Academics

The aim of education is not preparing someone for a particular job but preparing someone to be a certain kind of person.

Skills are, of course, vital—but one look at contemporary corporate culture demonstrates the danger of brilliance without backbone. Any education that is worth its salt does more than just fill a person’s head with knowledge or equip them with skills to be a widget-maker; it prepares them to be clear thinkers who love truth, goodness, and beauty, and who can articulate these realities in speech and writing. But, even now, very few universities pursue those things with the foundation that was common to the earliest and best universities—that there is a ‘unity’ that holds together the ‘diversity’ in the university. That unity is the One through whom and by whom all things were created (Col. 1:15–17) and the one for whom all of our educational pursuits exist.

Theological Vision

Bethlehem College and Seminary is a confessional institution that embraces the doctrinal beliefs set forth in the Bethlehem College and Seminary Affirmation of Faith. We joyfully embrace the historic Christian teaching on the Trinity and the incarnation of Jesus Christ as set forth in the Nicene and Chalcedonian creeds. We are reformed in our soteriology, charismatic in our affections, and baptistic in our ecclesiology. We hold all of our theological positions in submission to God’s inerrant and infallible Word.

Habits of Mind and Heart

Truly well-educated people have the habits of mind and heart to go on learning what they need to learn to live in a Christ-exalting way for the rest of their lives—in whatever sphere of life they pursue.

These habits apply to all objects in the world, but most importantly the Bible.

  • to observe subject matter accurately and thoroughly
  • to understand clearly what you have observed
  • to evaluate fairly what you understood by deciding what is true and valuable
  • to feel intensely according to the value of what you have evaluated
  • to apply wisely and helpfully in life what you understand and feel
  • to express in speech and writing and deeds what you have seen, understood, felt, and applied in such a way that its clarity, truth, and value can be known and enjoyed by others

Socratic Methodology

It is our conviction that adults learn best through asking questions and solving problems. Thus, we seek to limit the amount of direct lectures in our programs and instead utilize Socratic discussions that will provoke deeper reflection on the course material. In addition, interactive discussions require students to develop key interpersonal and relational skills such as humility, tact, and patience.

Cost Effective

We believe that one of the biggest obstacles facing college graduates is the amount of debt accumulated in gaining a quality education. We will not contribute much to the advancement of the kingdom if we produce godly theologians, passionate missionaries, and faithful leaders who are saddled with so much debt that they cannot effectively pursue their ministry callings until they have paid off their loans. Therefore, we seek to provide the highest quality education at the most affordable price. To this end, we are working hard to find ways to fund our operations outside of student tuition. We are always seeking generous partners who will help us to establish a healthy endowment so that we can launch students into fruitful, God-centered service without the shackles of college debt.

Curriculum

Bethlehem College and Seminary is fundamentally committed to the coherence of all knowledge in Jesus Christ. Arising from this commitment is the belief that students learn best when they are guided by capable instructors through a systematic body of knowledge. Thus, we believe our students are best served by carefully structured programs comprised of courses which intentionally and logically build on one another rather than a haphazard conglomeration of courses which have little discernible connection to one another. For a complete consideration of the curriculum, please consult the Bethlehem College and Seminary Academic Catalog.

Don’t look for a building. Don’t look for a campus. Don’t look for a library. Don’t look for a location. Look for a faculty. That is my advice. —Chancellor John Piper

 

Our faculty and administration are bound together under the Bethlehem College and Seminary Affirmation of Faith and share a common theological and educational vision. All faculty members are committed to instructing the minds, influencing the affections, and shaping the lives of the students under our care.

Adjunct Faculty

The library is a non-lending study center with roughly 10,000 print volumes and is growing each year. Students can also access hundreds of thousands of ebooks and articles through the library’s databases. All the library’s resources can be found here, and the library staff is available to answer questions and help students with their research.

All of our program details and academic policies are to be found in our Academic Catalog and Student Handbook. Download the PDF version—it’s optimized for reading on your iPad.

Spring 2024

  • Jan. 8–12

    Church Planting and Exegesis Intensives

  • Jan. 15

    MLK Day | School Closed

  • Jan. 16

    Spring Classes Begin

  • Jan. 29–31

    Serious Joy Conference | No Classes

  • Feb. 1–2

    No Classes

  • Feb. 2

    Last Day to Add/Drop* a Course (*without transcript notation)

  • Mar. 1

    Language Track Choice Deadline (Freshmen) | Accelerated MA/Major Declaration Deadline (Juniors)

  • Mar. 3

    Last Day to Drop a Course (with notation)

  • Mar. 11–15

    Spring Break

  • Mar. 29

    Good Friday | No Classes

  • May 13–17

    Finals Week

  • May 17

    Commencement

  • May 20–24

    Church Planting Intensive

  • June 3–7

    Theology Intensive

Spring 2024

Fall 2024

  • Jul. 8–Aug. 16

    Beginning Greek 1 (Seminary)

  • Aug. 11–15

    Foundations of Christian Worldview Intensive

  • Aug. 19

    Non-Traditional New Student Orientation

  • Aug. 20

    Traditional New Traditional Orientation

  • Aug. 26

    Fall Classes Begin

  • Sept. 2

    Labor Day | No Classes

  • Sept. 10

    Last Day to Add/Drop* a Course (*without transcript notation)

  • Sept. 27–28

    Godward Life Conference | No Classes

  • Oct. 14

    Last day to drop a course with transcript notation.

  • Nov. 25–29

    Thanksgiving Break

  • Dec. 16–20

    Finals Week

Fall 2024

Spring 2025

  • Jan. 13

    Spring Classes Begin

  • Jan. 20

    MLK Day | No Classes

  • Jan 31

    Last Day to Add/Drop* a Course (*without transcript notation)

  • Feb. 3–5

    Serious Joy Conference | No Classes

  • Feb. 6-7

    No Classes

  • Mar. 1

    Deadline for freshmen to choose a language track, juniors to apply for accelerated masters and declare a major, and last day to drop a class with notation.

  • Mar. 10–14

    Spring Break

  • Apr. 18

    Good Friday | No Classes

  • May 12–16

    Finals Week

  • May 16

    Commencement

Spring 2025