Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (SWTS) was a seminary of the Episcopal Church, located in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

. It ceased offering the

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 ...

degree in May 2010, and in January 2012 it moved from Evanston to the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. As of December 31, 2023, it ...

headquarters near O'Hare Airport. In 2013, it federated with

Bexley Hall Bexley Hall was an Episcopal seminary from 1824 until April 27, 2013, when it federated with Seabury-Western Theological Seminary as Bexley Hall Seabury-Western Theological Seminary Federation, also known as 'Bexley Seabury For three years, Bex ...

seminary to form the Bexley Hall Seabury Western Theological Seminary Federation, the federation then moved to the second floor of

Chicago Theological Seminary The Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) is a Christian ecumenical American seminary located in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of several seminaries historically affiliated with the United Church of Christ. It is the oldest institution of higher e ...

in July 2016 to continue to offer its academic degrees including its Master of Divinity degree in a hybrid format. The Federation is commonly known as Bexley Seabury. SeaburyCornerstone

Seabury-Western was formed in 1933 by a merger of Western Theological Seminary of Evanston (founded in 1883 in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

), and Seabury Divinity School of

Faribault, Minnesota Faribault ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 24,453 at the 2020 census. Faribault is approximately south of Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highwa ...

(founded in 1858). The new seminary endeavored to hold in tension the "

High Church A ''high church'' is a Christian Church whose beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, Christian liturgy, liturgy, and Christian theology, theology emphasize "ritual, priestly authority, ndsacraments," and a standard liturgy. Although ...

" and "

Low Church In Anglican Christianity, the term ''low church'' refers to those who give little emphasis to ritual, often having an emphasis on preaching, individual salvation, and personal conversion. The term is most often used in a liturgical sense, denot ...

" identities of its predecessors. However, for most of its history, SWTS occupied a place within Anglican churchmanship akin to that of the

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

: a liturgical bent toward

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...

practices and an acceptance of modern theology and

social tolerance Toleration is when one allows or permits an action, idea, object, or person that they dislike or disagree with. Political scientist Andrew R. Murphy explains that "We can improve our understanding by defining 'toleration' as a set of social or ...

. In the fall of 2008, the seminary stopped accepting seminarians for the traditional

(M.Div.) degree. In 2009, Seabury's Evanston property was acquired by

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, with Seabury allowed continuing use of it for five years. In January 2012, Seabury formally left the Evanston site, functionally ending its presence as a residential seminary, and its former buildings are now used by Northwestern University. The seminary moved its offices to the national headquarters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), near O'Hare Airport. In March 2012, the boards of Seabury-Western and of

Seminary in Bexley, Ohio, voted to federate. Roger Ferlo was named as the federation's first president. Inaugurated April 27, 2013, Bexley Seabury seminary initially offered the

degree at the former Bexley Hall campus in Columbus through a partnership with

Trinity Lutheran Seminary Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University (formerly the German Theological Seminary of the Ohio Synod; the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary, ELTS; and Trinity Lutheran Seminary) is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in A ...

. From its Chicago campus near O'Hare Airport, the federation offered its

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 ...

degree in Congregational Development and also a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree in Preaching, through the Association of Chicago Theological Schools. A Diploma of Anglican Studies was offered in both Columbus and Chicago.
"Diploma in Anglican Studies." Retrieved 14 August 2014. In July 2016, Bexley Seabury consolidated on a single campus location at

in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park/ Woodlawn district. There, it offers the Master of Divinity degree and two Doctor of Ministry degrees (in Preaching, through the Association of Chicago Theological Schools) as well as the Diploma in Anglican Studies and continuing education and lifelong learning courses.

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* {{Coord, 42.0569, -87.6779, type:edu_region:US-IL, display=title Anglican seminaries and theological colleges Seminaries and theological colleges in Illinois Episcopal Church (United States) Episcopal Church in Illinois Education in Evanston, Illinois Educational institutions established in 1933 Universities and colleges in Cook County, Illinois 1933 establishments in Illinois

See also

References

External links