Baptists

LBU is not accredited by an accreditation body recognized by the US Department of Education or Council on Higher Education Accreditation. The university has declared itself to be "a primarily religious institution" that "has not sought either regional or national accreditation by a secular accrediting agency. (Wikipedia)

This will present problems should you wish to transfer to another traditional school or continue your education to a higher degree. This will also present problems with many if not most employers. Read the following very carefully, to prevent regret later.

For colleges and universities within the United States and its territories, the critical issue is the schools accreditation. When choosing a college or university make sure the institution has a regional accreditation. With a regional accreditation you can be assured the coursework and degree you complete will be recognized by all other colleges and universities as well as employers. Below are listed the six regional accrediting agencies and their geographical areas of responsibility. Make sure the school is accredited by one of them.

Regional Accreditation Agencies

· Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools - Educational institutions in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, as well as schools for American children in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

· New England Association of Schools and Colleges - Educational institutions in the six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont).

· North Central Association of Colleges and Schools - Educational institutions in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

· Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities - Postsecondary institutions (colleges and universities) in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

· Western Association of Schools and Colleges - Educational institutions in California, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Micronesia, Palau, and Northern Marianas Islands.

· Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - Educational institutions in Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas.

In most all of Billy Graham's crusades, the very last hymn was that old gospel song,

that called the people to come down out of their seats, and to make their way to the front.

The same song that Billy Graham had first heard, as he walked down the aisle to meet

the King of kings and his Savior, Jesus Christ.

Just As I Am

Just as I am without one plea,

But that Thy blood was shed for me,

And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,

O Lamb of God, I come,

I come!

Yes. William Carey, sometimes described as the Father of Modern Missions, was Particular Baptist (Calvinist Baptist). He was born in near Northhampton, England in 1761, and died in 1834. He helped found the Baptist Missionary Society (in London). He wrote "An Enquirey into the Obligation of Christians to use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens." "Means" here implies the creation of special bodies or structures whose purpose is to send out and support missionaries. He served as a missionary for approximately 40 years in India (or now India and Bangladesh) especially in Serampore and Calcutta.

Many good books and articles are available on William Carey. For shorter, but valuable articles that are part of larger works on Christian Missions, you might consider "From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biographical History of Christian Missions" by Ruth Tucker. The other one is "Perspectives on the World Christian Movement" edited by Ralph Winter and Stephen Hawthorne.

There are over 12 main categories;

• Christianity
• Buddhism
• Confucianism
• Hinduism
• Islam
• Jainism
• Judaism
• Shinto
• Sikhism
• Taoism
• Zoroastrianism
• New Religious Movements

And over 25 sub categories such as:

• Baptist
• Episcopal
• Lutheran
• Methodist
• Pentecostal
• Zen
• Pure Land
• Theravada
• Tibetan
• Shaivism
• Vaishnavism
• Shakta
• Philosophy
• Orthodox
• Liberal/Reform
• Christian-Derived NRMs
• Eastern-Derived NRMs
• Paganism and New Age
• Bahai
• Scientology
• Rastafarianism

Answer:

There are thousands of different belief systems from animism to zoroastrianism and, humans being humans, tens of thousands of differing views of those belief systems.

Let me give a couple or so examples.

Christianity:

The four main branches of Christianity are Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and Anglican. Under these four broad headings a multitude of subdivisions exist. Indeed there are reported to be approximately 38,000 Christian denominations.

Islam:

There are also four major divides in Islam, Sunni, Shi'ite, Kharwarij and Sufi. There are numerous sub-divisions under each heading.

Answer:

Like the old saying goes "More than you can shake a stick at!"

Some religions have one (1) follower others claim a third of the human population. In some jurisdictions a "real" religion (for tax purposes) has to be registered. Other folks feel that since they've founded their religion on direct divine instructions no gov't agency should need to be involved. Then there are sects of existing religions who may be claimed or disavowed by the parent group. There is no truly accurate answer.

The appended link lists 1000 Religions. Not truly an exhaustive list, it has Jedi, but misses the Church of the SubGenius and Pastafariansm.