United Methodist officials deny bias against evangelicals
8/21/1998
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Charges by a group of United Methodist evangelicals that the church's University Senate has a theological bias against evangelical seminaries has been called "unfounded."
The senate has responsibility for approving non-United Methodist schools of theology which may be attended by United Methodist ministerial students. Forty board members of Good News, an unofficial, evangelical renewal movement, met recently in Wilmore, Ky., and charged the senate with a liberal bias in its approval of seminaries. They cited the senate's refusal in January to approve Gordon-Conwell Seminary in Wenham, Mass., and its earlier decisions to drop Bethel Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.; Oral Roberts University School of Theology, Tulsa, Okla.; and Trinity Evangelical Seminary, Deerfield, Ill. The Good News board noted that all the schools are approved by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), a national body that accredits seminaries.
"To assume a theological bias based on four examples is a stretch," said the Rev. John Harnish, a staff executive of the churchwide Board of Higher Education and Ministry, to which the University Senate is related.
"Approval by ATS alone is not sufficient for approval by the University Senate," he explained. "There are 250 seminaries in the United States accredited by the ATS. Of that number, about 60 are approved by the University Senate for United Methodist students."
Harnish also noted that while Gordon-Conwell's Massachusetts campus was not approved by the senate in January, its campus in Charlotte, N.C., was. "Each school is evaluated independently."
At the same January meeting, he said, evangelical schools such as the Fuller extension program in Seattle and Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., were approved. He also said the list of 60 approved schools includes many that would identify themselves as "evangelical."
"I don't think the evidence supports the claim that there is a theological bias," Harnish declared. "All schools must meet the criteria established by the senate."
The criteria are: freedom of academic inquiry; opportunity for growth in the United Methodist Tradition; compatibility with the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church; the ethnic and gender profile of the faculty and student body; and academic quality.
For example, Harnish explained how the criteria regarding freedom of academic inquiry is applied in all situations. "A school is not told it cannot have a confession of a particular theological point of view. However, since the senate believes it is best for United Methodist students to be exposed to broad theological reflection, schools with confessional statements must demonstrate how they provide for a freedom of inquiry in that context." Harnish said this applies to any school, evangelical or not.
"Clearly, some of the more rigidly conservative schools will have a difficult time meeting that criteria, not because they are evangelical, but because of the way in which they approach theological reflection," he continued.
If the senate has a bias, Harnish said, it is not against a school that has an evangelical perspective. "Rather, it is a bias in favor of open inquiry and exposure to the breadth of theological reflection present in the United Methodist Church today. We believe this is in the best interest of the students and the church, and is in keeping with the United Methodist tradition."
The United Methodist Church is one of the very few denominations that do not require their ministerial students to attend their own seminaries, for at least a part of their theological education, Harnish said. "We are the exception. Given that we allow our students to go to seminaries of other denominations, we think it important that they be exposed to what it is to be a United Methodist."
To illustrate, he pointed to infant baptism celebrated in the United Methodist Church. "If a student attended a seminary that is narrowly and rigidly Baptist, where there is no reflection on the possible merits of infant baptism, what does that do to our tradition?"
When the senate reviews a Baptist seminary, Harnish said, the school is asked, "In light of your confession and tradition, what opportunities are there for United Methodist students to grow in their tradition?" Several Baptist schools meet the criteria and are approved, he noted.
Some schools are denied but are later approved, based on their response to the criteria, he said. "Schools that would not describe themselves as evangelical have also been denied."
Like other accrediting agencies, the University Senate functions on the basis of peer review. "The content of a review is confidential, but the decision is public," Harnish said. He also noted that the senate receives input from the United Methodist bishop and Board of Ordained Ministry of the annual conference in which a school is located.
The president of the 26-member University Senate is the Rev. Dennis Campbell, former dean at Duke University Divinity School, Durham, N.C., and now headmaster at Woodberry Forest (Va.) School. Seven members of the Senate form the Commission on Theological Education, which reviews the schools and makes recommendations to the entire body. Chairman of that group is Bishop Neil Irons of the church's Harrisburg (Pa.) Area.
The executive secretary/publisher of the Good News movement, with offices in Wilmore, is the Rev. James V. Heidinger II. The president of its board is the Rev. William A. Hines, Findley, Ohio.
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University Senate members:
David L. Beckley, president, Rust College; Shirley A.R. Lewis, president, Paine College; Robert W. Edgar, dean, Claremont School of Theology; R. Kevin LaGree, dean, Candler School of Theology at Emory University; Wanda Durrett Bigham, president, Huntingdon College; Lovett H. Weems Jr., president, Saint Paul School of Theology; Justo Gonzales, executive director, Hispanic Initiative, Candler School of Theology at Emory University; Willia B. Harris, associate professor and coordinator for special education, Alabama State University; Jerry M. Boone, president, Ferrum College; James A. Davis, president, Shenandoah University; Ann H. Die, president, Hendrix College; George D. Fields Jr., president, Spartanburg Methodist College; George M. Harmon, president, Millsaps College; Harold M. Kolenbrander, president, Mount Union College; Peter T. Mitchell, president, Columbia College of South Carolina; John R. Eidam, director of admissions, Wyoming Seminary; Dennis M. Campbell, dean, Duke University Divinity School; Thomas W. Cole Jr., president, Clark Atlanta University; Ellen S. Hurwitz, president, Albright College; Neil L.Irons, resident bishop, Harrisburg Area; Marshall (Jack) L. Meadors Jr., resident bishop, Mississippi Area; William Haden, president, West Virginia Wesleyan College; Mark Collier, vice president for academic affairs, Baldwin-Wallace College; Robert Griffith, professor of history, American University; Kirk Treible, president, Andrew College. Ex-officio members are: Jimmy Carr, John E. Harnish, Roger W. Ireson and Ken Yamada of the Board of Higher Education and Ministry staff in Nashville, Tenn., and Deborah Bass, of the Board of Global Ministries staff in New York.
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING NON?UNITED METHODIST SCHOOLS OF THEOLOGY
Under the provisions of The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, the University Senate has responsibility for reviewing non?United Methodist related institutions approved by the senate for the education of United Methodist ministers (Paragraph 1520.2, 1992 Book of Discipline). To exercise this responsibility the Senate has established a Commission on Theological Education. In a quadrennial review of non?United Methodist related institutions, the commission employs the following criteria:
I. Freedom of academic inquiry
II. Opportunity for growth in the United Methodist Tradition
III. Compatibility with the Social Principles of the United
Methodist Church
IV. Ethnic and gender profile of faculty and student body
V. Academic quality
I. FREEDOM OF ACADEMIC INQUIRY
An uninhibited opportunity to address openly and seriously theological issues being addressed in United Methodist institutions and other seminaries requires that freedom of academic inquiry be guaranteed for faculty and students. Any non?United Methodist seminary may reserve for itself the right to require allegiance to principles and doctrinal or confessional affirmations which are integral or indispensable parts of its institutional life. However, if it wishes to be approved for the education of the clergy of the United Methodist Church, it must demonstrate that such requirements neither inhibit nor abrogate free inquiry for faculty and students and are compatible with United Methodist traditions.
II. OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH IN THE UNITED METHODIST TRADITION
Opportunity for growth in the United Methodist tradition requires:
1. Exposure to contemporary expressions of that tradition: The United Methodist Church is theologically diverse. There is an expectation that UMC seminarians will be exposed to a variety of theological positions current within Methodism.
2. Effective instruction in the history, doctrine, and polity of TheUnited Methodist Church: The Board of Higher Education and Ministry provides seminaries with guidance for constructing courses appropriate to this goal. Such study is a minimal requirement in order to insure that the seminarians will increase in their knowledge of the church in which they will serve.
3. Careful study of the life and thought of those contributing to that tradition: It is expected that the ecumenical experience gained by UMC seminarians through their study in a non-UMC institution shall be supplemented by significant opportunities to study the works of Methodist theologians in depth.
4. Active participation in the life of The United Methodist Church today: Seminarians must incorporate field learning within a United Methodist congregation into their study programs. They must also have the opportunity to participate regularly within the worship life of The United Methodist Church, and to have some experience of typical forms of United Methodist worship within the seminary chapel program.
5. Encounters with ministerial leadership consistent with the United Methodist tradition: Seminarians preparing for leadership in the church, need opportunities to know mentors who demonstrate the commitments of the UMC, its connectional nature, its distinctive piety, its social principles, and its methods and materials for Christian education.
6. A community of inquiry and formation: Discussion and mutual inquiry into the sources of the tradition, supported by a common commitment to United Methodist history, tradition, and theology are essential. The commission measures institutions on their ability to provide United Methodist students with an opportunity for growth in the United Methodist tradition. If a tradition or ethos is to be nurtured, there must be a critical mass of persons who claim it and an environment in which such an ethos can flourish. We assume that a sufficient number of United Methodist students must be enrolled in M. Div. courses to warrant an institution's providing faculty guidance, financial support and library resources. Schools and extension centers must demonstrate that these resources will be available for United Methodist students.
If a school participates in a cluster or consortium with other seminaries, it is still expected that the school seeking approval will demonstrate an intentional effort to meet the needs of United Methodist students for exposure to and nurture in the United Methodist tradition. Reliance upon other schools within the consortium to provide for the United Methodist students is not sufficient for approval by the Commission.
III. COMPATIBILITY WITH THE SOCIAL PRINCIPLES OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
The United Methodist Church seeks to be responsive to the needs of people, the demands of justice, the challenges of love, and the obligations of power and influence. These responsibilities are set forth in its historic Social Principles, see attached.
IV. ETHNIC AND GENDER INCLUSIVENESS OF FACULTY, STAFF, AND STUDENT BODY
The United Methodist Church is committed to affirmative actions and initiatives intended to promote justice and equality among all people regardless of ethnicity, gender, or national origin. The community of faith it strives to maintain is an ecumenical and inclusive community which seeks and welcomes persons of every race, both male and female, without reservation. This inclusiveness should be reflected in its faculty, administration and student body.
V. ACADEMIC QUALITY
One of the tasks of the Commission on Theological Education is to enhance the quality of the education of United Methodist clergy. While the commission is not an accrediting agency, it considers the accreditation status and the overall academic quality of those institutions seeking University Senate approval for the education of United Methodist ministers. In so doing, the commission evaluates:
1) The quality of the faculty including the number of faculty with terminal degrees;
2) Scholarly activity including publications of faculty;
3) Curriculum and academic resources;
4) Evidence of exposure to a variety of theological positions represented within United Methodism;
5) Academic quality of the entering student class.
Graduate Theological Seminaries Approved by the University Senate (July 1, 1998 - June 30, 1999):
American Baptist Seminary of the West, Berkeley, Calif.
Anderson (Ind.) University School of Theology
Andover Newton Theological School, Newton Centre, Mass.
Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Ky.
Ashland (Ohio) Theological Seminary
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Ind.
Austin (Texas) Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Bangor (Maine) Theological Seminary
Bethany Theological Seminary, Richmond, Ind.
Bexley Hall (Colgate Rochester/Crozer), Rochester, N.Y.
Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth, Texas
Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis
Colgate Rochester Divinity School, Bexley Hall/Crozer Theological Seminary, Rochester, N.Y.
Earlham School of Religion, Richmond, Ind.
Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Philadelphia
Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Harrisonburg, Va.
Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis
Erskine Theological Seminary, Due West, S.C.
Erskine Extension Center, Augusta, Ga.
Evangelical School of Theology, Myerstown, Pa.
Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico
Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, Calif.
Fuller Extension Center, Seattle
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Charlotte, N.C.
Harvard University Divinity School, Cambridge, Mass.
Howard University Divinity School, Washington
Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta
Lancaster (Pa.) Theological Seminary
Lexington (Ky.) Theological Seminary
Louisville (Ky.) Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
Lutheran Theological Seminary, Columbia, S.C.
Memphis (Tenn.) Theological Seminary
Mennonite Biblical Seminary (now Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary)
Moravian Theological Seminary
New Brunswick Theological Seminary
New York Theological Seminary
North American Baptist Seminary, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Lombard, Ill.
Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, Calif.
Phillips University Graduate Seminary, Enid, Okla.
Phillips University Graduate Seminary, Tulsa, Okla., Extension Center
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Presbyterian School of Christian Education, Richmond, Va.
Princeton (N.J.) Theological Seminary
San Francisco Theological Seminary, San Anselmo, Calif.
The School of Theology, University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn.
Union Theological Seminary, New York
Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, Richmond, Va.
United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, New Brighton, Minn.
University of Chicago Divinity School
University of Dubuque (Iowa) Theological Seminary
Vancouver School of Theology, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Vanderbilt University Divinity School, Nashville, Tenn.
Virginia Union University School of Theology, Richmond, Va.
Yale University Divinity School, New Haven, Conn.
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