A Look Back at Southern Seminary

Two years ago, I entered the world of seminary. Little did I know that this journey would change my life and open my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. Initially, seminary was never part of my to-do list, but by God's grace, he opened this path for me, and by faith I walked onto it. 

When my husband and I were looking at possible seminaries for me to attend, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (aka Southern Seminary) was at the top of our list. For many Hmong Christians, they have never heard of Southern Seminary including those in the SBC denomination. I had well-meaning people ask if my school was an accredited institution. People's comments about Southern made me realize how ill-informed they were about seminaries in general. 

Southern Seminary is an ivy league school of the Christian world. I'm not saying this because I'm boosting about my school, but that's what it is. Its longevity and reputable standing has marked Southern Seminary as a prestigious school to attend. Founded in 1859, it has produced a legacy of leaders and ministers who serve worldwide. Some of its notable alumni are Albert Mohler Jr. and Mark Dever.

As an online student, I expected my coursework to be rigorous and on par with students who attend campus classes. And boy, did they deliver! Southern Seminary uses an 8-week term model that takes the traditional 16-week course workload and distributes it throughout each day so that distance learning students can complete their required assignments in a timely manner. Two classes per one 8-week term constitutes a full-time student. Each course includes reading, lectures, quizzes, papers, group discussions, live syncs (class Zoom meetings), and a final. 

Students learn under a world-class faculty, who are authority figures in their field of study. This includes leading New Testament Scholar Tom Schreiner, theologian Bruce Ware, Donald Whitney author of Spiritual Disciplines, James Hamilton author of God's Glory in Salvation Through Judgment, Jonathan Pennington author of Reading the Gospels Wisely (This was a life-changing book! I highly recommend!) and many more. While I did not agree with every theological and political viewpoint of my professors, I appreciated their diversity of thought as it broadened my understanding of differing worldviews and opinions circulating in the Christian world. There, however, remained one central belief of all my professors: scriptural fidelity and the inerrancy of scripture. I greatly appreciated this, seeing that many of our once esteemed seminaries have fallen into the heresy of theological liberalism and identity politics. Therefore, if you're looking for an easy online school, Southern Seminary is not for you.  

Furthermore, I also admired Southern Seminary's commitment to the SBC Faith and Message 2000 by having female students sign a waiver promising that we would not seek pastoral ministry with our degrees. For courses in preaching, women are not allowed enrollment but they are given an alternative course in teaching to fulfill their degree requirements. I understand that some people will disagree with this practice and see it as highly discriminative, but I don't believe it is. I stand firmly with what the Bible says: "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent (1 Timothy 2:11-12)." For naysayers who are up in arms about this, they are objecting to God's order of creation. Adam was made first, not Eve. 

Another notable point of my online learning experience is that my professors prayed. They prayed for the students, they prayed for our country, and they prayed for God's kingdom to be advanced to the ends of the earth. This was the first time I had attended a school that prayed at all. This made my time at Southern more than an educational journey but a spiritual one as well. I was equally impressed by Dr. Hamilton's syllabus for Introduction to the Old Testament, Part II, which reads, "The purpose of this course is the purpose of life—to glorify God. In our academic setting this takes shape as the minds God has given to us come to recognize and embrace the reality that God is infinite, eternal, unchangeable, in His being wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, truth, and mercy." Little details like this made online learning special because we were not learning only for ourselves but for a higher calling in Christ Jesus. 

And just when I thought Southern Seminary couldn't impress me anymore, I was blown away by my on-campus visit during graduation week. Freshly cut pine wreaths tied with scarlet bows hung from the windows of Norton Hall. A neighborhood of colonial-style homes with red brick and white multi-paned windows encircled the immaculate school grounds. It was as though I had entered a world untouched by the passage of time, and in the timeless of its splendor, Southern had established a sacred space committed to the sole purpose of studying God's word. Men and women carried themselves with a holy honor and dignity, something that being from a morally corrupt place like California, was a foreign concept to me. 

As a Hmong woman enrolled in a predominately male school, my fellow peers treated me as an equal. They challenged me intellectually and helped me see areas in my theology that needed more analysis. I felt privileged to be amongst a classroom of godly men, who were faithfully serving God from all corners of the world. It gave me hope for the future of the Church and that God was doing greater things for his kingdom than I could possibly imagine. 

Another equally special moment of my campus visit was my meeting with the Mohlers. As a graduate of Southern Seminary, my family and I were invited to Dr. Mohler and Mrs. Mohler’s home residence. My conversation with the couple was brief and cordial but I left their presence wanting to be a better Christian. It was like they illuminated a godly aura, one that was good and sincere. Later at our hotel, I shared my thoughts about this with my husband, and to my surprise, he came away with the same impression as well. My husband said Dr. Mohler reminded him of the lion, Aslan, from C.S. Lewis's Narnia because of his gentle and commanding demeanor.

My experiences as an online student, coupled with a brief visit to Southern confirmed that I had made the right decision in choosing Southern. My one regret was not attending Southern Seminary in person. The few days I spent walking around the campus and soaking in this one-of-a-kind atmosphere made me realize that I had missed one crucial aspect of seminary life, and that was the campus cultural experience. What I mean by this is that the campus culture influences and shapes who you are and how you think and how you live. Being an online student, I missed out on this experience. Meeting and speaking with people face to face can never be replicated with digital meetings. The emotional disconnect is a real issue. My suggestion for Southern Seminary is to develop clubs in which online students can openly discussion and engage on topics of interest beyond their one hour Zoom calls and required group discussion assignments. I believe this would help in relationship building and establishing an online community that reflects the school's values.

As I look back at Southern Seminary, I'm reminded of the men and women graduates marching as soldiers of Christ in their red and black regalia. Untold trials and temptations await us back in the real world, but for one moment, we celebrate our achievements and proceed forth, commissioned by our seminary to proclaim the Word of God and know "we are the next in line." [1]

The Seminary Hymn No. 661, Soldiers of Christ, In Truth Arrayed

(Written for the first commencement of the seminary in 1860 by Bail Manly, Jr., and sung at every commencement since.)

Soldiers of Christ, in truth arrayed, 

A world in ruins needs your aid:

A world by sin destroyed and dead;

A world for which the Savior bled.

His gospel to the lost proclaim,

Good news for all in Jesus's name;

Let light upon the darkness break

That sinners from their death may wake.

Morning and evening sow the seed, 

God's grace the effort shall succeed.

Seedtimes of tears have oft been found

With sheaves of joy and plenty crowned.

We meet to part, but part to meet

When earthly labors are complete.

To join in yet more blest employ,

In an eternal world of joy.[2] 

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Footnotes:

 [1] 232 Commencement Exercises of the 165 Session of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2023), 6.

[2] 232 Commencement Exercises of the 165 Session of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2023), 6-7.

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Resources: 

232 Commencement Exercises of the 165 Session of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Louisville: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2023. 

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Bao Vang is a wife and mom of two amazing daughters. When Bao's not serving her local church, she likes to write and spend time with her family. Bao received her MA in Theological Studies from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing a PhD in Bible Exposition at John W. Rawlings School of Divinity at Liberty University. Bao is also a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Society of Biblical Literature. You can find her research at https://liberty.academia.edu/baobvang.