Cincinnati Bible Seminary - Nautilus Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

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gfaduate gfdfid Paul Pratt, Earl Sims. Louise Winters, Ethel Culick. ,-Xlxis Byars, Ralph Dorn:-Ile. Thomas 'l'hurman. Hello! Allow me to introduce myself. l am Seminary Graduate. at present continuing my studies at The Cincinnati Bible Seminary. How I wish l could get back to the Seminary lor another year or twolw is the cry so frequent- ly heard from graduates of The Cincinnati Bible Seminary who have been out on the field lor a few years. Many of us are taking steps to pre- vent tin a measure. at leastl having to express such a wish. Thus exists that graduate class ol The Cincinnati liihle Seminary. U U There was a time when the minister was the most universally respected member ol the com- munity. No matter how much we may deplore the fact, candor forces us to admit that such is not always the case today. Several reasons may be assigned to the rninistryis loss of prestige, but basically the reason is that the ministry has not provided leadership which commands the re- spect of the world. There was a time when the minister in a local community was called mlqhe Person in recogni-

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'P f , I 'J J 'V 1 s .- , -'1' V ., N if f' ,Q 1 e e . f vv A ef e A , Nh Vespers X, But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christf, II Pl-LTER 3:18

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tion of the fact that he was the most trusted leader and influential individual in the commu- nity. Our term 'cparsoni' is derived from this usage. This term was not merely an empty title fit was earned! The minister was almost with- out exception hetter educated and more quali- fied for leadership than any other man in the community. linfortunately the training for the ministry has not always kept pace with the general rise in educational standards for the population as a whole. As a result the physician. the lawyer. the teacher, and even the politician have fre- quently taken the position of leadership once held by the minister. We certainly can point to numerous outstanding exceptions, but these ex- ceptions only tend to accentuate the general trend. In certain groups there has existed and still exists a strong prejudice against an educated ministry. Part of this prejudice stems from theological predilectionsg part results from pe- culiar backgrounds. Even the Restoration Move- ment has not been entirely free from this feel- ing. No institution proposed for the training of a ministry dedicated to the espousal of the church of the New Testament ever met with unanimous or even adequate support. In recent years a number of loyal Bible colleges have been founded. This indicates that at long last our people have begun to awaken to the necessity of a trained and loyal ministry. But it is only an awakening! The Cincinnati Bible Seminary. in recogni- tion of the dire need for a more thoroughly trained ministry, is placing more and more em- phasis upon the graduate courses of study. The undergraduate work, of course, will not be neg- lectedg indeed it cannot be if the graduate courses are to grow and thrive. But it becomes increasingly apparent that a student cannot re- ceive in four short years the training needed to equip him to meet our complex society. The Seminary recognizes that there are dang- ers involved in placing more emphasis upon graduate studies. The tragedy of our age has been enacted in graduate theological seminaries. Into these seminaries have gone our most intelli- gent and talented young people. There they have been robbed of their most precious possession -their faith! And lacking faith, they have gone forth to proclaim a faithless and hopeless mes- sage. The Cincinnati Bible Seminary, recogniz- ing this danger. has openly and repeatedly affirmed her intention to guard and nurture the faith of those entrusted to her care. Another danger faces any school which pro- poses to establish a graduate course of study. An emphasis upon advanced study may lead to an overemphasis that neglects the practical appli- cation of the knowledge thus gained. The Cin- cinnati Bible Seminary is not and does not pro- pose to become a cloistered retreat where a stu- dent is encouraged to accumulate a multitude of unintegrated facts which have no relation to the student himself or to his society. We would not by any means disparage scholarship and studious habits, but the hour is too late, the situation too critical for us to allow ourselves the luxury of encouraging that class who are 'fever learning. and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.'7 9