The South African Theological Seminary (SATS) is a broadly evangelical

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

institution based in

Bryanston Bryanston is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour west of Blandford Forum. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 925. The village is adjacent to the grounds of Bryanston School, an inde ...

(

Johannesburg Region E The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality that manages the local governance of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is divided into several branches and departments in order to expedite services for the city. Z ...

), South Africa, founded in 1996. As of May 2018, Dr. Kevin Smith (DLitt Stellenbosch, PhD SATS) is the principal of the

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, ...

. The seminary provides multiple undergraduate, graduate and stand alone courses to over 3000 students in over 80 countries. As of the start of 2016 SATS has graduated 574 B.Th students, 110 M.Th students and 40 PhD students.

History and programs

The seminary was established by Dr. Christopher Peppler in 1996 and is one of the founding members of the National Association of Distance Education Organisation in South Africa (NADEOSA). SATS is accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and its qualifications are registered with the South African Department of Higher Education and Training, which is similar and comparable to the US regional accreditation in quality. SATS has the authority to issue qualifications up to the doctorate level and provides the following programs: Undergraduate (Higher Certificate in Christian Life, Higher Certificate in Christian Counseling, Bachelor of Theology B.Th., Bachelor of Theology with a focus on Christian counselling) and post-graduate (B.Th.

Honours Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

, M.Th.,

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

Theology 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 ...

). SATS comes under the spiritual oversight of the elders of The Village Church which was planted by Rosebank Union Church. The seminary is broadly evangelical in its theological approach. The mission of the South African Theological Seminary is to provide Bible-based, Christ-centred and Spirit-led distance education and training to Christians, and leaders in particular, within their local church environment, to equip them to be Holy Spirit empowered members of God’s household.

Principals

Principals of SATS

* 1996-2005 Dr. Christopher Peppler (Th.D.

University of Zululand The University of Zululand or UniZulu is the only comprehensive tertiary educational institution north of the Tugela River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Its new status is in accordance with South Africa's National Plan for Higher Education ...

). * 2006-2017 Dr. Reuben van Rensburg (Th.D.

). * 2018–present Dr. Kevin Smith (D.Litt.

University of Stellenbosch Stellenbosch University ( af, Universiteit Stellenbosch) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant ...

, Ph.D. South African Theological Seminary).

Webinars and ''Conspectus'' Journal

SATS has hosted several webinars focusing on Pentecostalism in the Global South and Paul's Theology on Men and Women. Keynote speakers have included Cynthia Long Westfall and

Craig S. Keener Craig S. Keener (born 4 July 1960) is a North American academic, Charismatic Baptist pastor, theologian, Biblical scholar and professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary. Biography Keener was born on 4 July 1960. Education In 1982 ...

. SATS also has a peer-reviewed academic journal called
Conspectus
' that releases two issues per year that includes research articles, book reviews, and theses summaries''.'' The purpose of the journal is to "provide a forum for scholarly Bible-based theological research and debate. The journal is committed to operate within an evangelical framework, namely, one that is predominantly classical and historically orthodox in its interpretive approach, and that affirms the inspiration and authority of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures. The journal seeks to publish well-researched essays and reviews on a broad range of suitable biblical and theological topics that are as clear and accessible as possible for the benefit of both specialist and non-specialist readers." The senior editor is Dr. Zoltan Erdey (PhD SATS) and the assistant editor is Dr. Robert Falconer (PhD SATS).

References

External links