James Petigru Boyce (January 11, 1827 – December 28, 1888) was an American pastor, theologian, professor and chaplain who was one of the founders of the

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at ...

Biography

Early life

James Petigru Boyce was born in 1827. He was educated at

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

under

Francis Wayland Francis Wayland (March 11, 1796 – September 30, 1865), was an American Baptist minister, educator and economist. He was president of Brown University and pastor of the First Baptist Church in America in Providence, Rhode Island. In Washingto ...

, whose evangelical sermons contributed to Boyce's conversion, and at

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of ...

under

Charles Hodge Charles Hodge (December 27, 1797 – June 19, 1878) was a Reformed Presbyterian theologian and principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878. He was a leading exponent of the Princeton Theology, an orthodox Calvinist theol ...

who led Boyce to appreciate Calvinistic theology.

Career

After completing studies at Princeton, he served as pastor of the Columbia S.C. Baptist Church and as a faculty member at

Furman University Furman University is a private liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826 and named for the clergyman Richard Furman, Furman University is the oldest private institution of higher learning in South Carolina. It became ...

. In 1859 he founded the

in Greenville, South Carolina, to establish a seminary that did not view owning slaves as disqualifying in becoming a missionary After the war ended, he resumed office as chair of the seminary and relocated it to Louisville, Kentucky. He taught theology from 1859 until his death in 1888 and served as the President of the institution. Throughout his ministry, Boyce insisted on the importance of theological education for all ministers. In a preface, he described his ''Abstract of Systematic Theology'', published the year before his death, as follows: "This volume is published the rather as a practical textbook, for the study of the system of doctrine taught in the Word of God, than as a contribution to theological science." During his life, Boyce owned 23

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

Civil War

While the seminary was closed during the Civil War, Boyce served as a chaplain in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. In 1865 he was elected as a representative to the South Carolina Constitutional Convention. He was a prominent advocate of white supremacy who opposed counting the black population in the cenus, stating that in his view it would be the “entering wedge of negro suffrage” also arguing “this is a white man’s government".

Death

Boyce died in Pau, France on December 28, 1888. He had traveled to Europe with his family in early July 1888 and had been expecting to be traveling abroad for a number of months. News reports at the time indicated that he had been suffering from gout and that while traveling his condition worsened and became fatal.''Louisville Courier-Journal'', December 29, 1888, pg 6.

Bibliography

* * * * Nettles, Tom J., and James P. Boyce. ''Stray Recollections, Short Articles and Public Orations of James P. Boyce.'' Cape Coral, Fla:

Founders Press Founder or Founders may refer to: Places *Founders Park, a stadium in South Carolina, formerly known as Carolina Stadium * Founders Park, a waterside park in Islamorada, Florida Arts, entertainment, and media * Founders (''Star Trek''), the ali ...

, 2009. *

References

External links

Abstract of Systematic Theology
by James P. Boyce online {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyce, James Petigru 1827 births 1888 deaths 19th-century Baptists 19th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians American slave owners American Baptist theologians American Calvinist and Reformed theologians Baptists from Kentucky Brown University alumni Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery Confederate States Army chaplains Furman University faculty Princeton Theological Seminary alumni Southern Baptist Convention presidents Southern Baptist Theological Seminary faculty Southern Baptist Theological Seminary presidents Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives