In the face of all the multiple demands at seminary, the temptation to laziness can be acute.  I’ve spoken with a number of students who succumb to laziness, to their own hurt.  They have much to get done, but cannot get themselves to do it. Often laziness will show up as procrastination; or choosing to [...]

In an interview with the dean of students at a leading evangelical seminary, I asked about the most common reasons people did not complete seminary.  One of his answers was a shock to me: students get caught cheating. Seminary students have ample opportunity to cheat. You can plagiarize-representing the academic work of others as your [...]

Beginning seminary students are often flush with excitement of the prospect of learning the deep things of God. With a legitimate hunger for God’s word, we tackle our language and theology study with great rigor, and begin having conversations with our fellow students, challenging each other’s understanding of the scriptures. A little knowledge, however, is [...]

Seminary housing is often more affordable than comparable accommodations in surrounding communities, and it is definitely more convenient. However, there is a snare associated with it. Seminary is not the real world. It is a bubble, insulated both physically and ideologically from the lost culture in which it stands. In one sense, this is good. [...]

Particularly around larger seminaries, you’ll find what I call the “seminary church.” It’s almost always a large church. Often it’s close to the campus. Many professors and students attend it. The culture and theology of the seminary often bleeds over into the church. For seminary students, it’s a comfy place to be. There were a [...]