The Spirit of Truth Institute requires that students seeking admission either:

• Have a diploma from a high school, or
• Have passed the general educational development (G.E.D.) test, or
• Be a mature person, who can demonstrate that they have the aptitude and capacity for doing the required work.
  

The further requirements of The Spirit of Truth Institute are very simple. You must:

          1. Be saved
          2. Agree with our Doctrinal Statement
          3. Abide by our Conduct Standards
          4. Fill out the proper application
          5. Return it with the proper fee

WHO ARE OUR STUDENTS?

We have had hundreds of students since 1972 even though we advertise very little. They reside in many states, but most of them have been local to us. We also have a few foreign students.

Our students average 35 years or more and are self-supporting. We have a fair mix of male and female, black and white, lay Church workers, part-time and full-time ministers.

They are zealously serving the Lord in their respective callings, ministering in Hospitals, Rest Homes, Jails, Prisons, etc. Some are prominent leaders and officers in Churches of many kinds.

They are involved on the cutting edge of what God is doing in this end-time. Many are serving as Pastors or Assistant Pastors of Churches. Others are engaged in all kinds of Para-Church operations.

The Spirit of Truth Institute is very proud of the productive careers of our students. We love to get exciting letters from our graduates telling of the latest victories, exploits, and promotions they have experienced.

The Spirit of Truth Institute maintains a permanent record on file of each student, containing name, address, telephone number, fees received, courses taken, grades, certificates granted, and dates.

Upon enrollment we may furnish you with the names and addresses of some of our students in your own area. We invite YOU to join The Spirit of Truth Institute family and friends across the nation to “study to show yourself approved unto God.” II Timothy 2:15

WE CARE ABOUT OUR STUDENTS

The administration and staff of The Spirit of Truth Institute are concerned about each of our students, and sincerely care about their needs. We stand ready to assist you in attaining your future goals; and we are committed to providing personal attention and encouragement. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to write, E-Mail, or call our central office.

We will gladly reply as promptly as possible, but please realize that we receive many inquiries everyday, so please be patient and give us a few days to respond.

FLEXIBILTY

Some schools are such sticklers about their many rules and regulations. I think they do a dis-service to the Body of Christ, which is why some of them eventually become defunct. But The Spirit of Truth Institute does not wish to be so rigid in dealing with individual student circumstances. If there’s something we can work with you on, let us know how we can accommodate you. If you have a unique situation, perhaps we can find a creative solution. For instance, we do not mind backdating a certificate somewhat.

STAFF

The day to day work of The Spirit of Truth Institute is carried on by a competent staff of workers who grade answer sheets, record examination grades, file resumes and information, and fill orders for courses. But we often get overloaded and have to call in extra help, including local students, who assist us. But Dr. Paul Richardson personally supervises all operations.

INTER-FELLOWSHIP AND COOPERATION

The Spirit of Truth Institute believes in fellowship with all the Body of Christ.

We seek to cooperate with all local churches that stand upon the uncompromised Word of God; and to work with all other Christian organizations. We do not subscribe to the obtuse ecumenical movement of the One World apostate church. We evaluate each student upon His or her present personal qualities, not by past sins or former affiliations. We wish to maintain a mutually respectful relationship with all other good Bible schools.

THE IDEAL BIBLE COURSE

The ideal Bible course should meet three specifications:

1. It must be Biblically true, doctrinally sound, spiritually rich, very understandable, and useful in your daily life.

2. It should be inexpensive, affordable, and within the reach of most everyone.

3. It should not be too time consuming, too much of an inconvenience upon one’s busy schedule, and free from boring “busy work” requiring unnecessary toil and hassle.

The Holy Bible should be the Supreme Text Book of every Bible School and the steadfast criteria for judging all doctrines, practice, and experience.

Therefore, The Spirit of Truth Institute has put meticulous care into its courses to make sure every statement lines up with the Word of God. Each course is a well-organized body of knowledge about God, man, the Christian life, and the ministry. They are spiritually inspiring and academically excellent, yet simply expressed and readable.

Each course is divided into several separate books, which are subdivided into carefully arranged subtitles. There are questions at the end of each section to be answered while it is fresh on your mind, before going on to the next section. Each book has about 150 True or False and Multiple Choice questions, which are designed to stimulate your thinking and provoke analytical reasoning.

The courses are very user-friendly. All you have to do is:

          1. Read accurately,
          2. Think clearly, and
          3. Make little marks.

Then you mail back only the ANSWER SHEETS for grading, which is returned to you. You keep your 8 ½” X 11” books, which range from about 24-50 pages and are usable as a ready-made devotional guide, topical handbook of important doctrines, and a helpful source of sermon notes.

CURRICULUM DESCRIPTION

I. BASIC BIBLE STUDY

A non-denominational presentation of the main doctrines of Christianity such as:

          The Scriptures
          The Divine Godhead
          The Gospel of Christ
          The Plan of Salvation
          The Christian Life
          The Church
          The Plan of the End
          Spiritual Things
          Recognizing false doctrine

This 98% pure systematic Scripture presentation is offered without human comment or personal explanation, because the Bible is it own best interpreter, expounder, and commentator. No need to spend hours looking up verses. They are all printed right in the study booklet for you. We have selected the best passages to give you a broad overview and working knowledge of the whole Bible.

II. FULL GOSPEL FUNDAMENTALS

A review of much of the same themes as Course I, except that it contains the missing dimensions omitted by the old mainline denominations and presents the Full Gospel light and Charismatic Theology of the early Apostolic church, neglected by many fundamental evangelicals today.

III. THE MARRIAGE MANUAL

More appropriate Scriptures and facts gleaned over years from many sources are crammed into these four books than in any similar college courses I have seen. This is Ideal for marriage counselors. The following is less than half of what is in each book:

BOOK 1
God ordained marriage
Sex-ploitation
The unisex lifestyle
Homosexuality
Uncleanness
Choosing a mate
What a man seeks in a woman
What a woman seeks in a man
How do you know if you’re in love?
What’s wrong with “Shacking up”?
A Christ-centered home
Comparing male and female
The perfect husband
The Ideal wife
An older woman’s pep talk to

  a younger woman

BOOK 2
Real love is Spiritual
Twain shall be One
The Christian Home
From frustration and futility to
  fulfillment and fruitfulness
Getting along together
To love is to listen
The Husband’s duties
The Wife’s duties
Recipe for Happiness
Ten steps to a working Marriage
Communication
What do you do when you get hurt?
Strife in the home
The dignity of womanhood
Keeping romance alive
Making Marriage intimate
What about oral sex?

BOOK 3
Fatherhood
Motherhood
The miracle of reproduction
The atrocity of abortion
Children: A Gift of God
Family devotions
Child neglect
Family Salvation
Character Development
Raise your own Children
Honor thy Parents
Obey thy parents
Put the fear of God in them
Statistics about children

BOOK 4
Nine reasons why marriages fail                               Bitterness or forgiveness?
The true reason for divorce                                       Six reasons for reconciliation
Breaking the marriage covenant                                Does God forgive?
Separation                                                              Is remarriage ever permissible?
Wife abuse                                                             The law of marriage in the Bible
Infidelity destroys marriage                                       Legalism or mercy?
Advice to those who become a victim                        Those who have failed
 of adultery                                                              Remarriage assurance

Book 1 covers things up through the marriage ceremony. Book 2 covers general marriage management. Book 3 covers child rearing. Book 4 covers divorce and remarriage. The whole Course III contains 639 questions.

NOTE:
The next two courses really go together and are highly recommended for all beginning Evangelists and Pastors, to learn as much as possible before they launch any kind of ministry, to help them cope with typical problems. Well-experienced ministers can also get a lot out of the variety of subjects, which can fill in any holes in your knowledge and increase your understanding of up-to-date practical ministry involvement. The array of information, revelation, impartation, and activation can propel you out of the ordinary into the realm of the extraordinary. The following is just a fraction of the contents of these courses.


IV. PRELIMINARY MINISTERIAL TRAINING COURSE

How do you know if you’re called?
Three phases of entering the ministry
Evidence of your Divine calling
God’s perfect plan and divine
  design for your life and ministry
Obtaining credentials: licensed and ordained
Twenty questions for ministers
How to be a good minister of Jesus Christ?
Mixing Christianity with other things
Pastor or Evangelist?
Seven important points for ministers
Quality or quantity?
Examples and methods of teaching
The concept and art teaching
Presenting the message
Preparation and delivery
Cooperation not competition
Prison ministry
How to start a prison ministry
Breaking into jail
Some dos and don’ts
How to perform a water baptism
Stating the goals of your ministry
God’s kind of ministry
What people want
How to perform a wedding ceremony
Your Christian writing ministry
Your radio ministry
How to get on T.V.
How to promote your ministry


V. ADVANCED MINISTERIAL TRAINING COURSE

Civil authority and religious freedom                             Discord or harmony?
The rights of street preachers                                         Law and love
Do’s and don’ts of political activity for pastors                Leadership and followers
Can you use your home for a Church?                           Common complaints against pastors
A balanced N.T. Church                                                Two ways of pastoring
Receiving the offering                                                   Appointment and engagements
Business, friendship, or charity?                                     Overwork can ruin your health
God’s ministers and God’s money                                  Bigger is not always better
Questions about tithes and offerings                              Dealing with criticism, accusations and
How to start a Church?                                                   Persecution
Pastor: Minister or administrator?                                   Rejoicing: the secret of victory
What people want in a pastor                                         How to avoid a fall
Typical pastoral problems                                              Marks of a backslidden pastor
The pastor: Boss or leader?                                            When a pastor commits adultery
Pastoral responsibility and where it ends                        The kind of religion Jesus condemned
Guidelines for Church business and plans                      Growth and progress
Church government                                                        Formally organizing your ministry


VI. MESSIANIC PROPHECIES AND THEIR FULFILLMENT

The Thompson Chain Referenced Bible has a similar chart, but it contains only 37 verses. We have compiled over twice as many categories---80! This 48 page, 8 ½” x 11” book arranged in parallel columns of the Old and New Testaments immediately prove that:

• There’s a God, Who is omniscient.
• The Bible is the inspired Word of God.
• Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah of Israel.

This is the message Jesus preached in Luke 24:24-30. Peter preached it in Acts 3:18-19. Paul preached it in Acts 17:2-3. There is overwhelming evidence for the claims of Christ and His two comings. It also contains the Seven Scriptural witnesses to the true Divine Identity of Jesus.


VII. END-TIME EVANGELISM & THE BOOK OF REVELATION

This Scripturally heavy and very timely motivational course embodies a mature approach to the vital role of the ministry of the Church in the world today.

Book 1 -.Serving God and Sharing Christ; Witnessing: Why, How, What, Ways, Where, Who; Results; Fruit-Gift-Ministry; Public Evangelism.
Book 2 - The Book of Revelation; The end of the World; The order of end-time events.
Book 3 - The Book of Revelation—Chapter by chapter. The little Apocalypse of Jesus.
Book 4 - How to prepare for and deal with the coming world-wide wave of persecution of the Church. Our defense: Taking the Gospel to the streets.

The first book contains a Plan of the Ages chart. The last book contains a Dispensation chart demonstrating the difference between O.T. & N.T. standards of conduct.

FUTURE PLANS

A school could have hundreds of courses, but King Solomon said, “Of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” Eccl. 12:12. Nevertheless, we have long ranged goals for an enlarged scope of studies to expand our curriculum.

GRADING SYSTEM

The grading system of The Spirit of Truth is as follows:

Excellent
   A+ 100-99
   A 98-95
   A- 94-93
Good
   B+ 92-90
   B 89-88
   B- 87-85
Fair
   C+ 84-82
   C 81-80
   C- 79-77
Passing
   D+ 76-75
   D 74-72
   D- 71-70
Fail
   69-0
W – Withdraw
I – Incomplete

1 unit of Credit = 1 semester Hour

40 Credits=Diploma
90 Credits=Associates Degree
120 Credits = Bachelor Degree
150 Credits = Master’s Degree
210 Credits = Doctorial Degree

It seems that most of the students that the Lord sends us make good grades.

WHICH COURSES EARN WHICH DEGREES

COURSE I -------------------------------- Diploma
COURSE II ------------------------------- Associates
COURES III – Diploma or Associates or Bachelor or Master
COURES IV ------------------------------ Masters
COURSE V ------------------------------- Doctors
COURSE VI – Bachelor or Master or Doctor
COURSE VII – Bachelor or Master or Doctor

REQUIRED PAPERS FOR EARNED DEGREES

The Spirit of Truth Institute does not require as much work of our students as Oxford and Cambridge, and as most other schools, we do not require a written paper for the Baccalaureate degree. But in addition to taking the prescribed courses, we do require a Thesis for the Master's degree and a Dissertation for the Doctorial degree.

It takes skill to rally, arrange, and polish your ideas. The paper you write is to provide practice in clearly communicating your thoughts. It is a self-teaching method to develop your ability to effectively express yourself in written form.

If you’ve ever written anything, you should be able to write a good paper for your degree. First, choose a subject that is particularly interesting to you. It should also be a topic that directly relates to the field your degree will be in. Following is the kind of subjects that would be pre-approved:

• The Life of Christ
• Substance abuse--cause and treatment
• The Holy Spirit
• Ministering to children and/or teens
• Divine Healing
• Dangers of the “new age” or cults
• Heaven and Hell
• Apologetics—defense of Christian faith
• The 5 Gifts Ministries
• Protestant Reformation
• Eschatology 
• Overcoming Depression
• Christian ethics
• Ministering to the dying
• Church growth methods
• Church history
• World mission/evangelism 
• End-time Apostasy
• Angels and demons
• Christianity vs. world religions

Of course, your paper is to represent original independent research, and avoid plagiarism (copying other people’s work without giving proper credit). We encourage creative thought---expressing your own insights, ideas, and opinions.

Now frankly, there’s not a lot of difference between:

          1.  An Essay
          2.  A Treatise
          3.  A Thesis, and
          4.  A Dissertation

Educators don’t always agree, but the general understanding is as follows:

• ESSAY---a brief personal literary composition on some subject. Shorter and less formal than a thesis, but reflective, analytical, and critical.

• TREATISE---a formal systematic and elaborate literary composition, presenting some serious subject. It is longer and more exhaustive than an essay. A treatment of evidence, principles, and facts, followed by a conclusion.

• THESIS---a formal essay or treatise on a particular subject, presenting some proposition advanced and defended by argumentation. A dissertation offered by a candidate for an academic degree, usually the Master’s. A logical premise or postulation (as opposed to a hypotenuse) such as the 95 Thesis of Martin Luther that he nailed to the Church door, protesting Catholic corruptions.

• DISSERTATION---a formal lengthy treatise on some subject written as partial fulfillment of requirements for a degree, usually the Doctorate; an extended discourse or discussion written in an argument format and learned manner.
  
  

You may consult your personal library or any public library. It’s advisable to make an outline or list of the points you wish to cover, and arrange them in some plausible order.

We feel content is more important than form, so we do not insist upon strict adherence to any particular formal style, as long as it is readable and understandable. Footnotes at the bottom of pages and a bibliography of references are optional, but we do expect spelling, grammar, and punctuation to be correct.

LENGTH---The Spirit of Truth Institute requires the Master’s Thesis to be at least six pages or more and the Doctorial Dissertation to be twelve pages or more. We encourage much longer papers, but limited to 20,000 words. A regular sheet of paper typed double-spaced is about 250 words, so six pages would be about 1,500 words and twelve pages would be about 3,000 words.

INSTRUCTIONS

• Use plain white paper 8 ½ x 11 only
• Type double space, as error free as possible
• One inch margin, on top, bottom, and both sides
• Number your pages somewhere
• Staple or bind it together in some way
• The Top Cover Sheet should contain:
        · The school name and address
        · The student’s name and address
        · The title of the paper
        · The degree it’s for
        · The date it is submitted
  
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