ABible college, sometimes referred to as aBible institute ortheological institute ortheological seminary, is anevangelical Christian orRestoration MovementChristian institution ofhigher education which prepares students forChristian ministry withtheological education,Biblical studies andpractical ministry training.
Bible colleges primarily offerundergraduate degrees, but may also offer graduate degrees, lower-level associate degrees, certificates or diplomas in specialized areas of Christian training where a full degree is not required.
Bible colleges differs from other theological institutions in theirmissionary perspective.[1] In Europe, the first schools that could be classified in this category areSt. Chrischona Theological Seminary [de] founded in 1840 byChristian Friedrich Spittler [de] inBettingen,Switzerland, and thePastors' College (affiliated with theBaptist Union of Great Britain) established in 1856 byBaptist PastorCharles Spurgeon atLondon in theUnited Kingdom.
In the United States and Canada, the origins of the Bible college movement are in the late 19th-century Bible institute movement.[2] The first Bible schools inNorth America were founded byCanadian PastorA. B. Simpson (Nyack College in 1882) of theChristian and Missionary Alliance, andD. L. Moody (Moody Bible Institute in 1887). Many were established as a reaction against established theological colleges andseminaries, which conservatives believed were becoming increasingly liberal and undermining traditional Christian teachings, such asBiblical inerrancy.[3]
The American Bible college movement developed in reaction to the secularization of U.S. higher education. The "Bible institute/college movement" has been described as "a protest to the inroads of secularization in higher education and as a base for the education of lay workers and full-time Bible teachers, evangelists, and pastors".[4] As one historian put it, "It is not a coincidence that the Bible institute movement grew up during the very period when the philosophy of naturalism became prevalent in American education".[5] Between 1882 and 1920, 39 Bible schools were founded in the United States.[6]
In 1995, a campus of theNew Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in the United States was established at theLouisiana State Penitentiary following an invitation from the prison warden, Burl Cain.[7] The school has contributed to a significant reduction in the rate of violence in the prison.[8] In 2016, Cain founded the Prison Seminaries Foundation, an organization that has various member seminaries in American prisons.[9]
Bible colleges generally conferbachelor's degrees, most often inbiblical studies and various divisions ofChristian ministry,pastoral ministry and worship ministry orchurch music.[10] Some Bible colleges offer degree programs in ministry-related areas that also have secular application, such asChristian education.
Beyond the undergraduate level, some others have establishedseminaries andgraduate divisions.
At some Bible colleges,associate's degrees,diplomas, or certificates are available. These programs are generally designed for laypersons (such asSunday school teachers) who neither want nor need a bachelor's degree to perform their Christian service, but who desire additional training in such areas as Bible studies or the teachings and practices of their denomination.
Many Bible colleges offer correspondence or online training.[11][12]
Many Bible colleges in the United States and Canada that offer intercollegiate athletic programs are members of theNational Christian College Athletic Association or theAssociation of Christian College Athletics.
TheInternational Council for Evangelical Theological Education was founded in 1980 by the Theological Commission of theWorld Evangelical Alliance.[13] In 2015, it would have 1,000 member schools in 113 countries.[14]
Bible colleges are usually associated withevangelical,conservative,Christian fundamentalist denominations.[note 1] Their primary purpose is to prepare people for roles inChristian ministry.[3] The Bible-centered curriculum is typically supplemented by structured programs of Christian service.[15]
In the United States the average salary for a full professor at a Bible institute was around $49,000 in 2012. The student-to-faculty ratio is around 13 students to one instructor.[16]
