Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is an

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...

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 ...

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

. It is known for popularizing the theological system

dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a system that was formalized in its entirety by John Nelson Darby. Dispensationalism maintains that history is divided into multiple ages or "dispensations" in which God acts with humanity in different ways. Dispensationali ...

. DTS has campuses in

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

, and Washington, D.C., as well as extension campuses in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...

, Northwest

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

, Europe,

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by Hon ...

, and

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologic ...

and a multilingual

online education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually i ...

program.

History

DTS was founded as Evangelical Theological College in 1924 by Rollin T. Chafer and his brother,

Lewis Sperry Chafer Lewis Sperry Chafer (February 27, 1871 – August 22, 1952) was an American theologian. He co-founded with his older brother, Rollin T. Chafer, Dallas Theological Seminary and served as its first president, and was an influential proponent of Chr ...

, who taught the first class of thirteen students, and William Henry Griffith Thomas,DTS
A Brief History. who was to have been the school's first theology professor but died before the first classes began. Their vision was a school where

expository Narrative exposition is the insertion of background information within a story or narrative. This information can be about the setting, characters' backstories, prior plot events, historical context, etc. In literature, exposition appears in t ...

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...

preaching was taught simply, and under Chafers' leadership, DTS pioneered one of the first four-year degrees in theology, the

Master of Theology Master of Theology ( la, Theologiae Magister, abbreviated MTh, ThM, or MTheol) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a PhD program or as a sta ...

(Th.M.). The present location of the school was purchased in 1926 and

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiv ...

(Th.D.) program was started in 1927.DTS
Historical Milestones. Chafer remained president until his death in 1952. DTS has continually published a quarterly entitled ''

Bibliotheca Sacra ''Bibliotheca Sacra'' (colloquially referred to as "BibSac") is a theological journal published by Dallas Theological Seminary, first published in 1844 and the oldest theological journal in the United States. It was founded at Union Theological ...

'' initially edited by Rollin T. Chafer, since 1934. In 1983, a complete collection of "Bib Sac" articles was published as a book commemorating fifty years of the journal.

John F. Walvoord John F. Walvoord (May 1, 1910 – December 20, 2002) was a Christian theologian, pastor, and president of Dallas Theological Seminary from 1952 to 1986. He was the author of over 30 books, focusing primarily on eschatology and theology including ' ...

took over as president in 1952 after Chafer's death in 1952. In 1974, DTS added a two-year

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) 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. Tho ...

(MA) program in biblical studies, and in 1982, a two-year program in Christian Education was begun. In addition to these, a

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (abbreviated DMin or D.Min.) is a professional doctorate, often including a research component, that may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in some form of ministry. It is categorized as an advance ...

(D.Min.) program was opened in 1980. Walvoord retired as DTS president in 1986. From 1986 to 1994, Donald K. Campbell served as president of DTS. During his tenure, DTS opened a three-year MA program in Biblical Counseling and a two-year MA program in

Biblical exegesis Biblical criticism is the use of critical analysis to understand and explain the Bible. During the eighteenth century, when it began as ''historical-biblical criticism,'' it was based on two distinguishing characteristics: (1) the concern to ...

and

linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Ling ...

Chuck Swindoll Charles Rozell Swindoll (born October 18, 1934) is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator, and radio preacher. He founded ''Insight for Living'', headquartered in Frisco, Texas, which airs a radio program of the same name on more t ...

served as president of the seminary from 1994 to 2001. Mark Bailey followed, serving as president from 2001 to 2020. Under Bailey's tenure, the seminary added a two-year MA program in media and communication, a two-year MA in Christian leadership, a Spanish D.Min. program, and a multi-lingual online education program. He was succeeded by Mark Yarbrough in 2020. As of Spring 2014, DTS had over 15,000 alumni serving in various ministerial capacities in 97 countries worldwide.

Accreditation

DTS was first

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

in 1944 by the Board of Regents, State Education Department of the University of the State of New York of Albany. After that institution stopped accrediting institutions outside of New York, DTS was accredited in 1969 by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

and in 1994 by the

Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The assoc ...

.DTS
Accreditation The school is also a member of the

Association of Christian Schools International The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), founded in 1978, is an association of evangelical Christian schools. Its headquarters are in Colorado Springs, Colorado. History ACSI was founded in 1978 through the merger of three a ...

(ACSI), the Evangelical Training Association (ETA), the Jerusalem University College, and the Institute of Theological Studies (ITS).

Theology

DTS is known as a center of modern dispensational teaching due to Dr. Chafer's development of a

systematic theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topic ...

which approaches the Bible with a "

premillennial Premillennialism, in Christian eschatology, is the belief that Jesus will physically return to the Earth (the Second Coming) before the Millennium, a literal thousand-year golden age of peace. Premillennialism is based upon a literal interpretat ...

, dispensational interpretation of the Scriptures." ''Systematic Theology'', his eight-volume work describing this approach, was first published in 1948 and is still a required textbook for some courses at DTS. Notable theological beliefs of the school include: premillennialism, dispensationalism, and

Biblical inerrancy Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible "is without error or fault in all its teaching"; or, at least, that "Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact". Some equate inerrancy with biblical ...

. The school considers itself

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. Overview The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...

within

Protestantism Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

, and offers classes in all 66 books of the

Protestant Bible A Protestant Bible is a Christian Bible whose translation or revision was produced by Protestants. Such Bibles comprise 39 books of the Old Testament (according to the Hebrew Bible canon, known especially to non-Protestants as the protocanonical ...

Notable people

In a 2009 study conducted by LifeWay Research, Protestant pastors named preachers who had most influenced them. Three DTS alumni were among the top ten:

('63), founder of radio broadcast Insight for Living;

David Jeremiah David Jeremiah is an American evangelical Christian author, founder of Turning Point Radio and Television Ministries and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, a Southern Baptist megachurch in El Cajon, California, a suburb of ...

('67), founder of Turning Point Radio and Television Ministries; and

Andy Stanley Charles Andrew Stanley (born May 16, 1958), known as Andy Stanley, is an American who is the founder and senior pastor of North Point Ministries, a nondenominational evangelical Christian church with several campuses across the north metro Atlant ...

('85), founder of North Point Ministries. Other notable people associated with the seminary include:

Alumni

Gregory Beale Gregory K. Beale (born 1949 in Dallas, Texas; also known as G. K. Beale) is a biblical scholar, currently a Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. He is an ordained minister in the Ort ...

, former president of the

Evangelical Theological Society The Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) is a professional society of Biblical scholars, educators, pastors, and students "devoted to the inerrancy and inspiration of the Scriptures and the gospel of Jesus Christ" and "dedicated to the oral exch ...

* Steve Breedlove, bishop of the

Anglican Church in North America The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico, two mission churches in Guatemala, and a missionary diocese in Cuba ...

* Michael J. Easley, former president of

Moody Bible Institute Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college founded in the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois, US by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have ...

* Tony Evans, pastor and widely syndicated radio broadcaster * F. David Farnell, professor of New Testament at

The Master's Seminary The Master's Seminary (TMS) is the graduate seminary division of The Master's University and Seminary and is located on the campus of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. It is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University ...

Arnold Fruchtenbaum Arnold Genekowitsch Fruchtenbaum (born September 26, 1943) is a Russian-born American theologian. He is a leading expert in Messianic Judaic theology and the founder and director of Ariel Ministries, an organization which prioritizes the evange ...

, Messianic Jewish scholar and founder of Ariel Ministries *

Chip Ingram Ralph Browne "Chip" Ingram II (born June 21, 1954) is an American Christian pastor, author, and teacher. He is the founder, teaching pastor, and CEO of Living on the Edge, an international teaching and discipleship ministry. A pastor for over 30 ...

, pastor and orator, founder of Living on the Edge *

Robert Jeffress Robert James Jeffress Jr. (born November 29, 1955) is an American Southern Baptist pastor, author, radio host, and televangelist. He is the senior pastor of the 14,000-member First Baptist Church, a megachurch in Dallas, Texas and is a Fox News ...

, pastor of First Baptist Church in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, author, pastor of

Shadow Mountain Community Church Shadow Mountain Community Church is an evangelical Christian megachurch affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and located in El Cajon, California, a city in San Diego county. The church celebrated its centennial in 2009. History Th ...

* Howard Clark Kee, American Bible scholar *

Mark Keough Mark James Keough (born September 30, 1953) is a businessman and a Christian pastor, radio host, and educator from The Woodlands, Texas, who has been serving as the Montgomery County County Judge since January 2019. He previously served as ...

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abo ...

Lawrence Khong Lawrence Khong Kin Hoong (born 17 July 1952) is a Singaporean Christian religious leader and magician. He is the leader of Faith Community Baptist Church in Singapore and the chairman of LoveSingapore, a network of about 100 socially conserv ...

, senior pastor of

Faith Community Baptist Church Faith Community Baptist Church (), or FCBC, is an independent charismatic megachurch in Singapore founded by Pastor Lawrence Khong in 1986. The church was one of three megachurches to make it to a list of Singapore's 10 largest charities, acco ...

David Klingler David Ryan Klingler (born February 17, 1969) is an associate professor of Bible exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary and a former American football quarterback. College career A 6-foot, 2-inch quarterback, Klingler rewrote numerous college p ...

, former NFL player and current professor of Bible Exposition *

Peter Lillback Peter A. Lillback is an American theologian who is President and Professor of Historical Theology and Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary, a Presbyterian and Reformed Christian graduate educational institution in Glenside, Pennsy ...

, president and professor of historical theology and church history at

Westminster Theological Seminary Westminster Theological Seminary is a Protestant theological seminary in the Reformed theological tradition in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It was founded by members of the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary in 1929 after Princeton chose to ...

* Hal Lindsey, author of ''

The Late, Great Planet Earth ''The Late Great Planet Earth'' is a best-selling 1970 book by Hal Lindsey with Carole C. Carlson, and first published by Zondervan. ''The New York Times'' declared it to be the bestselling nonfiction book of the 1970s. The book was first feature ...

'' *

Duane Litfin A. Duane Litfin (born 1943) is an American academic administrator and evangelical minister. He was the seventh president of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. Early life and education Litfin was born on November 14, 1945. He holds an undergrad ...

, former president of

Wheaton College Wheaton College may refer to: * Wheaton College (Illinois), a private Christian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois * Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Wheaton College is a private liberal arts college in Norton, Massachus ...

* J. Vernon McGee, founder of "Thru the Bible Radio Network" program * Paul Mills, current head men's basketball coach at

Oral Roberts University Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a private evangelical university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, the university is named after its founder, evangelist Oral Roberts. Sitting on a campus, ORU offers over 70 undergraduate degree programs ...

Mark Nordstrom Mark Nordstrom is an American bishop of the Anglican Church in North America. A retired U.S. Army chaplain, he was consecrated in 2018 as bishop suffragan in the ACNA's Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (JAFC). Early life and ed ...

, bishop of the

* Paul Nyquist, former president of

* Scott O'Grady, pilot whose story formed the basis for the film '' Behind Enemy Lines'' *

Ernest Pickering Ernest Dinwoodie Pickering (December 14, 1928 – October 16, 2000) was a fundamentalist Christian pastor, author, college administrator, and mission board representative. Life Pickering was born in St. Petersburg, Florida, the oldest son of Er ...

, former president of

Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Minneapolis Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Minneapolis is an Independent Baptist seminary in Plymouth, Minnesota. The seminary moved from Minneapolis to its present location in 1996. Accreditation Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Minneapol ...

* Jim Rayburn, founder of

Young Life Young Life is an evangelical Christian organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado which focuses on young people in middle school, high school, and college. Week-long Summer camps are a major focus, and these have a definite evangelizing asp ...

Ron Rhodes Ronald Thomas Rhodes (17 November 1932 – 24 May 2021) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Carlton in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia se ...

, author of over 80 books, and president of Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries * Haddon Robinson, former President at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary * Priscilla Shirer, author, motivational speaker, and actress *

, author, and pastor of

North Point Community Church North Point Community Church is a non-denominational, evangelical megachurch located in Alpharetta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. North Point currently averages more than 38,589 people in attendance across eight locations in the north metro Atlan ...

* Ray Stedman, evangelical Christian pastor, and author. * Joseph Stowell, former president of

, current president of

Cornerstone University Cornerstone University is a private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Cornerstone University has undergraduate and graduate programs, two seminaries (Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and Asia Biblical Theological Seminary based ...

, author, pastor of

Stonebriar Community Church Stonebriar Community Church is a nondenominational evangelical megachurch in Frisco, Texas, a northern suburb of Dallas, Texas. The church was founded in 1998 by a group of individuals including Senior Pastor Chuck Swindoll, whose sermons are br ...

Kenneth N. Taylor Kenneth Nathaniel Taylor (May 8, 1917 – June 10, 2005) was an American publisher and author, better known as the creator of ''The Living Bible'' and the founder of Tyndale House, a Christian publishing company, and Living Bibles Internat ...

, creator of The Living Bible and the founder of Tyndale House *

Robert Thieme Robert Bunger Thieme, Jr. (April 1, 1918 – August 16, 2009) was pastor of Berachah Church, a nondenominational Christian church in Houston, Texas, from 1950 to 2003. Affectionately called "the Colonel" by his congregation, he was a dispensation ...

, author, pastor of Berachah Church, Houston, TX * John Townsend, co-author of ''Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life'' *

Bruce Wilkinson Bruce Wilkinson is the founder and chairman of Teach Every Nation (TEN), an Evangelical parachurch organization. He is best known for founding Walk Thru the Bible, an evangelical Christian educational organization, with Howard Hendricks, and fo ...

, founder of

Walk Thru the Bible Walk Thru the Bible Ministries (WTB) is a non-denominational evangelical Christian educational organization headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Overview Walk Thru the Bible was founded in the United States in 1976 by Bruce Wilkinson Bruce Wil ...

and author of

The Prayer of Jabez ''The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life'' is a book by Bruce Wilkinson published in 2000 by Multnomah Books as the first book in the "BreakThrough" book series. It is based on the Old Testament passage 1 Chronicles 4:9–10: ...

Current and former faculty

* Craig A. Blaising, Professor of Systematic Theology, proponent of

progressive dispensationalism In Evangelical Christian theology, progressive dispensationalism is a variation of traditional dispensationalism. All dispensationalists view the dispensations as chronologically successive. Progressive dispensationalists, in addition to viewin ...

* Darrell L. Bock, Senior Research Professor of New Testament * Buist M. Fanning, Professor of New Testament studies * John D. Hannah, Scholar of Reformation Theology * Everett F. Harrison, Professor of New Testament (deceased) * Howard Hendricks, Professor of Christian Education (deceased) * Zane C. Hodges Scholar of Free Grace Theology (deceased) * Harold Hoehner, Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies, (deceased) *

Harry A. Ironside Henry Allan "Harry" Ironside (October 14, 1876 – January 15, 1951) was a Canadian-American Bible teacher, preacher, theologian, pastor, and author who pastored Moody Church in Chicago from 1929 to 1948. Biography Ironside was born in Toronto, ...

, visiting lecturer from 1925-'43 (deceased) *

, Associate Professor of Bible Exposition * Eugene Merrill, Distinguished Professor of Old Testament Studies (Emeritus) *

J. Dwight Pentecost John Dwight Pentecost (April 24, 1915 – April 28, 2014) was an American Christian theologian, best known for his book ''Things to Come''. Pentecost was born in Pennsylvania and died in Dallas, Texas. His wife was Dorothy Harrison Pentecost (Jun ...

, Distinguished Professor of Bible Exposition (deceased) *

Charles Caldwell Ryrie Charles Caldwell Ryrie (March 2, 1925 – February 16, 2016) was an American Bible scholar and Christian theologian. He served as professor of systematic theology and dean of doctoral studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and as president and pro ...

Professor of Systematic Theology (deceased) *

Merrill Unger Merrill Frederick Unger (1909–1980) was an American Bible commentator, scholar, archaeologist, and theologian. He earned his A.B. and Ph.D. degrees at Johns Hopkins University, and his Th.M and Th.D degrees at Dallas Theological Seminary. He ...

, Professor of Old Testament Studies (deceased) *

Daniel B. Wallace Daniel Baird Wallace (born June 5, 1952) is an American professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is also the founder and executive director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts, the purpose of whi ...

, Professor of New Testament Studies (prolific textual critic and Greek grammarian) * Bruce Waltke, Professor of Old Testament Studies *

John Walvoord John F. Walvoord (May 1, 1910 – December 20, 2002) was a Christian theologian, pastor, and president of Dallas Theological Seminary from 1952 to 1986. He was the author of over 30 books, focusing primarily on eschatology and theology including ' ...

President, Professor of Systematic Theology (deceased)

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Evangelicalism in Texas Evangelical seminaries and theological colleges in the United States Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Seminaries and theological colleges in Texas Universities and colleges in Dallas Educational institutions established in 1924 Premillennialism 1924 establishments in Texas