I'm thinking of working on my Master's at Northwestern Theological Seminary. Anyone taken classes there?
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Northwestern Theological Seminary
- Thread starter pastorjose
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emmzee
Regular Member
Northwestern is basically unaccredited. Here's their page on their accreditation:
Seminary Accreditation
Usually when a school's accreditation page is that long it's not a good sign. They say: "We were recently approved for membership by the Association of Christian Schools International, which is the same organization that is certifying courses offered at MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE and thousands of other Christian Schools, Bible Colleges and Seminaries all over the world." If that is true, then it must have been so recent that they are not listed on ACSI's website. Search for yourself here:
Find a School
Not that it matters much if they were listed anyways, ACSI is not recognized by the US government. The three recognized Christian accreditors in the USA are ATS, ABHE, and TRACS. Any others are not government approved. Schools may also have secular accreditation from one of the six regional accreditors or DETC. Northwestern Theological Seminary has none of these.
Now, it may be that you don't need or want an accedited degree. If so, NTS might work for you. But keep in mind that some churches / workplaces will not accept it, and you will not be able to use your degree to attend accredited schools.
I also wonder a bit about the rigor of their programs when they proudly proclaim that students can "COMPLETE MASTER AND DOCTORATE LEVEL DEGREES IN JUST MONTHS INSTEAD OF YEARS" ... a doctorate degree should not take just a few months to complete!
Why not check out Nations University? They are not yet accredited but they are up-front about that and they are applicants with the DETC. They are also almost free ($100 fee per year if you live in the USA, free if you live outside the USA) so you have very little to lose by giving them a shot. NationsUniversity - A School Without Walls - NationsUniversity
Seminary Accreditation
Usually when a school's accreditation page is that long it's not a good sign. They say: "We were recently approved for membership by the Association of Christian Schools International, which is the same organization that is certifying courses offered at MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE and thousands of other Christian Schools, Bible Colleges and Seminaries all over the world." If that is true, then it must have been so recent that they are not listed on ACSI's website. Search for yourself here:
Find a School
Not that it matters much if they were listed anyways, ACSI is not recognized by the US government. The three recognized Christian accreditors in the USA are ATS, ABHE, and TRACS. Any others are not government approved. Schools may also have secular accreditation from one of the six regional accreditors or DETC. Northwestern Theological Seminary has none of these.
Now, it may be that you don't need or want an accedited degree. If so, NTS might work for you. But keep in mind that some churches / workplaces will not accept it, and you will not be able to use your degree to attend accredited schools.
I also wonder a bit about the rigor of their programs when they proudly proclaim that students can "COMPLETE MASTER AND DOCTORATE LEVEL DEGREES IN JUST MONTHS INSTEAD OF YEARS" ... a doctorate degree should not take just a few months to complete!
Why not check out Nations University? They are not yet accredited but they are up-front about that and they are applicants with the DETC. They are also almost free ($100 fee per year if you live in the USA, free if you live outside the USA) so you have very little to lose by giving them a shot. NationsUniversity - A School Without Walls - NationsUniversity
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I very much appreciate your thoughts onNorthwestern Theological and your recommendation of Nations University. After earning my Masters, I would look forward to my doctorate and I could not find any mention of post graduate degrees at Nations University. If I earned my masters from Nations, where would you then suggest for my Dmin or Phd?
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emmzee
Regular Member
You're welcome! 
Before I can answer that, I need to know why you are planning to get a DMin or PhD ... do you want to teach in academia? Or become a pastor / other church position? Or just for personal edification? Or another reason? The reason you are seeking the degree will make a difference as to the best route you should take.
Before I can answer that, I need to know why you are planning to get a DMin or PhD ... do you want to teach in academia? Or become a pastor / other church position? Or just for personal edification? Or another reason? The reason you are seeking the degree will make a difference as to the best route you should take.
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Emmzee, I currently pastor a very small and poor congregation. I will follow whatever path God has chosen for me. Personally, I hope to increase the size of my congregation. I also want to leave my options open to teach or, perhaps one day, open my own Seminary.
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emmzee
Regular Member
Hi Pastor Jose,
In terms of leaving the most doors open as possible, the best school to attend would be one that is both ATS accredited and regionally accredited. The difficulty with that is that 1) These schools are generally expensive, and 2) ATS does not allow online-only degrees (all require at least some time spent at the school, like a week or two during the summer). They also often require a regionally accredited and/or ATS bachelor's degree for entry. So it doesn't sound like this would be a good option for you. If it is, however, any of the ATS schools would be a good choice, most of them are also regionally accredited.
Your next option, in terms of overall applicability, is a school that is Christian but has regional accreditation. This would be from one of the six regional accreditors in the USA. (This is the same type of accreditation that "normal" universities in the USA have.) Probably the most well-known of this type is Liberty University (they claim to be the largest Christian university in the world): Distance Education | Online Masters, Bachelors, & Associate Degrees | Liberty University Online They offer many different programs, most of them are available 100% via distance. Their tuition is relatively cheap (compared to other schools), $250/credit. So for example, for their Master in Pastoral Counseling degree, it would cost $250 x 36credits = $9,000 (plus books and so on). There are some other options, but they cost the same or more, such as Bible, M.A. ~ Maranatha Online College
If these are not viable options, a third class (no less "good" than the degrees noted above, but not as widely accepted, even though they are accredited and legitimate) are those schools accredited by ABHE, TRACS, or DETC. Again these are legitimate schools/degrees, just less "prestigious". (Ex, Harvard and Columbus State are both accredited but Harvard is clearly better from a reputation standpoint.) Most people will accept them for work purposes, but some may not. And it would be difficult to get into a ATS/regional doctorate program with this kind of degree. An example would be TRACS-accredited Luther Rice Seminary: Online Seminary / Degree Programs / Theology / Graduate / Atlanta They are slightly cheaper than Liberty, $218/credit once you add all the fees, so their MA in Biblical Counseling would be approximately $7,848 (again, plus books).
The final option is an unaccredited school. These schools are usually cheaper, but their relative "worth" will be seen as being less, and many places may not accept them. There are many, many sub-par non-accredited schools, some that are even scams or diploma mills so you need to be very careful. One that I have heard of that may have some merit is Columbia Evangelical Seminary ... they have a unique model, and the cost would be much less than other schools, but some people are wary of this kind of unaccredited school.
So if time and money permits, choose any ATS/regional school that seems to fit your needs/budget. If you need a 100% online program and/or a cheaper program, Liberty would be a good choice. If you need a cheaper program than Liberty, try Luther Rice. And if budget constraints mean that none of these are an option, I'd suggest trying Nations University and hoping that they become accredited before you finish - at least that way you wouldn't be out any money.
Hope this helps, I know it was a long post!
In terms of leaving the most doors open as possible, the best school to attend would be one that is both ATS accredited and regionally accredited. The difficulty with that is that 1) These schools are generally expensive, and 2) ATS does not allow online-only degrees (all require at least some time spent at the school, like a week or two during the summer). They also often require a regionally accredited and/or ATS bachelor's degree for entry. So it doesn't sound like this would be a good option for you. If it is, however, any of the ATS schools would be a good choice, most of them are also regionally accredited.
Your next option, in terms of overall applicability, is a school that is Christian but has regional accreditation. This would be from one of the six regional accreditors in the USA. (This is the same type of accreditation that "normal" universities in the USA have.) Probably the most well-known of this type is Liberty University (they claim to be the largest Christian university in the world): Distance Education | Online Masters, Bachelors, & Associate Degrees | Liberty University Online They offer many different programs, most of them are available 100% via distance. Their tuition is relatively cheap (compared to other schools), $250/credit. So for example, for their Master in Pastoral Counseling degree, it would cost $250 x 36credits = $9,000 (plus books and so on). There are some other options, but they cost the same or more, such as Bible, M.A. ~ Maranatha Online College
If these are not viable options, a third class (no less "good" than the degrees noted above, but not as widely accepted, even though they are accredited and legitimate) are those schools accredited by ABHE, TRACS, or DETC. Again these are legitimate schools/degrees, just less "prestigious". (Ex, Harvard and Columbus State are both accredited but Harvard is clearly better from a reputation standpoint.) Most people will accept them for work purposes, but some may not. And it would be difficult to get into a ATS/regional doctorate program with this kind of degree. An example would be TRACS-accredited Luther Rice Seminary: Online Seminary / Degree Programs / Theology / Graduate / Atlanta They are slightly cheaper than Liberty, $218/credit once you add all the fees, so their MA in Biblical Counseling would be approximately $7,848 (again, plus books).
The final option is an unaccredited school. These schools are usually cheaper, but their relative "worth" will be seen as being less, and many places may not accept them. There are many, many sub-par non-accredited schools, some that are even scams or diploma mills so you need to be very careful. One that I have heard of that may have some merit is Columbia Evangelical Seminary ... they have a unique model, and the cost would be much less than other schools, but some people are wary of this kind of unaccredited school.
So if time and money permits, choose any ATS/regional school that seems to fit your needs/budget. If you need a 100% online program and/or a cheaper program, Liberty would be a good choice. If you need a cheaper program than Liberty, try Luther Rice. And if budget constraints mean that none of these are an option, I'd suggest trying Nations University and hoping that they become accredited before you finish - at least that way you wouldn't be out any money.
Hope this helps, I know it was a long post!
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EMMZEE,
Yes a very lengthy post, but very informative. A few local baptist ministers suggested Andersonville Theological Seminary. Though they state the Doctorate program is a little weak. Have you heard anything about Andersonville?
Yes a very lengthy post, but very informative. A few local baptist ministers suggested Andersonville Theological Seminary. Though they state the Doctorate program is a little weak. Have you heard anything about Andersonville?
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emmzee
Regular Member
I don't know much about Andersonville, it claims accreditation from Transworld Accrediting Commission, but like ACI, TAC is not recognized by the US government as a legal accreditor. (TRACS is the legitimate one.) So, for accreditation purposes, it's basically unaccredited like Northwestern; for purposes of being hired for jobs or teaching at schools, most will not recognize it as being legitimate. Depending where you live, it may not even be legal to call yourself "Dr Jose" with this degree.
Their doctorate degrees sound like they are a bit weak, at least compared with normal doctorates. They require 10 courses, with no thesis. Almost without exception a doctorate degree (whether it's a traditional PhD or ministry-focused DMin) requires either a thesis (usually 100+ pages) or an intensive in-ministry project and writeup in addition to coursework. So the 10 courses required by Andersonville is definitely less than is usually required.
Their doctorate degrees sound like they are a bit weak, at least compared with normal doctorates. They require 10 courses, with no thesis. Almost without exception a doctorate degree (whether it's a traditional PhD or ministry-focused DMin) requires either a thesis (usually 100+ pages) or an intensive in-ministry project and writeup in addition to coursework. So the 10 courses required by Andersonville is definitely less than is usually required.
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According to current and alumni, their Graduate programs do require a thesis/dissertation. I wouldn't even consider them if they didn't. You know the price is right and I have time to withdraw if I don't like what I find.
I'll join and check it out and post what I find.
I'll join and check it out and post what I find.
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As a NTS graduate I thought I'd wade into this discussion. Having actually attended and taken the courses there I can attest that its a very intensive and comprehensive program. I came in with nearly 60 credit hours and they accepted some, but not all, as transfer credit, and they gave me 9hrs of credit for my 10 yrs of ministry experience. That essentially left me with 60 hrs to complete. It took me 14 months of working 2-3hrs a night to get through and earn my BTh. I suppose its possible to get through more quickly, but one would have to be able to read through 2-3k page theology books at a faster clip than I did. Their concept is very simple and straight-forward, but actually doing the work is anything but. Having actually done the work I have to chuckle at the notion that it can be done in appreciably less applied time than an brick and mortar degree. You'll get it done faster at NTS only if your willing to put 2-3-4 hrs a night into it.
As far as the grad degrees go, whoever is saying they don't require thesis and dissertation doesn't know what they are talking about. The Master's thesis is required for any Master's level degrees. The thesis proposal has to be 20 pages minimum and the thesis itself has a 75 page minimum. The Doctorate programs hold the same proposal requirements for the dissertation but the actual paper has a 150 page minimum. That's in addition to the courses that have to be taken to even get to that point. I'd hardly call it a "give away" degree.
On the issue of accreditation, I was curious as to the legitimacy the institution had prior to enrolling. I'm southern Baptist and have also ministered in A/G churches, both of which are large denominations and have their own top-notch seminaries. I called Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary as well as Assembly of God Theological Seminary and they both told me that they accept NTS grads into their various programs. My NTS bachelors degree was good enough to get me into SBTS this coming fall. All I can say is that other well respected regionally accredited schools know of them and have good opinions of them. Call around yourself and talk to people in admissions offices, they'll tell you the same thing.
Academically they are solid, but wouldn't recommend them to just anyone. You really should be somewhat grounded in what you believe and be able to explain yourself. NTS does not really teach a specific doctrine, they expect you to present a position and be able to defend it. If you already know what you believe and why you believe it, you'll be fine. If not, its probably not the best place to be. I wrote more than one term-paper that was highly critical of of the course text and, because I vigorously presented my position, I did well. For me, not being forced into a doctrinal mold was very refreshing. Others might struggle with that.
The lone negative thing I can say about them is that their communication is poor. The phone number provided never has a human answer it and email communication is spotty at best. There were times I had to wait a week or more for communication to be responded to. They are most likely grossly understaffed for the amount of students they have. Again, if you need hand-holding and constant contact with advisers, don't enroll here. As someone who's very self directed, I got frustrated with them at times, I can only imagine what someone who needed more direct contact would feel.
Bottom line is, you've got to do whats best for yourself and your situation but I wouldn't worry too much about the academics or legitimacy of the institution (or the fact that they have the worst website ever). If you don't mind the communication hick-ups, and can work without a lot of help, NTS might be a good bet for you. Once you download your first huge theological volume that was written in the 1870's in quasi-old English by some obscure theological genius, the last thing you'll be wondering is whether or not NTS will challenge you.
Best of luck, in whatever you decide.
As far as the grad degrees go, whoever is saying they don't require thesis and dissertation doesn't know what they are talking about. The Master's thesis is required for any Master's level degrees. The thesis proposal has to be 20 pages minimum and the thesis itself has a 75 page minimum. The Doctorate programs hold the same proposal requirements for the dissertation but the actual paper has a 150 page minimum. That's in addition to the courses that have to be taken to even get to that point. I'd hardly call it a "give away" degree.
On the issue of accreditation, I was curious as to the legitimacy the institution had prior to enrolling. I'm southern Baptist and have also ministered in A/G churches, both of which are large denominations and have their own top-notch seminaries. I called Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary as well as Assembly of God Theological Seminary and they both told me that they accept NTS grads into their various programs. My NTS bachelors degree was good enough to get me into SBTS this coming fall. All I can say is that other well respected regionally accredited schools know of them and have good opinions of them. Call around yourself and talk to people in admissions offices, they'll tell you the same thing.
Academically they are solid, but wouldn't recommend them to just anyone. You really should be somewhat grounded in what you believe and be able to explain yourself. NTS does not really teach a specific doctrine, they expect you to present a position and be able to defend it. If you already know what you believe and why you believe it, you'll be fine. If not, its probably not the best place to be. I wrote more than one term-paper that was highly critical of of the course text and, because I vigorously presented my position, I did well. For me, not being forced into a doctrinal mold was very refreshing. Others might struggle with that.
The lone negative thing I can say about them is that their communication is poor. The phone number provided never has a human answer it and email communication is spotty at best. There were times I had to wait a week or more for communication to be responded to. They are most likely grossly understaffed for the amount of students they have. Again, if you need hand-holding and constant contact with advisers, don't enroll here. As someone who's very self directed, I got frustrated with them at times, I can only imagine what someone who needed more direct contact would feel.
Bottom line is, you've got to do whats best for yourself and your situation but I wouldn't worry too much about the academics or legitimacy of the institution (or the fact that they have the worst website ever). If you don't mind the communication hick-ups, and can work without a lot of help, NTS might be a good bet for you. Once you download your first huge theological volume that was written in the 1870's in quasi-old English by some obscure theological genius, the last thing you'll be wondering is whether or not NTS will challenge you.
Best of luck, in whatever you decide.
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Marcus Constantine
Early Church Historian
I'm familiar with the school through reputation only. I couldn't recommend anyone going there from what I've heard. They seem to be dishonest in their claims. I actually recently read a short review that a colleague of mine wrote about that school. He is a Registrar and reviews various colleges and seminaries. He must have been pretty riled when he wrote this, because it is little more aggressive than usual! Anyway, here is what he said:
I'm assuming he is talking about the same Northwestern Theological Seminary. If what he is saying is correct, and it seems to be, then I would have to agree that you should be leery of this place. There are much more solid, accredited places out there. I would stick with one of those.
that's from The Baptist Resource, his website.
I'm assuming he is talking about the same Northwestern Theological Seminary. If what he is saying is correct, and it seems to be, then I would have to agree that you should be leery of this place. There are much more solid, accredited places out there. I would stick with one of those.
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Again, all I can attest to is my own personal experience. I went through it myself, as opposed to accepting what someone else had to say about it. You stated, "There are much more solid, accredited places out there". How can one make such a claim when one has not experienced first hand what they have to offer? I'm sure there are "better" placed to attend with full accreditation and an even fuller bill to pay. For what I wanted to accomplish, get into my denominational seminary without paying huge $ on my undergrad, it worked fantastically.
My diploma hangs on my wall in a nice frame. I know I earned it, the work was challenging and I'm proud of having studied there. You can hate on an institution that you have no first hand knowledge of if you so desire.
I would suggest that those looking to attend any institution do their own due research and reach their own conclusions based on what they desire to accomplish. Not come to some forum where people rant about things that they themselves have not experienced.
My diploma hangs on my wall in a nice frame. I know I earned it, the work was challenging and I'm proud of having studied there. You can hate on an institution that you have no first hand knowledge of if you so desire.
I would suggest that those looking to attend any institution do their own due research and reach their own conclusions based on what they desire to accomplish. Not come to some forum where people rant about things that they themselves have not experienced.
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Marcus Constantine
Early Church Historian
I won't disagree with you Netsrik about people researching for themselves. Although I haven't experienced them first-hand, I do evaluate schools as an occupation and I do see some common "red-flags" with them. That doesn't mean that they are evil or that they have bad professors. I would just be cautious when dealing with any unaccredited school. With the exception of cost, I can't see the benefit of going with any unaccredited school over an accredited one.
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Marcus Constantine
Early Church Historian
Both are good schools so if they recognize degrees from NTS, that does help their credibility.
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Dear Poster:
You should be ashamed... For attacking an established educational ministry of the Lord, with the impure motive of advertising a non accredited seminary.
You have just attacked a 30 year old accredited seminary with malicious statements meant to degrade respected educational ministry of God which has been responsible for thousands of Christian disciples worldwide. Do you realize that NTS has hudreds of branches in many countries worldwide where people are preparded for Gospel ministry at little or no cost to the students? It is the online NTS program that supports these ministries.
Then after verbally tearing down a lgitimate worldwide educational minsitry that is theologically accredited, you use your final pragraph to plug, or advertise an unknown school with NO accreditation. Why would you attack one respected seminary with a blatantly improper motive of advertising another less qualitified seminary? This is highly improper behavior for a Christian.
In Christ,
Churchill Maghanoy
Administrator
International Association for Christian Educational Accountability
You should be ashamed... For attacking an established educational ministry of the Lord, with the impure motive of advertising a non accredited seminary.
You have just attacked a 30 year old accredited seminary with malicious statements meant to degrade respected educational ministry of God which has been responsible for thousands of Christian disciples worldwide. Do you realize that NTS has hudreds of branches in many countries worldwide where people are preparded for Gospel ministry at little or no cost to the students? It is the online NTS program that supports these ministries.
Then after verbally tearing down a lgitimate worldwide educational minsitry that is theologically accredited, you use your final pragraph to plug, or advertise an unknown school with NO accreditation. Why would you attack one respected seminary with a blatantly improper motive of advertising another less qualitified seminary? This is highly improper behavior for a Christian.
In Christ,
Churchill Maghanoy
Administrator
International Association for Christian Educational Accountability
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A Report From Miguel A. Contreras, a U.S. Federal Agent, concerning: Northwestern Theological Seminary and Christian University
Dear Christian Friends:
It is with great appreciation for this educational ministry and as an encouragement to you, that I write this short message in response to your interest in attending Northwestern.
I can attest that Northwestern has very stringent standards and expectations from the students. Christian Alliance Ministries has two professional educational ministries. These include Northwestern Christian University and Northwestern Theological Seminary. Northwestern is state authorized and theologically accredited and should definitively not be compared with deceptive organizations, many of which are headquartered overseas, which are advertising on the Internet and are nothing less than diploma mills, granting valueless degrees.
As a Federal Agent attached to several bureaus of the Department of the Treasury, I have over twenty-four years of working as an agent with the US federal government, BATF, DEA, CUSTOMS and INTERNAL AFFAIRS and I have traveled all over the world specializing in Internet fraud and other types of investigations. In fact, I have visited and developed fellowships with high-ranking officials of well-known higher education institutions all over the world.
I had the opportunity of having attended Michigan State University (MSU) where I obtained my BA, and completed one year of graduate work in criminal justice administration in 1981, the year I accepted a job with the US government on the West coast and had to relocate. MSU was one of the top universities offering under-graduate and graduate degrees in criminal justice. I also attended the University of Leicester's graduate program in security management, in the UK.
In 2002, I engaged in extensive biblical studies and received ordinations as a minister/reverend from Christian organizations after passing rigorous written examinations. Later, I decided to look for a theological institution offering quality education. After spending considerable time researching the Internet looking for what I considered a good graduate school offering Master and Doctoral degrees at a reasonable expense, I found Northwestern Theological Seminary (NTS). In comparison with other schools which charged anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000 to complete a graduate degree programs in theology, I opted for Northwestern Theological Seminary, which provided the quality of a state authorized educational program with theological accreditation at a cost that was affordable, by Love Offer to the ministry. Believe me, I prayed to the Lord for days before I applied with Northwestern. I asked he Holy Spirit to lead me and show me the way.....Then finally, as a test, I wrote to Northwestern Theological Seminary and offered a complex theological question which was immediately answered.....this was not a one single line response......Dr. Sarkela's response took almost one full page, single spaced....He quoted the Bible extensively and what he wrote made sense.....I was convinced as a servant and follower of our Father in Heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ, that Northwestern Theological Seminary, was a good school. Therefore, without any reservation, I highly recommend Northwestern Christian University, Northwestern Theological Seminary and Christian Alliance Ministries, Worldwide Educational and Evangelistic Ministries.
IN HIM,
Miguel A. Contreras
Note:
Agent Contreras is a former U.S. Federal Agent and has served over 25 years with the The US Government. He announced his retirement in October of 2006.
It is with great appreciation for this educational ministry and as an encouragement to you, that I write this short message in response to your interest in attending Northwestern.
I can attest that Northwestern has very stringent standards and expectations from the students. Christian Alliance Ministries has two professional educational ministries. These include Northwestern Christian University and Northwestern Theological Seminary. Northwestern is state authorized and theologically accredited and should definitively not be compared with deceptive organizations, many of which are headquartered overseas, which are advertising on the Internet and are nothing less than diploma mills, granting valueless degrees.
As a Federal Agent attached to several bureaus of the Department of the Treasury, I have over twenty-four years of working as an agent with the US federal government, BATF, DEA, CUSTOMS and INTERNAL AFFAIRS and I have traveled all over the world specializing in Internet fraud and other types of investigations. In fact, I have visited and developed fellowships with high-ranking officials of well-known higher education institutions all over the world.
I had the opportunity of having attended Michigan State University (MSU) where I obtained my BA, and completed one year of graduate work in criminal justice administration in 1981, the year I accepted a job with the US government on the West coast and had to relocate. MSU was one of the top universities offering under-graduate and graduate degrees in criminal justice. I also attended the University of Leicester's graduate program in security management, in the UK.
In 2002, I engaged in extensive biblical studies and received ordinations as a minister/reverend from Christian organizations after passing rigorous written examinations. Later, I decided to look for a theological institution offering quality education. After spending considerable time researching the Internet looking for what I considered a good graduate school offering Master and Doctoral degrees at a reasonable expense, I found Northwestern Theological Seminary (NTS). In comparison with other schools which charged anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000 to complete a graduate degree programs in theology, I opted for Northwestern Theological Seminary, which provided the quality of a state authorized educational program with theological accreditation at a cost that was affordable, by Love Offer to the ministry. Believe me, I prayed to the Lord for days before I applied with Northwestern. I asked he Holy Spirit to lead me and show me the way.....Then finally, as a test, I wrote to Northwestern Theological Seminary and offered a complex theological question which was immediately answered.....this was not a one single line response......Dr. Sarkela's response took almost one full page, single spaced....He quoted the Bible extensively and what he wrote made sense.....I was convinced as a servant and follower of our Father in Heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ, that Northwestern Theological Seminary, was a good school. Therefore, without any reservation, I highly recommend Northwestern Christian University, Northwestern Theological Seminary and Christian Alliance Ministries, Worldwide Educational and Evangelistic Ministries.
IN HIM,
Miguel A. Contreras
Note:
Agent Contreras is a former U.S. Federal Agent and has served over 25 years with the The US Government. He announced his retirement in October of 2006.
Upvote
0
A Report From Miguel A. Contreras, a U.S. Federal Agent, concerning: Northwestern Theological Seminary and Christian University
Dear Christian Friends:
It is with great appreciation for this educational ministry and as an encouragement to you, that I write this short message in response to your interest in attending Northwestern.
I can attest that Northwestern has very stringent standards and expectations from the students. Christian Alliance Ministries has two professional educational ministries. These include Northwestern Christian University and Northwestern Theological Seminary. Northwestern is state authorized and theologically accredited and should definitively not be compared with deceptive organizations, many of which are headquartered overseas, which are advertising on the Internet and are nothing less than diploma mills, granting valueless degrees.
As a Federal Agent attached to several bureaus of the Department of the Treasury, I have over twenty-four years of working as an agent with the US federal government, BATF, DEA, CUSTOMS and INTERNAL AFFAIRS and I have traveled all over the world specializing in Internet fraud and other types of investigations. In fact, I have visited and developed fellowships with high-ranking officials of well-known higher education institutions all over the world.
I had the opportunity of having attended Michigan State University (MSU) where I obtained my BA, and completed one year of graduate work in criminal justice administration in 1981, the year I accepted a job with the US government on the West coast and had to relocate. MSU was one of the top universities offering under-graduate and graduate degrees in criminal justice. I also attended the University of Leicester's graduate program in security management, in the UK.
In 2002, I engaged in extensive biblical studies and received ordinations as a minister/reverend from Christian organizations after passing rigorous written examinations. Later, I decided to look for a theological institution offering quality education. After spending considerable time researching the Internet looking for what I considered a good graduate school offering Master and Doctoral degrees at a reasonable expense, I found Northwestern Theological Seminary (NTS). In comparison with other schools which charged anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000 to complete a graduate degree programs in theology, I opted for Northwestern Theological Seminary, which provided the quality of a state authorized educational program with theological accreditation at a cost that was affordable, by Love Offer to the ministry. Believe me, I prayed to the Lord for days before I applied with Northwestern. I asked he Holy Spirit to lead me and show me the way.....Then finally, as a test, I wrote to Northwestern Theological Seminary and offered a complex theological question which was immediately answered.....this was not a one single line response......Dr. Sarkela's response took almost one full page, single spaced....He quoted the Bible extensively and what he wrote made sense.....I was convinced as a servant and follower of our Father in Heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ, that Northwestern Theological Seminary, was a good school. Therefore, without any reservation, I highly recommend Northwestern Christian University, Northwestern Theological Seminary and Christian Alliance Ministries, Worldwide Educational and Evangelistic Ministries.
IN HIM,
Miguel A. Contreras
Note:
Agent Contreras is a former U.S. Federal Agent and has served over 25 years with the The US Government. He announced his retirement in October of 2006.
It is with great appreciation for this educational ministry and as an encouragement to you, that I write this short message in response to your interest in attending Northwestern.
I can attest that Northwestern has very stringent standards and expectations from the students. Christian Alliance Ministries has two professional educational ministries. These include Northwestern Christian University and Northwestern Theological Seminary. Northwestern is state authorized and theologically accredited and should definitively not be compared with deceptive organizations, many of which are headquartered overseas, which are advertising on the Internet and are nothing less than diploma mills, granting valueless degrees.
As a Federal Agent attached to several bureaus of the Department of the Treasury, I have over twenty-four years of working as an agent with the US federal government, BATF, DEA, CUSTOMS and INTERNAL AFFAIRS and I have traveled all over the world specializing in Internet fraud and other types of investigations. In fact, I have visited and developed fellowships with high-ranking officials of well-known higher education institutions all over the world.
I had the opportunity of having attended Michigan State University (MSU) where I obtained my BA, and completed one year of graduate work in criminal justice administration in 1981, the year I accepted a job with the US government on the West coast and had to relocate. MSU was one of the top universities offering under-graduate and graduate degrees in criminal justice. I also attended the University of Leicester's graduate program in security management, in the UK.
In 2002, I engaged in extensive biblical studies and received ordinations as a minister/reverend from Christian organizations after passing rigorous written examinations. Later, I decided to look for a theological institution offering quality education. After spending considerable time researching the Internet looking for what I considered a good graduate school offering Master and Doctoral degrees at a reasonable expense, I found Northwestern Theological Seminary (NTS). In comparison with other schools which charged anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000 to complete a graduate degree programs in theology, I opted for Northwestern Theological Seminary, which provided the quality of a state authorized educational program with theological accreditation at a cost that was affordable, by Love Offer to the ministry. Believe me, I prayed to the Lord for days before I applied with Northwestern. I asked he Holy Spirit to lead me and show me the way.....Then finally, as a test, I wrote to Northwestern Theological Seminary and offered a complex theological question which was immediately answered.....this was not a one single line response......Dr. Sarkela's response took almost one full page, single spaced....He quoted the Bible extensively and what he wrote made sense.....I was convinced as a servant and follower of our Father in Heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ, that Northwestern Theological Seminary, was a good school. Therefore, without any reservation, I highly recommend Northwestern Christian University, Northwestern Theological Seminary and Christian Alliance Ministries, Worldwide Educational and Evangelistic Ministries.
IN HIM,
Miguel A. Contreras
Note:
Agent Contreras is a former U.S. Federal Agent and has served over 25 years with the The US Government. He announced his retirement in October of 2006.
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Marcus Constantine
Early Church Historian
Don't really know who you are addressing that to, I am assuming Emzee, but I don't think this is the place for random advertisements and attacks.
If you were addressing that to me, let me say that I never said that they have done nothing for their students or that they are evil, etc. My problem was with their false assertions that THEY place on THEIR website. It's an excuse for laziness - no accreditation is a cheaper route requiring a LOT less paperwork. I know because I have to fill out that paperwork for the college I work in - but I would rather do that than have my students graduate with a piece of paper that was worthless in the U.S. If Northwestern wants to train people for ministry, that is great - I will fully support that and thank God. However, if they want to call themselves a seminary or pass themselves off as an institution of higher learning, then that is unethical - not technically illegal - but unethical. Call yourself a church ministry or an Bible institute or something like that.
I deal with a lot of students that transfer from schools like Northwestern and they are many times devastated to realize that the work they have done for 2-4 years is pretty worthless. I just can't understand how "seminaries" and "colleges" like these carry the Christian name, but act in an unethical and blatantly misleading way.
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Dear Christian Forum:
Thank you for your reply.
Yes, the biased and unfair post was made by Emzee... However, you also are making a major false assumption, that if a school is not regionally accredited, it is therefore not accreditated. This is simply untrue. Northwestern Theological Seminary provides a quality education and is accredited by IACEA a Christian accreditor not affiliated or dictated to by government influenced accreditors. Accreditation must not be controlled by the Government or Department of Education in the USA as it is in communist countries.
NTS is offering a quality education. Take a moment to visit their website and open their online degrees page.
Read their Catalog and handbook. NTS even provides the MOODLE online educational management system which is the same system used by major universities.The Northwestern Theological Seminary educational ministry has been in existence for over 30 years while educating and making Christian disciples. NTS has students who have graduated or left Liberty, Fuller and Dallas and who have chose to enroll at NTS for their doctorate and even M.Div. degrees because of the financial savings. Everyone I have communicated with feels that the NTS educational standards are excellent.
The fact is; God is filling a major gap by making seminaries like NTS available for those who cannot afford to pay $50,000 to $150,000 for college of university level education. Without seminaries like Northwestern thousands of students would not be able to receive a seminary education. So do not attack and seek to degrade Northwestern Theological Seminary just because they refuse to align with accrediting agencies that are influenced by the Government and for offering education at a fraction of the cost of such government approved seminaries, just because you may be affiliated with one yourself. There are quality seminaries available online to students who cannot afford to attend major schools with regional accreditation. And NTS is not lazy concerning accreditation, It does not just involve filling out paperwork as you state, such accreditation is very very expensive.
Regional and other government influenced accreditation is BIG business costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Smaller seminaries and online seminaries cannot afford to pay such high costs and still fill the gap in providing quality Christ centered education for those who are financially disadvantaged. Northwestern Theological Seminary is one of the oldest and largest online seminaries because the Lord has blessed NTS for being obedient and offering quality, low cost education to the masses. Furthermore, NTS has hundreds of physical branch seminaries all over the world. Just go to their seminary website to view NTS graduation ceremonies and NTS class pictures in Africa, Philippines, Pakistan, India and South America. many of these over seas branch seminary students attend NTS branches for free.
At NTS their goal; is to obey the Great Commission and they are thus far doing a wonderful job worldwide.
Why would you or any Christian seek to verbally discredit them for making disciples through Christ centered seminary education worldwide. We are proud to have accredited Northwestern Theological Seminary through The International Association for Christian Educational Accountability.
In His Service,
Churchill Maghanoy
IACEA Administrator
Thank you for your reply.
Yes, the biased and unfair post was made by Emzee... However, you also are making a major false assumption, that if a school is not regionally accredited, it is therefore not accreditated. This is simply untrue. Northwestern Theological Seminary provides a quality education and is accredited by IACEA a Christian accreditor not affiliated or dictated to by government influenced accreditors. Accreditation must not be controlled by the Government or Department of Education in the USA as it is in communist countries.
NTS is offering a quality education. Take a moment to visit their website and open their online degrees page.
Read their Catalog and handbook. NTS even provides the MOODLE online educational management system which is the same system used by major universities.The Northwestern Theological Seminary educational ministry has been in existence for over 30 years while educating and making Christian disciples. NTS has students who have graduated or left Liberty, Fuller and Dallas and who have chose to enroll at NTS for their doctorate and even M.Div. degrees because of the financial savings. Everyone I have communicated with feels that the NTS educational standards are excellent.
The fact is; God is filling a major gap by making seminaries like NTS available for those who cannot afford to pay $50,000 to $150,000 for college of university level education. Without seminaries like Northwestern thousands of students would not be able to receive a seminary education. So do not attack and seek to degrade Northwestern Theological Seminary just because they refuse to align with accrediting agencies that are influenced by the Government and for offering education at a fraction of the cost of such government approved seminaries, just because you may be affiliated with one yourself. There are quality seminaries available online to students who cannot afford to attend major schools with regional accreditation. And NTS is not lazy concerning accreditation, It does not just involve filling out paperwork as you state, such accreditation is very very expensive.
Regional and other government influenced accreditation is BIG business costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Smaller seminaries and online seminaries cannot afford to pay such high costs and still fill the gap in providing quality Christ centered education for those who are financially disadvantaged. Northwestern Theological Seminary is one of the oldest and largest online seminaries because the Lord has blessed NTS for being obedient and offering quality, low cost education to the masses. Furthermore, NTS has hundreds of physical branch seminaries all over the world. Just go to their seminary website to view NTS graduation ceremonies and NTS class pictures in Africa, Philippines, Pakistan, India and South America. many of these over seas branch seminary students attend NTS branches for free.
At NTS their goal; is to obey the Great Commission and they are thus far doing a wonderful job worldwide.
Why would you or any Christian seek to verbally discredit them for making disciples through Christ centered seminary education worldwide. We are proud to have accredited Northwestern Theological Seminary through The International Association for Christian Educational Accountability.
In His Service,
Churchill Maghanoy
IACEA Administrator
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E.C.
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- Jan 12, 2007
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I have not seen such delusion since my days of taking public transportation. Wow.
Rule of thumb: if any academic institution has to go leaps and bounds and has more webpages justifying their shady accreditation (or lack of it) than they do about location, programs, degrees, student life, etc: Don't go there.
Rule of thumb: if any academic institution has to go leaps and bounds and has more webpages justifying their shady accreditation (or lack of it) than they do about location, programs, degrees, student life, etc: Don't go there.
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