Trinity Evangelical Divinity School — Attraction in Bannockburn

I'm a recent graduate of the MDiv program at Trinity.

TEDS has had some financial problems in the past, even the recent past, but those appear to be behind them now. Presidents Williford and now Dockery have done a good job in recent years of improving the school's financial standing.

Professors are good on the whole. My best classroom experience was with Pao, Lau, Roy, Younger, Manetsch, Vanhoozer, Tulley, and Osborne. I heard Harris was amazing, but I never had her. Carson was a superb lecturer but largely inaccessible outside the classroom. The Pastoral Theology department does a good job, together with the Placement Office and the Supervised Ministries Office, of being available to students in need of direction.

One other reviewer mentioned a close relative turning charismatic during his/her time at Trinity, so I feel compelled to note that the EFCA as a whole and TEDS in particular are nowhere near charismatic; whether you think that good or bad I leave to your own judgment. Obviously the church you attend and the friends you make and the Spirit who inhabits you affect your theological development; in the case of the reviewer's close relative, perhaps local church affiliation lead in a charismatic direction. It's worth noting also that Trinity's new president is a well-known, life-long Southern Baptist.

As for cost, it's simply untrue that TEDS is prohibitively expensive, as one other reviewer stated. Four years of tuition will run you about $60k assuming no scholarships or grants. Most full-time students finish the MDiv in three years and consequently pay $45k in tuition. Alumni giving has increased in recent years, so more students are receiving scholarship help.

Formation Groups are required at least two semesters and vary in quality depending on the faculty leaders and, of course, on your level of participation. I strongly encourage you take these groups seriously for the sake of your spiritual...

Do not go to this school. I repeat DO NOT GO TO THIS SCHOOL. It is a joke. The school has almost gone bankrupt multiple times in the past. Not something you want to think about when you’re studying at a school. They mismanage money terribly. Which brings me to the issue of price; Trinity is one of the most expensive seminaries. An M. Div costs about 90k, for a job that pays far less. It is financially irresponsible to go to this school. They charge an exorbitant price, which sets people up for serious financial hardship. Calculate your loan payments before attending! Despite the outrageous price, the academics are terrible. Many people leave after the first year!!! I knew over ten people at church that left Trinity because the school misrepresents itself. If you want to feel cheated out of your money, go to Trinity. The classes are a joke and the professors do not help you. They are there to take your money and complain about their pay. The dorms are very shabby and expensive. All winter I was sick. My window did not close all the way. Facilities did not do anything. They have no money to fix things. Not worth the money. Once, I went to a financial aid seminar and a school administrator point blank told us to put off paying our student loans as long as we can, that the debt will go away when you die. That’s dishonest. They are cheats! If you borrow money and sign your name agree to pay it back, PAY IT BACK! God does not want you to STEAL your seminary degree. Not very Christian, for a Christian school. Go to a real school, not Trinity. And whatever you decide, do not believe what the admissions...

"Welcoming but not affirming" is their doctrine concerning congregants who were born LBGTQ+. In my younger years, I believed that this stance was commendable, but now I see the bigotry. This belief says, "You are a second-class citizen who will not be accepted by this denomination nor, more importantly, by God until you are no longer LBGTQ+." It gives me pause that a self-righteous, hypocritical, bigoted, straight husband who CHOSE to be unfaithful to his wife is affirmed while gays are branded with the scarlet letter because of who they were born to be. The following sentence will seem blasphemous to you (hopefully), but it is the logical conclusion to the "welcoming but not affirming" doctrine: "Blessed are the Straights, for they shall inherit the Kingdom of God." Pastors, do not be shocked when you have young parishioners who take their own lives. Being condemned by your entire denomination and, supposedly, by your Creator is...