Do you want to get deeper into God's word? This book will certainly help. Full of many teachings that will aid in your study of God's word. Very insightful and helpful

Wow! A lot of information. I was very interested in seeing what this book contained in it. I liked how things were presented. That I could understand what they were trying to convey. That it wasn’t too over my head.

"The Portable Seminary" by David Horton is a Master's level general overview, all compiled into a single volume, specially designed to advance your Theological Education. You can enhance your Biblical and Theological knowledge in this unique portable seminary. In this extensive book you will be taught all the major topics in a Seminary Master's program, by highly respected professors, authors, and ministry leaders. This introduction to a Biblical Studies degree is perfectly ideal for the average layperson or anyone involved in vocational ministry. Subjects include topics like Systematic Theology, surveys of the Old and New Testaments, Apologetics, World Religions, Church History and Homiletics. I highly recommend this "Portable Seminary" right at your fingertips, for the best Theological education you can ever get, at your own convenience.

Seminary education methods are rapidly changing. Many traditional institutions are seeing a decline in student enrolment which also impacts the rate and quality of faculty recruitment. Some are adopting more distance-learning options while a few are fully online. For all the pros and cons of the different channels of seminary education, some things do not change: The need to be equipped to do the work of the gospel. This book aims to fill the gaps left out by conventional theological education. Instead of going to the professor, it brings the professors to you. Instead of signing up for different courses each semester, we get a whole list of syllabus all bounded in one book. Apart from cost savings and time flexibilities, this book gives the mobile individual an additional option to learn at one's own pace. Some of the topics include:

Biblical Languages
Systematic Theology
Old Testament Survey
New Testament Survey
Apologetics
World Religions
Church History
Missiology
Leadership
Ethics
Christian Education
etc.
The intent of the authors is to allow readers to pace themselves; to zoom into any topic of their choice; and to choose their own preferred location for study. Though one volume is not the same as a full course load, the book provides a primer, an introduction, even a refresher to a graduate level seminary education. It is not meant to replace but to supplement. It is not meant to fully equip but to come alongside other means. For that matter, there are many other audiences for this book. This includes people wanting a taste of what seminary education is all about. It helps those who had completed seminary studies and want a refresher. It even supplements existing students' seminary education courses.


There are 27 chapters marked clearly with a title, an introduction, and a concise description of the key points of the topic concerned. Like many good reference books, each chapter comes with a list of resources and books for further reading and study. The chapter on languages do not go in depth with regard to the Greek and Hebrew grammar. It simply explains the nuances of the ancient languages so that when we read the Bible, we would be more aware of the contexts prior to the translation we read. It also gives us what to look out for in the event we want to probe into the original languages further. On systematic theology, we get an overview of what theology is about; Christology; Pneumatology; Theology of Creation; Humanity and Sin; Salvation; Ecclesiology; Eschatology. I am pleasantly surprised to find some common electives included in this volume. There are topics about apologetics and homiletics. The world religions chapter compares and contrasts Christianity with Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, African traditional religions, New Age movement, atheism, and the new religious movements such as Mormonism and Jehovah's Witness. I am also glad to see five chapters dedicated to Church and Church history. This is important for the understanding of the development of Christian Theology. All in all, as an introductory book, this is a book to equip believers especially from an evangelical perspective. It covers just enough for us to know the salient points. Hopefully, it could spur individual readers to progress further into the goldmine of theological world of resources that are increasing and crying out for attention. Churches could use this book for basic Christian education classes.

There is a long list of very reputable theologians and scholars who have contributed articles in this volume. Top theologians such as Donald Bloesch, James DG Dunn, Paul Feinberg, Norman Geisler, Robert Clouse, Carl Henry, Mark Noll, as well as the late Haddon Robinson are all in the contributing team.

David Horton is a graduate of Oregon State University and is currently the editorial director at Bethany House Publishers.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

Good read to get a good start on an in-depth study of theology and the Bible. Good reference book as well.

This has a LOT of information and goes deep so I haven’t been able to finish it yet as it’s not something you can just read through quickly. It would be good for someone thinking about seminary school or starting it I think

This is a very good reference book with a short summary of a variety of topics that are typical in a seminary program. The topics such as Doctrine, each book of the Old and New Testament, World Religions, Study of Missions, Homiletics, History of the Church, Ethics, Learning Styles, Leadership, common terms and meaning, and suggestions for further reading and study do not go into great detail but give a short overview for understanding purposes. This would be a good starting point for most people to get an overview of topics related to a seminary program then be able to delve into deep research and understanding by gathering other books and materials once you found the topics of interest. The author does do a good job of giving additional resources for further reading after each chapter or topic.

Rarely do I review a book prior to finishing it, in the case of The Portable Seminary by David Horton I am making an exception. The extent of the book has my kindle telling me, 12% in, I have 18 hours to go! I feel, as the book is recently launched, that I must give It positive feedback at this point.

From the back cover, the book tasks itself with deepening the reader biblical and theological knowledge covering the major topics of a typical seminary master’s program. In the first three chapters, I found my mind challenged, my understanding extended and my faith strengthened! In a series of papers, it encouraged me to pause and consider elements of Christianity which I have taken for granted or avoided. The content is intense and, at times, requires reading over more than once to fully comprehend it.

Favourite lines include:

“A Christian’s devotional interpretation can always be improved because personal needs keeps changing. Suddenly one may see important things that were missed before, even in favorite passage studied many times.”

”Finitude can not comprehend infinity, nor can human thought patterns, which are associated with the created environment, completely grasp the transcendent realm of God.”

I look forward to digesting the upcoming chapters before writing a further review. However, if this topic appeal, I highly recommend this book!

The Portable Seminary
By David Horton
I think an introduction to myself is necessary for this review. I am a laywoman, who is not in any real ministry. I enjoy learning more about my faith and my God which is what lead me to want to read this resource. That being said I enjoyed this book and think that it is worth reading if you are like me and are wanting to learn and grow in your faith.

Full of useful information – this book is not a portable seminary. No reader should take it off the shelf and expect to cover the topics to the depth that a typical seminary education would provide. 

Having said that some topics are covered in further depth than others. A good overview of theology is provided – this is most of the first third of the book, though the author does sneak chapters on “Biblical Languages” and “Interpreting Scripture: Hermeneutics & Exegesis” into the middle of the theological chapters (immediately following a chapter on the “Doctrine of Scripture” and prior to “The Doctrine of God the Father”}. The author is strongly supportive of inerrancy; but, he clearly states, this doctrine must not be used to distinguish between authentic Christians and apostasy. Definitions are given for many of the most important terms, but few examples are given. For example, a clear distinction is made between exegesis and eisegesis – but no examples are given of either. In fact, no single example (from beginning to end) of exegesis is given. Similarly, no complete example of writing a sermon (from idea to finished sermon outline or text) is given.

Other topics covered include:

1. Five chapters introducing the Old Testament and New Testament 
2. Three chapters on evangelism: Apologetics, World Religions, and Missiology 
3. Five chapters on church history 
4. Four chapters on practical theology: Homiletics, Leadership, Ethics, and Christian Education 
It is not clear who has officially contributed to each chapter, versus allowing the quoted material to be included. Several pages of “Contributors” are included, but it is not clear who contributed what to the final volume. The ARC I was provided did set aside “1 page” for “Acknowledgments”, but it was blank and it is not clear what role these “acknowledgments” played in the development of the book.

To summarize, the book has lots of information, but the depth and helpfulness of that material will vary depending on the chapter and area of study. USE WITH CAUTION.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

I was very excited about this book. There are times when pastors and others who are academics can speak over my head. I grew up in a non-Christian home and feel at times like I'm a bit behind on some of the terminology that we add to the situation. This book offers some great information.

Each Christian is called to read and study the Bible, that's how we learn about God and His will. Church leaders are expected to go a step further and get some kind of education to help them in teaching and leading where they serve. Since everyone doesn't have the time or funds to spend on formal Bible education, The Portable Seminary can help bridge that gap.

This book covers a range of topics that are standard in seminary programs, from the doctrine of God, Son, and Holy Spirit to Biblical languages to the history of the Church. Each topic is not covered to same depth as they would be in a class, but it will give you a pretty thorough understanding. The writing style is like what you would expect at college level, but it can be read by most people. It isn't something that you can sit and read straight through, but it is full of information that you may not already know.

I had a specific reason for reading this book. Though I am not in the ministry, I am in training to be a deacon, and I figured I could use this book as a reference for that. I will probably have to go through it several times, but I think it would be a good book for someone who serves in any position in a church where you might be teaching or leading. Pastors would definitely benefit from it, but they aren't the only ones who will be asked questions about the Bible and God.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

As someone who wants to go to seminary one day, this book is a fantastic introduction. Although it obviously cannot contain all the education seminary provides you, it is a great resource for those in ministry or going into ministry. I highly recommend this book for Christians in ministry or even Christians that want a deeper understanding of God and the Bible!