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Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary

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Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary ( GCTS ) is an evangelical seminary with its main campus in Hamilton, Massachusetts , and three other campuses in Boston, Massachusetts ; Charlotte, North Carolina ; and Jacksonville, Florida . According to the Association of Theological Schools, Gordon-Conwell ranks as one of the largest evangelical seminaries in North America in terms of total number of full-time students enrolled.

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49-633: Gordon-Conwell arose primarily from the merging and refounding of two separate schools, Gordon Divinity School, formerly of Gordon College (1889) in Wenham, Massachusetts , and the Conwell School of Theology (1888), formerly of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . Both schools were founded in the Baptist theological heritage. Both Adoniram Judson Gordon and Russell Conwell ,

98-425: A 15% increase in college-funded student financial aid. On July 1, 2014, Gordon College President D. Michael Lindsay was one of fourteen leaders of religious and civic organizations who signed a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama about an executive order he was contemplating that would prohibit federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity . The letter asked

147-571: A Life and Conduct Statement agreeing to the standards of behavior that Gordon values. Gordon College prohibits sexual relations outside marriage, homosexual practice, alcohol, tobacco, and narcotic or hallucinogenic drugs on campus and continues to uphold a dorm-visitation policy that allows for male-female visitation only during particular hours. Chapel services take place on Mondays and Wednesdays, and an academic convocation takes place on Fridays; attendance of chapel, convocation or other events (lectures, debates, presentations, films, exhibitions, etc.)

196-492: A United College of Gordon and Barrington. In the October 2020, Gordon College announced a 33% reduction in tuition from $ 56.7k sticker price to $ 37.9k, joining two other CCCU schools in bringing tuition costs more in line with what a typical family would consider 'affordable.' The college notes that this reduction is made possible due to its Faith Rising capital campaign, which has expanded its base endowment by $ 125 million in

245-542: A bachelor's degree from Bob Jones University , a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary , a M.A. from Southern Methodist University , and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois . Robinson served as president of Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary (now known as Denver Seminary ) for 12 years (1979–1991), and taught homiletics on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary for 19 years. He has authored seven books, including Biblical Preaching . "Biblical Preaching"

294-482: A board of trustees of his choosing and faculty members he trusted. Graham, in turn, contacted his close friend Harold Ockenga who was due to take the presidency of Gordon College and oversee the financially stressed divinity school. Rather than see two evangelical seminaries compete, Graham proposed merging the two schools to form one evangelical school on the East coast to mirror Fuller Theological Seminary 's place on

343-583: A library." Harold Ockenga was selected as its first president. Stuart Babbage was the first vice-president and also served on the faculty alongside Philip Edgcumbe Hughes , R.C. Sproul , Walter Mueller, and Richard Lovelace among others. Gordon-Conwell initially received protests and negative press for moving theological out of the inner city. In response, Stephen Mott , Michael E. Haynes , pastor of Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury and state representative, and Gordon-Conwell trustees located Roxbury as

392-663: A member of the Annapolis Group and of the Christian College Consortium . It is also a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). Gordon College offers BA , BM , BS , MEd , MMEd , MA , and MS degrees. It offers undergraduate degrees from 27 majors, 42 concentrations and 11 interdisciplinary and preprofessional minors. Gordon offers both a graduate degree in education and music. The Graduate Education program offers

441-495: A motion seeking a summary judgment to determine whether the ministerial exception clause barred DeWeese-Boyd from suing. In November 2019, both parties appeared before the court for a hearing and DeWeese-Boyd argued that she never worked as a minister with the college. On April 2, 2020, Judge Jeffrey T. Karp of the Massachusetts Superior Court ruled against the ministerial exception defense. This decision

490-583: A public university and was forced to divest the theological school, thus re-establishing the previous school of theology as a religious studies department. While Temple University hoped Russell Conwell 's legacy would continue to grow through their new religious studies department, J. Howard Pew and Daniel Poling, a Baptist minister and member of Temple's board, felt Conwell's vision to train Baptist ministers would be neglected. Poling contacted evangelist Billy Graham who agreed to help if he could appoint both

539-553: A student association, student ministries, intramural sports, and a Campus Events Council. There are student-led community-service and outreach organizations ranging from drama troupes to Big Brothers Big Sisters and Habitat for Humanity . Many other Gordon College outreach programs are based at other sites, such as Lynn, Massachusetts , where the school has partners for community development. Several student-led groups organize spring-break, winter-break and summer-break community-service trips and mission trips to different sites around

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588-656: A study abroad semester. Haddon Robinson Haddon W. Robinson (21 March 1931 – 22 July 2017) was an American evangelical who was the Harold John Ockenga Distinguished Professor of Preaching, senior director of the Doctor of Ministry program, and former interim President at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary . He was also the founding President of the Theology of Work Project. A native of New York City , Robinson received

637-595: A year into his post leading to the interim tenure of Haddon Robinson (2007–08). The President appointed after Robinson's interim post was Dennis Hollinger (2009–2019). On October 12, 2017, Dennis Hollinger announced his intention to retire on June 30, 2019. Scott Sunquist, an alumnus of Gordon-Conwell and former Dean of the School of Intercultural Studies and Professor of World Christianity at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California , succeeded Hollinger as

686-742: Is 25 miles north of Boston. The campus is situated on 450 acres (180 ha) of wooded property. The Gordon College Bennett Center is a 78,000 square feet (7,200 m ) athletics and recreational sports facility. The Bennett Center is a gift to the Gordon community from the George and Helen Bennett family. The $ 8 million center was completed in October 1996 and in 1997 won the Athletics Business Magazine Top Ten New Facilities Award for its design and usability. The Ken Olsen Science Center, named for

735-776: Is a primary source for the study of expository preaching . He wrote and edited for several magazines. Robinson was heard as the 'lead teacher' on the 15-minute Discover The Word radio program (formerly Radio Bible Class ) produced by Grand Rapids, Michigan-based RBC Ministries . Robinson co-founded the Theology of Work Project and served as the Project's president from its inception in 2007 until his death in 2017. Robinson lived with his wife, Bonnie, in South Hamilton , Massachusetts , and Willow Street , Pennsylvania . They had two children. Robinson died from Parkinson's Disease. One of his major contributions to homiletics

784-740: Is part of the Boston Theological Institute (BTI), a consortium of nine theological schools in the Greater Boston area and the Carolina Theological Consortium, a consortium of four theological schools in North and South Carolina. Gordon-Conwell is overseen by the main administration at the Hamilton campus. Each of the other three campuses is overseen by a campus dean, who reports directly to

833-416: Is required to graduate. All full-time students must obtain 30 "Christian Life and Worship Credits" per semester. In the fall of 2013 the college drew its undergraduate enrollment of 1,707 from 43 states and 41 foreign countries. Approximately 22 percent of enrollment—including international students—were of Asian, African American, mestizo, Native American, or other non-Caucasian descent. Gordon College has

882-1053: The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada since 1964 and by the New England Commission of Higher Education or its predecessor since 1985. It is also certified by the United States Government for the training of veterans and the education of chaplains for military service. Gordon College (Massachusetts) Gordon College is a private Christian college in Wenham, Massachusetts . The college offers 44 majors, 55 concentrations, and 30 interdisciplinary and pre-professional minors as well as graduate programs in education, music education, public health and leadership. Gordon has an undergraduate enrollment of around 1,600 students representing more than 50 Christian denominations. In 1889 Adoniram Judson Gordon founded

931-602: The Baptist heritage. When Gordon-Conwell was refounded in 1969, however, the seminary was purposefully founded with no specific Christian denominational affiliation. Today, Gordon-Conwell has students from over 90 different denominations, as well as students from over 40 countries around the world. Theologically, the Statement of Faith and the Mission and Purpose of the seminary are based on Protestant and evangelical doctrines , such as biblical inerrancy . Gordon-Conwell

980-666: The Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Massachusetts . Barrington College , founded in 1900 as the Bethel Bible Institute in Spencer, Massachusetts , later relocated to Dudley, Massachusetts , and then to Providence, Rhode Island . It took the name Barrington after the campus was moved to Barrington, Rhode Island , in 1959. Barrington merged with Gordon College in 1985, forming

1029-612: The New England Commission of Higher Education . The music program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and the social work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The Department of Education of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts recognizes Gordon College's teacher-education program under the Interstate Service Compact. Gordon is

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1078-524: The ENDA amendment's language when he issued his order on July 21 but left in place a narrower exemption established with respect to federal contractors in 2002 by President George W. Bush 's Executive Order 13279. In response, on July 9, Salem, Massachusetts , Mayor Kimberley Driscoll ended Gordon College's contract to manage and maintain the city's Old Town Hall , citing a city ordinance that prohibits Salem from contracting with entities that discriminate on

1127-505: The Fenway , into a facility donated by Martha Frost in 1919. Frost, a widowed Bostonian with several properties in the city, provided a significant philanthropic gift. In 1921, the school was renamed Gordon College of Theology and Missions. In the early 1950s, a Gordon student named James Higginbotham approached Frederick H. Prince about selling his 1,000-acre (4.0 km ) estate to the college after learning of recent property viewings by

1176-468: The Fighting Scots to five Commonwealth Coast Conference tournament appearances as of 2015 . One of these five years he led the team to an NCAA tournament appearance. Eric Demers, a 2020 graduate, led the nation in points per game averaging 33.3 points, including a 42-point performance against University of Hartford (Division 1). In 2007, Gordon College dedicated its 450-acre campus property in

1225-637: The Gordon museum studies program, later withdrawing its support for Gordon's grant application to the National Endowment for the Humanities that aimed at funding an expansion of its museum studies program. In mid-September the New England Association of Schools and Colleges gave the college a year to report on how its non-discrimination policies met the organization's standards for accreditation. At its April 2015 meeting,

1274-568: The MEd degree. The Graduate Music program offers an MMEd degree, licensure-only options, and workshops. As of 2013 a total of 2,109 students were enrolled at Gordon College, 1,707 of them undergraduates . A Christian multidenominational college, Gordon requires students to sign the school's Statement of Faith, though the religious conclusions and commitments among students and faculty remain diverse. Catholics do not teach at Gordon College although some students are Catholic. All students must also sign

1323-609: The New England Association of Schools and Colleges affirmed that Gordon's accreditation remained in good standing, with no further action required by the Commission at that time. Conservative legal organizations have offered to represent the college in lawsuits that would argue that severing ties to the school constituted retaliation for the exercise of free speech and the practice of religion. Lindsay declined those offers and later said he would not have signed

1372-586: The United Nations and Harvard University. In 1955, Gordon developed into a liberal arts college with a graduate theological seminary and moved to its present several-hundred-acre Wenham campus north of Boston. Gordon sold its Boston campus on Evans Way to Wentworth Institute of Technology . The Prince Memorial Chapel on the Wenham campus (since replaced) was named for Frederick Prince, and the Prince residence

1421-534: The Vice President for Academic Affairs and main campus administration. As of Fall 2022, 1,330 students were enrolled at Gordon-Conwell. The seminary once offered over 20 degrees but has recently restructured their programs to only offer the Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Theology (Th.M.), Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.), and five specialized master's degrees . Gordon-Conwell has been accredited by

1470-572: The West Coast. J. Howard Pew agreed to financially back the merger on the condition that the seminary must be divorced from an undergraduate institution. Under the leadership of evangelist Billy Graham and Boston pastor Harold Ockenga along with the financial backing of J. Howard Pew , Gordon-Conwell began holding classes in 1969. Pew provided "$ 2 million to purchase the land, [Carmelite Junior Seminary in Hamilton ], and several million more to refurbish existing facilities and to build and stock

1519-615: The basis of sexual orientation. Gordon's contract with the city would otherwise have expired on September 1. For similar reasons, in August, the Lynn Public Schools ended its relationship with the college, which had provided students to work without pay in the schools as part their training toward degrees in education and social work. In late July, the Peabody Essex Museum ended its academic relationship with

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1568-476: The college was sued by Margaret DeWeese-Boyd, associate professor in the department of sociology and social work. DeWeese-Boyd filed a complaint in Essex Superior Court claiming that the college's President Lindsay and Provost Janel Curry discriminated against her because of her gender and denied her promotion to full professorship for advocating against the school's LGBTQ policies. The college filed

1617-602: The country and the globe. Gordon College's varsity sports compete in the NCAA Division III , primarily in the Conference of New England . Gordon College's 30 teams compete in baseball , basketball , cross-country , field hockey , lacrosse , rowing , soccer , softball , swimming , tennis , track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball . Athletes are called "The Fighting Scots". Head coach Tod Murphy , who became head coach in 2009, had led

1666-460: The department of philosophy, filed a lawsuit against the college for retaliating against her because she publicly disagreed with the college's President D. Michael Lindsay who sought to allow federal contractors, on the basis of religion, to discriminate against LBGTQ individuals in hiring. The lawsuit contends that the college violated state laws protecting against retaliation. As part of a joint resolution, Prof. Barthold resigned in 2016. In 2017,

1715-568: The founder of Digital Equipment Corporation and long-time Gordon College Board member, Ken Olsen , is an 80,000 square feet (7,400 m ) science and technology center. Gordon's Global Education Office has programs in Orvieto, Italy, Hong Kong, Oxford, Belize, Croatia, the Balkans, New Zealand, Latin America, and Uganda. Students enrolled in Gordon's Global program may use financial aid towards

1764-816: The key location for inner city ministerial education. In 1976, the Boston-campus in Roxbury , the Campus for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME) was founded. Classes were originally held in Haynes' Twelfth Baptist Church. Eldin Villafañe, Dean Borgman, and Stephen Mott were among the first faculty to teach at CUME. Other former presidents include Robert E. Cooley (1981–1997) who founded the Charlotte campus and Walter Kaiser, Jr. (1997–2006). The brief tenure of James Emery White (2006–07) saw White resign in less than

1813-539: The letter had he anticipated the reaction and the impact on Gordon. The school subsequently reviewed its code of conduct , which, in addition to banning sex outside of marriage, bans homosexual practice. Based on that review, Lindsay announced that "its policy barring student or faculty sex out of heterosexual marriage will remain as is." In addition, Gordon College rolled out several initiatives aimed at preventing bullying of gay, lesbian, transsexual, and bisexual students. In 2015, Lauren Barthold , associate professor in

1862-462: The name of benefactors Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler following an unrestricted endowment promise of $ 60 million from their estate, which the college would receive at an undetermined future date. As of 2007, the Fowler gift (once received) was projected to triple the current endowment for Gordon College. In 2014 the Gordon endowment was $ 44,008,437. The Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler Campus at Gordon College

1911-573: The namesakes of Gordon-Conwell, were Baptist ministers; Gordon's divinity school was first established as Gordon Bible Institute in 1889, while Conwell's theological school was originally chartered as Temple College in 1888. In addition, the Boston Evangelical Institute , founded as Revere Lay College , also merged with Gordon-Conwell. Beginning in the 1960s, both Gordon Divinity School and Conwell School of Theology experienced new challenges. In 1961, Temple University became

1960-478: The past year (250%), coupled with 24% debt reduction. Scholarships will be adjusted accordingly, with current students allowed to choose which arrangement they prefer. The reduction took effect in the fall semester of 2021. Previously, in the fall of 2019, Gordon received the largest donation in its history, an anonymous gift of $ 75.5 million, with additional commitments of an additional $ 50 million, substantially increasing an endowment of $ 50 million and resulting in

2009-494: The president to include language that would exempt religious organizations from the executive order's requirements, suggesting he "find a way to respect diversity of opinion . . . in a way that respects the dignity of all parties". They suggested the exemption be based on language the U.S. Senate had recently added as an amendment to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Obama did not use

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2058-462: The school began renovations of two large rooms in the main administrative and residence building on their South Hamilton campus. The 'Old Book Center' has been transformed into 'Alumni Hall,' a space for events and conferences dedicated to the alumni of Gordon-Conwell. In August 2013, a donor gifted several hand-carved tables, chairs, couches, and art work for the Great Hall. In honor of this donor,

2107-700: The school, Boston Missionary Training Institute, in the Fenway–Kenmore neighborhood of Boston at the Clarendon Street Baptist Church to train Christian missionaries for work in what was then the Congo Free State . Progressive at its inception in 1889, the school admitted both men and women of various ethnicities. It was renamed Gordon Bible College in 1916 and expanded to Newton Theological Institution facilities along

2156-827: The seventh president in July 2019. The main 118-acre (0.48 km) residential campus is in South Hamilton, Massachusetts . There are additional campuses in Boston, Massachusetts and Charlotte, North Carolina , as well as a location in Jacksonville, Florida . The campus in Boston is known as the Center for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME), and it is a program offered exclusively through part-time night and weekend classes. The CUME campus also focuses primarily on urban and cross-cultural ministry in an urban setting. The Charlotte program

2205-659: The space was renamed the Pierce Great Hall. On May 16, 2022, Gordon-Conwell announced plans to sell part or all of the South Hamilton campus due to long-term financial health, the effect of the campus, facility maintenance costs, and also acknowledging more remote learning. The following year, the seminary announced that it would be staying on the Hamilton campus and selling its underutilized apartments while continuing to provide student housing. Gordon Divinity School and Conwell Theological Seminary were both from

2254-661: Was appealed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) based on the July 2020 Supreme Court decision handed down in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru . The SJC upheld the Superior Court decision in an opinion authored by Justice Scott L. Kafker . The United States Supreme Court declined a request to review the SJC's decision. Gordon College is accredited by

2303-471: Was founded in 1992, and it offers courses on weekends, evenings and through week-long intensive courses, and generally attracts an older student body. The Jacksonville location opened in February 2006 as an extension of the Charlotte campus and today operates as a location for the seminary's Networked Education program. The Jacksonville campus is located in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. On February 2, 2012,

2352-481: Was named Frost Hall after Martha Frost. In 1958, Gordon College instituted a core curriculum . In the 1950s it launched its first study-abroad program , European Seminar. In 1962, the school changed its name to Gordon College and Divinity School. In 1970, the Gordon Divinity School separated from the college to merge with the Conwell School of Theology, once part of Temple University , to form

2401-410: Was the "Big Idea of Biblical Preaching" (the title of a book which is in his honor), whereby sermons should have one major idea (has one subject and one complement), even if the big idea breaks down into several subpoints. Robinson also argues that a sermon should be primarily expository, since that places the authority in the biblical text, not in the preachers themselves. He was instrumental in changing

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