By Mark Ellis —
Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES) an institution offering both online and on-campus courses, is moving its physical campus to a new location in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
The school is known for its strong emphasis on Christian apologetics, philosophy, and theology, with many programs designed to accommodate remote learners through live-streamed and recorded lectures.
It was founded in 1992 by Dr. Norman Geisler, a well-known Christian apologist and theologian, who played a key role in shaping the seminary’s focus on classical apologetics.
The school was co-founded by Dr. Ross Rhoads, a pastor and evangelist who contributed to the practical ministry and leadership aspects of the school.
Their goal was to establish a seminary that emphasized philosophical theology, apologetics, and biblical inerrancy.
“Our student body has actually been growing by 10 to 15% per year over the last two or three years, in an era when many colleges and Christian colleges and theological schools are declining and closing their doors,” Judge Phil Ginn, president of SES, told God Reports.
Judge Ginn retired from a career as a superior court judge in North Carolina prior to taking the helm of the school.
“I attribute that growth to two things. One is that we’re steadfast. We’re not wavering from the traditional scripture and traditional Christian faith. And the second reason is that we’re really seeking to impact the culture outside the walls of our school.”
To further that vision, he encourages professors to not only write books, but to make videos and podcasts so they can use the digital world to meet people where they’re living.
Judge Ginn also emphasizes discipleship training. “We must seed the families in America with disciple makers. Only 5% of our churches in America have a discipleship program right now. And I think that’s one of the reasons we’re seeing a great decline. It’s one of the reasons why we lose a lot of our young people, because they haven’t been discipled in the faith. When they go out into the world, the culture overwhelms them because they don’t have that good, solid background.”
SES does not accept federal funding. “Federal money always comes with some conditions to it, and we’re not going to be hiring folks that don’t adhere to our cause and our reason for being,” he says.
For more information on SES, visit its website at www.ses.edu or its Facebook page, or follow the SES Twitter feed, @sesapologetics.
