Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, headquartered in
Fort Worth, TexasFort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, is a private, non-profit institution of
higher educationHigher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
, associated with the
Southern Baptist ConventionThe Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
. It is one of the largest seminaries in the world and is accredited by the
Association of Theological Schools in the United States and CanadaThe Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has more than 250 member institutions...
and also by the
Southern Association of Colleges and SchoolsThe Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
to award diploma,
bachelor'sA bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
,
master'sA master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
, and
doctoralA doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
degrees. The school uses the
Baptist Faith and MessageThe Baptist Faith and Message is the confession of faith of the Southern Baptist Convention . It summarizes key Southern Baptist thought in the areas of the Bible and its authority, the nature of God as expressed by the Trinity, the spiritual condition of man, God's plan of grace and salvation,...
(2000) as its confessional statement (see also the
Southwestern Declaration on Academic and Theological Integrity).
History
The seminary was established in 1908, with B. H. Carroll as its founding president. It grew out of the
Baylor UniversityBaylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
theological department, which was established in 1901. By 1905, Carroll had managed to convert the department of five professors into the Baylor Theological Seminary, but still under Baylor University. In 1907, while Baylor University President Samuel Palmer Brooks was on vacation in Europe, B.H. Carroll, then chairman of the Baylor Board of Trustees, made a motion that the department of religion be separated from the University and chartered as a separate entity.
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary received its charter on 14 March 1908, but remained on Baylor's Waco campus until the summer of 1910, when the board accepted an offer made by Fort Worth citizens for a campus site and enough funds to build the first building. The 200 acre (0.809372 km²) campus was located on what came to be known as "Seminary Hill," the highest natural elevation in Tarrant County. The first building was named "Fort Worth Hall" in honor of the seminary's new location. In 1925, the Baptist General Convention of Texas passed control to the
Southern Baptist ConventionThe Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
.
In 1994, the seminary experienced a sudden change in leadership with the dismissal of
Russell H. DildayRussell H. Dilday is a pastor, educator, former seminary president, and chancellor of B.H. Carroll Theological Institute.-Career:He served as President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary starting in 1978. He was fired in March 1994 by the seminary's board of trustees in a 26-7 vote during...
as president and the appointment of Ken Hemphill. President Dilday was the only president of SWBTS ever to be removed.
The Seminary has not been free from controversy, as witnessed by the dismissal of President Dilday in 1994 following the takeover by more conservative members of the board of trustees, the 2006 prohibition on professors or administrators promoting charismatic practices, such as private prayer languages, and the charges of sexual discrimination brought by Sheri Klouda in her 2007 lawsuit. The Klouda lawsuit was dismissed because of church-state concerns.
Administration and faculty
SWBTS is currently administered by a 40-member board of trustees serving staggered terms of office. Board members are elected by the Southern Baptist Convention. Trustees elect faculty members and administrative officers. Financial support is derived from the Southern Baptist Convention's Cooperative Program, endowment earnings, gifts and student fees.
Dr. L.
Paige PattersonL. Paige Patterson is the eighth president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.- Education :*B.A. - Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene, Texas*Th.M. - New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary...
, selected in 2003, is the current president of the seminary. Current (2008) deans include Steven Smith (College at Southwestern), Waylan Owens (School of Church and Family Ministries), David Allen (School of Theology), Keith Eitel (Roy Fish School of Evangelism and Missions), Stephen Johnson (School of Church Music) and J. Denny Autrey (Havard School for Theological Studies in Houston, Texas).
The full-time faculty includes eighty-eight individuals and there are also forty-seven part-time faculty members.
Academics
Southwestern is divided into six schools: The College, The School of
TheologyTheology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, The School of Church and Family Ministries (formerly the School of Educational Ministries), The School of Church Music, The Roy Fish School of Evangelism and Missions, and the Havard School for Theological Studies in Houston, each with its own faculty and degree programs. The school offers 18 tracks of study in areas such as corporate chaplaincy,
IslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic Studies, marriage and family counseling, urban evangelism and
social workSocial Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
.
Since 1908, Southwestern Seminary has graduated more than 40,000 students. In 2007-2008, students came from 46 states, 2 US protectorates, 47 foreign countries and represented 46 denominations, although more than 94% are Southern Baptists.
The seminary's academic journal,
The Southwestern Journal of Theology has been published since 1958. It is conservative and Baptist in orientation.
In the fall of 2005, the Seminary converted its undergraduate program (baccalaureate school) into The College at Southwestern which awards a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities. Later, a Bachelor of Arts in Music (B.A.M.) was added.
In 2007 the seminary began an initiative for engaging and transforming culture, its new Center for Cultural Engagement, named in honor of
Richard Land Dr. Richard D. Land, aka Chief Red Bull, is the president of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission , the moral and ethics concern entity of the Southern Baptist Convention in the United States, a post he has held since 1988...
. In line with this initiative, the seminary actively supports
intelligent designIntelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
, having employed prominent intelligent design advocate
William A. DembskiWilliam Albert "Bill" Dembski is an American proponent of intelligent design, well known for promoting the concept of specified complexity...
.
Presidents
- 1908 - 1914 — Benajah Harvey Carroll
Benajah Harvey Carroll, known as B.H. Carroll , was a Baptist pastor, theologian, teacher, and author.-Biography:...
- 1915 - 1942 — Lee Rutland Scarborough
Lee Rutland Scarborough was an American Baptist pastor, evangelist, denominational leader and professor at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. There, in 1901, he founded and chaired the first seminary "department of evangelism". In 1908, following the death of B. H. Carroll, he became...
- 1942 - 1953 — E. D. Head
- 1953 - 1958 — J. Howard Williams
- 1958 - 1978 — Robert E. Naylor
- 1978 - 1994 — Russell H. Dilday
Russell H. Dilday is a pastor, educator, former seminary president, and chancellor of B.H. Carroll Theological Institute.-Career:He served as President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary starting in 1978. He was fired in March 1994 by the seminary's board of trustees in a 26-7 vote during...
- 1994 - 2003 — Kenneth S. Hemphill
- 2003 - — L. Paige Patterson
L. Paige Patterson is the eighth president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.- Education :*B.A. - Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene, Texas*Th.M. - New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary...
Notable people
Faculty
| Name | | Known for | | Relationship to SWBTS |
Benajah Harvey CarrollBenajah Harvey Carroll, known as B.H. Carroll , was a Baptist pastor, theologian, teacher, and author.-Biography:...
|
Pastor, theologian |
SWBTS founder and first president |
| William A. Dembski William Albert "Bill" Dembski is an American proponent of intelligent design, well known for promoting the concept of specified complexity...
|
Proponent of intelligent designIntelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
|
Professor of Apologetics since 2006 |
| E. Earle Ellis E. Earle Ellis was a North American Biblical scholar. Ellis served as Research Professor of Theology Emeritus at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas joining the institution in 1985.-Early life:...
|
New Testament scholar |
Research Professor of Theology Emeritus |
| William Roscoe Estep William Roscoe Estep was an American Baptist historian and professor. He was considered an authority on the Anabaptist movement.-Career and life:...
|
Baptist and Anabaptist historian, professor |
Professor of Church History Emeritus |
| James Leo Garrett Jr. James Leo Garrett, Jr. holds the position of Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas....
|
Theologian |
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Theology |
| T. B. Maston Thomas Buford Maston was a Christian ethicist and writer. He is the namesake of the , which was begun by Dr. A. Jase Jones , who received his Th.D. in Christian Ethics under Dr. Maston.- Works :...
|
Christian ethicist |
Professor of Christian Ethics |
J. Frank Norris John Franklyn Norris was a flamboyant Baptist preacher, one of the most controversial figures in the history of fundamentalism.-Biography:...
|
Fundamentalist preacher |
SWBTS trustee |
Paige PattersonL. Paige Patterson is the eighth president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.- Education :*B.A. - Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene, Texas*Th.M. - New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary...
|
Former president of the Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
|
SWBTS president |
| Lee Rutland Scarborough Lee Rutland Scarborough was an American Baptist pastor, evangelist, denominational leader and professor at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. There, in 1901, he founded and chaired the first seminary "department of evangelism". In 1908, following the death of B. H. Carroll, he became...
|
Professor, evangelist |
SWBTS second president |
| Terry Wilder Terry L. Wilder is professor of New Testament at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He previously served as academic editor for B&H Publishing Group in Nashville, Tennessee, and also as Research Professor of New Testament and Greek at Midwestern Baptist Theological...
|
New Testament scholar |
Professor of New Testament |
Alumni
| Name | | Known for | | Relationship to SWBTS |
| Gary Chapman Gary Demonte Chapman is a relationship counselor and author of the The 5 Love Languages series. He is the director of Marriage and Family Life Consultants, Inc...
|
Author |
Master of Religious Education (M.R.E.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) |
| David S. Dockery |
President, Union UniversityUnion University is a private, evangelical Christian, liberal arts university located in Jackson, Tennessee, with additional campuses in Germantown, Tennessee, and Hendersonville, Tennessee...
|
Master of Divinity |
| Louie Giglio Louie Giglio is a pastor , speaker and founder of the Passion Movement.-Biography:Giglio graduated from Georgia State University and earned a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Later he went to Grace Theological Seminary to pursue a Doctor of...
|
Pastor of Passion Conferences |
Master of Divinity |
| George E. Hearn George Earl Hearn was from 1965-2000 a professor of psychology at Baptist-affiliated Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana, and a former two-term member of the Pineville City Council under then Mayor Fred H. Baden.-Background:Hearn was born to Thomas Watson Hearn, Sr...
|
Psychologist and Professor at Louisiana CollegeLouisiana College is a private institution of higher education located in Pineville, Louisiana, affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention, serving a student body of approximately 1,300 students. The college operates on a semester system, with two shorter summer terms...
|
Master's degree |
Mike HuckabeeMichael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
|
Governor of Arkansas & 2008 candidate for US President |
Graduate study (one year) |
| Bill P. Keith Billy P. Keith, known as Bill Keith , is an author of fiction and nonfiction in Longview, Texas, who served from 1980 to 1984 as a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate...
|
Louisiana State Senator The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
(1980-1984) & defender of creation scienceCreation Science or scientific creationism is a branch of creationism that attempts to provide scientific support for the Genesis creation narrative in the Book of Genesis and disprove generally accepted scientific facts, theories and scientific paradigms about the history of the Earth, cosmology...
|
Seminary graduate in late 1950s |
| Larry Lea -Early years:He attended and graduated from Dallas Baptist University where he met his first wife, Melva. He completed his graduate work at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. Larry and Melva married in 1972, and together they have 3 children. He became the youth pastor of...
|
Televangelist |
Attended the doctoral program |
| Erwin McManus |
Lead Pastor of Mosaic Church Mosaic is a multi-site church based in Los Angeles, California, currently led by Erwin McManus. Mosaic was listed as one of the 50 most influential churches in the United States.- Beginnings:...
|
Master of Divinity |
| Don Miller Don Miller is a Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for the 10th district, encompassing Morristown and Hamblen County.-Biography:...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Tennessee House of RepresentativesThe Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional requirements:...
|
M.R.E. |
Bill MoyersBill Moyers is an American journalist and public commentator. He served as White House Press Secretary in the United States President Lyndon B. Johnson Administration from 1965 to 1967. He worked as a news commentator on television for ten years. Moyers has had an extensive involvement with public...
|
Journalist |
Master of Divinity |
| Rick Scarborough Rick Scarborough is a former Southern Baptist pastor from Pearland, Texas, who heads Vision America, Vision America Action and the Judeo-Christian Council for Constitutional Restoration.-Biography:...
|
Pastor |
Master of Divinity |
| Charles Stanley Charles Stanley , is a US preacher, Pastor of First Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia.Charles Stanley may also refer to:*Charles H...
|
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia First Baptist Church Atlanta, Georgia, is a megachurch located at 4400 North Peachtree Road at Interstate 285 in Dunwoody, Georgia. It is commonly known as First Baptist Atlanta. It is an evangelical, Christian church, and is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention. Dr. Charles F...
|
Master of Divinity |
| Rick Warren Richard Duane "Rick" Warren is an American evangelical Christian minister and author. He is the founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church, an evangelical megachurch located in Lake Forest, California, currently the eighth-largest church in the United States...
|
Founder and Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church Saddleback Church is an evangelical Christian megachurch located in Lake Forest, California, situated in southern Orange County, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The church was founded in 1980 by pastor Rick Warren...
|
Master of Divinity degree (1979) |
| Edwin Barry Young Ed Young is the founding and senior pastor of Fellowship Church.With four campuses in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and one in Miami, Florida, Fellowship is one of the most attended churches in North America and was listed as the 3rd Most Influential Church in America according to a 2007 survey Young...
|
Founder Fellowship Church Fellowship Church is an evangelical Christian megachurch located in Grapevine, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, that is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. FC is one of the largest and fastest-growing churches in the United States, with an estimated attendance exceeding 20,000...
|
Master of Divinity degree |
External links