Nick Revelli

A lot of the anti-seminary rhetoric reminds me of the “Seminary = cemetery!” advice I received coming out of Calvary Chapel. Of course not all seminaries are the same, but you’re probably not going to teach yourself Greek and Hebrew watching YouTube videos. A good seminary will help equip you to exegete the Scriptures faithfully, and expose you to a broad range of theological and historical debates that you’re likely not aware of. Seminary doesn’t automatically qualify you for ministry, but if you’re hoping to devote your life to teaching the Bible (and the church is calling you to this), make whatever necessary sacrifices you need to in order to be the best equipped to do so. It’s a low view of the office, and a high view of oneself that thinks, “I don’t need any of that, I can just figure it out on my own.” There’s enough “learning as you go” in ordained ministry as is, you don’t want to also be figuring out the basics of the Bible and theology (what your view of baptism, or covenant is) while trying to teach and shepherd others. If you’re of the opinion that all seminaries are a waste of time, you’re not seeing clearly.