West Florida Theological Seminary (WFTS) is a non-denominational, independent, evangelical seminary offering a quality Christian Education. We stand unequivocally committed to the Bible as God’s inerrant, infallible, and authoritative written revelation. We exist to equip Christians for life and ministry with a biblical education. We do not try to indoctrinate our students with a particular denominational view. The majority of our leadership is from a Baptist background and we our passionate and devoted to our foundational beliefs. There is no willingness to compromise on the essentials of the Christian Faith. However, education does not occur when only one viewpoint is presented. At WFTS we strive to equally represent competing theological positions and make rational, objective, unbiased, biblical arguments for the best view. We equip our students to be knowledgeable of all major theological positions. We desire our graduates to be able, as Christians, to identify not only what they believe, but why they believe it. Moreover, possess the ability to explain it plainly. 

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West Florida Theological Seminary faculty will generally be arguing from:

• A literal-grammatical-historical hermeneutic

• A dispensational theology

• A pre-tribulational position

• A pre-millennial position

• A Non 5-point Calvinistic view of salvation

• An imputed righteousness by faith (Justification) view

• A progressive sanctification view 

• A believer's baptism view

• A cessationist view of spiritual gifts

• A complementarian view of biblical manhood and womanhood

• A young earth view

• A classical apologetic approach

 

What Bible do we use?

When choosing a Bible translation, it is important to understand the difference between the two major types of translations:

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1. Formal Equivalence - This is often called the literal translation. This type of translation seeks to translate the text from the original language using a word for word equivalency while trying also to retain the grammatical structure of the original insofar as the destination language will permit. Formal equivalence translations try to minimize interpretation while focusing on translating the text.​

2. Dynamic Equivalence - This is often called the functional translation. This type of translation is more concerned with the target audience of the translation. It aims for communicative effectiveness or an effect upon the reader in the receptor language comparable to that produced upon the original readers and listeners. It focuses more on a thought for thought type of translation rather than a word for word. Dynamic translations can be reduced to no more than a paraphrase of the original text.

-- Robert L. Thomas, “Bible Translations and Expository Preaching,” in Rediscovering Expository Preaching (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1992), 305.

 

                                                              Translation Chart

 

 

 

 

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At WFTS we require our students to use a Formal Equivalence (word for word) translation in class. It is the necessary translation for proper exegesis and exposition. The WFTS faculty will primarily use the KJV version while most of our academic textbooks use NASB, ESV, or NIV translation.