Lexington Theological Seminary

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Lexington Theological Seminary**

Established	1865
Type	Private
President	R. Robert Cueni
Location	Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Colors	Red █ and Black █
Website	http://www.lextheo.edu

Lexington Theological Seminary is an accredited graduate theological institution located in Lexington, Kentucky. Although the seminary is related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), it is intentionally ecumenical with almost 50 percent of its enrollment coming from other denominations. Lexington Theological Seminary is accredited by Association of Theological Schools and the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The accreditation is for the Master of Divinity, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies and Doctor of Ministry degrees.

[edit] History

Photo of Lexington Theological Seminary (then College of the Bible), 1904

Lexington Theological Seminary was founded in 1865, but its roots are older. What eventually became the Seminary began as the Department of Hebrew Literature at Bacon College, founded in 1836. Bacon College was rechartered as Kentucky University in 1858 and the department was expanded. In 1865, under the economic pressure of the American Civil War, the school relocated to Lexington and merged with Transylvania University with the new school adopting the Kentucky University name (until changed to Transylvania University in 1908).

On the new campus the College of the Bible was formed as one of several colleges in Kentucky University. The State of Kentucky began to pressure the school, controlled by a religious body receiving federal funding as a land grant institution under the Morrill Act, to separate portions. In 1878 the College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts and College of the Bible both received their own charters. The prior went on to become the state's primary public institution, the University of Kentucky; and the College of the Bible changed its name on its centennial to the Lexington Theological Seminary. The Seminary remained housed on buildings on the Transylvania University campus until 1950 when it moved to its present location, at 631 South Limestone Street, across the street from the University of Kentucky.