Recommended Reading
From Amazon.com: "Christians should evaluate philosophy by biblical criteria. This will shed greater light on the developments in the history of philosophy and better prepare us for the intellectual challenges of our time. The fall of Adam brought intellectual as well as moral corruption on the human race, and the effects of the fall can be seen in the work of philosophers, most of whom try to understand the world autonomously through reasoning apart from God's revelation. Some philosophers have appealed to God's revelation, but their work has often been compromised with the wisdom of the world. Revelation should inform reason, and not the other way round. In the past, even Christian theology was corrupted by the movement toward intellectual autonomy, creating the tradition of liberalism, which has unhappily dominated academic theology down to the present day. But there is hope a new generation of Christian thinkers take God's Word seriously. Frame's unique new contribution augments that process."
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Jacksonville Theological Seminary
Let me get straight to the point - Jacksonville Theological Seminary is a school that should be avoided at all costs. I'm sure that you are familiar with the age-old expression "Don't judge a book by its cover." In many areas of life, this aphorism holds true. It does not, however, apply to websites. If a school's website looks "cheesy," poorly designed, or otherwise unsophisticated, you can pretty much guarantee that the school follows suit. That is definitely the case with Jacksonville Theological Seminary.
Alex, I'll Take Diploma Mills for $1,000
In the student handbook, the personnel behind JTS remind its students that its degrees "are not designed to be used in secular academic circles" but for ministry only. That's likely because no reputable academic institution - secular or otherwise - would take a degree from this obvious diploma mill seriously. In a very poorly constructed declaration (one of many such grammatical formulations to be found the website and publications), JTS declares that "the staff of JTS is proud of JTS; and considers it comparable to any other Seminary – anywhere!" The pride in their institution notwithstanding, JTS is not comparable to any other Seminary. Not even mediocre ones.
Who?
JTS notes on its website that it is "proud to be accredited by the Accrediting Commission International, Inc.," an agency that is not recognized by any authoritative governing board and is well known to have offered "accreditation" to substandard diploma mills. Of course, Jacksonville Theological Seminary is just yet another diploma mill to waive the flag of ACI accreditation.
Doctor of Thinkology
Take note of some of the degrees offered by JTS, many of which are, shall we say, unique. Degrees that people will recognize are the MDiv, MA, ThM, and PhD, but the school also offers the "Doctor of Evangelism," "Doctor of Biblical Studies," "Doctor of Christian Education," and "Doctor of Religious Education," just to name a few. The school also offers the Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Christian Psychology, a degree not worth the paper it is printed on since no state will recognize the degree as valid and providing the competence to practice.
Faculty? Who Needs 'em!
Perhaps the most telling sign of the school's incompetence is the lack of qualified faculty. Instead, JTS hires "facilitators" who, after paying a $1,000 administration fee (yes, you actually have to pay to qualify to teach at JTS), will be offered classes to "facilitate." The school offers no financial aid; however, this should not prove troublesome since tuition is only $55.00 per credit hour, lower than most community colleges (except community colleges are accredited by respected agencies).
Final Words About Jacksonville Theological Seminary
In short, if you are tempted to attend or take classes at this institution, run away! You will be wasting your time and money. You would be far better off attending a fully accredited online seminary (see some recommended schools here).
