Is being biblical and confessional an academic liability?

tommy@signandshadow.com (Tommy Keene) — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I teach at an academic institution (Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington DC, but that’s not the point of this post, and all opinions are my own) that prides itself on being both confessional and biblical, and while those two predicates may be popular in certain circles, they are more and more seen as an academic liability. I’m guessing that if I were to go out on the streets and take a poll of what people are looking for in seminary graduate education that neither “biblical” nor “confessional” would make the top 10. I’ll go even further: narrowing the field to Christians with a high view of Scripture, I might still be hard pressed to find biblical and confessional at the top of the list. Maybe biblical, almost definitely not confessional

How to Write a Seminary Paper, Part 4: Research as Conversation

tommy@signandshadow.com (Tommy Keene) — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

You’ve got a thesis (or hypothesis), which is the most important thing. You’ve also started your research. Then it all gets a bit overwhelming. There’s so much to read, so many issues to discuss, and it often feels like you’ve got so little to contribute. Once you start to your research you realize that the issue isn’t “where to begin?” but rather “when will it all end?”

Academics on Sign and Shadow

Is being biblical and confessional an academic liability?

How to Write a Seminary Paper, Part 4: Research as Conversation