Hartford Seminary

Not to be confused with Hartford Female Seminary.

Hartford Seminary

Former names	Hartford Theological Seminary Hartford Seminary Foundation
Type	Theological college
Established	1833
President	Heidi Hadsell
Location	Hartford , Connecticut , United States
Website	www.hartsem.edu
File:Hartford Seminary.svg

Hartford Seminary is a theological college in Hartford, Connecticut, USA.

History

Hartford Seminary

Hartford Seminary's origins date back to 1833 when the Pastoral Union of Connecticut was formed to train Congregational ministers. The next year the Theological Institute of Connecticut was founded at East Windsor Hill, Connecticut. The institution moved to Hartford in 1865 and officially took the name Hartford Theological Seminary in 1885. The Bible Normal College affiliated with the Seminary in 1902 and changed its name to Hartford School of Religious Pedagogy. The Kennedy School of Missions became another affiliated activity, originally organized by the Seminary as a separate organization in 1911. In 1913, these three endeavors were combined. In 1961, the entities were legally merged and adopted the new name Hartford Seminary Foundation, which was used until 1981, when the current name came into use.

From 1926 until 1981, the institution was located in the buildings that currently constitute the campus of the University of Connecticut School of Law.

The Hartford Seminary Foundation published the Hartford Quarterly (originally named Bulletin - Hartford Seminary Foundation) from 1960 to 1968.

Hartford Seminary began to offer niche concentrations in Christian-Muslim dialogue in 1972, and in 1990 Hartford Seminary officially claimed non-denominational status.

The main seminary building, designed by architect Richard Meier, was completed in 1981.

Research Centers/Graduate Degree Programs

Hartford Seminary

RESEARCH CENTERS Hartford Seminary is centered around two academic centers:

Hartford Institute for Religion Research "From the New York Times to The Wall Street Journal to the ABC television network, when reporters need to understand religious life in the U.S., they are likely to call on faculty at the Institute. Today the World Wide Web provides creative new avenues for making research findings accessible to a broad public of religious leaders and concerned citizens. Thousands visit the Institute's web site each month. This site, established in 1997, include up-to-date survey findings, reports on national studies of religion and venues for interactive exchange of knowledge." The Duncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations "The Duncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations is the country’s oldest center for such study. The Macdonald Center embodies Hartford Seminary’s long-term commitment — begun in 1893 — to the study of Islam and Christianity and the complex relationship between the two religions throughout history and in the modern world."

Hartford Seminary

GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS

• Cooperative Master of Divinity

"Hartford Seminary has cooperative agreements with Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS) and Yale Divinity School (YDS) that allow qualified Master of Arts (M.A.) students to begin their studies at Hartford Seminary and, if accepted, to proceed to either of the cooperating seminaries to pursue a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree."

• Black Ministries Program

The Seminary has a Black Ministries Program, founded in 1982. Also, in 1994, the Seminary launched a similar program called Programa de Ministerios Hispanos. This certificate program, offered in Spanish, works with the region's Hispanic churches.

• Women's Leadership Institute

In 1995, the Seminary launched the Women's Leadership Institute: A Program in Applied Spirituality. WLI is a certificate program based on feminist values and designed to prepare leaders for the 21st century world.

• Doctor of Ministry

The Doctor of Ministry degree "stresses the reflective practice of ministry, that is, ministry grounded in a practical theology that grows out of an understanding of the social context in which it occurs."

• Distance Education Certificates

The seminary has a distance education program that includes online courses, plus one and two-week intensive courses that can be taken on site.

• The Islamic Chaplaincy program

Hartford Seminary offers the only accredited Islamic chaplaincy programs in North America. Initially spearheaded by Ingrid[Mattson], the Islamic chaplaincy program at Hartford Seminary aims at preparing Muslims to enter the chaplaincy field.

The Muslim World Publication

Hartford Seminary has been home to the academic journal The Muslim World since 1938. The journal was founded in 1911 and "is edited and published quarterly by the Macdonald Center and Wiley-Blackwell. This scholarly journal, which reaches subscribers in 65 countries, is dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of scholarly research on Islam and Muslim societies and on historical and current aspects of Christian-Muslim relations. The journal includes research articles on historical and contemporary topics, comparative essays, and book reviews. At least one issue each year is devoted to a unifying theme."

Notable alumni

• Akaiko Akana, first pastor of Hawaiian ancestry at Kawaiahaʻo Church
• Yahya Hendi, Georgetown University Muslim chaplain, Named one of the World's Most Influential Muslims, 2012.
• Fenwicke Holmes, Religious Science leader
• Charles H. Kraft, evangelical Christian apologist
• Vergel L. Lattimore, professor at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio
• Richard T. Nolan, Episcopal Church/USA canon, writer, professor of philosophy and religious studies emeritus
• Beverly Daniel Tatum, President, Spelman College
• Andrew Young, pastor, mayor of Atlanta, U.S. Congressman, UN ambassador, President of the National Council of Churches USA, and member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
• Henry Allan Gleason, linguist

External links

• Seminary Homepage
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