Auburn Theological Seminary, located in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, teaches students about progressive social issues by offering workshops, providing consulting, and conducting research on faith leadership development. The seminary was established in

Auburn, New York Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States. Located at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York, the city had a population of 26,866 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city of Cayuga County, ...

, in 1818 to prepare young ministers for the frontier. In 1939, weakened by the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, the seminary relocated from Auburn to the Union Theological Seminary's campus in New York City, although it maintained its independence from Union Theological Seminary. In 2014, it designed and moved to a new leadership development lab in

The Interchurch Center The Interchurch Center is a 19-story limestone-clad office building located at 475 Riverside Drive and West 120th Street in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City. It is the headquarters for the international humanitarian ministry Churc ...

Morningside Heights Morningside Heights is a neighborhood on the West Side of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Morningside Drive to the east, 125th Street to the north, 110th Street to the south, and Riverside Drive to the west. Morningside ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York City. Auburn Theological Seminary houses the only research center in the U.S. focused on the study of seminaries, divinity schools, and the preparation of faith leaders working for

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals ...

. It was one of the first seminaries in the country to admit African Americans ( Moses A. Hopkins, 1877), Japanese (Naoomi Tamura, 1882) and later, female seminarians (Ida Thorne Parker, 1917).

History

Auburn Theological Seminary was established in Auburn, New York, by action of the

Presbyterian Synod Presbyterian (or presbyteral) polity is a method of church governance ("ecclesiastical polity") typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders. Each local church is governed by a body of elected elders usually called the session or ...

of Geneva on 16 August 1818.Minutes of the Synod of Geneva, An Act to incorporate the Presbyterian Theological Seminary, established by the Synod of Geneva, at Auburn, in the County of Cayuga. Vol. 1:111, 130, 1820 It obtained a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the re ...

from the

New York State legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an officia ...

on 14 April 182043rd Session of the Assembly of the State of New York, 1820 as a post-baccalaureate

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

, and it

matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

its first students in 1821. From its inception, the seminary drew support from beyond the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

. Its charter stipulated that "no student of any Christian denomination shall be excluded," and the first class of eleven students represented eight denominations. The Roman Catholic bishop from Boston, Bishop Chevereux, donated books for the school's library. The school's founders and early faculty (Dirck Lansing, Matthew Perrine, and Henry Mills) rejected sterner forms of

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John C ...

and advocated for flexible church governance within the Presbyterian Church. These beliefs became known as the Auburn Declaration of 1837. Under the presidency of George Black Stewart (1899–1926), the school grew to 105 students and eleven faculty. A Summer School of Theology for clergy and laity was established in 1911, and a School of Religious Education in 1921. Auburn Theological Seminary's faculty, led by Robert Hastings Nichols, professor of church history, played a key role in what became known as the Auburn Affirmation, adopted in 1924, which defended theological freedom and prevented a fundamentalist takeover of the Presbyterian Church.Charles Evans Quirk, “Origins of the Auburn Affirmation,” Journal of Presbyterian History. 53.2 (Summer 1975) The Great Depression left Auburn Seminary with a diminished student body and strained resources. The faculty and President Paul Silas Heath (1936–1939) began conversations with several seminaries about possibly relocating. In 1939, it closed its Auburn campus and at the invitation of President Henry Sloan Coffin, moved to the campus of Union Theological Seminary in New York City, although it maintained its board of trustees and endowment.V. Clifford, Board of Directors’ Report, Auburn Seminary: A recent history. March 17, 1978 With the move to Union Theological Seminary, Auburn Theological Seminary ceased granting degrees, instead developing new initiatives: a Program of Training for Rural Ministry in 1944, which continued its emphasis on preparing individuals for the practice of ministry, not for theological specialization; in 1964 the Center for Continuing Education was established as well as the Experimental Program for the Practice of Christian Ministry; in 1968 Auburn Studies in Theological Education was begun; in 1971 the Susquehanna Valley Project to support local ministers started; in 1985 interreligious programs for faith leaders were developed and in 1991 The Center for the Study of Theological Education was established. In 2009, Katharine Rhodes Henderson was inaugurated as president, shifting the institution's focus toward training and supporting faith leaders who work in progressive justice organizations and movements. Auburn's signature programs include: media training, Auburn Senior Fellows,

Sojourner Truth Sojourner Truth (; born Isabella Baumfree; November 26, 1883) was an American Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist of New York Dutch heritage and a women's rights activist. Truth was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York, but esc ...

Leadership Circle, digital organizing, coaching for faith leaders, and entrepreneurial ministry. Auburn Research explores the needs of theological institutions, their leaders and students, and the ways in which leaders of faith and moral courage are affecting positive social change in society.

Presidents of Auburn Theological Seminary

* Henry Matthias Booth (1893–1899) * George Black Stewart (1899–1926) * Harry Lathrop Reed (1926–1936) * Paul Silas Heath (1936–1939) * Walter S. Davison, Executive Director (1939–1944) * Henry Sloan Coffin, Union and Auburn Seminary president (1944–1945) * Henry P. Van Dusen, Union and Auburn Seminary president (1945–1964) * Robert Lynn, Dean (?–1976) * Barbara G. Wheeler, President (1980–2009) * Katharine Rhodes Henderson (2009–present)

Notable alumni

* Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858–1901) * Dwight Baldwin (1798–1886) * David Riddle Breed (1848–1931) * Henry Roe Cloud (1884–1950) *

Titus Coan Titus Coan (February 1, 1801 – December 1, 1882) was an American minister from New England who spent most of his life as a Christian missionary to the Hawaiian Islands. Early life and family Titus Coan was born on February 1, 1801 in Killingwor ...

(1801–1881) *

Sheldon Dibble Sheldon Dibble (January 26, 1809 – January 22, 1845) was a missionary to Hawaii who organized one of the first books on Hawaiian history, and inspired students to write more. Early life Dibble was born in Skaneateles, New York on January 26, 1 ...

(1809–1845) * Justus Doolittle (1824–1880) *

Josiah Bushnell Grinnell Josiah Bushnell Grinnell (December 22, 1821 – March 31, 1891) was a U.S. Congressman from Iowa's 4th congressional district, an ordained Congregational minister, founder of Grinnell, Iowa and benefactor of Grinnell College. Grinnell was born i ...

(1821–1891) *

Charles Frederic Goss Charles Frederic Goss (June 14, 1852 - May 7, 1930) was an American clergyman and author. His 1900 novel ''The Redemption of David Corson'' was a best selling book of that year.

(1852-1930) *

Laurentine Hamilton Laurentine Hamilton (1826 – April 9, 1882) was a Presbyterian minister accused of heresy, and founder of the First Unitarian Church of Oakland. Hamilton was born in Catlin, New York, near Seneca Lake. He graduated from Hamilton College in Cl ...

(1826–1882) * Joel T. Headley (1813–1897) * Moses A. Hopkins (1846–1886) * Herrick Johnson (1832–1913) * George William Knox (1853–1912) *

Lorenzo Lyons Lorenzo Lyons or "''Makua Laiana''" (April 18, 1807 – October 6, 1886) was an early missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was a songwriter who wrote the lyrics of "'' Hawaii Aloha''", which was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in ...

(1807–1886) * Isaac J. Rice (1808–1880) *

Edward Payson Roe Edward Payson Roe (March 7, 1838July 19, 1888) was an American novelist, Presbyterian minister, horticulturist and historian. Biography Edward Payson Roe was born in the village of Moodna, now part of New Windsor, New York. He studied at Willi ...

(1838–1888) * Boon Tuan Boon-Itt (1865–1903), an early leader in the Protestant Christian community of

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

Notable faculty

* John Colman Bennett * Timothy Grenville Darling * Allen Macy Dulles, grandfather of

Avery Dulles Avery Robert Dulles (; 1918–2008) was an American Jesuit priest, theologian, and cardinal of the Catholic Church. Dulles served on the faculty of Woodstock College from 1960 to 1974, of the Catholic University of America from 1974 to 1988, an ...

* James A. Forbes (born 1935) *

Laurens Perseus Hickok Laurens Perseus Hickok (December 20, 1798 – May 7, 1888), American philosopher and divine, was born at Bethel, Connecticut. Biography He took his degree at Union College in 1820. Until 1836 he was occupied in active pastoral work, and was the ...

(1798–1888) * Josiah Hopkins * Matthew LaRue Perrine *

William Greenough Thayer Shedd William Greenough Thayer Shedd (June 21, 1820November 17, 1894), son of the Reverend Marshall Shedd and Eliza Thayer, was an American Presbyterian theologian born in Acton, Massachusetts. In 1835, Shedd enrolled at the University of Vermont, and ...

(1820–1894) * George Black Stewart *

Walter Wink Walter Wink (May 21, 1935 – May 10, 2012) was an American biblical scholar, theologian, and activist who was an important figure in Progressive Christianity. Wink spent much of his career teaching at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York ...

* Parker Palmer (1984–) * James Richards (1767–1843)

References

{{Authority control 1821 establishments in New York (state) Educational institutions established in 1821 Presbyterian universities and colleges in the United States Presbyterianism in New York (state)