Protestant Theological University (abbreviated as ''PThU''; nl, Protestantse Theologische Universiteit) is a

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 ...

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

with locations in two Dutch cities: Amsterdam and Groningen. The Protestant Theological University primarily caters for ministerial education and as such is one of three institutes recognised by the PKN, but it is also possible to study general (

Calvinist 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 ...

) theology without wishing to become a minister.

History

The university was founded in 1854 as the Theological School ("Theologische School") by the Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands, a church resulting from a

schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

in 1834, to provide for theological education for its ministers. The name was changed to Theological College ("Theologische Hogeschool") in 1939 and finally to Theological University in 1986, after a reform in the Dutch university/ polytechnic system. In 1892, a large part of the Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands merged with another group split from the mainstream

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...

to form the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, which founded a new

university in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

: the

Free University A free university is an organization offering uncredited, public classes without restrictions to who can teach or learn. They differ in structure. In 1980 in the United States, about half were associated with a traditional university, about a ...

. This university also has a theological

faculty Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division) A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject ...

, but the college at Kampen remained a separate institution. In 1944, another schism within the Reformed Church in the Netherlands occurred, called the Liberation ("Vrijmaking"), which resulted in the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated). This new church also had a need for its own ministerial education institute, and so a new university was founded from parts of the Theological University: Kampen Theological University of the Reformed Church (Liberated). In 2010, the PThU moved from Kampen to Amsterdam and Groningen. After the Reformed Church in the Netherlands merged with the Dutch Reformed Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in 2004 to form the

Protestant Church in the Netherlands The Protestant Church in the Netherlands ( nl, de Protestantse Kerk in Nederland, abbreviated PKN) is the largest Protestant denomination in the Netherlands, being both Calvinist and Lutheran. It was founded on 1 May 2004 as the merger of the ...

(PKN), the Protestant Theological University became part of the PKN. It is run on its behalf by a Board of Curators. On 13 April 2022 the PThU announced its intention to move the university to Utrecht. On 21 April 2022, the general synod of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN) confirmed that decision. The PThU aims to start in Utrecht on 1 September 2024.

References

External links

www.pthu.nl
{{coord missing, Netherlands Protestant Theological University Educational institutions established in 1854 1854 establishments in the Netherlands Education in Overijssel Kampen, Overijssel Protestant universities and colleges in Europe Seminaries and theological colleges in the Netherlands