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Harding School of Theology, known until 2011 as Harding University Graduate School of Religion, is located in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. It is an entity related to the Christian private 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 23,767. 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, and Charlotte, North Carolina, offering graduate theological education in multiple modalities: in-person, hybrid, and online.
Memphis Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Although it is affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, it accepts and trains ministerial candidates from other denominations as well. Besides the traditional Master of Divinity (MDiv), Memphis Theological Seminary also grants the Master of Arts in Christian Ministry (MACM) with concentrations in Social Justice, Christian Education, and Chaplaincy, as well as the Doctor of Ministry (DMin). It also administers the Cumberland Presbyterian denomination's Program of Alternate Studies or PAS.
Harding University is a private 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 includes the 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.
Christian Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary related to the Christian Church and located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It provides five degree-level education courses, three dual-degree programs, a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program, and a Ph.D. in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric. As of 2019, the seminary had an enrollment of 139 students.
Victory University, formerly Crichton College, was a private for-profit university in Memphis, Tennessee. It closed in May 2014 and was owned by California-based Significant Education. Victory University was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and offered on-campus and distance learning courses.
Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) is a consortium of five predominantly African-American denominational Christian seminaries in Atlanta, Georgia, operating together as a professional graduate school of theology. It is the largest free-standing African-American theological school in the United States.
Harding Academy is a co-educational, Christian school in Memphis, Tennessee serving students from ages 1.5 to 18 years.
The Community of Christ Seminary at the Independence campus of Graceland University is the official and only seminary of Community of Christ. It offers two graduate degrees: a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master of Art in Peace and Social Transformation. The current dean is Zac Harmon-McLaughlin.
Seminary of the Southwest is an Episcopal seminary in Austin, Texas. It is one of nine accredited seminaries of the Episcopal Church in the United States. Seminary of the Southwest forms Christian leaders pursuing ordination within the church, as well as those interested in lay forms of ministry, including chaplaincy and counseling.
Emmanuel Christian Seminary is the graduate theological seminary of Milligan University. 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 University, but became one of the graduate schools of the university 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.
George Stuart Benson was an American missionary, college administrator, and conservative political activist. After fleeing communist uprisings in China as a missionary, Benson became an anticommunist and conservative activist, taking stances against the New Deal, and later, racial integration. Benson served for many years as the president of Harding College, and oversaw a large propaganda network through his National Education Program, which sponsored short cartoons, "Freedom Forums", and lecture tours for Benson.
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.
The University of the Southern Caribbean (USC) is a private university owned and operated by the Caribbean Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The main campus is located on 384 acres (1.55 km2) of land in the Maracas Valley on the island of Trinidad of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. There are also six satellite extension campuses located in Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago; San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago; Georgetown, Guyana; Bridgetown, Barbados; Castries, St. Lucia; and St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda. One other satellite campus is in the planning for St. George's, Grenada.
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, 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 and educator. He served as the third president of Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas from 1965 to 1987. He was closely associated with National Education Program, a conservative organization within the university that was later known as the American Studies Program. The involvement of Ganus and President Benson was with this group continued until 1954, when they disassociated with the group in order for the school to gain accreditation. 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. He served as the fifth president of Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, from 2013 to 2020. 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.
