Protestant Theological University (abbreviated as ''PThU''; nl, Protestantse Theologische Universiteit) is a

theological 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 ...

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

with locations in two

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

: Amsterdam and Groningen. The Protestant Theological University primarily caters for ministerial education and as such is one of three institutes recognised by the PKN, but it is also possible to study general (

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

) theology without wishing to become a minister.

History

The university was founded in 1854 as the Theological School ("Theologische School") by the

Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands The Christian Reformed Churches in the Netherlands ( nl, Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland) is a Protestant church in the Netherlands. History The original name of the church was Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands ('' ...

, a church resulting from a schism in 1834, to provide for theological education for its ministers. The name was changed to Theological College ("Theologische Hogeschool") in 1939 and finally to Theological University in 1986, after a reform in the Dutch university/

polytechnic Polytechnic is most commonly used to refer to schools, colleges, or universities that qualify as an institute of technology or vocational university also sometimes called universities of applied sciences. Polytechnic may also refer to: Educatio ...

system. In 1892, a large part of the Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands merged with another group split from the mainstream

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...

to form the

Reformed Churches in the Netherlands {{Infobox Christian denomination , name = Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Dutch ''Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland'') , image = , caption = , main_classification = Protestant , orientation = Calvinist , polity = Presbyterianism , ...

, which founded a new

university in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

: the Free University. This university also has a theological faculty, but the college at Kampen remained a separate institution. In 1944, another schism within the Reformed Church in the Netherlands occurred, called the Liberation ("Vrijmaking"), which resulted in the

Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) (Dutch: Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (vrijgemaakt)) are an orthodox Calvinist federation of churches. This church body arose in 1944 out of the so-called Liberation (') from the Reformed ...

. This new church also had a need for its own ministerial education institute, and so a new university was founded from parts of the Theological University:

Kampen Theological University of the Reformed Church (Liberated) Theological University of the Reformed Churches ( nl, Theologische Universiteit Kampen van de Gereformeerde Kerken) is an academic theological seminary in the Dutch city of Kampen. It was founded on 6 December 1854 in Kampen. The university prima ...

. In 2010, the PThU moved from Kampen to Amsterdam and Groningen. After the Reformed Church in the Netherlands merged with the Dutch Reformed Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in 2004 to form the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN), the Protestant Theological University became part of the PKN. It is run on its behalf by a Board of Curators. On 13 April 2022 the PThU announced its intention to move the university to Utrecht. On 21 April 2022, the general synod of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN) confirmed that decision. The PThU aims to start in Utrecht on 1 September 2024.

References

External links

www.pthu.nl
{{coord missing, Netherlands Protestant Theological University Educational institutions established in 1854 1854 establishments in the Netherlands Education in Overijssel Kampen, Overijssel Protestant universities and colleges in Europe Seminaries and theological colleges in the Netherlands