Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Illinois) Trinity Divinity School
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Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) is an
academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
divinity school 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, ...
founded in 1897 and located in the northern Chicago
suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
of
Deerfield, Illinois Deerfield is a north shore suburb of Chicago in Lake County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion extending into Cook County, Illinois. The population was 19,196 at the 2020 census. Deerfield is home to the headquarters of Walgreens Boo ...
. It is part of and located on the main campus of
Trinity International University Trinity International University (TIU) is an evangelical Christian university headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. It comprises Trinity College, Trinity Graduate School, a theological seminary (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), a law school ...
. It is among the largest theological educational institutions.


Overview

TEDS is one of the largest seminaries in the world, enrolling more than 1,200 graduate students in professional and academic programs, including more than 150 in its Ph.D. programs. The most popular degree at the school, the
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.Div.) degree, prepares pastors, educators, and missionaries for many kinds of service. The school also offers a range of focused
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
programs in mental health counseling, theological studies, the New Testament, the Old Testament, and other disciplines. Trinity offers a comprehensive listing of academic programs with Master of Arts (MA), Master of Divinity (M.Div), Master of Theology (Th.M), Doctor of Ministry (D.Min) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degrees. TEDS is affiliated with the
Evangelical Free Church of America The Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) is a denomination in the Evangelical Protestant tradition. The EFCA was formed in 1950 from the merger of the Swedish Evangelical Free Church and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Associa ...
and is
accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
by the
Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The associ ...
. It publishes the '' Trinity Journal''. Trinity honors and continues the legacy of its major contributors through a combination of centers, lectures, and honoraria. The Carl F. H. Henry Center is a nod to longtime TEDS faculty member and theologian
Carl F. H. Henry Carl Ferdinand Howard Henry (January 22, 1913 – December 7, 2003) was an American evangelical Christian theologian who provided intellectual and institutional leadership to the neo-evangelical movement in the mid-to-late 20th century. His earl ...
, which also continues his vision of theological development. The Paul Hiebert Center for World Christianity and Global Theology is named after the Trinity Evangelical Missions department faculty member Paul Hiebert. He made numerous contributions to the field of mission research and practical application on the field. The Hiebert Center at TEDS is designed to foster collaboration between missionary personnel, academics, and laypeople from across the world to engage in research and field work. The Kenneth Kantzer Lectures are named after the namesake visionary who shaped Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity (CBHD) is a Christian bioethics research center at Trinity International University that explores the nexus of biomedicine, biotechnology, and our common humanity. CBHD fosters a distinctly Christian conception of bioethics that is both academically rigorous and broadly accessible. The Center for Transformational Churches uses study to promote pastoral wellbeing amid the demands of ministry. We are taking an active role in helping Christian leaders, churches, and communities flourish. The Center for Faith and Children (CFC) provides resources and programming that are all created to help equip and empower children’s ministries to reflect God’s love for children.


History of TEDS

Trinity Evangelical Divinity School was incorporated in 1963 as the result of a merge between Trinity Seminary and Bible College and its relocation to Deerfield Illinois.
Kenneth Kantzer Kenneth S. Kantzer (March 29, 1917 – June 20, 2002) was an American theologian and educator in the evangelical Christian tradition. Life and career He was born Detroit, Michigan, United States. Kantzer, having studied at Faith Theological ...
was elected Dean and had the vision to create a “divinity school” which would be a university environment of biblical studies where world class scholars would produce world class students. Trinity became an academic heavyweight in the late 1960s by hiring top academic faculty in their respective fields. Trinity’s mission, statement of faith and curriculum were greatly influenced by Kenneth Kantzer and Carl F H Henry. Both men are ranked as being among the most important evangelicals of the 20th century. Some of the most notable evangelical scholars came to Trinity due to Dean Kantzers recruiting efforts. These faculty included Robert Culver(Systematic Theology), John Warwick Montgomery (Church history), Walter Kaiser (Old Testament), Richard Troup ( Christian Education), Gleason Archer Jr (Old Testament)and David Hasselgrave (Missions) among several others. Some of the academic faculty who were a part of
Fuller Theological Seminary Fuller Theological Seminary is an interdenominational Evangelical Christian seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature. Fuller consistently has a student body that compri ...
had left the seminary due to its change of stance on biblical inerrancy. The faculty which departed believed in full biblical inerrancy that the Bible doesn’t contain any error whether it is matters of faith but also no error in history or science. Trinity became a rival to Fuller Seminary for the leadership of evangelicalism. Trinity continues to produce first rate scholarship in the 21st century with professors such as Kevin Vanhoozer, Don A Carson, Paul Feinberg, John Feinberg, Paul Hiebert and John Woodbridge holding faculty positions within the school. Trinity continues the legacy of both
Kenneth Kantzer Kenneth S. Kantzer (March 29, 1917 – June 20, 2002) was an American theologian and educator in the evangelical Christian tradition. Life and career He was born Detroit, Michigan, United States. Kantzer, having studied at Faith Theological ...
and
Carl F. H. Henry Carl Ferdinand Howard Henry (January 22, 1913 – December 7, 2003) was an American evangelical Christian theologian who provided intellectual and institutional leadership to the neo-evangelical movement in the mid-to-late 20th century. His earl ...
through the schools operation but also the Carl Henry Center on campus and the Kenneth Kantzer Lectures. In 2022, TEDS celebrated 125 years of the school in operation. The book ''Great is thy Faithfulness'' was published by some of the faculty detailing the years at Trinity.


Notable faculty

*
Gleason Archer Gleason Leonard Archer Jr. (May 22, 1916 – April 27, 2004) was a biblical scholar, theologian, educator and author. Early life Gleason Archer was born in Norwell, Massachusetts in 1916 and became a Christian at a young age through the infl ...
- Former Professor of Old Testament and Semitics (1965-1986) * Barry J. Beitzel - Professor Emeritus of Old Testament and Semitic Languages (1976-2016) *
D. A. Carson Donald Arthur Carson (born December 21, 1946) is an evangelical biblical scholar. He is a Distinguished Emeritus Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and president and co-founder of the Gospel Coalition. He has written ...
- New Testament Scholar and Emeritus Professor of New Testament * John S. Feinberg - Chair of the Department and Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology *
Paul D. Feinberg Paul David Feinberg (August 13, 1938 – February 21, 2004) was an American theologian, author, and professor of systematic theology and philosophy of religion at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Education and family Feinberg was born on Augus ...
- Late Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy of Religion *
Norman Geisler Norman Leo Geisler (July 21, 1932 – July 1, 2019) was an American Christian systematic theologian and philosopher. He was the co-founder of two non-denominational evangelical seminaries (Veritas International University and Southern Evange ...
- Former Chair, Department of Philosophy of Religion (1970-1979) *
Murray J. Harris Murray J. Harris (born 19 March 1939) is professor emeritus of New Testament exegesis and theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He was for a time warden of Tyndale House at Cambridge University. He gained his Ph ...
- Professor Emeritus of New Testament Exegesis and Theology *
James K. Hoffmeier James K. Hoffmeier (born February 13, 1951 in Egypt) is an American Old Testament scholar, an archaeologist and an egyptologist. He was Professor of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern History and Archaeology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity S ...
- Egyptologist and professor of Old Testament and ancient near eastern history * S. Lewis Johnson Jr. - Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology (1980-1985) *
Douglas J. Moo Douglas J. Moo (born March 15, 1950) is a Reformed New Testament scholar who, after teaching for more than twenty years at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois, has served as Blanchard Professor of New Testament at the Wheaton Colleg ...
- New Testament Scholar and former Professor of New Testament (1980-2000) *
John Warwick Montgomery John Warwick Montgomery (born October 18, 1931) is a lawyer, professor, Lutheran theologian, and author living in France. He was born in Warsaw, New York, United States. From 2014 to 2017, he was Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy at ...
- Professor of Church History (1964-1974) *
Harold A. Netland Harold A. Netland (born 1955), is a missionary educator turned academic. He is the author or editor of nine books and many journal articles on the topic of religion and philosophy. Career Netland did his undergraduate work at Biola University ...
- Professor of Philosophy of Religion and Intercultural Studies and the Naomi A. Fausch Chair of Missions *
Grant R. Osborne Grant R. Osborne (July 7, 1942 – November 4, 2018) was an American theologian and New Testament scholar. He was Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Biography Education Osborne got a B.A. from the Fort Wayne ...
- Late Professor of New Testament and author of ''The Hermeneutical Spiral'' *
Clark H. Pinnock Clark H. Pinnock (February 3, 1937 – August 15, 2010) was a Christian theologian, apologist and author. He was Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at McMaster Divinity College. Education and career Pinnock was born in Toronto, Ontar ...
- Late Professor of Systematic Theology * Kevin J. Vanhoozer - Research Professor of Systematic Theology * Keith E. Yandell - Affiliate Professor of Philosophy *
Wayne Grudem Wayne A. Grudem (born 1948) is a New Testament scholar turned theologian, seminary professor, and author. He co-founded the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and served as the general editor of the ''ESV Study Bible''. Life Grudem was bo ...
- Former Chair of Biblical and Systematic Theology department *
Willem A. VanGemeren Willem A. VanGemeren (born 7 April 1943) is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author of a number of books, including Interpreting the Prophetic Word (Zondervan) and a comme ...
- Former Professor of Old Testament * John D. Woodbridge - Research Professor of Church History and the History of Christian Thought


Notable alumni

* John F. Ankerberg, host of the "John Ankerberg Show" *
Mark Batterson Mark Batterson (born November 5, 1969, in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American pastor and author. Batterson serves as lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. NCC was recognized as one of the Most Innovative and Most Influent ...
, lead pastor of
National Community Church National Community Church (NCC) is a is a Pentecostal multi-site church located in the Washington, D.C. area, pastored by Mark Batterson. It is affiliated with the Assemblies of God USA. Weekly sermons are also available online as audio and video ...
in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
*
Craig Blomberg Craig L. Blomberg (born August 3, 1955) is an American New Testament scholar. He is currently a Distinguished Professor of the New Testament at Denver Seminary in Colorado where he has been since 1986. His area of academic expertise is the New ...
, New Testament scholar at
Denver Seminary Denver Seminary is a private, Evangelical Christian seminary with its main campus in Littleton, Colorado, an online global campus, and an extension campus in Washington, DC. It offers Master of Arts (MA), Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Doctor of M ...
* Elie Buconyori, founder and President of Hope Africa University and Bishop of the free Methodist church in
Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...
and Kenya. *
William Lane Craig William Lane Craig (born August 23, 1949) is an American analytic philosopher, Christian apologist, author and Wesleyan theologian who upholds the view of Molinism and neo-Apollinarianism. He is Professor of Philosophy at Houston Baptist Univ ...
, apologist and professor of philosophy at
Biola University Biola University () is a private, nondenominational, evangelical Christian university in La Mirada, California. It was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It has over 150 programs of study in nine schools offering bachelor's, ...
's
Talbot School of Theology Talbot School of Theology is an evangelical Christian theological seminary located near Los Angeles. Talbot is one of the nine schools that comprise Biola University, located in La Mirada, California. Talbot is nondenominational and known for its ...
*
Chip Edgar Charles F. "Chip" Edgar III (born August 8, 1964) is an American Anglican bishop. He has been bishop of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina (ADOSC) since 2022. Early life, marriage and family Edgar was born in 1964 to Charles F. Edgar Jr. and ...
, Anglican bishop of South Carolina * W. Kent Fuchs, former provost of
Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
and president of the
University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
*
Walter C. Kaiser Walter C. Kaiser Jr. (born April 11, 1933) is an American Evangelical Old Testament scholar, writer, public speaker, and educator. Kaiser is the Colman M. Mockler distinguished Professor of Old Testament and former President of Gordon-Conwell T ...
, retired president of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary *
Dan McConchie Daniel McConchie is a Republican member of the Illinois Senate. He represents the 26th Senate District which includes Algonquin, Barrington, Cary, Deer Park, Fox River Grove, Hawthorn Woods, Hoffman Estates, Island Lake, Kildeer, Lake Zuric ...
, member of the
Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...
*
Scot McKnight Scot McKnight (born November 9, 1953) is an American New Testament scholar, historian of early Christianity, theologian, and author who has written widely on the historical Jesus, early Christianity and Christian living. He is currently Profes ...
, noted blogger, author, and New Testament scholar at
Northern Seminary Northern Seminary is a Baptist Christian seminary in Lisle, Illinois. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. Its president is William D. Shiell. History It was founded in 1913 by the Second Baptist Church of Chicago as ''Northe ...
*
Douglas J. Moo Douglas J. Moo (born March 15, 1950) is a Reformed New Testament scholar who, after teaching for more than twenty years at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois, has served as Blanchard Professor of New Testament at the Wheaton Colleg ...
, New Testament scholar and theologian * James Moore, historian of science at the British Open University and the University of Cambridge, and visiting scholar at Harvard University *
Mark Noll Mark Allan Noll (born 1946) is an American historian specializing in the history of Christianity in the United States. He holds the position of Research Professor of History at Regent College, having previously been Francis A. McAnaney Professor ...
, noted Christian historian, professor of history at the
University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
*
Smokie Norful Rev. W.R. "Smokie" Norful, Jr. is an American gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be d ...
, Grammy winning gospel singer and pianist *
Michael Young-Suk Oh Michael Young-Suk Oh (born 19 April 1971) is a Korean American evangelical and the Global Executive Director/CEO of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. Education Oh received a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, ...
, Executive Director/CEO of the
Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization The Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, more commonly known as the Lausanne Movement, is a global movement that mobilizes evangelical leaders to collaborate for world evangelization. The stated vision is "the whole church taking the whole ...
*
Stanley E. Porter Stanley E. Porter (born November 23, 1956) is a Canadian–American academic and New Testament scholar, specializing in the Koine Greek grammar and linguistics of the New Testament. Life and career Porter was born in Long Beach, California, on ...
, President, Dean, and Professor of New Testament,
McMaster Divinity College McMaster Divinity College, also known as MDC, is a Baptist Christian seminary in Hamilton, Ontario affiliated with McMaster University and the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec ( Canadian Baptist Ministries). The institution's mission is to ...
* Cecil R. Richardson, former
Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force The Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force (HAF/HC) is the senior chaplain in the United States Air Force, the functional leader of thU.S. Air Force Chaplain Corps and the senior advisor on religious issues to the Secretary and Chief of ...
*
John D. Robb John Robb is the former chairman for the International Prayer Council, and formerly led the prayer ministries of World Vision. The IPC is a network of regional and national prayer ministries and networks around the world. He and the IPC provided l ...
, chairman of the International Prayer Council *
John Senyonyi John Musisi Senyonyi is a mathematician, academic, evangelist and academic administrator in Uganda. He is the immediate past Vice Chancellor of Uganda Christian University, a private university that was accredited by the ''Uganda National Counc ...
, vice chancellor,
Uganda Christian University Uganda Christian University (UCU) is a private church-founded university administered by the Church of Uganda. It was the first private University in Uganda to be awarded a charter by the Government of Uganda. Location UCU's main campus, with a ...
*
Jeffrey Neil Steenson Jeffrey Neil Steenson PA (born April 1, 1952) is an American retired priest and prelate of the Catholic Church and a former bishop of the Episcopal Church within the Anglican Communion. Steenson was the first ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate ...
, bishop in
The Episcopal Church The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine Ecclesiastical provinces and dioces ...
, became Roman Catholic * Steven Tighe, Anglican bishop of the Southwest *
Jim Wallis James E. Wallis Jr. (born June 4, 1948) is an American theologian, writer, teacher and political activist. He is best known as the founder and editor of ''Sojourners'' magazine and as the founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Christian commun ...
, author, activist, founder and editor of
Sojourners Magazine ''Sojourners'' is a progressive monthly magazine and daily online publication of the American Christian social justice organization Sojourners, which arose out of the Sojourners Community. It was first published in 1971 under the original titl ...
* David Falconer Wells, Distinguished Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary *
Danny Yamashiro Daniel Keauhou Matsu Yamashiro (born December 5, 1967), also known as D. K. M. Yamashiro, is an American clergyman, author, radio and podcast host, researcher, Christian media personality, and a chaplain at MIT who survived a fall from the ridg ...
, chaplain at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
(
MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the mo ...
), researcher on
American presidents The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government an ...
and
childhood trauma Childhood trauma is often described as serious adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Children may go through a range of experiences that classify as psychological trauma; these might include neglect, abandonment, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and ...
, and media
talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...
host


References


External links

* {{Coord, 42, 11, 52.5, N, 87, 52, 51.8, W, region:US-IL_type:edu, display=title Evangelical seminaries and theological colleges in the United States Seminaries and theological colleges in Illinois Trinity International University Education in Lake County, Illinois Evangelicalism in Illinois