The Dec. 9 article "Unregulated colleges stir fears of diploma mills" highlighted challenges church and state confront while fulfilling responsibilities that sometimes seem to conflict. I appreciated the Texas Tribune writer spending several hours with me discussing the history, mission and function of Tyndale Theological Seminary. Still, I cannot leave unaddressed some issues the article raised.
First, the Star-Telegram headline: All colleges in Texas are regulated (Title 3, Texas Education Code, Chapter 132, and career schools and colleges rules, at Title 40, Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 807, and The Higher Education Coordinating Act of 1965, codified as chapter 61 of the Texas Education Code). That the article headlined unregulated colleges, citing Tyndale as an example, was curious. Tyndale is not a college, but rather is a seminary, offering exclusively religious education. Long-standing legislation renders "fears" regarding unregulated colleges unnecessary.Second, at issue is whether the state has jurisdiction to regulate religious education. The Supreme Court of Texas recognized (2007) that the state has no such authority. This has nothing whatever to do with diploma-mill fears. In fact, during the Supreme Court of Texas hearing (HEB v. THECB, 1/5/2005), when questioned about diploma-mill infringement on education in Texas, the state cited only an unnamed seminary in Michigan.With laws on the books since 1965, diploma mills have not taken root in Texas. Why the state continues to push the issue of regulating religious education is a question worth investigating.Third, the implication that Tyndale's long-standing strategy not to pursue accreditation equals on our part an indictment of academic accreditation in general is not accurate. Tyndale began in Dallas-Fort Worth in 1988, commissioned to provide quality biblical education to those otherwise unable to afford seminary, and has maintained (1) doctrinal steadfastness, (2) affordability and (3) commitment to developing its own faculty. Tyndale's founder determined then (and we maintain now) that these distinctives are best achieved absent of accreditation.Tyndale has since been faithful and transparent in this regard, working to prepare people to understand the Bible and apply it in their lives and ministries. Tyndale's degrees are exclusively religious and transparently so delineated. In these areas the state is unqualified. Consequently, while regulation and accreditation mandates are very appropriate and necessary in certain contexts -- especially those involving stewardship of public trust, mandates are inappropriate in exclusively religious contexts.Finally, any implication that Tyndale is less than fully committed to quality biblical education and rigorous academic discipline does a disservice to the highly qualified 40-plus-member staff and faculty (many of whom are volunteers, but labor as if salaried). Because of their commitment, Tyndale has not raised seminary-level tuition in several years, and gave away 25 percent of its total income in 2011 through scholarships, including free tuition for home-schooling parents and for those studying from prison. Tyndale's people pour their hearts into students, providing guidance, extensive lecture contact time for campus and online, developing and executing detailed syllabuses with level-appropriate research projects, and maintaining strict and transparent grading policies. Further, students generally spend years in preparation, and graduates are noted for excellence and for being free of student debt.Tyndale is fertile soil for heartwarming human-interest stories. I had hoped the article would draw attention to that. Nonetheless, I hope readers of this column will recognize that Tyndale and institutions like it are contributing mightily to the community. Unregulated colleges and unregulated seminaries are apples and oranges. In the case of religious education, unregulated does not necessarily mean unworthy.Christopher Cone, Th.D, Ph.D., is president of Tyndale Theological Seminary in Hurst.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
