Cedarville Magazine, Fall 2016

Master of Divinity and Master of Ministry their bachelor’s degree in biblical studies and M.Div. in just five years. The added cost for students is only about $5,000 for the extra year of school, yet graduates will leave Cedarville with two degrees. “The M.Div. is the accepted, professional degree for ministers, whether it’s as a senior pastor, on the missions field, or as a chaplain,” noted Randy McKinion, Associate Professor of Old Testament and Director of the M.Div. program. “Cedarville has always had a solid niche in the undergraduate preparation for biblical studies. With the M.Div., our students will be prepared for everything they might face — teaching, preaching, counseling, and ministering.” GREATER DEPTH The Cedar ville M.Div. will be rigorous, just like the undergrad, and will deepen students’ understanding of biblical languages, the Old (OT) and New Testament (NT), and theology. Students are required to take 12 hours (four three-hour classes) in both OT and NT, and 12 hours more in theology. “We did a lot of benchmarking with other schools,” McKinion noted. “Other schools offer a couple of OT and NT classes and the content is very broad, while we’re being very intentional and doing a more thorough coverage of each. Same with theology.” For students like Punzi, the opportunity to continue learning from faculty who had already revolutionized his understanding of the Bible was a huge draw. “The professors are very good at expressing themselves,” Punzi said. “It’s easy to catch on. Andmy spiritual walk has improved being in class with them.” EASY DECISION The Cedarville program takes what would normally be a seven-year process — four years undergraduate and three years graduate school — and shrinks it into five. “From a cost perspective, it’s money well spent,” said Punzi. “When you leave college, you have to pay off those loans, then you have new ones as well [for an M.Div.]. This way you don’t have to worry about paying off two different degrees; it’s just one extra year. Plus, after college, it can be hard to convince yourself to go back to school. This way you only have one extra year, and you don’t have to get out of the routine of going to classes and doing homework.” Cedarville’s program is comparable to the premier seminaries in the country, McKinion affirmed. “We have top-tier professors, publishing in their field,” he said. “Plus, we have faculty experienced in ministry. We have scholars and former pastors. And we’ve turned it into a five- year process. Cedarville students get the best of both worlds.” “The day I heard about the M.Div. in chapel, I went to Dr. McKinion and asked himwhat I needed to do to get ready for it,” Punzi added. “Then I went to the registrar’s office and switched from the biblical studies degree to the accelerated plan.” Clem Boyd is Managing Editor of Cedarville Magazine . Program Highlights B.A.+M.Div. § § Faster path to ministry by earning a B.A. in biblical studies and M.Div. in just five years § § Save thousands on educational costs and avoid the weight of debt; both degrees cost just $5,000 more than the base price of the bachelor’s degree alone § § Theologically conservative based on the importance, inerrancy, and sufficiency of theWord of God and the need to spread the Gospel to all § § Vibrant and comprehensive Christian university setting § § 19 remarkable faculty , including: Jason Lee, Ph.D. Author of The Theology of John Smyth: Puritan, Separatist, Baptist, Mennonite Randy McKinion, Ph.D. Translator for Grammar of Biblical Hebrew Dan DeWitt, Ph.D. Author of Christ or Chaos Greg Couser, Ph.D. Contributor to Entrusted with the Gospel: Paul’s Theology in the Pastoral Epistles Dan Estes, Ph.D. Author of Handbook on theWisdom Books and Psalms “The Cedarville M.Div. is very, very affordable. I knew the faculty would not only challenge me academically but also care for me as a person and as a believer in Christ.” Joel Wasserstein ’15, M.Div. ’19 Biblical Studies (B.A.) degree traditional Biblical Studies (B.A.) degree Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree 5 4 3 2 1 Y E A R S only $5,000 more! Learn more and apply: cedarville.edu/MDiv Cedarville Magazine | 5