Like all of higher-ed, religious education faces challenges these days. In today’s Martin Center article, Chris West focuses on Baptist seminaries. Some have closed, notably “liberal” ones with a social-justice orientation.

The Baptist Theological Seminary of Richmond, for example, was founded in 1991. West writes, “The seminary had the hopes of being ‘racially and gender-inclusive with an ecumenical commitment and a global perspective.’” But it succumbed to financial difficulties last year.

On the other hand, traditional Baptist seminaries have enjoyed steady or even rising enrollments. They’ve accomplished that with innovations such as combined degree programs. While that keeps up the inflow of money, it also means that fewer students go into the ministry.

West concludes,

The education and training of ministers are changing. That means the face of the modern church is changing as well, for better or worse. What happens in seminaries — in North Carolina and beyond — is as much a question of education as of religion.