – completed (transfer)
- Introduction to the Old Testament III (3) – completed (transfer)
- Introduction to the Old Testament IV (3) – completed (transfer)
- Introduction to the New Testament I (3) – completed (transfer)
- Introduction to the New Testament II (3) – completed (transfer)
- Introduction to the New Testament III (3) – completed (transfer)
- Biblical Hebrew I-II (3) – completed (transfer)
- Biblical Hebrew II (3) – completed (transfer)
- Genesis 1-11 (3) – completed (transfer)
- Biblical Hermeneutics (3) – completed (transfer)
- Systematic Theology I: Prolegomena and Theology Proper (3) – (transfer)
- Systematic Theology II: Bibliology and Anthropology (3) – (transfer)
- Systematic Theology III: Christology, Pneuma, Soter (3) – (transfer)
- Systematic Theology IV: Ecclesiology and Eschatology (3) – (transfer)
- Church History I (3) – completed (transfer)
- Church History II (3) – completed (transfer)
- Introduction to Apologetics (3) – completed (transfer)
- Apologetics II (3) – completed (transfer)
- These courses are required (37 credits) in the specialty of Biblical Counseling:
- Intro to Biblical Counseling (3) – currently taking
- Theology of Biblical Counseling (3)
- Advanced Counseling I (3)
- Advanced Counseling II (3)
- Advanced Counseling III (3)
- Advanced Counseling IV (3)
- Marriage and Family (4)
- Biblical Counseling Theory and Method (3)
- Biblical Counseling Practicum (9)
- Orientation to IABC Certification (3)
- These courses are required (19 credits) in the specialty of Biblical Exposition:
- Biblical Greek I (3)
- Biblical Greek II (3)
- Biblical Hermeneutics II (4) – currently taking
- Theological Research, Writing, and Rhetoric (3)
- New Testament Exegesis (3)*
- Old Testament Exegesis (3)*
- These courses are required (20 credits) in the specialty of Pastoral Care:
- Pastoral Theology (4)
- Christian Ethics (3)
- Homiletical Theory (3)*
- Intro to Expository Preaching (4)
- Church Administration (3)*
- Capstone (3)
Biblical Counseling Certification:
There is the option, during the process of this degree, to seek certification from the International Association of Biblical Counselors (IABC). I will make the determination on this decision after completion of the required Biblical Counseling courses. I do have a more than moderate desire/conviction to possibly become a Biblical Counselor in the community at large and online. This will require a great deal of prayer, consideration, and discernment over the next several months and years.
The main motivation to complete these Biblical Counseling courses is to glean from them a better set of tools to be able to help those who come to me informally about issues and struggles they are experiencing in the context as a teacher in the local church. I have been teaching for just about a year, and I already feel very much out of my depth by the number of sidebars I’ve had with my students about personal issues that are brought up by our class discussions. I would like to be able to help them more than I currently equipped to.
Biblical Exposition:
The main motivation to complete these courses in Biblical Exposition is to thoroughly improve my writing and communication abilities as well as my handling of the original languages of the Bible. I hope to become fluent in reading New Testament and Septuagint Greek as well as improve my overall skill level in the use of Logos, research techniques, and both academic and creative writing.
Pastoral Care:
The motivation to complete these courses in Pastoral Care are two fold:
- Prepare myself for possible future ministry opportunities that God might have for my family and I. If God does, indeed, call us one day to a pulpit ministry, I would like to be well suited and equipped for the task. My current education does not include much (if any) focus on preaching.
- I would like to better apply my training and researching ability in the local classroom, as well as prepare for future face to face and online teaching ministry. I am, predominately, a Socratic teacher by approach. I much prefer the mechanism of “dialog” to “preaching.” But, I do understand that these two do go hand in hand together and there is no telling what opportunities or tasks God will require of me in the future. I would like to be prepared, “complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16).
Date Started:
February 27th, 2024
Date Finished:
———–
Updates:
4/28/24 – Created Online Digital Portfolio for MDiv Program
2/27/24 – Admitted to Program; Began Classes
Note About Institutional Accreditation:
I have wrestled with higher education and the theory on the necessity of accreditation by an agency recognized by the US Department of Education. I would agree, in an equal and free world, proper accreditation is necessary and advantageous in protecting the student from charlatans selling degrees. But, this is neither a world equal nor truly free, and the very institutions used by the world to protect students in some circumstances are likewise harnessed to discriminate and oppress other students.
Religious persecution is growing in Western Culture and more specifically in the United States. Accreditation is but one element being used by the secular, humanist religion as a mechanism to disenfranchise biblical believers.
Because of this reality, involvement in mainstream academia (secular and seminary alike) is simply no longer a viable option by which one can conduct research unmolested. Going forward, as persecution increases against biblical believers in America, it will be crucial that the Church step up and accept her responsibility in training and equipping those who call Christ Lord and King.
I am intentionally selecting a non-accredited, church based seminary to pursue graduate work in this area of study.
Steven S Veach 