THE SOUTHWEST

EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

A Biblical philosophy of religious education is built upon a Biblical philosophy of life. The Bible teaches that a Christian is to live a doctrinally balanced life in his/her relationship with God, and that such a life must be based upon the unmovable standard which is God’s Word. As such, the educational philosophy at Southwest School of Bible Studies is determined by three spiritual truths, which we make central to our mission of formal Bible education.

"The Southwest School
of Bible
Studies . . .
is faithful to the 'Old
Paths' and they produce real Men
of the Book."

- TENNESSEE

In developing the Bible program at Southwest, the school has drawn heavily from the Bible programs of those schools operated by brethren between the years 1840 and 1940. That one-hundred year period of time was a "golden-age" in the history of Christian education. It was a time when the Bible was held supreme and the theologies of men were excluded from the classroom of our schools. It was a time when men desired to preach the Bible in order to please God and win souls rather than to preach philosophy or display a vain intellectualism. It was also a time when men would willingly defend the great truths of the Gospel on the polemic platform in public debate. In essence, the Bible was taught because it was believed to be literally true, without the mixture of any error, and these schools operated by our brethren supported and encouraged such a stand.

Schools such as the old Nashville Bible School, Burritt College, Mars Hill Bible College, Bacon College, and Franklin College produced some of the most seasoned Bible scholars of the past two centuries. Although these institutions no longer exist as they once did the Director and the faculty of Southwest School of Bible Studies are in complete harmony with the overall educational philosophy of these past schools and we feel a historic bond of kinship with them as Southwest now continues in the rich heritage of conservative Bible education which these schools once provided. Following in this noble tradition, Southwest School of Bible Studies upholds a traditional and orthodox view of the inspiration, infallibility, and integrity of the text of the Bible. We also stress the great importance of preaching the Word and defending the Faith, and we likewise feel the same urgency of spreading the Gospel to a lost world.

THE SOUTHWEST EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

The educational foundation at Southwest School of Bible Studies consists of a Bible based curriculum that is structured toward a fundamental approach to New Testament Christianity. In essence, the great teachings of the Bible are presented with a view to the student being able to master the basic concepts and doctrine that are discussed.

Although none of us will ever be “Masters” in the sense that Jesus was, and is, yet we all have a responsibility to learn, grow, and apply His doctrine to our lives (John 14:15, 21, 23; 15:14). This is especially true regarding the knowledge required to teach and preach the Gospel.

Therefore, in view of the teaching of Christ as contained in the “Great Commission,” (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15,16), maximum consideration is given to the task of preparing each student to fulfill his or her duty to Christ in the field of evangelism, in a ready defense of the Faith, and in the edification of the church.

• Four academic quarters are provided each year.

• Each academic quarter now contains eleven (11) class weeks.

• Classes meet from 8:am until 4:pm, Monday through Friday.

• Nine courses are now offered each academic quarter.

• Each course carries the academic value of three (3) semester hours of credit.

• 38 courses are now offered in the first year; 36 courses are offered the second year.

• 74 courses are required to complete the program of study at Southwest. • At the end of the two-year intensive program at Southwest the student will have earned 222 Semester Hours of Credit.

The Southwest curriculum has been carefully designed to impart information that is most needful to the Bible student. A fine balance is stressed between the scholarly study of these subjects with the necessity of making the application as practical as possible.

In fact, the Southwest curriculum is now not only one of the most thorough and comprehensive Bible programs, it also is second-to-none in providing the student with expositional (verse-by-verse) Bible classes. Southwest Bible courses are designed to devote focused attention to individual Bible books rather than simply surveying sections of the Bible. Completion of such an intensive and unique program of study is demanding. Yet, such study results in great spiritual growth and benefit to the student who is diligent enough to graduate.