Adventist Theological Education in the Third Millenniun

Abstract

Theological education has undergone many changes in the past. Seminaries of many mainline churches and across the ecumenical spectrum have reeled under the assault of forces from the right and left. Some have buckled under pressure, others have emerged seemingly unscathed.
Adventist theological education also has had its share of ups and downs. Its beginning around 1870 involved mainly short intensive courses given in the local conferences with Uriah Smith as a principal instructor. The establishment of Battle Creek College in 1874 changed the mode of ministerial preparation from intensive courses to a four-year training course culminating in a Bachelor of Arts degree. The Autumn Council of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in 1932 authorized the establishment of a school of theology, but the opening of the theological seminary, under the Potomac University, did not happen until 1937.
Since then, colleges and seminaries have mushroomed around the globe, providing theological education at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
The approach of the year 2000 affords an opportunity for evaluating theological education. Have the objectives of Adventist theological education changed with time? Should Adventist theological education continue in its present shape and form, or should it become more dynamic? Will theological education with its curriculum and mode of teaching still be relevant to the societal and cultural contexts of the third millennium?
This paper first examines the objectives of Adventist theological education. It then addresses two major issues related to theological education—partnership of the church and seminary, and partnership of theory and practice. This is followed by a discussion on the ethos of an ideal theological school. The article concludes with the focus of the seminary as a redemptive community.