FAQ

Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary is an educational institution whose mission is to prepare students to serve Christ and His church through biblical, experiential, and practical ministry. The seminary aims that such training be God-glorifying and be in accord with the Scriptures and historic Reformed creeds. We believe that this purpose is well-served by providing theological instruction and training that develops knowledge and skills as well as the personal piety and Christian character that is essential for faithful Christian ministry.

We are committed to the conviction that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as originally written are God's inerrant Word inspired by His Spirit and therefore are the only, sufficient, and infallible authority for faith and practice. The English translation used by the faculty for instruction in the classroom is the King James Version.

Foundational to the character and mission of the seminary is its identity as a confessionally Reformed institution. Each faculty member, the seminary as an institution, and its supporting and governing denominations, Heritage Reformed Congregation, and Free Reformed Churches, subscribe to the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith as expressed in the Ecumenical Creeds and to the teaching of the Reformed faith as expressed in the Three Forms of Unity (The Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort) and the Westminster Standards of the 1640s. From these sources flow our Reformed perspective, our value system, our motivation for ministry, and our curricular emphases.
The following video, provides a visual introduction to the seminary.

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You can read biographies of many of the puritans in this book. Some biographies are here.

Listen to this or read this.

This book has many biographies. Here is extensive coverage of Luther, Zwingli & Calvin. A larger biography of Calvin is here. Other great reformers were Savonarola, John Huss, Peter Waldo, and John Wyclif. Other influential men during these times were Oecolampadius, John Knox, Philipp Melanchthon, Peter Martyr, William Tyndale, William Farel, Theodore Beza, and Heinrich Bullinger.

Read this.

The PRTS doctrinal statement is contained in either the Three Forms of Unity or the Westminster Confession. You can see these documents on our front page in the section entitled Theological Distinctives.

An experiential approach to preaching and ministry is explained here and here.

Information regarding our faculty is here.

You certainly can do this.  Start by registering at our Community site.  We also have a great deal of material available here.

Here.

Many course lectures can be audited freely.

M.Div. and M.A.R. courses:  $190 per credit hour
Audited M.Div. and M.A.R. courses:  $60 per credit hour
Th.M. courses:  $190 per credit hour
Audited Th.M. courses:  $100 per course

A credit hour is the U.S. way of telling you how many lectures are required in a given course. One credit hour is 700 minutes of professor/student time per semester.  This breaks down to fourteen sessions of fifty minutes each credit hour.  Most PRTS courses are three credit hours, but some are two or four credits.

These are the degrees PRTS offers.  We also offer a Certificate in Systematic theology.

There certainly are.  We record all of our class lectures, and you are welcome to audit these.  We also have classes in the original languages (here and here) which are specifically tailored for distance learners.  Finally, we do have some classes that can be taken via distance learning for credit.  Please contact the director of distance learning for more about these classes. Be sure to read this.

No.  PRTS requires that fifty percent of any degree be earned on campus.  The Certificate in Systematic Theology, however, can be earned entirely by distance learning.

Read this.

While the student is allowed limited contact with the professor, all communications should begin with the director of distance learning.  He will facilitate the submission of course work to the respective professors.

Yes, we have one of the finest online Greek classes available anywhere. We use the inductive method for teaching both Greek and Hebrew.  This class is free to auditors.  If you wish to take the course for credit, please contact Chris Engelsma.

Good. We have a course in Hebrew similar to the Greek class.  This class is freely available online.

Certainly not. When you enroll in either language course you will have access to the tutorial assistance of Chris Engelsma. He is accessible six days a week from 8am to 4:30pm EDT by phone, instant message, or email. It is also possible to do screen-shares. He welcomes your contact and values these interactions. Please don’t hesitate to ask for help whenever you need it.

Chris Engelsma

2965 Leonard NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49525
Office: (616) 977-0599 x137
Cell: (616) 350-5160
chris.engelsma@puritanseminary.org

The total cost of tuition ($190 per credit hour) is $3420. The cost of books would need to be added to that. There are no additional fees for the certificate program.

The courses vary but most courses will involve 15-25 lectures, two exams, and several papers/essays/book reviews. All the courses will have a required reading list. You can read most of the syllabi online.

The original language classes are completely different.  These classes are broken down into lessons, each with their own assignment, vocab quiz, and grammar quiz.  Each student is allotted one month to work the first lessons without paying the tuition.  This allows one to experience the class before committing to it.

1. Inform the registrar of your intentions.  Read the policies binding on distance learners.
2. Once registered, contact the Director of Distance Learning for the course materials.
3. Obtain and read the syllabus.
4. Purchase the required textbooks.
5. Listen to the lectures taking notes as you go.
6. Get a proctor.
7. Contact the director and ask that the exams be sent to the proctor.
8. Take the exams.
9. Write any required papers.
10. Send in your written work.
11. Along the way, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact the director.

Internet access is required for some classes but not all. Contact the director if this is an issue. We have many courses that can be taken without it.

Completing a course without a computer would be very difficult.

You will need some kind of software to play mp3 files.  If you intend to watch the videos, you will need Microsoft Silverlight.  If you need a word processor, this one is free.

Course materials can be accessed here. This is our online course management system. Each class has its own homepage on this site.

You can do this freely.  Start here.

Yes, you can. Normal tuition rates will apply. Some courses, due to their more collaborative nature, cannot be taken from a distance. Please read this carefully.

Yes.

Many course lectures can be audited freely.

M.Div. and M.A.R. courses:  $190 per credit hour
Audited M.Div. and M.A.R. courses:  $60 per credit hour
Th.M. courses:  $190 per credit hour
Audited Th.M. courses:  $100 per course

A credit hour is the U.S. way of telling you how many lectures are required in a given course. One credit hour is 700 minutes of professor/student time per semester.  This breaks down to fourteen sessions of fifty minutes each credit hour.  Most PRTS courses are three credit hours, but some are two or four credits.

The seminary's distance learning policies will apply.

Very little. You only need to be online to download the lectures and obtain the course materials.  The online language courses do require more online time.

Textbooks can be purchased anywhere you please. The seminary bookstore is here.

A basic knowledge is all that is required. The only skills necessary are the receiving and sending of email and email attachments, listening to audio files, and word processing skills. The director will gladly walk you through anything that puzzles you.

• To access the library catalog online, click on "Find Books" under Library, or go directly here.
• Select from the menu if you want to search by "Keyword," "Title," Author," "Subject," or "ISBN"
• Enter your search term; then, if you only want to search the PRTS Library, select "PRTS." (If you leave it as "View Entire Collection," it will also search Cornerstone University Library).
• When your book (or list of books) comes up as "Available," write down the CALL NUMBER--this will tell you where it is located in the PRTS (or Cornerstone) Library.
• By clicking on the title (in blue) you can find out more about the book.

Once you find the book in the online catalog, you can locate it by the Call Number on the library shelves (see FAQ #5). See instructions at the library circulation desk for detailed checkout policy & procedures.
Checking out books from Cornerstone's Library requires your PRTS ID number. Once you find your books on their shelves, bring them to the front desk and someone will assist you.
If you are not a PRTS student or staff, you will need to apply for a Guest card from the individual library, whether Cornerstone or PRTS.

Most books are due in 4 weeks. You can renew most books for an additional 4 weeks by going online with your PRTS ID number ("My Library Account" link on the catalog home page).
The same checkout period and renewal process works at both PRTS and CU Libraries.

You may not check out Reference books (shelved in the Reference section), Magazines,  Journals, or antiquarian books.
Guest borrowers may have additional restrictions (see the Guest Policy)

• Both PRTS and CU Libraries are organized by Library of Congress Subjects and Call Numbers. For example, most of our Bible commentaries will be shelved together in the BS471--BS2825 range, in order of the books of the Bible. (Genesis: BS1235-- to Revelation: BS2825.)
• At PRTS only, books by or about the Puritans are housed in the PRC (see FAQ #9). Secondary source works about the Puritans are shelved by LC Call Number, but books by the Puritans themselves (Primary Sources) are shelved in alphabetic order by Puritan author last names.

These numbers were assigned in PRTS Library's previous system (not at CU Library, however). They were retained in our online catalog to enable searches by the JRB number, using the "ISBN" search. If you know the JRB number, simply type it in as a search by ISBN. Need help with this? Ask our Library staff or submit an "Ask a Librarian" request.

Books restricted for limited class access are shelved separately in PRTS (and CU) Library.  These books are restricted to a 4-hour checkout in order to make them available to all students in the course.

Try searching the WorldCat database, the world's largest catalog of library-owned materials. (Note: PRTS students have a password to access WorldCat – contact the library.) You can then obtain these books either by interlibrary loan, or by finding them in a Grand Rapids area library.

Click here for a complete description of the Puritan Research Center.

PRTS Library has hundreds of rare books, depending on one's definition of 'rare.' Most of these are part of the Puritan Research Collection. Many date back to the late 16th century, such as John Knox's (1560) An Answer to a Great Number of Blasphemous Cavillations written by an Anabaptist.... A few other gems include: William Attersoll's (1610) Continuation of the Exposition of the Book of Numbers, of the History of Balak...; and Niels Hemmingsen's (1569) Exposition of the Gospels...; and John Downame's (1609) The Christian Warfare.
One rare title of particular interest for its provenance is the 3-volume Works of William Perkins, printed in 1626. This set was owned by Charles Spurgeon, and passed on to another great expositor, Arthur Pink, whose numerous handwritten notes appear in the margins of all three volumes.

If a book is lost or damaged, you may be charged a replacement fee--this includes not only the cost of replacing the book (closest edition available), but a processing fee to find and re-catalog the new book, and prepare if for the shelf. If such a fee is placed, your library account may be blocked until paid in full. In the case where books are "lost," but later found and returned to PRTS Library, the replacement cost will be waived or refunded, and a late fee will be assessed instead.

Books that are not returned by the due date are considered overdue. A courtesy reminder will be sent to the borrower's email address three days prior to when an item is due. An overdue notice will be emailed to the patron three days after the item is due.  If the item is still not returned within 11 more days, (14 total) a replacement bill is sent. This will include a $40 default cost for any item, a $30 processing fee, and a $5 billing fee, for a total of $75. If the material is later returned, the charges would be removed except for the $5 billing fee, per item.

Assistance from Library staff is readily available for finding and checking out books.
• Assistance finding books that are not in PRTS library or finding journal articles should be directed to our Librarian by email or by using the online "Ask-a-Librarian" form.
• InterLibrary Loan is a service available (only) to PRTS' currently registered students or staff (The same is true at CU Library--restricted to registered CU students/staff). Sorry, but alumni and guests are unable to borrow by ILL (due to license restrictions).

PRTS students in the USA and Canada currently registered as distance education students are able to borrow books from PRTS Library and to have them mailed to their home. They are responsible for return postage and must observe the usual loan periods (4 weeks from receipt of books, though they may also renew books online.)
Interlibrary Loan requests are often more efficient when processed through the distance education student's local library--though we are happy to provide research assistance in finding books and articles as requested.

InterLibrary Loan is a service available (only) to PRTS currently registered students or staff. (The same is true at CU Library--restricted to registered CU students/staff.) Sorry, but alumni and guests are unable to borrow by ILL (due to license restrictions).

For a full explanation of ILL Policies & Procedures, please see the "Student's Guide to the Library," available at the circulation counter. For more information on ILL and journal articles, see the PRTS Interlibrary Loan Policy.

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• Many of our journals are indexed in the FirstSearch database, especially in the ATLA-Religion collection, where many theology/ministry-related articles are also available 'full-text online.' This is a licensed database restricted to our currently registered students and staff.  If you are PRTS students, call or email Library staff for access information.
• There are certain "open-access" journals that provide free access to articles in theology, religion, and ministry. See our "Research Guides" page for suggested open-access journals.

PRTS Library subscribes to about 130 periodicals, and has back files of several decades for many journals.

Do a Journal Title search in the online catalog to find print journals or magazines in the library.

Many of our journals are indexed in the ATLA-Religion collection, where many theology/ministry-related articles are also available 'full-text online.' This is a licensed database restricted to our currently registered students and staff. If you are PRTS students, call or email Library staff for access information.

There are certain "open-access" journals that provide free access to articles in theology, religion, and ministry. See the Research Guides page for links.

PRTS Library has individual carrels with network ports and electric outlets for laptop computers; wireless access to the network is also available. There are three public access computers with Internet access for student and guest use.

• ATLA-Religion
• CPI (Christian Periodical Index)
• FirstSearch database (including WorldCat) is available to current PRTS students.
• NTA (New Testament Abstracts)
• OTA (Old Testament Abstracts)

RefWorks is a bibliographic management system available by PRTS online subscription; it enables one to create Turabian style bibliographies, and to export a list of citations from any Firstsearch database directly to one's bibliography. For a full description and demo, click here. To use this excellent tool, PRTS students need to login using the PRTS group code (call Library for authorization).

PRTS Library is generally open to the public, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.  (PRTS students and staff have extended access hours.)

Everyone is welcome to visit PRTS Library during its regular hours (see FAQ #11). Guests from Cornerstone University have borrowing privileges much the same as at Cornerstone's Library. Other guests may apply for a Guest Borrower's card. (Some borrowing restrictions apply, and an annual $10 fee is required.) For more information about guest borrowing, click here.