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Coordinates: 35°06′08″N89°54′55″W / 35.1021°N 89.9154°W / 35.1021; -89.9154
Harding School of Theology, known until 2011 as Harding University Graduate School of Religion, is located in Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States. It is an entity related to the private Christian university associated with the Churches of Christ known as Harding University, the main campus of which is in Searcy, Arkansas. Harding School of Theology exists primarily to train religious ministers for congregations of the Churches of Christ. It is located in East Memphis on a campus which consists of part of a large estate given by a wealthy donor, on property shared with the K-12 church affiliated private school Harding Academy.
In 2011 the institution's administration announced the change of name, from Harding University Graduate School of Religion to Harding School of Theology. [1] The name changed represented a "rebranding strategy that seeks to reflect better the School's goal of equipping and inspiring servants of Christ with deeper faith and higher standards of scholarship"—as indicated in the alumni magazine. [2]
Harding University began offering graduate studies in Bible and ministry at its campus in Searcy, Arkansas, in 1952. In 1955 Harding started to offer these classes as an extension program in Memphis, and in 1958 the Harding University Graduate School of Religion (HUGSR) became a permanent branch of Harding University. Dr. W. B. West was the founding dean of HUGSR.
Harding School of Theology is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. It offers several degrees, including the Master of Arts (MA), Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, Master of Arts in Counseling, Master of Divinity (M.Div.), and Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.). Degrees may include emphasis or concentration options.
Approximately half of Harding School of Theology's 240 students live outside the Memphis region. Harding School of Theology offers courses on-line and in one-week intensive formats (in addition to the regular semester format) to accommodate these students.
The 13-acre (53,000 m2) Harding School of Theology campus is located at 1000 Cherry Road in Memphis on land that used to be part of the E. L. King Ranch. Today, the old ranch mansion houses the administrative and faculty offices. The W. B. West classroom building includes an auditorium and hospitality room in addition to classrooms. Students who choose to live on campus may rent one of 23 apartments in the Benson, Harding, and Brewer buildings. There is also a fitness center and a student lounge available to all students.
The L. M. Graves Memorial Library was built in 1964, and subsequent major additions were constructed in 1978 and 2006. The library contains over 140,000 book volumes and 24,000 periodical volumes, with 615 current subscriptions to periodicals and annuals. The library collection is specialized, focusing in areas relevant to Christian theology and ministry, including counseling.
Searcy is the largest city and county seat of White County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2019 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 23,660. It is the principal city of the Searcy, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of White County. The city takes its name from Richard Searcy, a judge for the Superior Court of the Arkansas Territory. A college town, Searcy is the home of Harding University and ASU-Searcy.
Union Presbyterian Seminary is a Presbyterian seminary in Richmond, Virginia. It also has a non-residential campus in Charlotte, North Carolina and an online blended learning program.
Memphis Theological Seminary is a Cumberland Presbyterian seminary in Memphis, Tennessee. Although it is affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, it accepts and trains ministerial candidates from other groups as well. Besides the traditional Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Memphis Theological Seminary also grants the Master of Arts in Christian Ministry (MACM), Master of Arts in Youth Ministry (MAYM), and Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degrees. It also administers the Cumberland Presbyterian denomination's Program of Alternate Studies or PAS.
Harding University is a private liberal arts university with its main campus in Searcy, Arkansas. It is the largest private university in Arkansas. Established in 1924, the institution offers undergraduate, graduate, and pre-professional programs. The university also comprises Harding School of Theology, located in Memphis, Tennessee, which was formerly known as Harding Graduate School of Religion. Harding is one of several institutions of higher learning associated with the Churches of Christ.
Milligan University is a private Christian liberal arts university in the town of Milligan College, Tennessee. Founded in 1866 as the Buffalo Male and Female Institute, and known as Milligan College from 1881 to May 2020, the school has a student population of more than 1,200 students, most of whom reside and study on its 235-acre (0.95 km2) campus. Milligan was named a "College of Distinction" in 2011. Milligan University is historically related to the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, the Christian Church, and the a cappella Churches of Christ, with about 35 percent of the student body coming from these religious groups. While the university maintains close ties with the churches which founded it, the school enrolls students from all backgrounds. The university offers over 100 programs of study leading to both undergraduate and graduate degrees. The board of trustees announced on October 25, 2019 that Milligan College would become Milligan University on June 1, 2020, in recognition of its growth and development. The institution has been recognized as a university by external organizations since 2015.
Victory University, formerly Crichton College, was an accredited private liberal arts Christian college located in Memphis, Tennessee, which closed in May 2014. It was a degree-granting university. Victory University was a coeducational for-profit institution owned by California-based Significant Education and it was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The last semester during which classes were held was Spring 2014. Victory University offered on-campus and distance learning courses accessible to students from the United States and the European Union.
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary prepares students for vocational ministry. It provides associate, masters and doctorate theological degrees, and is accredited by The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
The California Graduate School of Theology is an institution of higher learning in Garden Grove, California.
Harding Academy is a co-educational, Christian school serving students from age 18 months through grade 12.
Harding Academy is a K-12 private school in Searcy, Arkansas. It is affiliated with Harding University. Like that institution, it is associated with the Churches of Christ and named in honor of an early minister of that fellowship, James A. Harding.
James Alexander Harding was an early influential leader in the Churches of Christ.
The Memphis School of Preaching (MSOP) is a two-year collegiate institution devoted to the training of gospel preachers. It is overseen by the elders of the Forest Hill Church of Christ in Germantown, a suburb of Memphis, in the U.S. state of Tennessee.
Emmanuel Christian Seminary is the graduate theological seminary of Milligan College. The school is located near Johnson City, Tennessee, United States in Elizabethton, Tennessee city limits and in the community of Milligan. The seminary was founded in 1965 as an freestanding institution, though closely related to Milligan College, but became one of the graduate schools of the college in July 2015. It was founded by church leaders and scholars within the Christian churches and churches of Christ and the Christian Church who recognized the need for a seminary rooted in the heritage of the Stone-Campbell wing of the Reformed tradition while still engaging in theological preparation for ministers. The seminary's campus is located on a hill overlooking the Appalachian Mountains of northeast Tennessee.
Amridge University is a private university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Montgomery, Alabama. It was previously known as Alabama Christian School of Religion, Southern Christian University, and Regions University, and is a successor institution to Alabama Christian College.
Charlotte Christian College and Theological Seminary is a private evangelical Christian college and seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was established in 1996 by Eddie G. Grigg, a pastor, educator, and theologian. The institution was approved as a degree-granting institution in 1997.
The Silliman University Divinity School, more commonly referred to as the Divinity School, is one of the constituent academic units of Silliman University, a private university in Dumaguete City, Philippines. Founded in 1921, the school is affiliated with the United Church of Christ in the Philippines and is accredited with the Association of Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA).
Jack Pearl Lewis was an American Bible scholar affiliated with the Churches of Christ. He earned a Ph.D. in New Testament from Harvard University in 1953 and a Ph.D. in Old Testament from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1962. For 50 years, Lewis taught Bible and biblical languages first at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, and then at Harding School of Theology in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was named professor emeritus upon his retirement. He authored over 223 articles in scholarly and church publications and published more than twenty-five books. He died in Memphis, Tennessee on July 24, 2018 at the age of 99.
Annie May Alston Lewis was a theological librarian affiliated with the Churches of Christ. She earned a B.A. in English from Harding College in 1939, a B.S. in Library Science from George Peabody College in 1943, an A.M. from the University of Chicago in 1952, and an M.A. from Harding Graduate School of Religion in 1967. Lewis was Assistant Professor of English at Harding College, 1944–47; Librarian at Harding College, 1947–54 and 1956–62; and Librarian at the Harding Graduate School of Religion, 1962-1983.
Clifton L. Ganus Jr. was an American theologian. He served as the third president of Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas from 1965–1987. He was president of the National Education Program, a conservative organization within the university that was later known as the American Studies Program. He previously was a professor of history, chair of the department of history and social science, and vice president of the college. Ganus died in Searcy, Arkansas in September 2019 at the age of 97.
Bruce D. McLarty is an American academic and Christian minister. Since 2013, he has served as the fifth president of Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. Prior to becoming president of the university, McLarty served as the institution's Dean of the College of Bible and Ministry and the "vice president for spiritual life" from 2005 to 2013. McLarty was the primary minister of College Church of Christ in Searcy from 1991 to 2005; he has held other preaching positions in Tennessee and Mississippi.
