Jim Berg
Encyclopedia
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, where he did farm chores, worked in a restaurant, and learned to trouble-shoot machinery with his father. Many of his illustrations are taken from his varied life experiences.
Biography
Berg earned an undergraduate degree in Bible (1974) and an M.A.Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
(1976) from Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University is a private, for-profit, non-denominational Protestant university in Greenville, South Carolina.The university was founded in 1927 by Bob Jones, Sr. , an evangelist and contemporary of Billy Sunday...
, a Christian Fundamentalist university in South Carolina. He received an honorary Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
degree from Tabernacle Baptist Theological Seminary (Virginia Beach, Virginia). Jim Berg has taught seminars on biblical counseling and leadership development coordinated through fundamentalist Protestant churches.
Berg served as Dean of Students at Bob Jones University for 29 years (1981-2010). Beginning in the summer of 2010, Berg joined the faculty of the BJU Seminary to teach courses, serve as a spokesperson for BJU at conferences, counsel pastors and members of the university family, and "provide resources for pastors who are facing issues beyond their training and experience." Berg's wife, Pat, also teaches at BJU and assists him in his counseling ministry. They have three married daughters: Kirsten, Angie, and Michelle.
Berg's book, Changed into His Image, has been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, German, Russian, and Chinese. Of it, Roy B. Zuck, editor of Bibliotheca Sacra
Bibliotheca Sacra
Bibliotheca Sacra is the theological journal published by Dallas Theological Seminary. First published in 1844, it is the oldest theological journal in the United States. It originally was published by Union Theological Seminary in 1843, moved to Andover Theological Seminary in 1844, to Oberlin...
, writes that "it is filled with extensive discussions of Bible passages dealing with various aspects of spirituality and with numerous practical illustrations of real-life situations. These evidence Berg's long-time ministry in working with college students and speaking in Bible conferences." Less sympathetic is Camille K. Lewis, who says that in Changed into His Image and When Trouble Comes, "we see a re-statement of the long-time expected sectarian response that looks less romantic and more simply tragic." Biblical Viewpoint notes that Berg "has done his exegetical homework" in Created for His Glory, and his "words are direct and simple."