If you want the REAL overall picture of this institute--and not the glorious "Christian Harvard" your pastor or other Christians might tell you this place is...this is it when I was there in the mid 90s:This Institute has some good things about it, so I have to commend that. First it preaches a real gospel, which is very hard to find. Second, SOME of the faculty is outstanding and teaches some real solid stuff. Third, it can get you acquainted with some of the tools in ministry and missions. That the good, but the bad outweighs most of the good... Fourth, most of of the thoelogy well not the best, is fair. Fifth, donor support pays tuition...that makes it very cheap as a school...but you honestly could find a cheaper spot rooming off-campus with someone else if that was allowed (which it is not unless you are married).
On the downside the student life when I attended sucked severely.
1. Don't go here if you want to go out at all or even see a movie (though they can show movies they approve of to the student body that aren't that much different from many other films...nice bit of hypocrisy on their own standards here).
2. This place is very monastic and world-withdrawn despite the fact that it often claims to be different and has Practical Christian Ministries because of its founder D.L. Moody. A number of these minstries are poorly designed however.
3. Also don't expect the floor of people you are on to be warm and friendly. I lived on 3 different floors in the dorm and only 1 of the 3 was accepting or you and friendly. I've met unbelievers more friendly than some of the people that attend this place--which is quite possible because God does give general knowledge to unbelieving so to an extend they can love. Indeed the worst floor to live on was the one with the Residential Supervisor--some real jerks on that floor for Christians, and the RS was so bogus that he often made a huge number of floor leaders (RAs) from his own floor.
4.
In addition some of the faculty is just plain wacked and really mixed up and not at all centered on God. I mean wacked as in talking about your personal life and how your degree is all that mattered in life--yes a longstanding theology department faculty member constantly taught me more about that then any good theology, or in drab monotone voice except for running into a wall to illustrate a point or so, or teaching a class so confusing that no one on earth could get an idea of what you are talking about. Hopefully they are gone by now due to retirement or just kicked out. A good number of the faculty are Outstanding but there are some real mixed up people trying to teach here.
5. My experience with the chapels was deplorable. A few were good, but whoever was ultimately in charge of student life and chapels did a HORRID job--administration or deans included. I'm not quite sure the current President of the college is on track either--it's hard to believe he could have been a former pastor and not say much about the current deplorable state of campus life all around at Moody--excellent sermon delivery but seems caught up in promoting his books sometimes which, I'm not all that impressed by. Many Christians experienced bad social life and no love firsthand and left after a year or less. Maybe MBI should run a survey of those THAT LEFT and FIND OUT WHY THEY DID. And the school is real hard for those much older to attend because you are treated like you are 14 or 15 years old.
6.
Futhermore, the school seems to be full of book-heads. That is, Christians that play around with trivial knowledge things but don't live the faith. The faculty, many influenced by seminaries who teach the same crap(pardon the language), often are the same. And I've found often book-heads don't really know the Book (Bible) as well as they claim.
7. My last problem is the school is not open to differening Christian opinions. Some of that is good, but some of it evil at the same time. It through a few professors out for what it viewed bad eschatology for example and then had the dumbest chapel trying to rationalize it. My point is not that this was extremely bad, but to watch out because in the process of trying to throw out bad thelogy,-- this school does not give you the full picture always (but just the views certain Christians want you to hear.)
8. There is almost a cult of Christians that worship this school like its the best on earth. I've met some Christians that are far more Moody than they are Christian.
9. The institute is careful not to challenge the city or its donors...it's very political. That means, it likely will not improve for the better in the areas I've mentioned. For instance, it discourages you to stay away from anti-abortion rallies...and does not provide decent rallies itself. I have to think this is more to stay good in the eyes of the city and nonChristians around them than anything else...and donor pleasing and finding is a big business of this school behind the scenes.
That concludes my review. Having graduated, I'll give this school a D+ or C- for what it claims to prepare you for, but that is far better than false Christian seminaries or "Christian" colleges who don't teach a real gospel at all, which get F's from me.
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