New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Last updated
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
MottoPrepare here. Serve anywhere.
Type Southern Baptist seminary
Established1917
Religious affiliation
Southern Baptist Convention
Endowment $47 million
President James K. Dew
Provost Norris C. Grubbs
Academic staff
70 full-time; 100+ adjunct [1]
Students2,004 (2021-2022)
Undergraduates 792
Postgraduates 1,212
480
Location, ,
United States
Campus70+ acres - 70 buildings [1]
Colors Purple & Gold
  
Nickname NOBTS, School of Providence and Prayer
Website www.nobts.edu

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Missions and evangelism are core focuses of the seminary.

Contents

NOBTS offers doctoral, master, bachelor, and associate degrees. The seminary has 13 graduate centers in 5 states, 11 undergraduate centers in 5 states, and 13 on-campus research centers. [2] The main campus is situated on over 70 acres with more than 70 buildings. [3]

History

NOBTS's Chapel NOBTS chapel.jpg
NOBTS's Chapel
NOBTS courtyard NOBTS courtyard.JPG
NOBTS courtyard

The Southern Baptist Convention founded the institution as the Baptist Bible Institute during the 1917 convention meeting in New Orleans. [4] New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, or NOBTS for short, was the first institution created as a direct act of the Southern Baptist Convention. The institutes's purpose was centered on missionary work, and initially established as gateway to Central America. The Seminary started as the Baptist Bible Institute in the Garden District and later relocated to the current location in the heart of Gentilly.

On May 17, 1946, the SBC revised the institutes' charter to enable it to become a seminary, and the name was changed to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. [5] Missions and evangelism have remained the core focus of the seminary.

In 1953, it relocated from Washington Avenue in the Garden District to a more spacious campus in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans. [6] The school purchased a 75-acre (300,000 m2) pecan orchard and transformed it into what is now a bustling campus over 100 buildings, including academic buildings, faculty and staff housing, and student housing. The new campus was designed by noted Louisiana architect A. Hays Town.

In 1995, a campus was established at the Louisiana State Penitentiary following an invitation from the prison warden, Burl Cain. [7] The school has contributed to a significant reduction in the rate of violence in the prison. [8]

By 2022, it had opened six campuses in prisons in different states. [9]

For the year 2021-2022, it had 2,004 students. [10]

Presidents

NOBTS has had nine presidents since its founding:

PresidentYears of Service
Byron H. Dement1917-1928
William W. Hamilton Sr.1928-1942
Duke Kimbrough McCall 1943-1946
Roland Q. Leavell1946-1958
H. Leo Eddleman1959-1970
Grady C. Cothen 1970-1974
Landrum P. Leavell II [11] 1975-1995
Charles S. Kelley1996–2019
James K. Dew2019–present

Academics

Accreditation

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. [12] The graduate programs are also accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. NOBTS is also an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music and has authorization to operate in the State of Florida. [13]

Extension centers and hubs

Graduate CentersUndergraduate Centers
Shreveport, Louisiana Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Clinton, Mississippi Lafayette, Louisiana
Birmingham, Alabama Shreveport, Louisiana
Atlanta, Georgia (Hub) Jackson, Mississippi
Albany, Georgia Parchman, Mississippi
Graceville, Florida Birmingham, Alabama
Jacksonville, Florida Albany, Georgia
Orlando, Florida (Hub) Atlanta, Georgia
Pensacola, Florida Buford, Georgia
Miami, Florida Miami, Florida
Blue Mountain, Mississippi Tampa, Florida
Montgomery, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama

Archaeology

June 3, 2011, ongoing works to clear the Bronze Age water system at Gezer, originally excavated by Macalister. Gezer 030611 Water Works.jpg
June 3, 2011, ongoing works to clear the Bronze Age water system at Gezer, originally excavated by Macalister.

Timnah

Between 1977 and 1979, George L. Kelm was serving as professor of Biblical Backgrounds and Archaeology at NOBTS when he and Amihai Mazar uncovered biblical Timnah, [14] Tel Batash in the Sorek Valley of Israel. [15]

Gezer

In 2010 a team from NOBTS launched an effort to clear a Canaanite Water Shaft at Tel Gezer in Israel in cooperation with the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority and the Israeli Antiquities Authority. [16] Gezer was first explored by R.A. Stewart Macalister over a hundred years earlier, but he did not complete a study of the water system because a freak storm refilled the system with debris and Macalister abandoned the effort. [17]

The NOBTS excavation has been chronicled in multiple sources including the Biblical Archaeology Review [18] and the Baptist Press. [19] In 2011 Dennis Cole, Dan Warner and Jim Parker from NOBTS led another team in an attempt to finish the effort. [17]

Notable alumni

David Platt - former president of the International Mission Board, American Pastor and author of Radical David Platt.jpg
David Platt - former president of the International Mission Board, American Pastor and author of Radical
Adrian Rogers, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church Adrian Rogers.jpg
Adrian Rogers, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church
David A. Sampson, former United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce, president and CEO of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI). Dr Sampson R.jpg
David A. Sampson, former United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce, president and CEO of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI).

Politics

Notable faculty

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gezer</span> Archaeological site in the foothills of the Judaean Mountains

Gezer, or Tel Gezer, in Arabic: تل الجزر – Tell Jezar or Tell el-Jezari is an archaeological site in the foothills of the Judaean Mountains at the border of the Shfela region roughly midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. It is now an Israeli national park. In the Hebrew Bible, Gezer is associated with Joshua and Solomon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary</span> Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.

The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is a Baptist theological institute in Fort Worth, Texas. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. It was established in 1908 and in 2005 was one of the largest seminaries in the world. It is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and the National Association of Schools of Music to award diplomas and bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas Theological Seminary</span> Theological seminary in Dallas, Texas

Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is an evangelical theological seminary in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system of dispensationalism. DTS has campuses in Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C., as well as extension sites in Atlanta, Austin, San Antonio, Nashville, Northwest Arkansas, Europe, and Guatemala, and a multilingual online education program. DTS is the largest non-denominational seminary accredited by the Association of Theological Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern University (United States)</span> Private Christian university in St. Davids, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Eastern University (EU) is a private Christian university in the St. Davids, Pennsylvania area, with additional locations in Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, and seminary programs. Eastern University is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and has an interdenominational student body, faculty and administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John T. Christian</span>

John Tyler Christian (1854–1925) was a Baptist preacher, author and educator.

Northern Seminary is a private Baptist seminary in Lisle, Illinois. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA.

George L. Kelm (1931–2019) was Professor Emeritus of Archaeology and Biblical Backgrounds at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. While serving there and at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, he and Amihai Mazar uncovered Timnah.

Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary is a Baptist theological institute located in Cordova in Shelby County, Tennessee. Dedicated to its mission of equipping biblical leaders, Mid-America offers fully accredited degree programs including graduate degrees through the Seminary and undergraduate degrees through Mid-America College. Mid-America's beliefs and practices are aligned with the conservative wing of the Southern Baptist Convention, though it is not operated by the denomination itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criswell College</span> Christian college and divinity school in Dallas, Texas

Criswell College is a private Baptist Christian college and divinity school in Dallas, Texas. The college's stated mission is to provide ministerial and professional higher education for men and women preparing to serve as Christian leaders throughout society, while maintaining an institutional commitment to biblical inerrancy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary</span> Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Wake Forest, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Voted into existence on May 19, 1950, duri It was created in 1950 to meet a need in the SBC's East Coast region. It was voted into existence on May 19, 1950, at the SBC annual meeting and began offering classes in the fall of 1951 on the original campus of Wake Forest University in Wake Forest, North Carolina. The undergraduate program is called The College at Southeastern. The current president is Daniel L. Akin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Baptist College</span> Private college in Nashville, Tennessee

American Baptist College is a private, Baptist college in Nashville, Tennessee, affiliated with the National Baptist Convention, USA. Founded in 1924, its predecessor in black Baptist education was Roger Williams University, a Nashville college begun in the late-19th century and closed in the early 20th century. Upon full accreditation by the American Association of Bible Colleges, ABTS dropped use of the term "Theological Seminary" and renamed itself American Baptist College. The college has an 82% acceptance rate. In Fall 2019, 77% of students were retained after the first year of attendance.

A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute or theological seminary, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for Christian ministry with theological education, Biblical studies and practical ministry training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clear Creek Baptist Bible College</span>

Clear Creek Baptist Bible College (CCBBC) is a private Baptist Bible college in Pineville, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention. CCBBC provides a Bible-based education focusing on Christian service. The college is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Association for Biblical Higher Education. CCBBC was founded by Lloyd Caswell Kelly in 1926.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Baptist Theological Seminary</span> Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, USA

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at first housed on the campus of Furman University. The seminary has been an innovator in theological education, establishing one of the first Ph.D. programs in religion in the year 1892. After being closed during the Civil War, it moved in 1877 to a newly built campus in downtown Louisville and moved to its current location in 1926 in the Crescent Hill neighborhood. In 1953, Southern became one of the few seminaries to offer a full, accredited degree course in church music. For more than fifty years Southern has been one of the world's largest theological seminaries, with an FTE enrollment of over 3,300 students in 2015.

Dr. L. Thomas Strong III is an American Christian scholar and the Dean of Leavell College at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and teaches New Testament and Greek in Leavell College. He serves as senior pastor of Metairie Baptist Church in Metairie, Louisiana.

Beginning in 1979, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) experienced an intense struggle for control of the organization. Its initiators called it the conservative resurgence while its detractors labeled it the fundamentalist takeover. It was launched with the charge that the seminaries and denominational agencies were dominated by liberals. The movement was primarily aimed at reorienting the denomination away from a liberal trajectory.

Duke Kimbrough McCall was an American Christian religious leader who served as Chief Executive Officer of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Executive Committee, as president of two theological seminaries, as president of the Baptist World Alliance, and as a Baptist pastor.

The Baptist University of the Américas (BUA) is a private Baptist university in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1947. It was previously known as the Mexican Baptist Training School, the Mexican Baptist Bible Institute, the Hispanic Baptist Theological Seminary and the Hispanic Baptist Theological School. The school is associated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Warner</span>

Dan Warner is the former Director for The Michael and Sara Moskau Institute of Archaeology and the Center for Archaeological Research, and former professor of Old Testament and Archaeology at the biblically inerrantist New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and is a co-director of the Tel Gezer Water System excavation and preservation project. He has also served various roles on other excavations at Tel Kabri, Megiddo, Tell el-Far'ah, Gerar, and Ashkelon.

References

  1. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-02-03. Retrieved 2015-01-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Online Community - Member Services". Archived from the original on 2011-08-12. Retrieved 2011-07-24.
  3. NOBTS Graduate Catalog 2010-2011.
  4. James Leo Garrett, Baptist Theology: A Four-century Study, Mercer University Press, USA, 2009, p. 436
  5. William H. Brackney, Congregation and Campus: Baptists in Higher Education, Mercer University Press, USA, 2008, p. 300
  6. Gary D. Myers, New Orleans Seminary Celebrates One Hundred Years, baptistpress.com, USA, April 20, 2018
  7. Erik Eckholm, Bible College Helps Some at Louisiana Prison Find Peace, nytimes.com, USA, October 5, 2013
  8. Michael Hallett, Joshua Hays, Byron R. Johnson, Sung Joon Jang, Grant Duwe, The Angola Prison Seminary: Effects of Faith-Based Ministry on Identity Transformation, Desistance, and Rehabilitation, Routledge, Abingdon-on-Thames, 2016, p. 234
  9. Prison Seminaries Foundation, Find a Prison Ministry, prisonseminaries.org, USA, retrieved February 20, 2023
  10. Univstats, NOBTS Student Population, univstats.com, USA, retrieved February 20, 2023
  11. "NOBTS - Seminary mourns passing of President Emeritus Dr. Landrum P. Leavell II". Archived from the original on 2010-05-27. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  12. COC Accredited Colleges & Universities Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine , Southern Association of Colleges and Schools website
  13. "Graduate Catalogue 2007-08" (PDF).
  14. "Home - Tandy Institute". www.tandyinstitute.org. Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
  15. [ permanent dead link ]
  16. "רשות הטבע והגנים - Homepage". Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-07-24.
  17. 1 2 [ permanent dead link ]
  18. "It's Finally Being Done". The BAS Library. August 24, 2015.
  19. "Baptist Press - Abraham-era water tunnel is target of dig - News with a Christian Perspective". Archived from the original on 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2015-01-02.
  20. "Early Baptists in Louisiana: G. Earl Guinn, September 27, 2007". baptistmessage.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2013.