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List of New Brunswick Theological Seminary people

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An 1880 print of the seminary campus, depicting the Sage Library (left center), Hertzog Hall (center), and Suydam Hall (right center)

New Brunswick Theological Seminary is a Christian seminary affiliated with the Reformed Church in America (RCA), a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States that follows the theological tradition and Christian practice of John Calvin.[a][1] The seminary offers that offers professional and graduate degree programs for candidates for ministry and those pursuing careers in academia. The seminary also offers certificates and training programs to lay church leaders seeking advanced courses. For over 240 years, the seminary's faculty and alumni have taken key roles in the ministry of the Reformed Church and other Christian denominations, in academia, and in the professional world.

Founded in 1784, New Brunswick Theological Seminary is the oldest seminary in the United States and one of seminaries operated by the Reformed Church in America. It currently has two campuses: Its main campus was built in 1856, in New Brunswick, New Jersey adjacent to the campus of Rutgers University. While rooted in the Reformed faith, the Seminary is dedicated to providing a comprehensive Christian education as "an inter-cultural, ecumenical school of Christian faith, learning, and scholarship committed to its metro-urban and global contexts."[2]

Leaders of the Seminary

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The board of trustees appoints a president to serve as the seminary's chief administrative and executive officer. The current seminary president is Rev. Micah L. McCreary, M.Div., Ph.D., who has served in that capacity since 2017. The current Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs is Rev. Charles Rix, Ph.D.

The seminary's first leader was the Rev. John Henry Livingston, who was appointed in 1784 to start instructing candidates for ministry. He began to do so in his New York City home, and a few years moved the seminary to Flatbush. In 1810, Livingston accepted the presidency of Queen's College in New Brunswick, New Jersey (now Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey), and moved the seminary to that city.

The title of President of the Seminary was first used with regard to the administrator of the school in 1923. Previously, the role had been known as Dean of the Seminary from 1883 to 1888 and filled by the oldest professor in years of service who would be entrusted with the management of the seminary. That title became President of the Faculty from 1888 to 1923.[3] Today, the president of the seminary is simultaneously appointed to the John Henry Livingston Professor of Theology, created upon the recommendation of outgoing president M. Stephen James. In 1959, James was appointed to the chair in an emeritus capacity, and the chair was first occupied by the seminary's eight president, Justin Vander Kolk.[4]

# Portrait Person Took office Left office Career Notes
- John Henry Livingston
(1746–1825)		 1784 1825
  • Education: Yale College (A.B., 1762); University of Utrecht (Th.D., 1770)
  • Ordained as Dutch Reformed minister by Classis of Amsterdam, appointed Professor of Theology by Synod of New York
 [5][6]
1 Samuel Merrill Woodbridge
(1819–1905)		 1883 1901
  • Education: New York University (A.B., 1838); New Brunswick Theological Seminary, (A.M., 1841)
  • Reformed minister, taught at Rutgers as professor of metaphysics and mental philosophy (1857–1864), and at seminary as professor of church government, ecclesiastical history, and pastoral theology (1857–1901)
  • appointed Dean of the Seminary (1883–1887) and President of the Faculty (1887–1901)
 [7][8]: pp.40, 397 [9]: p.105 
2 - John Preston Searle
(1854–1922)		 1902 1922
  • Education: Rutgers College (A.B., 1875); New Brunswick Theological Seminary (1878)
  • professor of systematic theology (1893–1922)
  • appointed President of the Faculty in 1902 until his death
 [8]: p.165 
3 - John Howard Raven 1922 1924
  • Rutgers College (A.B., 1891); New Brunswick Theological Seminary (1894)
  • professor of Old Testament languages and exegesis
  • appointed President of the Faculty 1922, President of the seminary 1923
 [8]: p.207 
4 - William Henry Steele Demarest
(1863–1956)		 1925 1935
  • Rutgers College, (A.B., 1883); New Brunswick Theological Seminary (1888)
  • Appointed as seminary president in 1925
  • previously professor of church government and ecclesiastical history, president of Rutgers College (1906–1924)
  • President of the General Synod, RCA, 1909
 [8]: pp.32 
5 - John Walter Beardslee Jr.
(1879–1962)		 1935 1947
  • Education: Hope College (1898), Western Theological Seminary (1903)
  • taught at Hope College and Western Theological Seminary before coming to New Brunswick as professor of New Testament
 [10]
6 - Joseph R. Sizoo
(1885–1966)		 1947 1952 -
7 - M. Stephen James 1953 1959
  • Professor of practical theology; president of the RCA General Synod (1944–1945)
 -
8 - Justin W. Vander Kolk 1959 1963 - -
9 - Wallace Newlin Jamison
(1918–2010)		 1963 1969
  • Education: Westminster College (B.A., 1941); Princeton Theological Seminary (Th.B. 1943); University of Edinburgh (Ph.D., 1948)
  • World War II Navy chaplain and Presbyterian minister; professor of history at Westminster College and later Illinois College; professor of church history and dean of the seminary
 [11][12]
10 - Herman J. Ridder
(1925–2002)		 1969 1971
  • Education: Hope College (1949); Western Theological Seminary (1952); Chicago Theological Seminary (M.Th. 1967)
  • Reformed minister serving congregations in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and California.
  • Served as president of Western Theological Seminary (1963–1971) and attempted to unify curriculums and administration at NBTS and WTS.
 [13][14]
— - Lester J. Kuyper
(1904–1986)
(interim)		 1971 1973
  • Education: Hope College (B.A., 1928); Western Theological Seminary (B.D., 1932); Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Th. 1937); Union Theological Seminary (D.Th., 1939)
  • professor of Old Testament at Western Theological (1939–1974); president of RCA General Synod (1970); interim president of both New Brunswick and Western
 [15]
11 - Howard G. Hageman
(1921–1992)		 1973 1985 [16]
12 - Robert A. White 1985 1992 - -
13 - Norman J. Kansfield
(born 1940)		 1993 2005 [17]
— - Edwin G. Mulder
(born 1929)
(interim)		 2005 2006
  • Education: Central College (1951); Western Theological Seminary (1954)
  • served as minister to congregations in New Jersey, New York, and Michigan; president of RCA General Synod (1979–1980); third general secretary of the Reformed Church (1983–1994); prominent in the civil rights advocacy to end Apartheid in South Africa
 [18][19]
14 - Gregg A. Mast 2006 2017
  • Education: Hope College (B.A., 1974); New Brunswick Theological Seminary (M.Div., 1976); Drew University (M.Phil., 1981, Ph.D., 1985)
  • President of the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America (1999–2000)
  • As minister, served congregations in Johannesburg, South Africa, New Jersey and New York
 [20][21]
15 Micah L. McCreary 2017 Incumbent
  • Education: B.S. University of Michigan; M.Div. Virginia Union University; M.S. Virginia Commonwealth University; Ph.D. Virginia Commonwealth University
 [22]

Faculty

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Faculty members listed below in bold text were also alumni of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary.

  • William Henry Campbell, (1808–1890), professor of Oriental Languages, later eighth President of Rutgers College (1862–1882).
  • William Henry Steele Demarest (1863–1956), NBTS Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Church Government, eleventh president of Rutgers University (1906–1924), president of NBTS (1925–1934)
  • Philip Milledoler (1775–1852), professor of didactic theology, fifth president of Rutgers College (1825–1840)

Alumni

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  • B.D. = Bachelor of Divinity
  • M.Div. = Master of Divinity
  • M.A. or A.M. = Master of Arts
  • D.Min = Doctor of Ministry
Name Degree Year Career Notes
Gustavus Abeel
(1801–1887)
  • an American pastor, missionary and writer
 —
Philip Milledoler Brett
(1871–1960)
  • lawyer, thirteenth president of Rutgers University (1930–31)
 —
Edward Tanjore Corwin
(1834–1914)		 B.D. 1856
  • writer, church historian
 —
William Henry Steele Demarest
  • professor of church history, eleventh president of Rutgers College (1906–1924), president of New Brunswick Theological Seminary (1925–1935)
 —
William Montague Ferry 1822
William Elliot Griffis
(1843–1928)
  • orientalist, Congregational minister, author
 —
Henry Demarest Lloyd
(1847–1903)		 - -
  • 19th-century American progressive political activist and pioneer muckraking journalist, remembered for exposés of the Standard Oil Company
 —
Gregg A. Mast M.Div. 1976
  • Reformed clergyman, educator, President of New Brunswick Theological Seminary (2006–present)
 —
Abraham Johannes "A.J." Muste
(1885–1967)
  • Dutch-born American clergyman and political activist
 —
Jared Waterbury Scudder 1855
  • medical doctor, missionary in India, prepared Tamil translation of the Bible and other Christian writings
 —
John Van Nest Talmage
  • missionary to China
 —
Thomas De Witt Talmage
(1832–1902)
  • preacher, prominent 19th-century religious leader and orator
 —
Samuel Merrill Woodbridge
(1819–1905)		 M.A. 1841
  • Reformed clergyman, author, educator. Professor of metaphysics and mental philosophy at Rutgers College (1857–1864), professor of ecclesiastical history and church government (1857–1901), led seminary as its first dean, and as first president of the faculty (1883–1901)
 —
Samuel Marinus Zwemer
(1867–1952)[24]		 M.A. 1890
  • American Christian missionary ("The Apostle to Islam") and scholar
 —

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Note, before 1819, RCA was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church.

Citations

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  1. ^ Reformed Church in America. Educational Institutions – Seminaries. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  2. ^ New Brunswick Theological Seminary. "Our Mission" Archived 2013-10-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  3. ^ New Brunswick Theological Seminary. "NBTS Presidents" in New Brunswick Theological Seminary: In Focus - 225th Anniversary Celebration[permanent dead link‍] Vol. 3, Issue 1 (Fall 2009), 4.
  4. ^ Hageman, Howard G. Two Centuries Plus: The Story of New Brunswick Seminary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdsman Publishing Company, 1984), 171.
  5. ^ Demarest, David D. Centennial of the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church in America, formerly the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church, 1784-1884. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Board of Publication of the Reformed Church in America, 1885), 83–91.
  6. ^ Frusciano, Thomas J. "Leadership on the Banks: Rutgers' Presidents, 1766–2004", in The Journal of the Rutgers University Libraries LIII(1) (June 1991).
  7. ^ Alumni Catalogue of New York University, 1833–1905: College, Applied Science and Honorary Alumni. (New York: General Alumni Society of New York University, 1906), 8.
  8. ^ a b c d Raven, John Howard (Rev.) (compiler). Catalogue of the Officers and Alumni of Rutgers College (originally Queen's College) in New Brunswick, N.J., 1766–1916. (Trenton, New Jersey: State Gazette Publishing Company, 1916).
  9. ^ Raven, John Howard (compiler), Biographical Record. Theological seminary, New Brunswick, 1784-1911 (New Brunswick, New Jersey: New Brunswick Theological Seminary, 1912).
  10. ^ Hope College, Collection Registers and Abstracts, Archives and College History, W88-0009.1. Beardslee, John W., Jr. (1879-1962). Papers, 1917-1962. 1 folder. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  11. ^ Staff. Obituary for Wallace Newlin Jamison, The Jacksonville Journal-Courier (Illinois), 17 October 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  12. ^ Illinois College. "Illinois College mourns the loss of beloved professor and dean emeritus" Archived 2014-02-25 at the Wayback Machine (2010). Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  13. ^ Hope College, Collection Registers and Abstracts, Archives and College History, W88-0100. Ridder, Herman J. (1925-2002). Papers, 1956-1992. 15.50 linear ft, 3 July 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  14. ^ "Seminaries Merge for Top Theological Training", The Holland Evening Sentinel, 13 May 1970, 12.
  15. ^ Hope College, Collection Registers and Abstracts, Archives and College History, W88 0068. Kuyper, Lester J. (1904-1986). Papers, 1694, 1908 1981. 3.50 linear ft. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  16. ^ Hope College, Collection Registers and Abstracts, Archives and College History W95-1190. Hageman, Howard G. (1921-1992) Papers, 1946-1992. 0.50 linear ft., 25 October 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  17. ^ New Brunswick Theological Seminary, The Faculty: Norman J. Kansfield, President, The John Henry Livingston Professor of Theology Archived 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  18. ^ Reformed Church in America, "Mulder Appointed Interim NBTS President", 8 March 2005. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  19. ^ McMullin, Sara, "Dr. Edwin G. Mulder: A Life Dedicated to Christ", The Joint Archives Quarterly (Hope College, Western Theological Seminary), 22(1) (Spring 2012).
  20. ^ New Brunswick Theological Seminary. Faculty Directory: Gregg Alan Mast, President Archived 2013-10-03 at the Wayback Machine (curriculum vitae). Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  21. ^ Reformed Church in America "News: NBTS Graduate Returns as President" Archived 2013-09-27 at the Wayback Machine (news release) (3 February 2006). Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  22. ^ Faculty profile - Micah L. McCreary. Faculty Directory: Micah L. McCreary, President.
  23. ^ Seibold, David H. (2007). Grand Haven in the path of destiny: a history of Grand Haven, Spring Lake, Ferrysburg and adjoining townships (1st ed.). Grand Haven, MI: Grand Haven Historical Museum. ISBN 9781424319008. OCLC 183327308.
  24. ^ "Zigzag Journeys in the Camel Country: Arabia in Picture and Story". World Digital Library. 1911. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
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