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Westminster Theological Seminary

Motto	ΠΑΣΑ Η ΒΟΥΛΗ ΤΟΥ ΘΕΟΥ (Greek)
Motto in English	The whole counsel of God[1]
Type	Private
Established	1929
President	Peter Lillback
Students	692 (2017)
Location	Glenside , Pennsylvania , United States
Campus	Suburban (Glenside, Pennsylvania, and London, UK)
Website	Westminster Theological Seminary

Westminster Theological Seminary is a Presbyterian and Reformed Christian graduate educational institution located in Glenside, Pennsylvania. According to Roger E. Olson, it has had an influence on evangelicalism far beyond its size.^[2]

History

J. Gresham Machen Memorial Hall

Westminster Theological Seminary was formed in 1929, largely under the leadership and funding of J. Gresham Machen.^[3] Though independent, it has long had a close relationship with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, which Machen helped found in 1936. The first president of the Seminary was Edmund Clowney, who served from 1966 until 1984. He was followed by George C. Fuller and Samuel T. Logan. In 1982, the California branch of Westminster became an independent institution, Westminster Seminary California, and in 2009 the Dallas, Texas branch was established as Redeemer Theological Seminary (now Reformed Theological Seminary, Dallas, 2017). The current president is Peter Lillback, who also serves as a professor of Historical Theology.^[4]

Westminster was accredited in 1986 by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada^[5] and received accreditation in 1954 by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.^[6]

Theological position

In Philadelphia on September 25, 1929, J. Gresham Machen declared the following in his inaugural address:

"We believe, first, that the Christian religion, as set forth in the Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church, is true; we believe, second, that the Christian religion welcomes and is capable of scholarly defense; and we believe, third, that the Christian religion should be proclaimed without fear or favor, and in clear opposition to whatever opposes it, whether from within or without the church, as the only way of salvation for lost mankind. On that platform, brethren, we stand. Pray that we may be enabled by God’s grace to stand firm. Pray that the students who go forth from Westminster Theological Seminary may know Christ as their own Savior and may proclaim to others the gospel of his love."^[7]

The current board and faculty continue to hold to this original vision.

In 2016 Westminster Theological Seminary published an eighty-seven page monograph entitled, Seeing Christ in All of Scripture: Hermeneutics at Westminster Theological Seminary.

It was edited by the President, Peter Lillback with contributions from Drs. Poythress, Duguid, Beale and Gaffin. On page one the four contributors are referred to as “four of Westminster’s leading scholars”. In a blurb on the rear of the monograph, Lillback states, “This little work is presented to the public as an introduction the hermeneutical method of the Westminster faculty.” He says something very similar on page four of the introduction. He goes on to say in the introduction:

“…classic Reformed emphases on the covenantal unity of the Bible highlight the necessity of an organic Christ-centered interpretation of Scripture. All of Westminster Theological Seminary’s faculty and board members have committed to this confessional hermeneutic since the seminary’s founding. The seminary today continues to believe that the hermeneutical methods identified in the Reformational tradition of Westminster is biblically sound and in fact essential for a high view of Scripture in an age of doubt, controversy, and compromise.”^[8]

All trustees and faculty members are required to affirm their agreement with the theological perspective presented in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, the core doctrinal statements of many Presbyterian denominations.^[9]

Courses and publications

The Seminary currently offers the following degrees: Master of Divinity (Pastoral Ministry; Counseling; General Ministries), Master of Arts in Religion (Biblical Studies; Theological Studies; General Studies), Master of Theology, Doctor of Philosophy, and Doctor of Ministry.^[5][10] Westminster publishes the semi-annual Westminster Theological Journal.^[11][12]

Leadership

• 
  Edmund Clowney (1966–1984)


• 
  George C. Fuller (1984–1991)


• 
  Samuel T. Logan (1991–2005)


• 
  Peter Lillback (2005–present)

Notable faculty

Notable alumni

See also

• List of Westminster Theological Seminary people


• 
  North China Theological Seminary (the "Westminster Seminary of China")

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Westminster Theological Seminary.

External links

• Official website

Coordinates: 40°05′56″N 75°10′34″W / 40.099°N 75.176°W / 40.099; -75.176