Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York

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Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York ( UTS ) is an independent theological college. It is located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway between 120th and 122nd Streets.

The school offers Master of Arts , Master of Divinity , and Doctorates in Theology and Philosophy as educational degrees.

The seminary houses the Burke Theological Library , which is to house the second largest theological library in the world after the Vatican Library .

The first Union Theological Seminary at University Platz
The seminar moves to Lenox Hill
A bird's eye view of Union Theological Seminary

building

The brick and limestone neo-Gothic building was completed by Francis R. Allen (1844–1931) and Collins in 1910. The steeple of the building is modeled after the tower of Durham Cathedral . The seminar is adjacent to the Teachers College and Barnard College of Columbia University, as well as the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and the Manhattan School of Music and has agreed mutual visitor rules and library access rights with various of these educational institutions.

The building was added to the List of Registered Historic Places in New York County on April 23, 1980 .

history

The seminary was founded by the Presbyterian Church in 1836 and is currently affiliated with neighboring Columbia University .

During the late 19th century, the Union Theological Seminary (UTS) became one of the leading centers of liberal Christianity in the United States. After the heresy trial against Charles Augustus Briggs in 1892/93, the seminary separated from the Presbyterian Church and became legally independent. Among the graduates were historian Arthur McGiffert, biblical scholar James Moffett, and socialist leader Norman Thomas .

Even after World War II, UTS was a center of liberal Christianity in the United States.

In the 1990s, UTS ran into financial difficulties due to incorrect decisions made when investing the foundation's assets. The number of enrolled students remained relatively constant at around 350. That is why the seminar made leasing contracts for some buildings with Columbia University and transferred the Burke Library, which had become too expensive to maintain, to Columbia University, which stabilized the financial situation.

Theologians at the UTS

UTS currently employs several prominent theologians in its faculty. Joseph Hough, the current president, is an important figure in Christian-motivated democratic socialism. Henry Sloane Coffin was a past president of the seminary. James Hal Cone is one of the founders of African American Liberation Theology . Garry Dorrien is a leading church historian and social ethicist. Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878–1969) taught at the UTS and, like James Alexander Forbes, was chief pastor at the neighboring Riverside Church . The intellectual Cornel West began his academic career in 1977 at UTS.

Important students at the UTS

Web links

swell

  1. ^ Ailing Union Seminary hopes to rebound
  2. ^ The Rev. Dr. James Alexander Forbes, Jr. is Senior Minister Emeritus of Riverside Church, built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1927

Coordinates: 40 ° 48 ′ 41.1 ″  N , 73 ° 57 ′ 43.1 ″  W.