WESTERN REFORMED SEMINARY
"In Spirit and in Truth"
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WESTERN REFORMED SEMINARY "In Spirit and in Truth" |
WRS Online Catalog:
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General Information
Design and PurposeHistoryLibraryLocationRecognitionDesign and PurposeWestern Reformed Seminary trains Christian leaders in an atmosphere of devotion and scholarship. Established particularly to serve the Bible Presbyterian Church, WRS welcomes the opportunity of assisting students from other denominations in their preparation for fruitful Christian lives and ministries. With this in mind, the Seminary has developed several basic degree programs: the Master of Divinity, the Master of Religious Education, three two-year Masters programs, and the evening Master of Religious Studies. A Bachelor of Divinity degree is identical to the M.Div. program in curriculum and policy.
ProgramsThe three-year degree programs offer a thorough study of biblical content, biblical languages, exegesis, systematic theology, church history, together with appropriate practical or professional studies: The Master of Divinity is the standard three year course of preparation for the gospel ministry. The Bachelor of Divinity is identical to the M.Div. except that it is offered for students holding an Associate of Arts or its academic equivalent. The Master of Religious Education offers most of the same detailed academic content as the M.Div. but is adapted to lay members who are not preparing for the ordained ministry. The Bachelor of Religious Education is identical to the M.R.E. except that it is offered for students holding an Associate of Arts or its academic equivalent. The two-year masters programs are designed for students who want a solid theological and biblical training within a two-year time span. These three programs are adapted to the student’s interest and calling: The Master of Biblical Studies will give the tools, including original languages, for exegeting the Bible, specializing either in Old Testament or in New Testament. The Master of Theological Studies will give a broad understanding of the teachings of the Bible and how Christian doctrine has crystallized through church history, specializing either in Systematic Theology or in Historical Theology. The Master of Christian Ministry will give a fundamental training for the work of the ministry, specializing either in Church Ministry or in Biblical Counseling. The three-year and two-year Masters degree programs may be taken as a preparatory step for other graduate or post-graduate work. The evening three-year masters program is designed for those interested in graduate training but who cannot leave their day-time employment: The Master of Religious Studies is geared for college graduates wishing to round out their education with a graduate degree in the philosophy of the Christian religion, and for lay leaders desiring a deeper knowledge of the Scriptures. Basically, the M.R.S. is tailored for those whose undergraduate studies have not included Bible training. By attending classes two evenings a week, a student can complete the program in three years. The programs of study may be entered at the beginning of any semester. Because the M.R.S. curriculum is condensed into 34 hours, this degree is recognized as a terminal degree. Additional work may have to be undertaken before pursuing further graduate or post-graduate studies. In any of the programs offered by WRS, missionaries, educators, and Christian workers may desire to specialize in one particular area of study while not completing the entire program. Those choosing not to pursue a degree, but who are looking for an academic stimulus in spiritual matters, are welcome to register as special students or auditors. The seminary will admit, on probation, a limited number of students into its programs who have not completed the required prerequisite degrees but demonstrate the ability to study at the seminary level. Such a student completing one of the programs will be awarded a certificate of completion in that program.
Spiritual LifeSeveral features give enhanced spiritual direction at the Seminary for day students. First, faculty and students participate in a weekly chapel service of praise and preaching. Other informal meetings for prayer, Bible study, and fellowship are organized by the students themselves. Practical courses address the needs of the student’s daily Christian life. Classes in Discipleship and Evangelism offer each day-time student the tools and encouragement necessary for sharing his or her Christian faith with other believers and unbelievers. As an aid to the personal and professional training of all M.Div., B.D, and M.C.M. (Church Ministry Emphasis) students, a “Personal Edification Program” has been designed. The PEP supplements class material, scheduling a select bibliography of Christian classics emphasizing great devotional works and practical theology. A comprehensive list of Bible memory verses essential for personal work and useful in different types of worship services complements the readings from the divines. Some of this material is assigned in various courses.
Doctrinal PositionAll studies at the Seminary are within the guiding doctrinal system of the Westminster Standards as adopted by the Bible Presbyterian Church in 1938; the eschatological perspective is premillennial. WRS is an affiliated agency of the American Council of Christian Churches, and, as such, seeks to strengthen all Bible-believing churches to stand for the historic Christian faith in days when many churches have fallen into compromise and apostasy. We believe that the Reformed faith, lived out in obedience to God, is the fullest expression of biblical Christianity, and therefore is the best antidote to Satan’s attacks against the Church of Christ. Through the Seminary personnel, its programs of study, and in all of its operations, Western Reformed Seminary desires to be faithful to the Christ of the Scriptures in developing Christian leaders. In so doing, the Seminary’s prayer is that its students and graduates will go forth with the life purpose of serving the Savior “in spirit and in truth.”
HistoryWestern Reformed Seminary was founded in 1983. This year marked the anniversaries of many significant events on the religious calendar. Foremost is the 500th anniversary of Luther’s birth. WRS inherits and communicates the Reformation spirit of sola fidei and sola scriptura. Thorough training and submission to God’s inerrant Word in precept and practice were ingredients in the ministries of reformers like Luther and Calvin, and reformation today requires no less of its leaders. Three hundred years earlier than the founding of the Seminary, organized Presbyterianism came to America. Francis Makemie arrived from Ireland in 1683 to plant churches based on the biblical pattern of the church as refined by the reformers in Scotland. American Presbyterianism, evangelical and reformed, is the heritage emphasized at WRS. One other significant date in church history should be noted. 1983 was the golden anniversary of the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions. It was founded in 1933 by J. Gresham Machen due to the growing and controlling unbelief within mainline Northern Presbyterianism. Dr. Machen’s action to preserve true biblical missions was the rallying point for separation from apostasy in carrying on the spiritual succession of American Presbyterianism. In the same era, Dr. Machen and other conservative scholars were active in defending historic Christianity against the modernistic onslaught. They did not rely upon empty rhetoric or carnal weapons. Quite the contrary, these godly men wielded the truth in a scholarly manner that was irrefutable. Desiring to promote in the northwestern United States the full-orbed Reformed theology which Dr. Machen and other Princeton scholars had bequeathed to Presbyterians standing on the Fundamentals, several Bible Presbyterian men took steps to establish an independently controlled Reformed seminary in Tacoma, Washington. The plan was approved by the Northwest Presbytery of the Bible Presbyterian Church in 1982, and in 1983 the school was incorporated in the state of Washington. In 1985 the Bible Presbyterian General Synod recognized WRS by unanimous vote as an approved independent agency meriting its support and confidence. Western Reformed Seminary has grown from a part-time evening school to a full-time graduate institution offering a full slate of courses in several master’s programs. Not only have Bible Presbyterian students profited from training at the Seminary, but those from other evangelical denominations have also joined our student body because of our bond of fellowship in the inerrant Scriptures and the common salvation once delivered to the saints.
Library The library offers a comfortable study area with open stacks and a special area set aside for the use of microfiche and microfilm files. A library computer is available for biblical word studies and for word processing of papers. WRS has entered a cooperative agreement with two other local, evangelical seminaries under the consortium title of PSALT—Puget Sound Area Libraries of Theology. WRS students currently have access to the other two seminary libraries while our three schools are working to electronically link the resources of the PSALT libraries. Other easily accessible libraries may be found at the University of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, or the University of Washington in Seattle.
LocationWestern Reformed Seminary is located in Tacoma, Washington, amid the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. The region’s picturesque Puget Sound and Cascade and Olympic ranges are complemented by the conveniences of the Tacoma-Seattle metropolitan area with all its opportunities for employment, education, and ministry. The Seminary stands in full view of Mt. Rainier and is adjacent to Tacoma’s attractive Wright Park, just minutes from downtown. The spacious Seminary facilities are located on the third and fourth floors of the Tacoma Bible Presbyterian Church situated at the intersection of G and Division Streets. Driving directions.
RecognitionWestern Reformed Seminary is an approved agency of the Northwest Presbytery and General Synod of the Bible Presbyterian Church for the training of its ministers and laymen. Veterans eligible for the G.I. Bill may study and receive government benefits for selected academic programs taken at WRS. Western Reformed Seminary’s academic programs of study are approved by the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board’s State Approving Agency (HECB/SAA) for enrollment of persons eligible to receive educational benefits under Title 38 and Title 10, U. S. Code. WRS is also recognized by the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement as an academic school approved for issuing F-1 student visa applications. Also, the Federal I.R.S. has granted the non-profit status, thus making all contributions to the Seminary tax-deductible. WRS is recognized by the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors for preparing candidates for certification through NANC. WRS also is recognized by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). Courses taken at WRS may be used to satisfy the biblical studies requirement to gain or maintain ACSI certification for Christian teachers. |
Western Reformed Seminary has a highly specialized library containing the tools essential for personal development and biblical and theological research. The classic theological works are available as well as many of the most recent studies in related fields. Augmenting these standard references are many current scholarly journals and Christian periodicals which keep the students and faculty up-to-date on current biblical research and ecclesiastical developments.