Trinity College, Bristol

Last updated

Trinity College, Bristol
Trinitycollegebristol.jpg
Type Theological college
Established1971 (1971)
Religious affiliation
Church of England
Academic affiliation
University of Durham
University of Aberdeen
Principal Sean Doherty
Location,
England

51°28′40″N2°37′54″W / 51.477781°N 2.631631°W / 51.477781; -2.631631
Website www.trinitycollegebristol.ac.uk

Trinity College, Bristol is an evangelical Anglican theological college located in Stoke Bishop, Bristol, England. It offers a range of full-time and part-time taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses which are validated by the University of Durham through the Common Awards Scheme, though the college sets its own curriculum. Many of its students are training for ordination in the Church of England; and hence there is a strong vocational aspect to the courses it provides. It also has students of other Christian denominations, as well as students who are intending to serve within various forms of lay ministry. The college also has a significant number of students studying for research degrees at masters and doctoral levels. All of Trinity's postgraduate research courses are validated by the University of Aberdeen.

Contents

It runs an evening programme for students from a number of Christian denominations, as well as those training for ordained and lay ministry in the Diocese of Bristol.

History

Trinity College, Bristol was formed in 1971 from a merger of three evangelical colleges in Bristol: Clifton College, Dalton House with St Michaels, and Tyndale Hall. [1] Trinity College, Bristol is rooted in the evangelical tradition (and is affiliated to the Evangelical Alliance) but offers training to Christians from a variety of theological traditions. [2]

All of the colleges had their origins in the Bible Churchmen's Missionary Society (BCMS, now Crosslinks). The Bible Missionary Training College opened in Bristol in 1925, and was recognised by the Church of England in 1927. The BCMS college faced great difficulties in its early days. Its conservative evangelical constituency was numerically and financially weak. The staff split over the issue of subscription to BCMS' doctrinal basis, and those who did not view subscription as essential left to form Clifton Theological College. Subsequently, Dalton House was opened to train women. The Principal of the men's college (C.S.Carter) resigned in the early 1930s after dismissing a student. It was renamed Tyndale Hall in 1952. [3]

An earlier attempt at merger in the 1960s was poorly handled and resulted in considerable conflict. [4]

In the years following its opening, Trinity College developed an international reputation for its evangelical scholarship, particularly in the field of biblical studies. With the appointment of George Carey as principal in 1982, the college experienced significant growth in student numbers and became known for its openness to charismatic spirituality.

In September 1997, Trinity College Bristol formed the Bristol Federation with Bristol Baptist College, Wesley College, and the West of England Ministerial Training Course (WEMTC). Following the later closure of Wesley College and the move of WEMTC, Trinity College continues a close relationship with Bristol Baptist College as federated institutions, sharing common courses.

Notable staff

The current faculty includes Helen Collins, Sean Doherty, Paul Roberts, David Firth, J.P. Davies, Taido Chino, and Howard Worsley. A number of prominent scholars are among its associate faculty, including Paula Gooder, John Nolland, Craig A. Evans, Michael Goheen, Nijay Gupta, Gordon McConville, Steve Walton and Craig Bartholomew.

List of principals

The head of Trinity College is the principal. The current principal is the Revd Dr Sean Doherty.

Notable former staff and alumni

Stoke House

Stoke House, the building that forms the main front of Trinity College, has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II* listed building. [5] It was built by Sir Robert Cann and probably completed in 1669. This date is above the front door in rather untrustworthy lettering (which may have been added much later). However, the date fits with the building's style and other documentary evidence. [6] The doorway is certainly Jacobean in character, including excessively twisted columns of three wound strands, with naive Corinthian capitals containing a mask each. The spandrels above the door contain allegorical females either side of the Cann family crest. The sidewalls of the porch are typical of c.1670 with upright oval windows keyed into oblong panels, here under steep open pediments. The oak staircase within the building is characteristically mid-seventeenth century. The three ogee gables along the front roofline are also quite Jacobean in character, but the rest of house is much altered. The original cross windows (cf. J. Kip's 1712 engraving) were replaced with gothic versions c. 1750 as shown in John Turner's 1791 painting of the house. In 1872 Foster & Wood installed mullioned-and-transomed windows in double-height canted bays with projecting curved centres and strapwork cresting. They also reinstated the oval windows in the gables with reference to those in the porch. Two rooftop cupolas were removed in the twentieth century. At the rear of the building two three-story blocks were added in the seventeenth century, one at an angle to the house. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wycliffe Hall, Oxford</span> Church of England theological college of the University of Oxford

Wycliffe Hall is a permanent private hall of the University of Oxford affiliated with the Church of England. It is named after the Bible translator and reformer John Wycliffe, who was master of Balliol College, Oxford in the 14th century.

Moore Theological College, otherwise known simply as Moore College, is the theological training seminary of the Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia. The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney holds ex officio the presidency of the Moore Theological College Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. I. Packer</span> English-born Canadian evangelical theologian (1926–2020)

James Innell Packer was an English-born Canadian evangelical theologian, cleric and writer in the low-church Anglican and Calvinist traditions. Having been considered as one of the most influential evangelicals in North America, Packer is known for his 1973 best-selling book Knowing God, along with his work as the general editor of the English Standard Version Bible. He was one of the high-profile signers on the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, a member on the advisory board of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and also was involved in the ecumenical book Evangelicals and Catholics Together in 1994. His last teaching position was as the board of governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, in which he served from 1996 until his retirement in 2016 due to failing eyesight.

Tyndale University is a Canadian private interdenominational evangelical Christian university in Toronto, Ontario, which offers undergraduate and graduate programs. Tyndale students come from over 40 different Christian denominations.

Donald Guthrie was a British New Testament scholar, best known for his New Testament Introduction (1962) and New Testament Theology (1981) which are recognized as significant books related to the New Testament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary le Port Church, Bristol</span> Building in Bristol, England

St Mary le Port is a ruined parish church in the centre of Bristol, England, situated in Castle Park on what remains of Mary le Port Street.

Crosslinks is an evangelical Anglican missionary society, drawing its support mainly from parishes in the Church of England and Church of Ireland. It was known as the Bible Churchmen's Missionary Society (BCMS) until 1992. The BCMS was created as the result of a conservative split from the Church Missionary Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Hill College</span> Evangelical theological college

Oak Hill College is a conservative evangelical theological college located on Chase Side in Southgate, London, England. Its aim is to prepare men and women from the Church of England and Independent churches for ministry in the real world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wycliffe College, Toronto</span> Canadian theological seminary

Wycliffe College is an evangelical graduate school of theology at the University of Toronto. Founded in 1877 as an evangelical seminary in the Anglican tradition, Wycliffe College today attracts students from many Christian denominations from around the world. As a founding member of the Toronto School of Theology, students can avail themselves of the wide range of courses from Canada's largest ecumenical consortium. Wycliffe College trains those pursuing ministry in the church and in the world, as well as those preparing for academic careers of scholarship and teaching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St John's College, Nottingham</span> Former theological college, previously the London College of Divinity

St John's College, Nottingham, founded as the London College of Divinity, was an Anglican and interdenominational theological college situated in Bramcote, Nottingham, England. The college stood in the open evangelical tradition and stated that its mission was "to inspire creative Christian learning marked by evangelical conviction, theological excellence and Spirit-filled life, that all who train with us might be equipped for mission in a world of change".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke Bishop</span> Suburb of Bristol, England

Stoke Bishop is a medium-sized outer city suburb in the north-west of Bristol. Bordered by The Downs and the River Trym, it is located between Westbury-on-Trym, Sneyd Park and Sea Mills. Although relatively low, Stoke Bishop's population has significantly increased in recent years due to the infilling of former school and company playing fields. Moreover, the population of Stoke Bishop varies throughout the year because of the influx of students during term time to the large campus of Bristol University halls of residence situated on the edge of The Downs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ripon College Cuddesdon</span> Church of England theological college in Cuddesdon

Ripon College Cuddesdon (RCC) is a Church of England theological college in Cuddesdon, a village 5.5 miles (8.9 km) outside Oxford, England. The College trains men and women for ministry in the Church of England: stipendiary, non-stipendiary, local ordained and lay ministry, through a wide range of flexible full-time and part-time programmes.

Wesley College was a theological college in the Henbury area of Bristol, England, between 1946 and 2012. As the successor to an institution established in London in 1834, it was the oldest provider of theological education for the Methodist Church of Great Britain. The college was the core institution of the South West Regional Training Network of the Methodist Church, where its partners were the South West Ministerial Training Course in Exeter and the Southern Theological Education and Training Scheme in Salisbury. It was also involved with ecumenical education.

David Wenham is a British theologian and Anglican clergyman, who is the author of several books on the New Testament.

Norman R. Ericson was an American teacher and Bible scholar.

John Alexander Motyer, known as J. Alec Motyer, was an Irish biblical scholar. He was Vice-Principal of Clifton Theological College and vicar of St. Luke's, Hampstead, and Christ Church, Westbourne (Bournemouth) (1981–1989), before becoming Principal of Trinity College, Bristol. He spent his later years in Poynton, Cheshire.

Joyce G. Baldwin was a British evangelical biblical scholar and theological educator who became one of the leading women in the field of biblical scholarship in her day. At a time when the Church of England did not ordain women to any of its orders, she championed the cause of women's ministry through influential writing, teaching and practical example.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evangelical Anglicanism</span> Tradition within Anglicanism

Evangelical Anglicanism or evangelical Episcopalianism is a tradition or church party within Anglicanism that shares affinity with broader evangelicalism. Evangelical Anglicans share with other evangelicals the attributes of "conversionism, activism, biblicism and crucicentrism" identified by historian David Bebbington as central to evangelical identity. The emergence of evangelical churchmanship can be traced back to the First Great Awakening in America and the Evangelical Revival in Britain in the 18th century. In the 20th century, prominent figures have included John Stott and J. I. Packer.

Jacqueline Ann "Jackie" Searle is a British Anglican bishop. Since 2018, she has served as the Bishop of Crediton, a suffragan bishop of the Diocese of Exeter. She had previously been the Archdeacon of Gloucester between 2012 and 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Anglicanism in Sichuan</span> History and status of the Anglican Church in Sichuan

The history of Anglicanism in Sichuan began in 1887 when Anglican missionaries working with the China Inland Mission began to arrive from the United Kingdom. These were later joined by missionaries from the Church Missionary Society and Bible Churchmen's Missionary Society. Or according to Annals of Religion in Mianyang, in 1885, a small mission church was already founded in Mianyang by Alfred Arthur Phillips and Gertrude Emma Wells of the Church Missionary Society. Missionaries built churches, founded schools, and distributed Chinese translations of Anglican religious texts. These efforts were relatively successful and Anglicanism grew to become one of the two largest denominations of Protestant Christianity in the province, alongside Methodism.

References

  1. "A Tribute to John Alexander Motyer" (PDF).
  2. Kings, 2003. "Canal, River and Rapids: Contemporary Evangelicalism in the Church of England" Archived 4 August 2012 at archive.today by Graham Kings, published in the journal Anvil Vol 20 No 3, September 2003, pp167-184. Retrieved on 9 September 2006.
  3. "Preliminary listing of the records of the Bible Churchmen's Missionary Society" . Retrieved 16 August 2007.
  4. McGrath, Alister E. (1997). To know and serve God : a life of James I. Packer. London: Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN   0-340-56571-3..
  5. Historic England. "Stoke House, Clifton Theological College, and attached rear kitchen block (1208857)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  6. Wilkins, H. J. (1910). Transcription of the "Poor Book" of the Tithings of Westbury-On-Trym, Stoke Bishop and Shirehampton from A.D. 1656–1698. Bristol, UK: Arrowsmith..
  7. Foyle, Andrew; Pevsner, Nikolas (2011). Somerset: North and Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England). Yale University Press. p. 800. ISBN   978-0-300-12658-7.