Beeson Divinity School

Last updated
Beeson Divinity School Samford University Beeson Divinity School.JPG
Beeson Divinity School
The Andrew Gerow Hodges Chapel of the Beeson Divinity School Beeson Divinity School.jpg
The Andrew Gerow Hodges Chapel of the Beeson Divinity School

The Beeson Divinity School of Samford University is an interdenominational evangelical divinity school located in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. The current dean is Douglas A. Sweeney.

Contents

Though located on the campus of a Baptist university, Beeson is interdenominational. [1] In spring 2023, the faculty adopted a diversity statement expressing its commitment to denominational, racial, socioeconomic and gender diversity; to supporting women in ministry; and to affirming only traditional Christian understandings of gender and marriage. [2] [3]

The school offers several degrees Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Christian Counseling, Master of Arts in Theological Studies, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Theology for the Church. It houses an Institute of Anglican Studies. In 2013 it began offering a Certificate of Anglican Studies and in 2021 a Certificate of Wesleyan Studies. [4] [5]

Founding

Beeson Divinity was established on February 9, 1988. It is named for Ralph Waldo Beeson (1900–1990), who gave one of the largest donations (70 Million USD) in Samford history to create the first divinity school at a Baptist college in the US, and for his father, John Wesley Beeson. [6] Ralph Beeson wanted the donation to remain anonymous, but relented to the naming of the school after his father at the suggestion of Samford's board of trustees.

Andrew Gerow Hodges Chapel

The focal point of the divinity school is Andrew Gerow Hodges Chapel, dedicated in 1995 and named in honor of Andrew Gerow Hodges in 2002. Though an original design by Neil Davis of Davis Architects, it was inspired by Il Redentore in Venice designed by Andrea Palladio. The interior features three cycles of iconography. In the dome are sixteen prominent figures from Christian history representing a variety of theological traditions. It was inspired by a passage in chapter 12 of Hebrews. in the transept apses are ten painting depicting days or seasons of the Christian year, beginning with Advent and ending with Reformation Day. Both of these cycles were painted by the Romanian artist Petru Botezatu. The third cycle are six busts in cultured marble of 20th-century Christian martyrs from each of the six inhabited continents. These were made by Martin Dawes of Cherrylion Studios. These are in the crossing and aisles. [7] [8]

Deans

  1. Timothy George, 1989–2019
  2. Douglas A. Sweeny, 2019–present

Notable faculty

Conferences

In the early twenty-first century, Beeson has hosted a number of theology conferences, including "The Will to Believe and the Need for Creed" (2009), "J.I. Packer and the Evangelical Future" (2006), and "God The Holy Trinity" (2004). Lectures from these conferences were published by Baker Academic Publishing as the Beeson Divinity Studies series.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary</span> Theological seminary in Massachusetts

Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) is an evangelical seminary with its main campus in Hamilton, Massachusetts, and three other campuses in Boston, Massachusetts; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Jacksonville, Florida. According to the Association of Theological Schools, Gordon-Conwell ranks as one of the largest evangelical seminaries in North America in terms of total number of full-time students enrolled.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Christian theology:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Presbyterian Seminary</span> Seminary in Virginia, US

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Higher Life movement</span> Movement devoted to Christian holiness in England

The Higher Life movement, also known as the Keswick movement or Keswickianism, is a Protestant theological tradition within evangelical Christianity that espouses a distinct teaching on the doctrine of entire sanctification.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian College of Theology</span>

The Australian College of Theology (ACT) is an Australian higher education provider based in Sydney, New South Wales. The college delivers awards in ministry and theology. It is now one of two major consortia of theological colleges in Australia, alongside the University of Divinity. Over 23,000 people have graduated since the foundation of the college. On 7 October 2022 it was granted university college status by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candler School of Theology</span> U.S. educational institution

Candler School of Theology is one of seven graduate schools at Emory University, located in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. A university-based school of theology, Candler educates ministers, scholars of religion and other leaders. It is also one of 13 seminaries affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity School for Ministry</span>

Trinity School for Ministry (TSM), formerly known as Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, is an Anglican seminary in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. It is generally associated with evangelical Anglicanism.

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

Please confess that Jesus is your Lord and believe that God, the Christian/Christianity one, raised Jesus from the dead. that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/rom.10.9.KJV. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28 KJV

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interdenominational Theological Center</span>

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.

<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">Vanderbilt University Divinity School</span>

The Vanderbilt Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion is an interdenominational divinity school at Vanderbilt University, a major research university located in Nashville, Tennessee. It is one of only six university-based schools of religion in the United States without a denominational affiliation that service primarily mainline Protestantism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysia Theological Seminary</span>

Malaysia Theological Seminary is an interdenominational Protestant seminary in the city of Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Established in 1979, STM is accredited by the Association for Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA) and a participating school of the South East Asia Graduate School of Theology (SEAGST) from which the Master of Theology degree is awarded.

Sabah Theological Seminary (STS) is an interdenominational Protestant seminary located in the town of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, East Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reformed Episcopal Seminary</span> Theological seminary in Pennsylvania, U.S.

The Reformed Episcopal Seminary is a private seminary in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1887 as the first seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church.

Timothy George is an American theologian and journalist. He became the founding dean of Beeson Divinity School at the school's inception in 1988 and was the dean from 1989–2019, now serving as Research Professor of Divinity. George teaches church history and doctrine and serves as executive editor for Christianity Today. He is on the editorial advisory boards of the Harvard Theological Review, Christian History, and Books & Culture. He also serves as a fellow for The Center for Baptist Renewal.

God's Bible School and College is a Bible college in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1900. It is of the Wesleyan-Arminian (Methodist) tradition.

Paul R. House is an American Old Testament scholar, author, and seminary professor who served as 2012 president of the Evangelical Theological Society. He was professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, an interdenominational seminary in Birmingham, Alabama, until his retirement in May 2023.

References

  1. ↑ Interdenominational Spirit
  2. ↑ "About Beeson Divinity School". www.samford.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  3. ↑ McDermott, Gerald (2023-08-03). "Divinity Schools and Diversity". First Things. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  4. ↑ MacDonald, G. Jeffrey (January 8, 2014). "Anglican Studies at Beeson". The Living Church. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
  5. ↑ "Beeson Divinity School Announces New Certificate for Wesleyan Students". Samford University. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
  6. ↑ Jonathan Aitken, "Welcome to Beeson," The American Spectator (May 2009)
  7. ↑ Guidebook for Hodges Chapel
  8. ↑ Borcherding, Ellie (2020-11-23). "Reformation Day: More than a Mural of Martin Luther". Magic City Religion. Archived from the original on 2020-12-31. Retrieved 2021-05-17.

33°27′51″N86°47′37″W / 33.4642499°N 86.79351°W / 33.4642499; -86.79351

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.