Columbia Evangelical Seminary is an unaccredited Christian seminary in Washington. It began in April 1991 as Faraston Theological Seminary, and in January 1998, the Board of Regents changed the name to Columbia Evangelical Seminary. Each student enrolled in the seminary has one primary mentor (professor) with whom the student will work throughout the degree program.It began in April 1991 as Faraston Theological Seminary, and in January 1998, its so-called "Board of Regents" changed the name to Columbia Evangelical Seminary. Serious questions have been raised about the composition and legitimacy of this board, as the following quote demonstrates:

“Rick ‘Josh’ Walston is the founder and president of the school. He sports a Ph.D. from Potchefstroom University.

“The board of regents runs as follows:

"Michael A. Buchanan - Bachelor of Ministry from CES.

"Phil Fernandes - Ph.D. from Greenwich University, Hilo HI. (What is Greenwich University? Well, a bit of checking on the Internet shows that Greenwich University, Hilo HI is actually affiliated with the Greenwich School of Theology, England. Go to that Web site [www.gschooltheol.com] and you find that the accrediting institution for this school is...drum roll please...Potchefstroom University. So chalk Phil Fernandes' claimed doctorate as another mark in the PU column.)

"Rick A. Luiten - Pursuing a doctorate from CES.

"John Thornton - D.Min. from CES.

"Randy Weiss - D.Min from Faraston Theological Seminary (CES used to be called Faraston Theological Seminary). M.A. and Ph.D. from Greenwich University.

"Stuart D. Young - Honorary Doctor of Missions from Faraston Theological Seminary (i.e. CES).

"So, every single one of the principles in CES -- including all of the 'mentors' (Walston, Fernandes, Weiss, and Young) claim their doctoral degrees either from CES itself or from Potchefstroom University.

"There is a phrase that describes this phenomenon very nicely; it's called academic incest” (http://www.catholic-legate.com/articles/heos-drsham.html).

As the article cited above notes, the school’s founder and president is Ricky Lyle "Josh" Walston, who inexplicably and strangely has also used the names "Rick Walston" and "Ric Walston" during his long and checkered career in distance learning. Contrary to Biblical Christian teachings on humility (see Proverbs 15:33, 18:12, 22:4; Colossians 2:23, 1 Peter 5:5), Walston publicly refers to himself as a “Pentellectual:” “My longtime friend Tyler Ramey coined a phrase that I like, 'Pentellectual' (an intellectual Pentecostal). So, if you don't mind, I am a Conservative Evangelical Pentellectual” (http://www.columbiaseminary.edu/aboutus/president/index.html).

Walston has been strongly criticized by others involved in distance learning, especially Steve Levicoff, Ph.D., for having degrees from unaccredited schools that Levicoff describes as "degree mills," including Bethany Bible College and Seminary in Dothan, Alabama, and Greenwich University of Hilo, Hawaii. Levicoff once described Columbia Evangelical Seminary as a "Mickey Mouse operation, with apologies to Mickey Mouse." In his widely-circulated “Distance Education: The Unofficial FAQ,” Levicoff wrote the following regarding Walston:

“Another book to be avoided is Walston's Guide to Earning Religious Degrees Nontraditionally, by Rick Walston. A graduate of two doctoral programs I have classified as degree mills, Walston originally adapted John Bear's book to a religious market before splitting with John and going on his own. He also runs his own degree mill (Faraston Theological Seminary in Washington State) and has recommended several additional degree mills in his book. Incidental note: Walston's book came out after my own, described below, and I do not feel that he is a competitor. Moreover, if he ever cleans up his act I'll be happy to recommend the book, but at this point it's a risky piece of reading” (http://home.san.rr.com/follies/archives/1DerekHistory/1PostPhDFraud/LevicoffFAQPart1.txt).

A major controversy broke out on the widely-respected DegreeInfo.com website after Walston posted his doctoral dissertation online. Many commenters noted that it appeared that Walston had simply reworked old material that he had previously used to receive his unaccredited degrees, and that the level of work in the dissertation was not "up to par" for most accredited doctoral degrees. During that discussion, it was also noted that Walston claims to have earned a Master of Divinity degree from a Korean Presbyterian seminary, but that the seminary apparently did not offer distance learning courses, nor courses in any languages other than Korean. As Walston neither reads Korean nor lived in Korea during that time, the legitimacy of his claimed master's degree was questioned.

Columbia Evangelical Seminary once featured pictures on its website of a doctoral degree recipient being awarded his degree in the middle of a pasture, with "humorous" photographs of the student attempting to avoid contact with a bull in the pasture. The "graduation" was completed at a local Starbuck's, which apparently serves as a hangout for Walston.


There are serious problems with academic incest at the school, and the school's meager facility are suspect at best (http://www.shields-research.org/Novak/CES/ces.htm).

Alumni

Phil Fernandes

Ron J. Bigalke Jr.

James White

External links

Columbia Evangelical Seminary

Columbia Evangelical Seminary: The Photographic Tour

The US Department of Education's database of accreditation Council on Higher Education Accreditation

Higher Education article on Columbia