San Francisco Theological Seminary - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

San Francisco Theological Seminary is a graduate school affiliated with Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...

located in San Anselmo, California. Founded in 1871, SFTS is a graduate theological institution that is focused on graduate theological education in the Reformed tradition

Reformed churches

The Reformed churches are a group of Protestant denominations characterized by Calvinist doctrines. They are descended from the Swiss Reformation inaugurated by Huldrych Zwingli but developed more coherently by Martin Bucer, Heinrich Bullinger and especially John Calvin...

. SFTS was the founding member of the Graduate Theological Union

Graduate Theological Union

The Graduate Theological Union ' is a consortium of nine independent theological schools, and eleven centers and affiliates. Eight of the theological schools are located in Berkeley, California. The GTU was founded in 1962. It maintains the Graduate Theological Union Library, one of the most...

in Berkeley

Berkeley, California

Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...

, the largest consortium of graduate schools and seminaries in the United States. The GTU has allowed students from these various seminaries to explore diverse religious views and traditions.

History

San Francisco pastor William Anderson Scott opened two Presbyterian schools in his churches in the mid-19th century, the second of which became San Francisco Theological Seminary.

In 1871, SFTS began with four professors and four students meeting for instruction at the Presbyterian City College located in what now is Union Square. Six years later, the Seminary moved to its own building next to the City College building on Haight Street.

The seminary moved in 1890 to a 14 acres (56,656 m²) hilltop site in Marin County about 15 miles (24.1 km) north of the Golden Gate Bridge. A new charter issued in 1900 gave the Seminary power to grant degrees, and jurisdiction over the Seminary was transferred from the Synod to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in 1913.

In the post World War II era under President Jesse Hays Baird, SFTS enjoyed unprecedented expansion, with enrollment increasing to more than 300 and new buildings rising all over the San Anselmo campus.

SFTS joined in 1962 with neighboring theological schools in founding the Graduate Theological Union. The GTU developed joint M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. SFTS continued to offer its own Master of Arts degrees in theological studies. Under its Advanced Pastoral Studies program, the Seminary added the Doctor of the Science of Theology (S.T.D.) and the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degrees.

In 1990, SFTS opened its second campus in Pasadena, which was housed in the Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Unfortunately, due to seminary budget cuts, the board of trustees voted to close the Pasadena campus in February of 2011. However, despite the announced closer, the seminary is considering alternative opportunities to expand their programs in Southern California.

Today, the San Anselmo campus has more than 350 master’s and doctoral level students, with about 115 full-time.

President

Dr. James L. McDonald

A.B. in Public Policy, Princeton University

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

Ph.D. in International Relation American University

American University

American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...

at Washington DC

Faculty

Jana Childers, Ph.D. Graduate Theological Union

Graduate Theological Union

-Berkeley

Berkeley, California

Professor of Professor of Homiletics and Speech Communication

Polly Coote, Ph.D. Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

Professor of Greek

Robert Coote Ph.D. Harvard University

Harvard University

Senior Research Professor of Hebrew Exegesis and Old Testament

Laurie Garrett-Cobbina Th.M. Princeton

Princeton University

Shaw Family Chair for Clinical Pastoral Education

Sam Hamilton-Poore D.Min. San Francisco Theological Seminary Assistant Professor of Christian Spirituality

Hoggatt, Daniel Ph.D. University of Colorado

University of Colorado

The University of Colorado system is a system of public universities in Colorado consisting of three universities in four campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in...

Professor of Church Music

Liebert, Elizabeth Ph.D. Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...

Professor of Spiritual Life

Gregory Love Ph.D. Princeton

Princeton University

Associate Professor of Systematic Theology

James Noel Ph.D. Graduate Theological Union

Graduate Theological Union

-Berkeley

Berkeley, California

H. Eugene Farlough, Jr. California Professor of American Religion

Christopher Ocker Ph.D. Princeton

Princeton University

Professor of Church History/ Affiliated Professor at the University of California Berkeley

Eugene Park Ph.D University of Chicago

University of Chicago

The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...

Dana and Dave Dornsife Professor of New Testament

Lewis Rambo Ph.D. University of Chicago

University of Chicago

Research Prof. of Psychology and Religion/ Visiting Professor at Yonsei University

Yonsei University

Yonsei University is a Christian private research university, located in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1885, it is one of the oldest universities in South Korea, the top private comprehensive universities in South Korea, and is widely regarded as one of the top three comprehensive...

and Fudan University

Fudan University

Fudan University , located in Shanghai, is one of the oldest and most selective universities in China, and is a member of the C9 League. Its institutional predecessor was founded in 1905, shortly before the end of China's imperial Qing dynasty...

Carol Robb Ph.D. Boston University

Boston University

Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...

Margaret Dollar Professor of Christian Social Ethics

Annette Schellenberg Ph.D. University of Zurich

University of Zurich

The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....

Associate Professor of Old Testament

Judy Siker Ph.D. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...

Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins

Scott Sullender Ph.D. Claremont

Claremont School of Theology

Claremont School of Theology is a graduate school located in Claremont, California, offering Master of Art, Masters of Divinity, Doctorate of Ministry and Ph.D...

Associate Professor of Pastoral Counseling

Annette Weissenrieder Ph.D. University of Heidelberg Associate Professor of New Testament

Academic affiliations

Graduate Theological Union

Berkeley

Berkeley, California

Through GTU schools and centers, SFTS students can relate to wider communities within Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism. SFTS students enjoy free and open cross-registration with all GTU member institutions.

University of California Berkeley

Through Graduate Theological Union agreements, SFTS students enjoy free cross-registration for UC Berkeley courses and the use of the university’s research and performing arts centers, its nearly 100 library collections and approximately 80 museum collections.

Academic information

Degree programs at San Francisco Theological Seminary include:
• Master of Divinity

Master of Divinity

In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...

• Master of Arts

Master of Arts (postgraduate)

A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...

in Theological Studies
• Doctor of Ministry

Doctor of Ministry

The Doctor of Ministry degree is, according to The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada , a doctoral level degree oriented toward ministerial leadership often in an area of applied theology, such as missions, evangelism, church leadership, pastoral psychology or the...

SFTS offers two graduate-level diplomas:

• Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction

Spiritual direction

Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their own personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of his or her encounters of the divine, or how he or she is experiencing...

• Diploma in Spiritual Formation Studies

In conjunction with the Graduate Theological Union

Graduate Theological Union

, students can also earn the following degrees:

• Master of Arts

Master of Arts (postgraduate)

A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...

• Doctor of Theology

Doctor of Theology

Doctor of Theology is a terminal academic degree in theology. It is a research degree that is considered by the U.S. National Science Foundation to be the equivalent of a Doctor of Philosophy....

• Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

In conjunction with the Graduate Theological Union

Graduate Theological Union

and the University of California Berkeley, student can earn the following degrees:

• Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

in Near Eastern Culture and Civilization
• Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

in Jewish Studies

SFTS Programs

Field Education - The Department of Field Education and Integrative Studies assists M. Div students in finding their place of ministry. From the Introduction to Ministry taught in the first year, through year-long supervised internships, students experience first-hand, practical applications of theoretical learning.

Program in Christian Spirituality – PCS offers diploma programs in spiritual direction and spiritual formation; a doctor of ministry degree in spirituality; a spirituality concentration in the master of divinity program; plus pastoral renewal opportunities.

Notable graduates

Dr. Chung, Chin-Hong, DST, San Francisco Theological Seminary; Professor of Phenomenology of Religion at Seoul National University

Seoul National University

Seoul National University , colloquially known in Korean as Seoul-dae , is a national research university in Seoul, Korea, ranked 24th in the world in publications in an analysis of data from the Science Citation Index, 7th in Asia and 42nd in the world by the 2011 QS World University Rankings...

.

Dr. Yvette Flunder, D.Min, San Francisco Theological Seminary; Founder the City of Refugee and Chair of the San Francisco Inter-religious Coalition on AIDS.

Dr. Steven Johnson, Ph.D Claremont Graduate University

Claremont Graduate University

Claremont Graduate University is a private, all-graduate research university located in Claremont, California, a city east of downtown Los Angeles...

; M.Div, San Francisco Theological Seminary; Professor and Chair of Religion Department at Lyon College

Lyon College

Lyon College is an independent, residential, co-educational, undergraduate liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church . Founded in 1872, it is the oldest independent college in Arkansas...

Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro, Ph.D, UT Austin; D.Min, San Francisco Theological Seminary; Director of Population Program, The David And Lucile Packard Foundation

Dr. Carolyn S. Leeb, BA, MIT; M.Div, San Francisco Theological Seminary; Professor in Theology at Valparaiso University

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso University, known colloquially as Valpo, is a regionally accredited private university located in the city of Valparaiso in the U.S. state of Indiana. Founded in 1859, it consists of five undergraduate colleges, a graduate school, a nursing school and a law school...

.

Dr. Herb Long, BA, Stanford; BD, San Francisco Theological Seminary; Th.D, Harvard; Former Dean of Students at Harvard Divinity School

Harvard Divinity School

Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...

.

Dr. Clarice Martin, M.Div, San Francisco Theological Seminary; Ph.D Duke University

Duke University

Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...

; Jean Picker Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Colgate University

Colgate University

Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...

Dr. Joan Carter Olivet, Ph.D, Graduate Theological Union

Graduate Theological Union

; M.Div, San Francisco Theological Seminary; Dean of Olivet College of Art and Design of Olivet University

Olivet University

Olivet University is a private Christian institution of biblical higher education that is accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education to award Certificates, Bachelor and Master’s degrees.-Mission statement:...

Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow

Bruce Reyes-Chow

Bruce Reyes-Chow is a minister of the Presbyterian Church .Bruce was the Moderator of the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church . Reyes-Chow was elected as Moderator on June 21, 2008 from a field of four candidates...

, M.Div, San Francisco Theological Seminary; Moderator of the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA)

Presbyterian Church (USA)

The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...

Dr. George Thompson Dir. of Faith & the City/Professor; Leadership & Ministry Practice at Interdenominational Theological Center

Interdenominational Theological Center

The Interdenominational Theological Center is a consortium of denominational seminaries located in Atlanta, Georgia. Today ITC educates and nurtures women and men who commit to and practice a liberating and transforming spirituality; academic discipline; religious, gender, and cultural diversity;...

Notable faculty members

David Noel Freedman

David Noel Freedman , son of the writer David Freedman, was a biblical scholar, author, editor, archaeologist, and ordained Presbyterian minister ....

Gray Professor of Old Testament Exegesis at San Francisco Theological Seminary (1961-1964); Endowed Chair in Hebrew Biblical Studies at the University of California, San Diego

University of California, San Diego

The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...

(1986-2008).

David Alexander

David Alexander (college president)

John David Alexander was an American academic who served as president of Pomona College during a period of time where he led a major expansion of the school, and served as US National Secretary for the Rhodes Trust, overseeing the selection process for recipients of the Rhodes Scholarship from the...

Professor of Old Testament and Theology at San Francisco Theological Seminary, and President Emeritus of Pomona College

Pomona College

Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...

John Dillenberger

John Dillenberger was Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He was instrumental in forming the Graduate Theological Union which he headed during its first decade, first as Dean from 1964-1969 and then, from 1967 to 1972, as its first...

Dean of the Faculty at San Francisco Theological Seminary; Professor Emeritus, Graduate Theological Union Berkeley; Chair of the Program in History and Philosophy at Harvard University

Harvard University

External links

San Francisco Theological Seminary website

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