qoheleth

Awesome! Thanks for the timely and informative replies. I really appreciate this sentiment. After the feedback I've created an updated list of 12: Duke Candler Drew Princeton Theological Seminary Vanderbilt Garrett Chicago Boston College Yale Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Southern Methodist - Perkins Union Theological Seminary I found this list of UMC University Senate approved Seminaries: http://www.gbhem.org..._Seminaries.htm SMU and Boston College aren't on the list. Any others of note there?

I'm a 26 year old M.D. student who has realized that, while I will be finishing my degree, I was not in fact called to the field the of medicine. I had previously lost my respect for ministry and was hurt by the church after being exposed to a good amount of politics and hypocrisy. I didn't want to be a part of something I didn't believe in. As I have lived and made a few more mistakes of my own, I realized that we are all broken, ministers not excluded, and I have rediscovered a love for exploring Scripture, Theology, and the role of the Church. I am now looking to apply to M.Div programs for Fall 2013 with the intent of a ministerial career in the United Methodist Church. Unfortunately, because I am receiving this call so late in life the only academic exposure I have to theology is the 12 required credit hours of basic old/new testament, christian faith/formation at my Nazarene undergraduate university where I graduated with a B.S. in Biology. I am interested in more mainline seminaries with theologians I respect and have enjoyed reading. So far my interest list includes: Duke Candler Garrett Vanderbilt Chicago Drew Princeton Regent Gordon-Conwell Boston PTS Yale Harvard Notre Dame Fuller Wheaton St. Andrews (Scotland) I'm afraid Harvard/Yale might be too liberal for my tastes, while Fuller/Wheaton too evangelical. Duke would probably be my first choice at this point with Candler a close second. I'm from the midwest, so geographically I would prefer to stay close to home. I guess I'm wondering if I should pursue some more undergraduate work in Philosophy/Theology before applying to M.Div programs. I'm also wondering how I should go about choosing a seminary without having been previously exposed to much graduate level theology. Also, I understand many of these programs (being university-based) are fairly academic... so I am looking for a program that is equally well versed in spiritual formation and practical ministry. Any advice is appreciated.