Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
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| Motto | For the truth. For the church. For the world. For the glory of God |
|---|---|
| Established | 1859 |
| Type | Private, Baptist |
| President | R. Albert Mohler, Jr. |
| Location | Louisville, Kentucky, USA |
| Affiliations | Southern Baptist Convention;Kentuckiana Metroversity |
| Website | www.sbts.edu |
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is located in Louisville, Kentucky and is the flagship seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention, or SBC. Southern Seminary or SBTS is the oldest of the seminaries in the SBC and was founded in Greenville, South Carolina in 1859 by James Petigru Boyce who served as its first president. The seminary moved to Louisville in 1877. Southern Seminary upholds the SBC Baptist Faith and Message, and its own Abstract of Principles.
The seminary is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools[3] and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools[4].
The ninth and current president of the seminary is R. Albert Mohler, Jr., whose tenure began in 1993.
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[edit] Methodology
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary primarily practices "traditional" or "evangelical" apologetic religious training combined with practical ministerial experience. According to Wikipedia, "Apologetics is the field of study concerned with the systematic defense of a position. Someone who engages in apologetics is called an apologist or an "apologete". The term comes from the Greek word apologia (απολογία), meaning defense of a position against an attack."
In this method students are taught about Baptist theology and other religions so that future ministers, missionaries, and church workers can most effectivly communicate and defend their faith to non-Christians. This method of teaching assumes the Christian Bible to be the inspired word of the Christian God and infallible. This must not be confused with non-faith-based religious education, which is an academic discipline of the liberal arts. Methods of Biblical inquiry accepted by secular scholars are usually significantly different.
This understanding of religious education also differs from the critical method of religious training, which is commonly taught in many modern seminaries and universities. In the critical method, the Christian Bible is seen as non-authoritative, and religion is seen as a pure humanity. Religion as an academic discipline occupies itself with the purely objective and non-faith-based study of world religions and religion (all religions, including non-Christian) as a timeless aspect of the human condition.
[edit] History
According to the Southern Baptist Convention, the Seminary has been an innovator in theological education since its founding in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina as the first seminary of the SBC. The school's pioneering legacy began in the visionary mind of James Petigru Boyce, the school's first president. Boyce dreamed of a school that would accept all God-called individuals for study regardless of their educational background.
Though disrupted briefly by the Civil War, Southern Seminary has continued to pursue Boyce's initial vision for nearly 150 years. Southern was one of the first seminaries in the nation to offer a Ph.D. Its department of missions is one of the oldest in the world. It was the first in the nation to offer courses in religious education. In 1994, Southern Seminary opened the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth, the first program in the Southern Baptist Convention dedicated solely to training missionaries and evangelists. In 1997, Southern again set the curve in theological education with the formation of an undergraduate program, The James P. Boyce College of the Bible, now simply Boyce College.
Southern Seminary looks to the future with great expectation, not forgetting the legacy of its storied past or its commitment to the faith once for all delivered to the saints.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Amzi Dixon, late pastor of Moody Church, Chicago and Metropolitan Tabernacle, London
- Clarence Jordan, late founder of Koinonia Farm and translator of the Cotton Patch New Testament
- R. T. Kendall, former pastor of Westminster Chapel, London
- L. R. Scarborough, second president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary[1][2]
- William Bell Riley, late founder of the World Christian Fundamentals Association
- Edwin O. Ware, Sr., Kentucky native who was first president of Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana
- Mona West, senior pastor of Church of the Trinity MCC, Sarasota, Florida
[edit] Former Presidents
- 1888 James P. Boyce
- 1888-1895 John A. Broadus
- 1895-1899 William H. Whitsitt
- 1899-1928 E.Y. Mullins
- 1929-1942 John R. Sampey
- 1942-1950 Ellis A. Fuller
- 1951-1982 Duke K. McCall
- 1982-1993 Roy L. Honeycutt
- 1993-present R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
[edit] Current Organization
Southern is currently structured under five schools:
- The School of Theology (Russell D. Moore, Dean);
- The Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism, and Church Growth (Charles E. Lawless Jr., Dean);
- The School of Leadership and Church Ministry (Randy Stinson, Dean);
- The School of Church Music and Worship (Thomas Bolton, Dean);
- and Boyce College (James H. Scroggins IV, Dean).
Noted current faculty members include Thomas Schriener, Bruce Ware, Thomas Nettles, Gregory Wills, and Chad Owen Brand.
[edit] Mission statement
Under the lordship of Jesus Christ, the mission of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is to be totally committed to the Bible as the Word of God, to the Great Commission as our mandate, and to be a servant of the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention by training, educating, and preparing ministers of the gospel for more faithful service.
[edit] References
- ^ Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," [1] (accessed September 5, 2006).
- ^ Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary website. The Seminary's Heritage. Retrieved on September 5, 2006.
