Faith Theological Seminary is an

unaccredited 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 ...

evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

seminary in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. It was founded in 1937 in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, relocated to Philadelphia in 1952, and then moved to Maryland in 2004.

History

In response to the Presbyterian controversies of the early twentieth century, in 1929, under the leadership of J. Gresham Machen, a group of scholars was organized to start a new institution. They found quarters for the new seminary (Westminster Theological Seminary) in two townhouses in Philadelphia, housing students in the Drake Hotel. Allan A. MacRae served as the first president of FTS from 1937 until 1971. Subsequent to McIntire's death, Norman J. Manohar assumed the presidency, moving the seminary to Maryland, until September 14, 2020 when he was terminated by the board of directors for "gross financial mismanagement, misappropriation, and negligence" and for having fraudulently represented his degrees to accreditors (Maryland Higher Education Commission HECInvestigative Report of Sept 9, 2019, states that claiming unearned credentials is "incongruent with the 'demonstrated history of ethical practice required by COMAR 13B.02.02.13B'"). A private attorney's Investigative Report of January 14, 2019, identified the misrepresentation of several academic credentials and financial malfeasance. Further, an investigative report conducted by the institution's accrediting body, the Transnational Association of Christian Schools and Colleges (TRACS) led to termination of accreditation on May 21, 2020 (TRACS correspondence, May 29, 2020). Pursuant to the regulations of COMAR I 3B.02.02.08L(6), MHEC subsequently removed its Authorization as of May 21, 2020 (MHEC correspondence, Secretary of Academic Affairs, June 15, 2020).

Academics

Faith Theological Seminary previously offered a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(BA) in Religion, a

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 ...

(M.Div.), a

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) is a doctorate in religious ministry. It often includes an original research component, and may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in ministry. It is categorized as an advanced doctoral de ...

(D.Min.), and a

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology (, 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 equivalent to the Doctor o ...

(Th.D.) degree. The institution was accredited by the

Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools The Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) is a U.S. based institutional accreditation organization that focuses on Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries seeking collegiate accreditation in the United Sta ...

(TRACS) but lost accreditation in May 2020. When Faith Theological Seminary lost its accreditation from TRACS in May 2020, the state of Maryland also subsequently suspended its degree-granting privileges. It was closed with a teach-out plan implemented with Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary. In 2021, Faith Theological Seminary of Catonsville reincorporated and received a religious exemption approval to operate in the state of Maryland and grant undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Notable alumni

* Arthur Glasser, 1942 *

Vernon Grounds Vernon Carl Grounds (July 19, 1914 – September 12, 2010) was an American theologian, Christian educator, Chancellor of Denver Seminary, and one of the leaders in the development of American evangelicalism. Early life and education Grounds was b ...

, 1940 *

Kenneth Kantzer Kenneth S. Kantzer (March 29, 1917 – June 20, 2002) was an American theologian and educator in the evangelical Christian tradition. Life and career He was born Detroit, Michigan, United States. Kantzer, having studied at Faith Theological ...

, 1942 *

Francis Schaeffer Francis August Schaeffer (January 30, 1912 – May 15, 1984) was an American evangelical theologian, philosopher, and Presbyterian pastor. He co-founded the L'Abri community in Switzerland with his wife Edith Schaeffer, , a prolific auth ...

, 1938 * Arthur E. Steele, 1959 * Timothy Tow

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Evangelical seminaries and theological colleges in the United States Seminaries and theological colleges in Maryland