Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
Encyclopedia
Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School is a theological college of Baptist
origins. The present day school, which sits on the top of a hill in the beautiful setting of Highland Park in Rochester, New York
is a product of several mergers.
The school is liberal
and ecumenical in theology
, with Baptists, United Methodists, Presbyterians and members of other denominations on its faculty and in its student body. Degrees can be obtained in cooperaration with Bexley Hall
, an Episcopal Church seminary, which shared its facilities and administration from 1968 to 1998 (and continued at the campus under a separated administration until 2004), and St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry
, a Roman Catholic theological school which shared its facilities from 1981 until 2003, and since has moved to a nearby site.
It is a small school with seven full-time faculty and 14 part-time faculty, and slightly more than 100 full-time students. The current director is Eugene C. Bay, who was previously the head pastor at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church
.
The school is also home to the graduate studies Physical Therapy program for Ithaca College. It contains the Center for Foot and Ankle Research and a movement analysis lab.
by a group from Colgate Theological Seminary
in Hamilton, New York
who wished to move to an urban setting. By 1928, the remainder of the Hamilton seminary removed to Rochester. In 1961, the school was joined by the Baptist Missionary Training School, a woman's school from Chicago.
Again in 1970 the school merged, this time with Crozer Theological Seminary
, the Baptist school from Upland, Pennsylvania
where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
studied.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
origins. The present day school, which sits on the top of a hill in the beautiful setting of Highland Park in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
is a product of several mergers.
The school is liberal
Liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity, sometimes called liberal theology, is an umbrella term covering diverse, philosophically and biblically informed religious movements and ideas within Christianity from the late 18th century and onward...
and ecumenical in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, with Baptists, United Methodists, Presbyterians and members of other denominations on its faculty and in its student body. Degrees can be obtained in cooperaration with Bexley Hall
Bexley Hall
Bexley Hall is a seminary in Bexley, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus.It is one of 11 official seminaries of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America,and identifies itself as liberal Anglo-Catholic in orientation.-History:...
, an Episcopal Church seminary, which shared its facilities and administration from 1968 to 1998 (and continued at the campus under a separated administration until 2004), and St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry
St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry
St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry is a Roman Catholic theological school in Rochester, New York. It was founded in 1893 as a seminary, and was one of the first US seminaries to accept laity. It is the official repository for the writings and papers of the noted evangelist and author,...
, a Roman Catholic theological school which shared its facilities from 1981 until 2003, and since has moved to a nearby site.
It is a small school with seven full-time faculty and 14 part-time faculty, and slightly more than 100 full-time students. The current director is Eugene C. Bay, who was previously the head pastor at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church
Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church
Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church is a church in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and is part of the PCUSA denomination. BMPC is one of the 20 largest churches in the denomination with over 3000 members....
.
The school is also home to the graduate studies Physical Therapy program for Ithaca College. It contains the Center for Foot and Ankle Research and a movement analysis lab.
History
The Rochester Theological Seminary was formed in 1850 at the founding of the University of RochesterUniversity of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
by a group from Colgate Theological Seminary
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
in Hamilton, New York
Hamilton (village), New York
The Village of Hamilton is a village located within the town of Hamilton in Madison County, New York, USA.-Geography and climate:The village, located at , lies in the Chenango Valley, just south of the headwaters of the Chenango River. The village is approximately southeast of Syracuse and ...
who wished to move to an urban setting. By 1928, the remainder of the Hamilton seminary removed to Rochester. In 1961, the school was joined by the Baptist Missionary Training School, a woman's school from Chicago.
Again in 1970 the school merged, this time with Crozer Theological Seminary
Crozer Theological Seminary
The Crozer Theological Seminary was a multi-denominational religious institution located in Upland, Pennsylvania. The school succeeded a Normal School established at the site and the building's use as a hospital during the American Civil War...
, the Baptist school from Upland, Pennsylvania
Upland, Pennsylvania
Upland is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Upland is governed by an elected seven member borough council. The population was 2,977 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Upland is located at ....
where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
studied.
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Notable alumni
- James E. Cheek, former president of Howard UniversityHoward UniversityHoward University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
- Edwin T. DahlbergEdwin T. DahlbergEdwin T. Dahlberg was an American Baptist church leader. Rev. Dahlberg was known for his strong efforts to promote social justice and peacemaking.-Biography:...
, pacifist and Colgate trustee - James Alexander Forbes, Jr. (1935 - ), Senior Minister Emeritus of the Riverside ChurchRiverside ChurchThe Riverside Church in the City of New York is an interdenominational church in New York City, famous for its elaborate Neo-Gothic architecture—which includes the world's largest tuned carillon bell...
in New York City, the largest multicultural congregation in the nation. - Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, minister, activist, prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement - Lorraine K. PotterLorraine K. PotterLorraine K. Potter is a former Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force and was the first female chaplain in the United States Air Force.-Biography:...
, Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force - Walter RauschenbuschWalter RauschenbuschWalter Rauschenbusch was a Christian theologian and Baptist minister. He was a key figure in the Social Gospel movement in the United States of America.-Evolution of Thought:...
, theologian, minister, key figure in the Social GospelSocial GospelThe Social Gospel movement is a Protestant Christian intellectual movement that was most prominent in the early 20th century United States and Canada...
movement - Leonard SweetLeonard SweetLeonard I. Sweet is an author, preacher, scholar, and ordained United Methodist clergyman currently serving as the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew Theological School, in Madison, New Jersey; and a Visiting Distinguished Professor at George Fox University in Portland, Oregon...
, author, preacher, scholar - Howard ThurmanHoward ThurmanHoward Thurman was an influential American author, philosopher, theologian, educator and civil rights leader. He was Dean of Theology and the chapels at Howard University and Boston University for more than two decades, wrote 21 books, and in 1944 helped found a multicultural church.-Early life...
, author, civil rights leader, Dean of Chapel for Howard University and Boston UniversityBoston UniversityBoston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers... - Wyatt Tee WalkerWyatt Tee WalkerWyatt Tee Walker is a United States black pastor, national civil rights leader, theologian, and cultural historian. He was a Chief of Staff for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and in 1958 became an early board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference . He helped found the Congress for...
, Co-founder of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) (1957), Executive Dir. SCLC (1960–1964); Senior Pastor, Canaan Baptist Church in Harlem (1967–2004) - Frederick B. WilliamsFrederick B. WilliamsFrederick Boyd Williams was a religious leader of national importance in the United States. As Canon of the Church of the Intercession in Harlem, New York from 1971 to 2005, he led an influential congregation, the first in the nation to establish a programmatic response to AIDS. A patron of the...
, Canon and Rector of Church of the Intercession, Harlem (1972–2005); Founder of Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement