Eden Theological Seminary
Encyclopedia
Eden Theological Seminary is a seminary
of the United Church of Christ
in Webster Groves, Missouri
, near St. Louis, Missouri
.
The seminary was established in 1850 by German pastors in what was then the American frontier. The pastors soon formed the German Evangelical Synod of North America
. This, after subsequent mergers, became a part of the UCC. One of the early campuses in St. Louis became Normandy High School
. The school was augmented by a merger with the Central Theological Seminary, an institution of the Reformed Church in the United States in Dayton, Ohio
in the 1930s, concurrent with the merger of the two denominations into the Evangelical and Reformed Church
.
Conversations at Eden Theological Seminary, beginning in 1937, led to the 1957 merger of the E&R Church and Congregational Christian Churches
and the formation of the United Church of Christ. Famous alumni of Eden include Reinhold Niebuhr
, H. Richard Niebuhr
, and Walter Brueggemann
.
Eden's mission statement reads, "Eden Theological Seminary is called by Jesus Christ to be a school of the church. Eden is called to strengthen and support the life and mission of the church by educating pastors and teachers, enlivening critical reflection on faith, and encouraging Christian discipleship."
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
of the United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
in Webster Groves, Missouri
Webster Groves, Missouri
Webster Groves is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 22,995 at the 2010 census. The city is named after New England politician Daniel Webster....
, near St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
The seminary was established in 1850 by German pastors in what was then the American frontier. The pastors soon formed the German Evangelical Synod of North America
Evangelical Synod of North America
The Evangelical Synod of North America, before 1927 German Evangelical Synod of North America, in German Evangelische Synode von Nord-Amerika, was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States existing from the mid-19th century until its 1934 merger with the Reformed Church in the...
. This, after subsequent mergers, became a part of the UCC. One of the early campuses in St. Louis became Normandy High School
Normandy High School (Missouri)
Normandy High School, is a high school in the town of Normandy, Missouri, in St. Louis County, Missouri.-History:Normandy High was founded in 1923 by a group of educators whose goal was "the ideal high school." They planned a six-year school, from 7th through 12 grades, with plans to add the first...
. The school was augmented by a merger with the Central Theological Seminary, an institution of the Reformed Church in the United States in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
in the 1930s, concurrent with the merger of the two denominations into the Evangelical and Reformed Church
Evangelical and Reformed Church
The Evangelical and Reformed Church was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. It was formed in 1934 by the merger of the Reformed Church in the United States with the Evangelical Synod of North America . After the 1934 merger, a minority within the RCUS seceded in order to...
.
Conversations at Eden Theological Seminary, beginning in 1937, led to the 1957 merger of the E&R Church and Congregational Christian Churches
Congregational Christian Churches
The Congregational Christian Churches were a Protestant Christian denomination that operated in the U.S. from 1931 through 1957. On the latter date, most of its churches joined the Evangelical and Reformed Church in a merger to become the United Church of Christ. Others created the National...
and the formation of the United Church of Christ. Famous alumni of Eden include Reinhold Niebuhr
Reinhold Niebuhr
Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr was an American theologian and commentator on public affairs. Starting as a leftist minister in the 1920s indebted to theological liberalism, he shifted to the new Neo-Orthodox theology in the 1930s, explaining how the sin of pride created evil in the world...
, H. Richard Niebuhr
H. Richard Niebuhr
Helmut Richard Niebuhr was one of the most important Christian theological-ethicists in 20th century America, most known for his 1951 book Christ and Culture and his posthumously published book The Responsible Self. The younger brother of theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, Richard Niebuhr taught for...
, and Walter Brueggemann
Walter Brueggemann
Walter Brueggemann is an American Protestant Old Testament scholar and theologian.-Life:The son of a minister of the German Evangelical Synod of North America, he was ordained in the United Church of Christ. Brueggemann received an A.B. from Elmhurst College , a B.D. from Eden Theological...
.
Eden's mission statement reads, "Eden Theological Seminary is called by Jesus Christ to be a school of the church. Eden is called to strengthen and support the life and mission of the church by educating pastors and teachers, enlivening critical reflection on faith, and encouraging Christian discipleship."