The Evangelical Theological Academy (Dutch: ''Evangelische Theologische Academie'', ETA) is a Dutch

interdenominational Interdenominationalism is an evangelical Protestant movement of cooperation among various Christian denominations. History The movement has its origins in the founding of the London Missionary Society, a missionary society, in 1795 by variou ...

institute for

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

theological education Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...

, in Zwijndrecht,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The ETA was founded in 1985 by five theologically educated evangelical Christians, who were inspired by the growing demand for theological schooling through part-time or distance education.

Overview

The ETA training programs includes undergraduate (Bachelor of Theology) and graduate-level theological studies (Master) in the

Dutch language Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-Europea ...

. Their information shows 3 different program categories: Part-Time, Distance and Congregational (tailored to the needs of a specific church and/or denomination). On April 17, 2010 ETA celebrated their 25th anniversary in the town of Putten. The ETA celebrated their anniversary with a symposium about Christian spirituality. The school started with 1 course and is now able to offer 6 different special theological programs. Since September 2009 the ETA is providing training in 2 more cities: Alkmaar and Deventer, bringing the number of cities with an ETA training centre to 5: Zwijndrecht, Steenwijk, Rotterdam, Alkmaar and Deventer.

Accreditation

The school states upfront that the ETA is not accredited in the Netherlands. However, ETA students were able to receive credits under an agreement that was valid until 1 January 2010 when transferring to the

Christelijke Hogeschool Ede The Christelijke Hogeschool Ede (in English ''Christian University of Applied Sciences'' is added to the Dutch name; abbreviation remains CHE) is a Dutch vocational university, based in Ede in the central Netherlands. The CHE has a clear Chris ...

, a biblically inspired

vocational university A university of applied sciences (UAS), nowadays much less commonly called a polytechnic university or vocational university, is an institution of higher education and sometimes research that provides vocational education and grants academic de ...

that has national

educational accreditation Educational accreditation is a quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated and verified by an external body to determine whether applicable and recognized standards are met. ...

. Graduates of the ETA have found employment at various churches, schools and institutions.

References

{{authority control 1985 establishments in the Netherlands Educational institutions established in 1985 Evangelical seminaries and theological colleges Unaccredited Christian universities and colleges Vocational universities in the Netherlands Seminaries and theological colleges in the Netherlands Zwijndrecht, Netherlands Education in South Holland