Bethany Theological Seminary
Encyclopedia
Bethany Theological Seminary is the graduate school
and academy for theological education for the Church of the Brethren
. Bethany, located in Richmond, Indiana
, is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
and the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.
, to Richmond, Indiana
, to form a partnership with the Earlham School of Religion
, a Christian theological school in the Quaker tradition.
/Pietist tradition, to mediating conflict in families and churches, to peacemaking in national and international arenas. Master of Divinity students pursuing a degree emphasis in Ministry With Youth and Young Adults complete a practicum experience, and Master of Arts students focus their thesis on youth and young adult ministry.
Bethany emphasizes peace, service, simple living, and the importance of the faith community. Along with the Quakers and Mennonites, the Church of the Brethren
is an historic peace church, conscientiously opposed to all war, and intentional about working with peacemaking and reconciliation concerns. Several Bethany professionals and graduates are also associated with a renewed interest in theopoetics
.
Students in either the Master of Divinity or Master of Arts programs can now enroll as residential or Connections students. Connections is designed for persons who cannot relocate to Richmond, and who can commit to taking a mix of classes online, offsite, and on campus as weekend or two-week intensives. One of the primary locations for off-site Bethany courses is the Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center, on the campus of Elizabethtown College
in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
Bethany partners with a wide circle of theological schools to further enhance graduate-level educational opportunities. These schools include Christian Theological Seminary
in Indianapolis, IN; Payne Theological Seminary in Yellow Springs, OH; United Theological Seminary
in Dayton, OH; and The University of Dayton Graduate School in Dayton, Ohio.
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
and academy for theological education for the Church of the Brethren
Church of the Brethren
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination originating from the Schwarzenau Brethren organized in 1708 by eight persons led by Alexander Mack, in Schwarzenau, Bad Berleburg, Germany. The Brethren movement began as a melding of Radical Pietist and Anabaptist ideas during the...
. Bethany, located in Richmond, Indiana
Richmond, Indiana
Richmond is a city largely within Wayne Township, Wayne County, in east central Indiana, United States, which borders Ohio. The city also includes the Richmond Municipal Airport, which is in Boston Township and separated from the rest of the city...
, is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
The 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 the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.
History
The seminary was founded in 1905 as Bethany Biblical Seminary by A.C. Wieand and E. B. Hoff. While the two were traveling in the Holy Land overlooking the village of Bethany from the Mount of Olives in 1901-02, they decided to name the new Bible institute Bethany. In 1994, the seminary moved from Oak Brook, IllinoisOak Brook, Illinois
Oak Brook is a village in DuPage and Cook Counties, in Illinois. The population was 8,702 at the 2000 census. A suburb of Chicago, it is the headquarters of McDonald's and Lions Clubs International.-History:...
, to Richmond, Indiana
Richmond, Indiana
Richmond is a city largely within Wayne Township, Wayne County, in east central Indiana, United States, which borders Ohio. The city also includes the Richmond Municipal Airport, which is in Boston Township and separated from the rest of the city...
, to form a partnership with the Earlham School of Religion
Earlham School of Religion
Earlham School of Religion , a graduate division of Earlham College, located in Richmond, Indiana, is the oldest graduate seminary associated with the Religious Society of Friends . ESR was founded in 1960 by Wilmer Cooper, D. Elton Trueblood and others for the training of Quaker ministers...
, a Christian theological school in the Quaker tradition.
Educational opportunities
Bethany offers students opportunities for a degree in ministry in the form of Master of Divinity and one in research through the Master of Arts degree. Students can further refine their field of study through a degree emphasis in Peace Studies or Ministry With Youth and Young Adults. Peace-related courses cover topics ranging from non-violence and the biblical story, to peace witness in the AnabaptistAnabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
/Pietist tradition, to mediating conflict in families and churches, to peacemaking in national and international arenas. Master of Divinity students pursuing a degree emphasis in Ministry With Youth and Young Adults complete a practicum experience, and Master of Arts students focus their thesis on youth and young adult ministry.
Bethany emphasizes peace, service, simple living, and the importance of the faith community. Along with the Quakers and Mennonites, the Church of the Brethren
Church of the Brethren
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination originating from the Schwarzenau Brethren organized in 1708 by eight persons led by Alexander Mack, in Schwarzenau, Bad Berleburg, Germany. The Brethren movement began as a melding of Radical Pietist and Anabaptist ideas during the...
is an historic peace church, conscientiously opposed to all war, and intentional about working with peacemaking and reconciliation concerns. Several Bethany professionals and graduates are also associated with a renewed interest in theopoetics
Theopoetics
Theopoetics is an emerging field of interdisciplinary study, combining elements of poetic analysis, process theology, narrative theology, and postmodern philosophy....
.
Students in either the Master of Divinity or Master of Arts programs can now enroll as residential or Connections students. Connections is designed for persons who cannot relocate to Richmond, and who can commit to taking a mix of classes online, offsite, and on campus as weekend or two-week intensives. One of the primary locations for off-site Bethany courses is the Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center, on the campus of Elizabethtown College
Elizabethtown College
Elizabethtown College is a small comprehensive college located in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania in Lancaster County. The school was founded in 1899 by members of the Church of the Brethren...
in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
Bethany partners with a wide circle of theological schools to further enhance graduate-level educational opportunities. These schools include Christian Theological Seminary
Christian Theological Seminary
Christian Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary related to the Christian Church . It is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and provides eight degree-level education courses...
in Indianapolis, IN; Payne Theological Seminary in Yellow Springs, OH; United Theological Seminary
United Theological Seminary
United Theological Seminary is a United Methodist seminary in Trotwood, Ohio, United States, in the Dayton metropolitan area. Founded in 1869 by Milton Wright, it was originally sponsored by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ...
in Dayton, OH; and The University of Dayton Graduate School in Dayton, Ohio.
Programs
- Certificate of Achievement in Theological Studies (CATS)
- Ministry Degree: Master of Divinity
- Residential
- Connections: Online and distance learning program
- Research Degree: Master of Arts
- Residential
- Connections: Online and distance learning program
- Available Program Emphases:
- Peace Studies
- Institute for Ministry with Youth and Young Adults
- Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership
- Education for Shared Ministry
- Training in Ministry