Westminster Theological Seminary was formed in 1929, largely under the leadership and funding of J. Gresham Machen.[2] Though independent, it has a close relationship with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, which Machen helped found in 1936. The seminary was founded by members of the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary, following a controversy over the liberal direction that Princeton was beginning to take.[3] Westminster Theological Seminary considers itself to be the faithful continuation of Princeton's historic theological tradition. Many of the founders of Westminster, including Machen, John Murray, Oswald Allis, Robert Dick Wilson, and Cornelius Van Til, had been professors at Princeton prior to the controversy.[3] The first president of the seminary was Edmund Clowney, who served from 1966 until 1984. He was followed by George C. Fuller and Samuel T. Logan. The current president is Peter Lillback, who also serves as a professor of historical theology.[4]
In 2011, Westminster signed a Memorandum of Understanding with International Reformed Evangelical Seminary in Jakarta, Indonesia. The two schools have been publishing the journals: International Journal of Reformed Theology and Life and Unio Cum Christo.[5] Westminster also created an endowment for the Stephen Tong Chair of Reformed Theology the same year.[6]
Theological position
In Philadelphia on September 25, 1929, J. Gresham Machen declared the following in his inaugural address:
"We believe, first, that the Christian religion, as set forth in the Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church, is true; we believe, second, that the Christian religion welcomes and is capable of scholarly defense; and we believe, third, that the Christian religion should be proclaimed without fear or favor, and in clear opposition to whatever opposes it, whether from within or without the church, as the only way of salvation for lost mankind. On that platform, brethren, we stand. Pray that we may be enabled by God’s grace to stand firm. Pray that the students who go forth from Westminster Theological Seminary may know Christ as their own Savior and may proclaim to others the gospel of his love."[7]
Entrance of Montgomery Library
The current board and faculty continue to hold to this original vision. All trustees and faculty members are required to affirm their agreement with the theological perspective presented in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, the core doctrinal statements of many Presbyterian denominations.[8]
Westminster's strict adherence to the Westminster Standards and to Protestant theology in general has led to several dismissals of tenured faculty members since 1980. In 1981, theology professor Norman Shepherd was dismissed from Westminster due to his views on the doctrine of justification by faith alone.[9] In 2008, Old Testament professor Peter Enns was dismissed from Westminster over controversial views expressed in his book Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament,[10][11] and in 2014 Old Testament professor Douglas Green was terminated from his position over his views on the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament.[12]
Westminster, under a charter from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania granted in 1930 and as subsequently amended, has the power to grant the degrees of Master of Arts in Counseling, Master of Arts (Religion), Master of Divinity, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Philosophy.[15]
^from appendix A, “Westminster Theological Seminary: Its Plan and Purpose,” which previously appeared in J. Gresham Machen, What is Christianity? And Other Addresses, ed. Ned Bernard Stonehouse (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951
^Waters, Guy Prentiss (2008). "Chapter 11: The Theology of Norman Shepherd: A Study in Development, 1963–2006". In Penny, Robert (ed.). The Hope Fulfilled: Essays in Honor of O. Palmer Robertson. P&R Publishing. pp. 207–231.
^Withrow, Brandon (2014). Consider no evil: two faith traditions and the problem of academic freedom in religious higher education. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books. ISBN978-1620324899.
