ABC-USA Seminaries

[Blake]

As one who has no familiarity with ABC structure and history I wanted to ask those who are in that denomination what the reputations of your various seminaries are? I would think that a Baptist denomination that's as theologically diverse as the ABC seems would have seminaries that have reputations for being more conservative or liberal in their theology or for churning out pastors of particular persuasions and in/capabilities.

[Haruo]

I'm more familiar with what I'd guess are the more liberal ones, particularly ABSW (Berkeley) and Andover-Newton.

[Blake]

What are the enrollment figures for the different seminaries? Which ones are getting the most use by American Baptists? Does the common American Baptist desire to go to their denomination's seminaries, go elsewhere or go some place close to home?

[Haruo]

Here in the Evergreen Region our new ordinands are a mix of, for the most part, ABSW, Fuller, and Seattle University (which is an ecumenical seminary in a Jesuit university). And speaking of what Timothy just mentioned, just as many ABC churches are dually (or multiply) aligned, so are our seminaries. I think ABSW (that's American Baptist Seminary of the West; when my dad got his BD there in the forties, it was BBDS: Berkeley Baptist Divinity School) is closely affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention as well as ABC, and of course it is also part of the GTU, so it has ties to everybody from the Unitarians to the Episcopalians to the Catholics to the Methodists (the Seattle University outfit is a sort of attempt to produce a small local GTU; I think there are seven or eight denominations, including even the Community of Christ [Reorganized LDS to us oldsters], that are involved in it, and [through UCC] it has a strong MCC contingent, too). The Catholics, at least locally, don't seem to mind.

[Ed Pettibone]

[Big Daddy Weaver]

I've visited Graduate Theological Union a few times in recent years. A good friend - who is an Associate Pastor at an ABC-USA congregation the Bay area - just finished her PhD at GTU and taught classes at ABSW.

ABSW itself is a pretty small school with only 50-60 FTE. Of the nine seminaries that comprise GTU, ABSW *may* be the smallest - not sure. GTU has a total of 1300 students. Nice place; large LGBT student population and significant emphasis on queer and womanist theology.

[Haruo]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Mike Stidham]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Mike Stidham]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Mike Stidham]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Mike Stidham]

[Tim Bonney]

The situation as I saw it with Dr. Marshall was that she committed two "sins" fundamentalists can't overlook. She was a smart woman Christian leader and she was right.

[Ed Pettibone]

[Mike Stidham]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Mike Stidham]

[Ed Pettibone]

Ed: I think we are saying essentially the same thing, there are radical feminist and rational feminist.

[Mike Stidham]

[pastormikejordan]

hey--been forever since I've been on. Like Tim, I sort of lost patience with complete church autonomy and am in process of transferring my ordination to a more connectional Arminian denomination--in my case, the Wesleyan Church which is big in western NY where we live now. Still check in occasionally here.

Reason for posting here was that I'm a Palmer grad (back when it was still Eastern BTS, in 2002). Surprised that it has a reputation as a conservative seminary, though of course it depends on one's vantage point. It is more conservative than ANTS, CRCDS or ABSW, but I think to the left of Northern. It always has had a strong justice bent, due to folks like Ron Sider and ESA, but those folks are taken to task by both left and right these days. It has an extension in WV, and I know students there tended to be far more conservative than those of us on the main campus, so maybe I'm just surprised the school as a whole is thought of as conservative.

[Tim Bonney]

Mike,

Nice to hear from you! As you say, where a seminary is on the theological spectrum depends on where you on standing but also sometimes what programs and emphases you are looking at.

[Ed Pettibone]

Ed: Hi Mike, it is good to hear from you, sorry ABC -USA is loosing you but if you have to go some where the Wesleyans church isn't a bad way to go. Despite the name , don't know if you have seen me chide TB about his "venation" of J.W.. For a few years I attended the Singles group at the Wesleyan Church in Marion, Indiana when their denominational HQ was still there. During that time I never heard the Name John Wesley from any or all of them as much as I have heard from Tim since his move. Have to get to Associational advisory board meeting.