Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) is a

theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

in the Reformed theological tradition with campuses in multiple locations in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Founded by conservatives in the Southern Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Church in the United States, 1966, serves primarily students from more conservative branches of the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

and Reformed traditions.

Founding

In 1966, conservatives from the Southern Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS), concerned about the increasing influence of liberalism and neo-orthodoxy in the denomination's seminaries and pulpits, established Reformed Theological Seminary, independent from the PCUS, along " Old School" Presbyterian lines, to educate ministers. RTS has largely served the

Presbyterian Church in America The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Calvinist, Reformed in theolog ...

since that denomination's founding in 1973, then later the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church and in more recent years serves a large population of students from Particular Baptist and independent churches.

Leadership

RTS is governed by a board of trustees exercising oversight through its administration. RTS is led by its executive committee, the chancellor of the RTS system and through the respective campus presidents. Ligon Duncan is Chancellor and CEO.

Academics

RTS follows the

Reformed tradition Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteria ...

, including

Covenant Theology Covenant theology (also known as covenantalism, federal theology, or federalism) is a biblical theology, a conceptual overview and interpretive framework for understanding the overall structure of the Bible. It is often distinguished from dis ...

Accreditation

Reformed Theological Seminary is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada to award the MDiv, MABS, MAR, MATS, MAC, MACC, and DMin degrees. It is also accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award masters and doctorate degrees. The MAC degree program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.

Programs of study

RTS's institutional focus is on training students (especially in its

and Reformed branches) to be

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

s, missionaries, educators, and

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

counselors. RTS offers Doctor of Ministry (DMin),

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

(MDiv), and

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

(MA) degrees in several subjects. Through its Global program, RTS offers the Master of Arts (Biblical studies) degree (MABS) and the Master of Arts (Theological Studies) degree (MATS). The degrees can be earned completely online.

Faculty

RTS has had many notable faculty members, adjunct professors, and visiting lecturers, including R.C. Sproul, John Frame, Roger Nicole, Ronald H. Nash, Steve Brown, Douglas F. Kelly, Richard L. Pratt, Jr., Michael J. Kruger, Justin S. Holcomb, Bruce Waltke, Willem A. VanGemeren, and Tim Keller. In April 2010, Bruce Waltke offered to resign his professorship at Reformed Theological Seminary because of controversy over a video made by The BioLogos Foundation where he discussed his positive views on evolution. Waltke wrote in a letter that he found no fault with the administration of RTS on the matter.

Campuses

RTS has campus locations in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

;

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

;

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

;

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

; Washington, D.C.; as well as its Global Campus. RTS also has sites in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, as well as

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

and

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

in Texas. RTS's Washington, D.C. campus is a member of the Washington Theological Consortium. RTS's global campus traces its origins to the Orlando campus, from which distance education was first offered for RTS students in the early 1990s. In 1998, the Global campus became a separate "campus". The global campus eventually became the first online seminary to offer accredited degrees.

People

References

External links

* {{authority control Seminaries and theological colleges in Mississippi Seminaries and theological colleges in Florida Seminaries and theological colleges in Georgia (U.S. state) Seminaries and theological colleges in Washington, D.C. Seminaries and theological colleges in North Carolina Reformed church seminaries and theological colleges in the United States Christianity in Orlando, Florida Universities and colleges in Orlando, Florida Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Jackson, Mississippi Buildings and structures in Jackson, Mississippi 1966 establishments in Mississippi Educational institutions established in 1966 Christian organizations established in 1966 Universities and colleges in the Jackson metropolitan area, Mississippi * Presbyterian universities and colleges in the United States