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Moody Bible Institute
Rating Details »
Category: Colleges & Universities [Edit]
Neighborhood: Near North Side820 N La Salle Dr
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 329-4000
- Nearest Transit:
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5 reviews for Moody Bible Institute
Oh man, three or four stars? Not sure.
I attended here. It's an evangelical school and it's conservative. It's specifically meant to train people for careers in Christian ministry, such as Christian counseling, preaching, youth ministry, education, publishing, video, and theology. So... with that in mind...
The best part about Moody is its unique mission. Because of this, it attracts passionate kids from around the country and world. The location in downtown Chicago gives students a truly amazing experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. The ability to work with homeless people, kids in the slums, etc... etc... is way better than going to a isolated school surrounded by cornfields. They also have some pretty amazing professors and leadership.
On other other hand, Moody is still playing catch up and trying to shed a lot of fundamentalist hangovers. When I was there some of the rules were completely ridiculous and had no good correlation with the faith that is taught here. No movies, no jeans, no concerts, no dancing? Yeah. I felt that the rules were ultimately damaging to Moody's mission. Luckily all of those rules have changed over the past few years, but I'd really encourage Moody to continue walking away from fundamentalism while still holding to their passionate faith.
One thing is for sure.... you can still spot a Moody student from blocks away. Small-town conservative kids stuck in the middle of trendy Chicago? Yeah, they stick out. Luckily, the city changes them and I do believe they help to change the city. The extent of their volunteer work is incredible.
I think they asked me to interview( quite a few years ago) because they couldn't resist an opportunity to evangelize. Seriously. I went because I have wanted to work in a Christian atmosphere, but being Catholic, I forgot evangelicals are not.at.all welcoming to those who will not sign their statement of faith.
I understand it's their school and their rite (ha,ha), and in the end the experience made me realize once again why I am a Catholic and living and working in the world.
As an aside, I give their campus police props for intervening in a domestic dispute. They saved an acquaintance being choked.
Well-meaning organization, I'll say a rosary for their conversion.
I have not attended the school but Moody was an awesome host when I went to the Legacy Conference last month. The staff was very helpful in finding my way around and even in getting back to the airport via the sub there. The campus is really nice also and staying in the dorms took me back to my college years.
Their mission is clear as well, didn't have to guess where they stood as far as the faith is concerned and one of the classes I sat in was taught by a Moody instructor who I'd love to sit under and study with.
If ever I were looking to change cities I'd consider applying to Moody being I'm working in the field.
Former alma mater (of a few I have) MBI is located near the Gold Coast / Loop districts of Chicago. It is specifically tucked in between Cabrini Green (5th poorest housing development in the country at the time) and Gold Coast (90K average income/person at the time).
Very academically difficult school, founded by evangelist D. L. Moody in 1886. If I remember correctly Abraham Lincoln occasionally attended church there.
I was impressed by the character of the people, the academic level and commitment to excellence and the location in the city. They have some very strict rules, or at least at the time they did.
Highly recommended. Other schools have a LOT more degree programs--but MBI would be *very* hard to beat in the degree fields they do offer; especially aviation, communication, theology & music studies.
As an example, to complete the communication degree you had to run the MBI Radio Network control room -- with over 600+ radio stations it is the biggest in the world.
I'm rating it for its impact on Christian life in America. Few institutions in protestantism have as wide-ranging an impact on Christianity in America as Moody Bible Institute.
That said, I'd like to correct the other commenter. Abraham Lincoln never stepped foot on the MBI campus, given that he died over 20 years before MBI was founded. Apparently their history department might need some bolstering ...What Lincoln did do was visit the Sunday school that Dwight Moody ran, some report that being on November 25, 1860, shortly after being elected President, although the New York Times places him at St. James Episcopal Church that day.
At any rate, Moody BI has helped propagate a fervently evangelical variety of Christianity that influences a great deal of modern American Christianity. Agree or disagree on whether that's a good thing, but as an institution MBI has been quite successful in attaining its goals - for that, five stars.
