<p>I wish to one day become a theology professor. I am 20 years old and have just applied to both of these places. I am torn however, on deciding which to choose. I am a non-denominational christian and wish to get a very solid/good education that fits my liberal belief style. I know both are great schools. I just wish to know which is stronger academically and which is less conservative/strict? I appreciate any other suggestions and advice/info. also, so nobody gets confused, the schools I am talking about are Covenant College and Samford University.</p>
<p>I would not consider Covenant liberal. They are PCA - the Conservative branch of Presbyterian.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about Samford. </p>
<p>My oldest attends Covenant (and loves it there) and has no problem not being Calvinist (as they are), but he did say it leads to quite a few discussions with his roommate (a Bible major). My guy is more conservative with political beliefs, but says he is on the less conservative side there. He also says there are plenty around who are more liberal than he is, but I don’t know if they are Theology majors.</p>
<p>I’m a current student at Covenant, and I love it. I would definitely suggest coming here. While I am not in the Biblical and Theological studies department, I have been able to see it from my friends with the major and my core classes. While Covenant is the official college of the PCA, that does not mean that you have to be PCA to come here. I’m not, and have been respected for my differences in opinion. I wouldn’t write Covenant off as hardcore conservative either. All of the professors follow the reformed tradition, which can be conservative in some ways, but more open in others. My professors are very clear about how they support the primary doctrines of the Christian faith, but they are willing to wrestle with the complexity of these and secondary issues. While many Christian schools are not known for their academics, the classes here are definitely challenging. I was one of those seniors who wanted to choose a school that would give me a good education for the money that I was spending, and I haven’t been let down. Across the board, classes are reasonable, but difficult. </p>
<p>One of the things that I love about Covenant is that it really is a place where “In all things, Christ preeminent”. This is a very unique place, which is hard to explain in a post. Covenant is not perfect, nor do we claim to be. The students, faculty, and staff are very open about this and are honest about the hard topics. I’d suggest visiting campus and talking to professors and students. That’s probably the best way to get to know a school.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about Samford, so I can’t speak to them. I’ve heard concerns about them drifting from their original beliefs…but again, I don’t know. Visit there too. I’m sure that God will lead you to the right school. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.</p>
<p>I’m not too familiar with Samford, but being Baptist it seems a little more liberal. All ifthe our baptists colleges gerereally in mythe state seem to allign on thethe mire liberal side. I may be wrong.</p>
<p>I have a lot of friends at Covenant and it is a very conservative college. It’s kind of a richy rich school that preppy students go to, so it kind of has to be more old fashioned conservative. All in all, it’s probably the better school out of the two.</p>
<p>Perhaps more insight might be shared knowing what YOU mean by “liberal beliefs” should you wish to enlighten. </p>
<p>Does geography matter? How did you narrow to these 2 schools? Some perspective of your thinking might enrich perspective of others. Otherwise you’ll likely get what you’re getting … “I like it here” … “This place sucks” … “I’m a converted Jewish atheistic agnostic muslim and I love it” … all of which might be intriguing and of little value beyond that.</p>
<p>geography does matter. I’m glad you asked Whistle Pig. How I chose these schools was by looking for the absolute best christian colleges/universities within 2:30 hours of my area, Chattanooga, Tenn. I also looked at what I could afford to pay at most, which was 30k. I also wanted very rigorous academics, so all of these filters in my search narrowed it down to the schools you see above. By liberal I mean that I won’t be judged for being non-denominational and that I can freely study other religions. I have no desire to adopt other religions, I merely wish to study and learn from them to enlighten my understanding. I was told that reading stuff like greek mythology or wicka/hinduism/islam material would get me burned at the stake or shunned at Covenant. I wish to major in theological studies and history/philosophy, while minoring biblical languages. This will take me a long time. I want to study other religions and etc at my own leisure and maybe in some of my coursework. I just do not want to be judged for my openness to many ideas. I am liberal in the way that I ask a lot of questions, invite alot of ideas, and develop my own theories/accept the best answers i can find. I like challenging ideas and disscussing and debating them. I ultimately wish to get as close to the truth as I can.</p>
<p>I don’t know that reading other materials will get you burned at the stake. My guy brought home a Koran he was reading on one break. He’s not their denomination and not even Calvinist (but we are Christian) and has said he doesn’t feel excluded.</p>