Myanmar Institute of Theology (MIT) is a
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
theological institute
A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for Christian ministry with theological ed ...
in
Insein Township
Insein Township ( my, အင်းစိန်မြို့နယ်, ) is located in northern Yangon. The township comprises 21 wards, and shares borders with Shwepyitha township in the north, Hlaingthaya township in the west, Mingaladon t ...
,
Yangon
Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...
,
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
(Burma).
Judson Research Center, Peace Studies Center, and Gender Studies Center are parts of Myanmar Institute of Theology. It is affiliated with the
Myanmar Baptist Convention
The Myanmar Baptist Convention is a Baptist Christian denomination in Myanmar. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance and the World Council of Churches. The headquarters is in Yangon.
History
The Convention has its origins in an Amer ...
.
History
![Myanmar Institute of Theology](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Myanmar_Institute_of_Theology_.jpg)
Myanmar Institute of Theology, originally known as Baptist Divinity School, was founded in June 1927, on Seminary Hill, Insein by the
Myanmar Baptist Convention
The Myanmar Baptist Convention is a Baptist Christian denomination in Myanmar. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance and the World Council of Churches. The headquarters is in Yangon.
History
The Convention has its origins in an Amer ...
.
With only four students to begin with, the school used the facilities of Karen Theological Seminary currently known as Kayin Baptist Theological Seminary. Shortly after its opening the school became affiliated with Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. This affiliation lasted until the Second World War. The first president was Dr. W. E. Wiatt, an American missionary who served from 1927 to 1939. The school was renamed in 1939 as the Willis and Orlinda Pierce Divinity School (1939-1949). The second president of the school was Dr. C. F. Chaney who served from 1939 to 1941, when the Japanese occupied Burma.
In 1948, the school reopened with Thra Chit Maung as chairperson of the Curriculum Committee. In 1952, with the arrival of Dr. Paul D. Clasper, Thra Chit Maung was made president and Dr. Clasper, vice-president. The school was renamed in 1949 as the Burma Divinity School (1949-1976). In 1955, it became affiliated with Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Kansas City, Kansas. This affiliation lasted until 1960, when the school became an accredited member of the Association for Theological Education in South East Asia. Since 1960, the school has been conferring degrees on its graduates.
Since 1966, with the departure of
American Baptist Missionary Union
International Ministries is an international Baptist Christian missionary society. It is a constituent board affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. The headquarters is in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, United States.
History
The s ...
missionaries from Myanmar, the school has been entirely staffed by nationals. The seminary has faithfully carried out its education mission, adapting and responding to the challenges of the new day.
In 1976, the name was again changed to Burma Institute of Theology (1976-1989). In 1977, on Dr. Chit Maung’s retirement, Thramu Esther Lwin was made acting-president and then president from June 1978 to the end of 1983. In January 1984, Rev. Victor San Lone, who had been serving as general secretary of the Burma Baptist Convention, became president and served in that capacity until his sudden death in 1987. Thramu Eh Wah, the vice-president, was made acting-president until March 1988, when she was officially appointed President. The seminary’s name was changed to Myanmar Institute of Theology in 1989, when the country changed its name to Myanmar. Dr. Eh Wah retired in 1998. The then vice-principal Dr. Anna May Say Pa was elected the principal. Rev. Dr. Simon Pau Khan En succeeded in 2006, and when he retired in 2010, Rev. Dr. Samuel Ngun Ling became President of MIT effective from 2010-2011 academic year.
Until 1962, only the Th.B. program was offered. That year the Bachelor of Religious Education program was introduced and in 1976, the BD program was initiated. In 1996, no new BTh applicants were accepted for the Th.B. program as the Board of Trustees had decided that the seminary would offer only graduate programs. In 1997, MIT started the M.Div., and MTS degree programs and replaced the BD program. March 1999 saw the last batch of B.Th. graduates and the first batch of MTS graduates. March 2000 marked the graduation of the first batch of the Master of Divinity class. Year 2000 is a milestone for launching new programs such as Summer School, Summer Seminar and Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies (BARS).
In 2004, MIT launched the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program in partnership with the Union Theological Seminary, Manila, the Philippines. The program ended in 2008 when MIT started a new partnership for Doctor of Ministry program with the Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas, USA, to take effect from 2010-2011 academic year.
Master of Ministry (M.Min.) degree program was inaugurated in 2006.
The year 2010 saw the opening of a new program called Master of Theological Librarianship (MTL) and the termination of the old program called Master of Theological Studies (MTS).
In 2014, MIT launched the PhD degree program in the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the American Baptist missionaries, Adoniram and Ann Judson in the soil of Myanmar.
Programs
MIT offers the following programs of study:
[Myanmar Institute of Theology,]
Academic Programs
mit.edu.mm, Myanmar, retrieved June 27, 2020
* Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)
* D.Min. (Doctor of Ministry)
* MTh (Master of Theology: Full-time two-year program)
* MACS (Master of Arts in Christian Studies: Part-time three-year program)
* M.Div. (Master of Divinity: Full-time three-year program)
* MTL (Master of Theological Librarianship: Full-time two-year program)
* Liberal Arts Program (BARS—Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies: Full-time four-year program)
* DipCD and MACD (Two-year full-time programs)
Current Presidents
* Dr. Naw Eh Tar Gay, PhD, President
* Rev.Dr. Marip La Rip, PhD, Vice President
Accreditation
Myanmar Institute of Theology is accredited by the Association for Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA).
See also
*
Karen Baptist Theological Seminary
The Karen Baptist Theological Seminary ( ksw, ပှၤကညီဘျၢထံယွၤဂ့ၢ်ပီညါဖၠၣ်စိမိၢ) is a Baptist theological institute in Seminary Hill, Insein, Yangon, Myanmar. It is affiliated with the ...
References
External links
School Website*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myanmar Institute Of Theology
Educational institutions established in 1927
Christianity in Yangon
Universities and colleges in Yangon
Universities and colleges in Myanmar
Seminaries and theological colleges in Myanmar
Christian colleges in Myanmar
Association of Christian Universities and Colleges in Asia
1927 establishments in Burma
Baptist seminaries and theological colleges in Myanmar