Journal of European Baptist Studies, 2017

clash of terminology and levels of qualification have created tension, confusion, and difficulty for IBTS. The establishment of equivalence has been an enduring challenge to succeeding academic teams as they have engaged with higher education authorities in three specific domains - the north American, the British, and the continental European regimes. Each has its merits, but to range across the three systems, 9 to recruit students from three different domains, and to translate standards and equivalence has proved a challenge, even today when within the European Union the Bologna process 10 seeks to provide just that. did long-term damage to the way IBTS was viewed in many Baptist churches in the southern states of the USA. See Woodfin, pp. 314ff. 7 In 1948 the BWA called together Unions and mission agencies in London to discuss where, how and who should contribute to the re-building of capacity amongst Baptist communities in war-torn Europe. This is explored in Richard V. Pierard (General Editor), Baptists Together in Christ 1905-2005 (Falls Church, VA: BWA, 2005), see especially chapter 5. Also Woodfm, chapter 1 and Jones, chapter 6. 8 Dr Josef Nordenhaug, a Norwegian, was previously editor of publications at the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board. His original discipline was in the sciences, but at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, he gained a doctoral degree in New Testament and Greek. 9 Not to mention taking on board students from South America and Asia. Indian students, for instance, have often been asked to justify the value of their degree to Serampore College, founded by Carey, Marshman and Ward in 1818, which is the guarantor for Christian higher theological education in India. 10 The European Union Bologna process seeks to establish an EU-wide, and beyond, approach to higher education with levels of Bachelor (normally three years), Master (two years full time equivalent) and doctoral degrees by dissertation. Despite the governments of all EU nations and many others in Europe (eg Ukraine) signing up to the process, the reality is that there continues to be resistance from academics, some Jones, A ‘Mistake’ which Became a Triumph 9 Sadler and Nordenhaug had both been formed in their theological education through the north American approach and had degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary 11 in Louisville, but from the first they recognised it was important to engage with European higher education. Thus the initial teaching staff at Ruschlikon included notable European scholars such as Arthur B. Crabtree, a British Baptist who, importantly, had a doctoral degree from the University of Zurich, gained under the outstanding scholar, Emil Brunner. Claus Meister, a young Swiss completing his doctoral degree at the University of Basel, was also added to the Faculty 12 and, later, outstanding international scholars such as George Beasley- Murray. 13 Yet, despite setting