My 5 Favorite Classes in Seminary

On May 14 I graduated with my Master of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The M.Div. is a 96-hour graduate degree that includes areas of study like Systematic Theology, Church History, Greek, Hebrew, New Testament, Old Testament, and the like. The last four years of my academic life have poured into these thirty some odd classes and now that I am finished, although beginning doctoral work immediately, it seems appropriate to reflect on my five favorite courses that I took. I have ranked the five according to not only enjoyment but also benefit for my life and ministry.

1.     C.S. Lewis: His Life, Writings & Legacy

This course was my favorite by 100 miles. Everything about it was fun and engaging. Dr. Dan DeWitt, who is the Dean of Boyce College, taught the course and it was offered in a J-Term format, which means that I took the class for one week in the summer, Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm. DeWitt taught the class in true “Lewisian” style. We met in his office and the number of participants was small. Elements of the course included lectures on Lewis’ life and writing, both his fiction and academic works, and his legacy on the history of the church, especially his status as the Christian voice of the Twentieth Century. We also had lunch at an Irish Pub on Frankfort Ave., and interacted with documentaries and round tables about Lewis. The course work included reviewing a handful of Lewis’ books and writing a paper. I loved the content and format of this course and gained incredible insight into one of my favorite writers. The week was completely dedicated to talking, thinking and writing about C.S. Lewis with a cohort of guys who love him as much as I did. This elective is not merely my favorite course I took for my Master’s degree; it is without a doubt my favorite class I have ever taken.

2.     New Testament Theology

Another one of my favorite classes was New Testament Theology (NTT) with Dr. Tom Schreiner. Now that my degree is over, I wish that I had taken more classes with Dr. Schreiner. He is one of the most brilliant and humble professors I have ever engaged and I have benefited greatly from his writing, preaching and lecturing. The course was a thematic study of NTT and our primary textbook was Dr. Schreiner’s New Testament Theology. We also used Klink & Lockett’s book on biblical theology. Our primary assignment for the class was to write a 17-20 page paper on an issue in New Testament Theology. I wrote on “New Israel & Ethnic Israel in Paul.” The content of this class gave me a more comprehensive picture of NTT for my understanding and pastoral ministry. Schreiner led me into thinking more deeply about issues like the kingdom of God, new Israel, warning passages in Hebrews and theology of Revelation. There is no doubt that both my local church and myself will reap the benefit of this class for years to come.

3.     Elementary Greek

I would have bet you one year’s salary that Greek would never be on this list if you had asked me in 2011. When I took Greek in college I did not work very had and did not do very well. I did not fail the class at Boyce but I didn’t really care about it and just wanted to get through it. This all changed in seminary. I took Elementary Greek with Dr. Rob Plummer in the fall of 2012. When I began the course I decided that this time I would work hard and hope for a B. If I remember correctly, I probably studied about four hours a day, every day (you’d have to ask my wife if she remembers). I memorized my vocab and labored over paradigms constantly. The result of the work was 100% on exams and an A in the class. Don’t read this wrong, I am not saying that I am a Greek genius. I had to labor hard to do well. I am not the kind of guy who can pull down an A without studying. Even now I have not kept up with my languages and am not very proficient. But there was great benefit to that semester of Greek. 1.) It taught me how to really study. I am not talking about glancing at notes the night before a test. This class taught me about continual, systematic study. I studied every day. I built on what I learned earlier but always came back to the fundamentals. I currently use the habits developed in Greek to study for school and sermons regularly. 2.) It laid a foundation for my other language studies. When I took Greek Syntax and Exegesis the next semester I was prepared because of Elementary Greek. When it was time to take Elementary Hebrew and Hebrew Syntax and Exegesis I was prepared for the hours of work that I would need to put in (if there was one course I disliked more than Greek at Boyce it was Hebrew). The result was an A in all four language classes. 3.) It gave me a working knowledge of biblical languages. Again, I am no expert, but I can consult commentaries and engage the text in a way that is profitable for pastoral ministry. I am thankful for Dr. Plummer, who taught both of my SBTS Greek classes, because of his love for Jesus, the bible and his students. He made Greek a joy to learn which is something I never would have thought I would write.

4.     Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

This course makes the list, for the most part, because of the professor. Which is not to say the content was bad, in fact, it was very enjoyable. I took this class in December of 2013 with Dr. Chad Brand, who was a professor I had taken throughout college and seminary and I was also his Garrett Fellow from August of 2010 through January of 2013. Dr. Brand is one of the most engaging lecturers I have every heard and he is also an enjoyable man to talk to. I have many great memories of Dr. Brand. One particular memory being when he came out to Fordsville Baptist Church, where I was pastor in rural Kentucky, and lectured on the history of the King James Bible to a modest crowd on a stormy Wednesday evening. I am eternally grateful for how he poured into the life of this student. The Holy Spirit class engaged the doctrine of the Spirit from a biblical, theological and historical perspective. One of the most helpful discussions for my ministry was on the four texts in Acts that speak to baptism of the Spirit and the speaking of tongues. I currently hold the view that Dr. Brand put forth to us during that course. I always thought that if I ever did a Ph.D. that I would want to do it in Systematic Theology under Dr. Brand. That is how much I loved to study with him. Even though that path was not Lord’s will, I am glad to have studied under him during those years.

5.     Survey: Christian Ethics

     The list rounds out with one of the first classes I took when I started my M.Div. in the fall of 2011. Coming in to seminary from Boyce, I knew for sure that I wanted to take Survey of Christian Ethics with Dr. Russell Moore. Before he was elected as the President of the ERLC, Dr. Moore was the VP and Dean of the School of Theology at SBTS. He was also a pastor at Highview Baptist Church where Bethany and I attended before I became a Youth Pastor. I took Moore for Systematic Theology III in college and had heard nothing but good things about his Ethics course. The class certainly didn’t disappoint. I am not necessarily a huge fan of the study of ethics individually, or philosophy in general. I don’t hate philosophy and I have taken some philosophy courses during my academic career but I don’t have the love for it that Brett does. With that being said, Moore’s lectures were engaging, creative and challenging (in true Russell Moore fashion). The class ended with a paper addressing an ethical issue in the context of ministry. Moore was good at bringing you an ethical dilemma that challenged you to engage the gospel in real world situations. I am so glad that I was able to study under Dr. Moore before he left SBTS. He is one of my all time favorite professors and preachers and his influence has shaped my pastoral ministry in a way he will never know.