Chicago Theological Seminary
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| Motto: Christo et Ecclesiae and Preparing Religious Leaders to Question, Teach, Transform (current marketing slogan) |
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| President | The Rev. Dr. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite |
| University type | Private (Seminary) |
| Religious affiliation | United Church of Christ |
| Founded | 1855 |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Enrollment | approx. 190; FTE: approx. 120 |
| Faculty | 14 |
The Chicago Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary of the United Church of Christ. It prepares women and men for leadership in the church and society through Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Arts in Religious Studies (M.A.), Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.), Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programs. It enrolls approximately 190 students from over 20 denominations / religions traditions; around 40% of the student body is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.
It is fully accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada and by the North Central Association. It one of the 11 seminaries in the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS website).
In addition to being a seminary of the United Church of Christ, it is also certified by the United Methodist Church and is in partnership with the Metropolitan Community Churches.
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[edit] Campus
The seminary is located at 5757 S. University Avenue, in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. It is directly adjacent to the campus of the University of Chicago. The Seminary Co-op Bookstore, a voluminous and well-known academic bookstore, is housed in the seminary's basement.
[edit] Vision, Mission, and Commitment
[edit] Vision Statement
Chicago Theological Seminary shall be an international force in the development of religious leadership to transform society toward greater justice and mercy.
[edit] Mission Statement
Chicago Theological Seminary, a seminary of the United Church of Christ, serves Christ and the churches and the wider faith community by preparing women and men in the understandings and skills needed for religious leadership and ministry to individuals, churches and society.
[edit] Statement of Commitment
In fulfillment of our Vision and Mission Statements and being led by the mission and ministry of Jesus and the Spirit of God, Chicago Theological Seminary is a community of faculty, staff, students, trustees, alumni/ae and supporters joined in learning from each other and in commitment to preparing persons who will be leaders of ecclesial and social transformation in anticipation of the divine reign of justice and mercy. To this end, we undertake the following specific commitments:
- We are committed to a curricular structure in all degree programs that encourages academic excellence and free inquiry, that focuses on the issues of transformative leadership, and that fosters cooperation between communities of faith and other community-based organizations to promote the power of life against the forces of death.
- We are committed to confronting the spiritual impoverishment of our time characterized by meaninglessness, lovelessness and hopelessness with the message of the divine call, love and promise.
- We are committed to enabling communities of faith to effectively engage in public ministry, articulating the cry of the dispossessed, the transcendent claim of true justice and helping to heal the wounds and divisions that disfigure the social body.
- We are committed, in conscious response to the Holocaust and in recognition of the toll taken by religious divisions in our world, to fostering better understanding and collaboration among religious traditions, paying particular attention to cooperation among Christianity, Judaism and Islam toward the end of realizing the aims of the prophetic traditions.
- We are committed, in a society riven by racism, to equipping leaders who honor cultural and racial diversity while resolutely combating the forces of division and domination.
- We are committed, in a world in which sexism remains a powerful force, to fostering leadership for gender justice, including developing a more mature masculine spirituality and engaging feminist and womanist spiritualities.
- We are committed, while church and society are threatened by new forces of division under the banner of homophobia, to developing leadership for a more inclusive church and society.
- We are committed, in recognition that the divisions of society are global as well as local and national concerns, to fostering the international collaboration of institutions that have a similar commitment to the transformation of church and society and to the equipping of individuals for this ministry in diverse settings around the world.
In all of these ways, we are committed to embracing not only the rhetoric but the reality of diversity, to celebrating the costs and joys of discipleship, and to boldly accepting the challenges entailed by this Statement of Commitment.
[edit] History
Chicago Theological Seminary is the oldest institution of higher education founded in the City of Chicago, having been established in 1855.
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[edit] CTS and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community
Among schools of theological education, CTS is especially friendly to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender concerns and is officially deemed an Open and Affirming institution of the United Church of Christ. The seminary has many openly glbt students, staff and faculty, several of whom have published books and articles in the area of religion and sexual orientation. The institution offers an annual Gilberto Castaneda scholarship award for outstanding glbt students. It is home to the Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Religious Archives Network. [1] Students are invited to participate in the social activities of the Heyward Boswell Society. In 2006, CTS launched the Lesbian and Gay Center for Religious Studies, a grant-funded research program.
[edit] List of faculty
- The Rev. Dr. Lee H. Butler -- Associate Professor of Theology and Psychology
- The Rev. Dr. W. Dow Edgerton -- Academic Dean & Associate Professor of Ministry
- The Rev. Dr. Neil Gerdes -- Library Director and Associate Professor of Bibliography
- Dr. Scott Haldeman -- Assistant Professor of Worship
- The Rev. Dr. Theodore W. Jennings, Jr. -- Professor of Biblical and Constructive Theology
- Dr. Robert Moore -- Distinguished Service Professor of Psychology, Psychoanalysis and Spirituality
- Dr. Timothy J. Sandoval -- Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible
- Dr. Laurel C. Schneider -- Associate Professor of Theology, Ethics, and Culture
- Dr. Bo Myung Seo -- Assistant Professor of Theology and Cultural Criticism
- Dr. Julia M. Speller -- Assistant Professor of Church History and Kenneth B. Smith Professor of Public Ministry
- Dr. Ken Stone -- Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible
- The Rev. Dr. JoAnne Marie Terrell -- Associate Professor of Ethics and Theology
- The Rev. Dr. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite -- President and Professor of Theology
