The Federal Theological Seminary of Southern Africa aka Fedsem was a multi-denominational
theological seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, and an experiment in ecumenical
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 ...
.
Origins
It was opened in
Alice, Transkei in 1963, in response to
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
legislation such as the
Group Areas Act
Group Areas Act was the title of three acts of the Parliament of South Africa enacted under the apartheid government of South Africa. The acts assigned racial groups to different residential and business sections in urban areas in a system of u ...
which forced theological colleges for black students that were situated in "whiter" areas to close or move.
Among the colleges that were threatened by this legislation were
St Peter's Theological College in
Rosettenville
Rosettenville is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It lies to the south of the city centre.
History
Rosettenville is named after Leo (or Levin) Rosettenstein, who surveyed the land and sold stands after gold was discovered on the Witwaters ...
(Anglican),
John Wesley College
John Wesley College was the seminary of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa situated at Kilnerton in Pretoria, South Africa. It was most commonly referred to as John Wesley College Kilnerton. It opened at Kilnerton in 1994, and was repl ...
in
Kilnerton, Pretoria (Methodist) and
Adams College
Adams College is a historic Christian mission school in South Africa, associated with the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA). It was founded in 1853 at Amanzimtoti a settlement just over south of Durban by an American missio ...
in
Amanzimtoti
Amanzimtoti is a coastal town just south of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The town is well known for its warm climate and numerous beaches, and is a popular tourist destination, particularly with surfers. The annual sardine run attracts m ...
(Congregationalist). The denominations affected by this got together and decided to build a new joint seminary on land next to
Fort Hare University College at Alice in the Transkei. They opted for the model of English collegiate universities, like Oxford, Cambridge and Durham, where each college functioned independently, but shared resources such as teaching staff and libraries. Each college had its own accommodation for students and staff, and its own chapel.
The colleges that opened in 1963 were: St Peter's (
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
),
John Wesley College
John Wesley College was the seminary of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa situated at Kilnerton in Pretoria, South Africa. It was most commonly referred to as John Wesley College Kilnerton. It opened at Kilnerton in 1994, and was repl ...
(
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
), St Columba's (
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
), and Adams United (
Congregationalist).
The first principal was Father
Aelred Stubbs, who stepped aside after eight years to make way for an African principal.
On 26 November 1974, the government issued an expropriation order, giving the Seminary three months to vacate the land and the buildings. The seminary was obliged to move, first to
Umtata
Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Matanzi ...
in
Transkei
Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ban ...
, then in
Edendale and finally a new campus was opened in August 1980 at
Imbali,
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...
.
Fedsem closed in 1993.
References
External links
Notes on the foundation of the Federal Theological Seminary of Southern AfricaG A Duncan, University of Pretoria
The Daily Telegraph
Seminaries and theological colleges in South Africa
Education in the Eastern Cape
{{SouthAfrica-school-stub