From time-to-time, we receive email from seminarians interacting with the information contained on our websites. In turn, they also share information regarding events on campus or in the classroom. For the most part, these exchanges are doctrinal in nature, or personal, and thus not meant for public consumption. However, given the more recent deterioration in sound doctrine across the land, this page is designed to inform readers of the sad and alarming state of affairs in our dispensational schools. The list of seminaries below claim, more-or-less, to hold dispensational views.

DISCLAIMER: No endorsement of any school or group is implied or intended. Some of these schools have drifted far from their own roots, as well as the roots of dispensationalism. For the average student, it can be rather confusing and discouraging.

Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas
Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Indiana
Tyndale Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas
Chafer Theological Seminary, Orange, California [Read Review Comments]
Michigan Theological Seminary, Plymouth, Michigan
Calvary Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Missouri
Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania
Multnomah Biblical Seminary, Portland, Oregon
Faith Baptist Seminary, Ankeny, Iowa
Capital Bible Seminary, Washington, District of Columbia
Southern California Bible College and Seminary, El Cajon, California
Rocky Mountain Bible College & Seminary, Denver, Colorado (Free Grace Movement)
More? Let us know.

Question: What seminaries teach or promote Pauline dispensationalism?

Answer: To my knowledge, no existing seminary's doctrinal statement conforms to the Acts 2 Pauline dispensational position. However, several professors have indicated sympathy with these views.

Note: We will not publish any information regarding acts of a scandalous and personal nature. Further, time does not permit us to research and verify all information found below. Readers are responsible to exercise discernment and verify for accuracy.

Question: Did I hear right? The State of Texas has come after Tyndale Theological Seminary for lack of "accreditation" with fines totaling $170,000?

What you heard is correct, but let me give you some background...

The legal battle started a couple years back, when Tyndale received a notice of administrative fine for offering degrees in theology without state-required accreditation. What has hit the press is the first in what may be a series of court decisions until this is finally resolved--it could take years. The state wants Tyndale to be accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Tyndale counter sued the state, with the assistance of the Liberty Legal Institute, Plano, TX. Legal counsel for the seminary includes an attorney who won the right to home school in the State of Texas [they used to arrest home schoolers in Texas with armed police squads in the middle of the night, taking the children away], and a former Texas Supreme Court judge.

Tyndale is joined in the counter suit by the Southern Bible Institute, Dallas, TX, founded as an Afro-American seminary and the Hispanic Bible Institute of San Antonio. Tyndale refuses state-required accreditation, in part, because:

ATS is Protestant, Roman Catholic and Eastern/Greek Orthodox oriented, which places it outside a sound, Biblical theological position. It's 'nominally' Christian at best. Tyndale has multiple courses and journal articles that detail the errors of many of these denominations and "churches" that would be conducting Tyndale's accreditation review (Roman Catholic, Arminian, liberal, etc.). Check out the Tyndale website, especially the doctrinal statement.
Being liberal in orientation and postmodernist in attitude, ATS accommodates feminist and lesbian/gay views. See ATS's website. If you drill down under the link "Women in Leadership Seminars", you will find labyrinth of links to these radical and perverse groups.
ATS uses "globalization" as one of their primary accreditation criteria. By this they mean that schools should be promoting "multiculturalism" in the postmodernist sense of the term.
Many believe that accreditation by the ATS (dating from the early 70's) was one of several contributing factors that caused the theological shift at Dallas Theological Seminary, including "Progressive Dispensationalism" (which Miles Stanford wrote about) and more recently, the "Openness View of God".
Tyndale's President and Registrar receive salaries far below the minimum levels set by accreditation agencies. While Tyndale's leaders believe it's adequate for the seminary's purposes, the end result would be substantially higher facility costs. In turn, Tyndale's tuition levels would obviously have to be increased, thus placing increased financial hardships on students. These changes in fiscal policy, mandated for accreditation, put many schools into debt. Tyndale is currently debt free and doesn't want to change that.
Accreditation guarantees nothing. Tyndale's courses will transfer to some other "accredited" seminaries (like Dallas Theological Seminary), but will not transfer to an "accredited" reformed seminary (like Westminster, with course availability in the Dallas area). Tyndale's courses are more work than comparable courses at a school that is accredited. As a graduate of an accredited engineering school (BSCE) and business school (MBA), I can vouch for that. One student who is transferring to Tyndale from Southwestern Seminary (which is accredited) says that only 5 of the approximately 70 instructors at Southwestern believe in biblical inspiration in any conservative sense. Accreditation among theological schools is no guarantee of scholarship, sound doctrine, cost/benefit, or transferability of course work.

Hope the above gives you an idea of what the battle is about. Feel free to forward this info elsewhere, and to send any other questions you might have. Of course, feel free to check out anything I've stated above.

Seated with Him (Eph. 2:6),

Vern P

Tyndale Graduate (student 1997-2001)

10/19/2007 Update: FREE FROM STATE OVERSIGHT, Texas Supreme Court says state has no business regulating Christian schools.

Dear Friend:

I was surfing the net tonight and came across the "Seminary News" page dealing with Tyndale's lawsuit. I am quite interested in this case, both as an Evangelical and as an alumni of Tyndale. The article, written by 'Vern P.' of Tyndale Seminary, was quite distressing. It included a statement that only 5 out of the 70 professors at Southwestern hold to any kind of conservative views of biblical inspiration (as reported by a student who transferred from Southwestern to Tyndale).

I am a Tyndale graduate, having earned a Master of Arts in Theology in 1993. I began studies at Southwestern in 1994, completing an M.Div.BL in 1998, and I am currently a Ph.D. student. As you probably know, the Southern Baptist Convention has undergone a "conservative resurgence" in the last two decades. The seminaries of the SBC are more conservative than ever -- and Southwestern is growing more and more so each semester. There are definitely more than 5 professors who are "conservative" and who believe in biblical inerrancy. I cannot assert that no "liberals" exist at Southwestern, because that is not true (yet). However, the statement that only 7 percent of Southwestern professors hold to biblical inerrancy is highly erroneous, in my opinion.

I just wanted to make you aware of this, and appreciate your time and consideration. Thank you very much!

By His Grace Alone,

Rev. James W. Galyon

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