Eden Theological Seminary
![]() | |
Type | Seminary |
---|---|
Established | 1850 |
Accreditation | Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and Higher Learning Commission |
Religious affiliation | United Church of Christ |
President | Deborah Krause |
Academic Dean | Christopher Grundy |
Academic staff | 8 |
Students | 56 |
Location | , , United States |
Website | www |
Eden Theological Seminary is a Christian seminary based in Webster Groves, Missouri. It is one of the six official seminaries of the United Church of Christ.
History
[edit]The seminary was established in 1850 by German pastors in Marthasville, Missouri. At the time, the goal was to equip pastors to lead and minister to frontier churches. The pastors soon formed the German Evangelical Synod of North America. This, after subsequent mergers, became a part of the UCC.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/1ebba9b3c35183a007f434ed96322a57-800.jpg/220px-1ebba9b3c35183a007f434ed96322a57-800.jpg)
In 1883, the seminary moved to what would become Wellston, Missouri and built a campus there. The campus was purchased by Normandy High School in 1923. In 1924, the seminary moved to its current campus in Webster Groves. The school was augmented in 1934 by a merger with the Central Theological Seminary, an institution of the Reformed Church in the United States in Dayton, Ohio, and the Oakwood Institute of Cincinnati, Ohio. This coincided with the merger of the two denominations into the Evangelical and Reformed Church. Conversations at Eden Theological Seminary, beginning in 1937, led to the 1957 merger of the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches to form the United Church of Christ.
Presidents
[edit]Term | Name | Notes |
---|---|---|
1902–1919 | William Becker | |
1919–1941 | Samuel D. Press | Namesake for Press Hall. Press was known as the "Teacher of the Niebuhrs" and oversaw the seminary's move to Webster Groves.[1] Prior to his presidency, he was a member of Eden's faculty from 1908 and was the first full-time professor to teach exclusively in English. |
1941–1962 | Frederich Schroeder | |
1962–1981 | Robert Fauth | |
1981–1986 | Malcolm Warford | After Eden, Warford served as president of Bangor Theological Seminary from 1987 to 1995. |
1986–1993 | Eugene S. Wehrli | Namesake for Wehrli Chapel. Was Professor of New Testament from 1960 to 1986. |
1993–1996 | Charles R. Kniker | Prior to Eden, Kniker was professor of education at Iowa State University for 24 years and at one point was assistant dean of the College of Education. |
1997–2020 | David Greenhaw | Prior to Eden, Greenhaw was Dean of Lancaster Theological Seminary. |
2020 – Present | Deborah Krause | First woman president of Eden Seminary and 1988 M.Div. graduate. Prior to her presidency, she was Professor of New Testament since 1992 and academic dean from 2005–2018.[2] |
Academics
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f8/Eden-theological-seminary.jpg/220px-Eden-theological-seminary.jpg)
Eden Theological Seminary offers five degree programs: Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Community Leadership (M.C.L.), Master of Arts in Professional Studies (M.A.P.S), Master in Theological Studies (M.T.S.), and Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.). Eden's campus offers on-campus housing and dormitories to its student body. All classes and programming are offered in blended format with students participating fully on campus and online. [3]
The Webster-Eden Library System
[edit]In 1968, Eden Theological Seminary built the Luhr Library to house its collections. The next year, it was approached by Webster University. The two schools agreed to put their collections together, and the Luhr building became the library building for both the seminary and Webster University.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/EdenTheologicalSeminaryLuhrLibrary.png/220px-EdenTheologicalSeminaryLuhrLibrary.png)
In 2003, the book collections outgrew the capacities of the Luhr building and the books were moved to the newly-constructed Emerson Library at Webster University, where the library remains to this day. The Emerson Library is open to both Eden Seminary and Webster University students, and is a member of the MOBIUS library consortium. Eden Seminary maintains its historically-significant books and religious/theology reference collections in the Luhr Reading Room in the Samuel Press Hall. In 2010, the Luhr building was sold to Webster University, which uses it for its institutional technology department and the chess team.
Notable faculty and alumni
[edit]Pastors and denominational leaders
[edit]- Seth Senyo Agidi (MTS and D.Min.): Moderator of the General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana.
- Traci D. Blackmon (M.Div. 2009): Former Associate General Minister for Justice and Witness Ministries at the United Church of Christ from 2015 - 2023 and a leading spiritual voice in the Black Lives Matter movement. She also served on President Barack Obama's White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.[4]
- John C. Dorhauer (M.Div. 1988): 9th General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ.
- Jesse Williams (M.Div. 1991, D.Min. 1999): President of the Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention and pastor of Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem.[5]
- Anthony Witherspoon (D.Min 2012): 109th bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and pastor of Washington Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church.
Political and organizational leaders
[edit]- Rev. Jack Patrick Lewis (M.Div. 2010): Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (2016 - present).[6]
- Jeanette Mott Oxford (M.Div. 1989): First openly lesbian member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 2004-2012
- Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson (M.Div.): President of the Children's Defense Fund[7]
- Jia Lian Yang (M.Div. 2016): Director of Storytelling and Communications at Forward Through Ferguson.[8]
Theologians and scholars
[edit]- Walter Brueggemann (B.D. 1958): Professor at Eden Theological Seminary from 1961–1986 and then the William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary from 1986–2003. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Eden in 1997
- Catherine Keller (M.Div. 1977): Professor of Constructive Theology at Drew University since 1986 and one of the leaders of Process theology
- Reinhold Niebuhr (B.D. 1913): Professor at Union Theological Seminary, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964, and author of Moral Man and Immoral Society and The Nature and Destiny of Man
- H. Richard Niebuhr (B.D. 1915): Professor at Eden Theological Seminary from 1919–1924 and 1927–1931, president of Elmhurst College from 1924–1927, then professor of theology and ethics at Yale University from 1931–1962, and author of Christ and Culture.
- Zaida Maldonado Perez (M.Div. 1993): Professor Emerita of Church History and Theology at Asbury Theological Seminary and former director of the Hispanic Theological Initiative at Princeton Theological Seminary.
- Peter M. Schmiechen (B.D. 1962): President of Lancaster Theological Seminary from 1985-2002.
References
[edit]- ^ Chrystal, William G. (1984). "Samuel D. Press: Teacher of the Niebuhrs". Church History. 53 (4): 504–521. doi:10.2307/3166120. ISSN 0009-6407.
- ^ "Deborah Krause – Eden Theological Seminary". Retrieved 2024-05-09.
- ^ "Locate College on Eden Theological Seminary". Archived from the original on 2013-04-17. Retrieved 2013-04-14.
- ^ "undefined". Kansas Interfaith Action. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
- ^ LottCarey. "Rev. Dr. Jesse Williams Installed as President of Lott Carey | Lott Carey". Retrieved 2024-08-16.
- ^ "Re-Elect Jack Patrick Lewis". Re-Elect Jack Patrick Lewis. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
- ^ "Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson". Children's Defense Fund. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
- ^ "Meet the Team at Forward Through Ferguson". Forward Through Ferguson. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
External links
[edit]38°35′34″N 90°20′44″W / 38.5927°N 90.3455°W
- German-American culture in Missouri
- Seminaries and theological colleges in Missouri
- Universities and colleges in St. Louis County, Missouri
- Universities and colleges affiliated with the United Church of Christ
- Reformed church seminaries and theological colleges
- Universities and colleges established in 1850
- 1850 establishments in Missouri
- Buildings and structures in St. Louis County, Missouri
- Seminary stubs
- Midwestern United States university stubs
- Missouri school stubs