[CS-FSLUG] [Was: Seeking opinions] Washington Bible College

[Ritchie, Josiah S.]

> -----Original Message-----
> Hey Josiah!
> 
>     Just took a look at the Washington Bible
> College web site.  Someone has done some hard
> work there!

Yes, it has had a lot done on it. My department (IT) doesn't touch it
much. It is managed by the PR folks, which has its positives and
negatives. :-)
 
>     Your accreditation statement is one of the
> better written ones I have seen.  It really
> highlights the national & regional obligation
> to CHEA as equal.  It is shameful the academic
> arrogance that pits regionals against nationals
> and that thus harms students.
> 
>     Is WBC totally dependent on brick and mortar
> classroom instruction or is there a distance/
> online option for any of the courses and/or degrees?

Right now, yes. They have satellite classes in the Northern Virginia
area and are looking at moving out into the Baltimore and Annapolis
areas. There has been interest in DE since 1999 (back then they thought
they were going to be ahead of the curve), but other things have taken
precedence. It is something that will probably be heavily attacked in
the next couple years. That's only my impression though. Having sat back
on that provides the benefit of seeing what works and what doesn't so
they'll be able to do it right. (I say they, because I have plans to
move to Fellowship International Mission.)

Accreditation certainly has its positive and negative aspects. WBC/CBS
has been putting a lot of effort into that through the last several
years. It seems to be paying off and will allow our students more
flexibility and credibility. I think this probably matters most to our
music and psychology departments. These folks still get a Bible major,
but focus in those disciplines and with accreditation will have a easier
path to graduate level studies among secular schools.

I have friends who have graduated under our psychology program. They
have done well in graduate studies, but found some schools wouldn't
accept they level of accreditation WBC has attained as a valid degree.

>     Also, how heavy is the dependence of WBC on
> FAFSA dollars?  Any plans for the eventual assault
> on Christian institutions via FAFSA regs when the
> Democrats eventually regain power?

:-) I think I'll choose not to comment on that. I'm not aware of the
depth of our dependence of our students on federal aid. I imagine it
would hurt though.

>     Also liked the "What We Believe" page:
> http://www.bible.edu/index.cfm?PAGE_ID=709
> 
>     I wish every institution would define what
> they mean by "elect" as it means different things
> to different people.  For some it is predestination
> and for others it is the certainty (unlike other
> faiths) that surrender to Christ *always* results
> in eternal salvation.
> 
>     I would argue that the first part of their
> "Last Things" statement is Biblically incorrect
> but that would trigger a pre-trib/post-trib/
> mid-trib debate and far be it for me to engage
> in theological debate!  ;-)
> 

:-) You'd fit in well. The college provides a welcome environment to
debate a variety of topics on this level. At the seminary level, the
topics are more finite and a certain amount of agreement is more
assumed. Our seminary is one of the only ones who provide the degree of
emphasis on biblical languages. If you want a solid Greek and Hebrew
understanding on your Seminary education, Capital Bible Seminary is one
of the best places to go.

In my opinion, the greatest asset both school have is the ethnic
diversity. It seems that the majority race changes each year. I have had
the privilege of getting to know students with Korean, Moroccan,
African-American, South African, Jamaican and many more backgrounds. My
first roommate, a white guy, came from a very inner-city Hispanic
background with a lot of black culture influence from Arlington,
Virginia (across the river from D.C.) I was a country kid from PA. I
learned a lot my freshman year about the beauty of different
perspectives and really widened my worldview simply because of the
community.

JSR/