Chicago Theological Seminary

The Chicago Theological Seminary is a 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 and religious traditions, with around 40% of the student body 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 is one of the 11 seminaries in the Association of Chicago Theological Schools.

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. Chicago Theological Seminary is an official Open and affirming seminary.^[1]

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.

History

Chicago Theological Seminary is the oldest institution of higher education founded in the City of Chicago, having been established in 1855.

LGBTQ community

Among schools of theological education, CTS is especially friendly to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender concerns and is listed as an officially "Open and Affirming" institution of the United Church of Christ by the UCC Coalition for GLBT Concerns [3]. 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 Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Religious Archives Network. [4] Students are invited to participate in the social activities of the Heyward Boswell Society. In 2006, CTS launched the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer (LGBTQ) Religious Studies Center (Queer Center), a grant-funded research program.^{[2] [3]}

Notable faculty

• 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. Ken Stone—Professor of Bible, Culture and Hermeneutics
• The Rev. John H. Thomas—Visiting Professor in Church Ministries
• Yoshio Fukuyama

References

1. ^ "ONA Churches and Settings," The United Church of Christ (UCC) Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Concerns website. "http://www.ucccoalition.org/programs/ona/who/list/." Retrieved February 14, 2011.
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ [2], LGBTQ Religious Studies Center at CTS

External links

• CTS website