Copyright © 2018 Michael Lee Wilburn
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Copyright © 2018 Michael Lee Wilburn All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY, CHURCH PROXIMITY, AND ACADEMIC STANDARDS IN CHURCH-BASED THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY __________________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary __________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________________ by Michael Lee Wilburn December 2018 APPROVAL SHEET EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY, CHURCH PROXIMITY, AND ACADEMIC STANDARDS IN CHURCH-BASED THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY Michael Lee Wilburn Read and Approved by: ____________________________________________ Michael S. Wilder (Chair) ____________________________________________ Hal K. Pettegrew ____________________________________________ John David Trentham Date________________________________ To the Lord Jesus Christ To his Bride, the Church To my bride, Sarah TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES . vii LIST OF FIGURES . viii PREFACE . ix Chapter 1. RESEARCH CONCERN . 1 Introduction . 1 Research Problem . 3 Implication of the Research Problem . 15 Significance of the Research Study . 18 Purpose Statement . 18 Research Questions . 19 Research Design Overview . 19 Research Delimitations . 20 Terminology . 21 Research Assumptions . 23 Conclusion . 23 2. LITERATURE REVIEW . 25 Introduction . 25 A Definition of Theological Education . 27 A Call to Reform Theological Education . 42 A Call to Return Theological Education to the Church . 60 iv Chapter Page A History of Church-Based Theological Education . 72 Conclusion . 80 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY . 81 Introduction . 81 Research Purpose . 81 Research Questions . 82 Research Design Overview . 82 Research Population . 85 Sample . 86 Research Delimitations . 88 Instrumentation . 89 Validity and Reliability . 92 Conclusion . 93 4. SUMMARY OF RESEARCH FINDINGS . 94 Introduction . 94 Complication Protocol . 95 Research Population . 99 Summary of Research Findings . 101 Analysis of Research Methodology . 154 Conclusion . 157 5. CONCLUSION . 159 Introduction . 159 Analysis of Research Questions . 159 Analysis of Results and implications for CBTE . 168 Contribution to the Precedent Literature . 183 Areas for Further Research . 187 v Chapter Page Conclusion . 189 Appendix 1. A BIBLICAL FOUNDATION FOR THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION . 190 2. A HISTORY OF THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION . 203 3. EXPERT PANEL . 215 4. EXPERT PANEL EMAIL REQUEST . 217 5. INTERVIEW INSTRUMENT PROTOCOL . 218 6. INTERVIEW INSTRUMENT PRELIMINARY QUESTIONNAIRE . 219 7. AGREEMENT TO PARTICIPATE . 221 8. INTERVIEW INVITATION LETTER . 222 9. INTERVIEW SETUP EMAIL . 223 10. INTERVIEW REMINDER EMAIL . 224 11. CBTE INSTITUTIONS AND INTERVIEWEES . 225 12. CHURCH PROXIMITY CRITERION . 227 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 229 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. CBTE institution population . 87 2. CBTE institution population and interviewees . 99 3. CBTE church proximity by institution . 144 4. CBTE degree programs by institution . 147 5. CBTE academic accreditation by institution . 149 6. CBTE distance education and teaching sites . 151 7. Taxonomy of educational philosophy in theological education . 162 A1. Expert panel coding criterion . 217 A2. CBTE institution and interviewee list . 226 A3. Church proximity excerpts and scores . 228 A4. Church proximity coding criterion . 228 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Preliminary questionnaire on educational philosophy question 1 . 132 2. Preliminary questionnaire on educational philosophy question 2 . 134 3. Preliminary questionnaire on educational philosophy question 3 . 136 4. Preliminary questionnaire on educational philosophy question 4 . 138 5. Educational philosophy in CBTE institutions . 141 6. CBTE institution church proximity rankings . 146 viii PREFACE The journey toward the completion of a dissertation and a Doctor of Philosophy degree requires endless hours of personal time, attention, and work. But it is never a private journey. Others help in your presence and much more in your absence. I praise God for each person who offered encouraging words, prayed to God in my behalf, demonstrated patience in my absence. The Southern Seminary community provided a modular student like me the hospitality necessary to sequester class time in two-week blocks. I will always cherish friendships made with Neal Ledbetter, Steve Hudson, and Hans Googer. Even though we live in four different states, it always encouraged me to know these brothers were reading the same pages, writing the same papers, and responding to the same professors. Thank you to Dr. Hal Pettegrew and Dr. John David Trentham for teaching me in the classroom and serving on the dissertation committee. You exemplify what it means to be a gentleman-scholar, both old and young. Dr. Michael Wilder led my entrance interview into the Ph.D. program and shepherded me through the dissertation process. His suggested revisions and edits always made the research better. His willingness to let the research fit the researcher motivated me to remember that the results would be worth knowing. Thank you for regularly saying, "You can do this." Along the way, many people and institutions contributed to the success of this dissertation. I could not have had access to the administrators included in this study without the networking help from friends like David Andersen, Brent Belford, Kyle Dunham, Mark Hassler, Jeff McCann, Jonathan Rinker, and Gary Thomson. Thank you to Barbara Luckett, who gave nights and weekends to transcribe interviews. Thank you to ix the staff of the School of Harmony who shared office space and internet access. To the staff at Union Presbyterian Seminary, especially Christopher and Lisa, your friendliness and help made a difference..