Palmer Theological Seminary 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 ...

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 ...

in St. Davids. It is affiliated with the

American Baptist Churches USA The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a mainline/evangelical Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainl ...

. It was founded in 1925 as Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Its parent institution is Eastern University.

History

The seminar was founded as Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1925 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

by six Conservative Baptist ministers from the

American Baptist Publication Society The American Baptist Publication Society is a historic building at 1420–1422 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1896 on the site of the former headquarters of the American Baptist Publication Society, which had been ...

. In 1932, a collegiate department was founded. Originally located on

Rittenhouse Square Rittenhouse Square is a neighborhood, including a public park, in Center City Philadelphia. The park is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the late 17th century. The neighborho ...

, it moved in 1940 to

Wynnewood, Pennsylvania Wynnewood is a suburban unincorporated community, located west of Philadelphia, straddling Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and Haverford Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The community was named in 1691 for Dr. ...

, just across the street from the city boundary. The seminary originally established a collegiate division to prepare some students for the academic rigor of seminary-level courses. This evolved in 1952 into Eastern Baptist College, since 2002 Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania near

Valley Forge Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the ...

and further west on the

Philadelphia Main Line The Philadelphia Main Line, known simply as the Main Line, is an informally delineated historical and social region of suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lying along the former Pennsylvania Railroad's once prestigious Main Line, it runs ...

from Philadelphia. In 2004, Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary re-merged with Eastern University, now as a subsidiary. The following year, the seminary changed its name to Palmer Theological Seminary in honor of its longest serving president (1936–48), Gordon Palmer. In 2010, the University also established the Smith School of Christian Ministries to oversee certain programs. In 2012, the seminary moved from the Wynnewood campus to an interim location at the American Baptist Missions Center in nearby King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. In June 2016, the seminary moved to the main campus of Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. Over the years, the seminary has combined evangelical theology with the affirmation of women in ministry and commitment to social justice and ethnic diversity. From the beginning, the Seminary welcomed female students. The Seminary continues to affirm its founding motto, "The Whole Gospel for the Whole World."

Musical discoveries at the seminary

In July 2005, an 80-page

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

manuscript of a piano four hands version of the Grosse Fugue was discovered in the library archives by one of the librarians. The manuscript was authenticated by

Jeffrey Kallberg Jeffrey Kallberg (born 17 October 1954) is an American musicologist, who specializes 19th and 20th-century classical music, as well as topics in critical theory and gender studies related to music. He has written numerous articles and studies ...

at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

and by Stephen Roe, head of

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

Manuscript Department. Lost from view for well over 100 years, it is thought by some to be one of the most important musicological finds in recent years. The event paralleled the earlier find on July 31, 1990, of a Mozart manuscript, which had been donated to the seminary in 1951 by Marguerite Treat Doane (daughter of noted hymnist

William Howard Doane William Howard Doane (February 3, 1832 – December 24, 1915) was a manufacturer, inventor, hymn writer, choral director, church leader and philanthropist. He composed over 2,000 church hymns. More than seventy patents are credited to him for ...

). It was rediscovered along with some lesser manuscripts of the same period. The Beethoven manuscript was auctioned by Sotheby's in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on December 1, 2005 for US$1.72 million to an anonymous bidder later revealed to be

Bruce Kovner Bruce Stanley Kovner (born 1945) is an American billionaire hedge fund manager and philanthropist. He is chairman of CAM Capital, which he established in January 2012 to manage his investment, trading and business activities. From 1983 through 2 ...

Notable faculty and alumni

Ron Sider Ronald James Sider (September 17, 1939 – July 27, 2022), was a Canadian-born American theologian and social activist. He was the founder of Evangelicals for Social Action, a think-tank which seeks to develop biblical solutions to social and e ...

, professor and founder of Evangelicals for Social Action * Craig Keener, professor and author of the bestselling ''IVP Bible Background Commentary (New Testament)'' * Samuel Escobar, retired professor and world-renowned missiologist * Barry Black, alumnus and

United States Senate Chaplain The chaplain of the United States Senate opens each session of the United States Senate with a prayer, and provides and coordinates religious programs and pastoral care support for senators, their staffs, and their families. The chaplain is appoi ...

* Charles E. Booth, Senior Pastor of the Mt. Olivet Baptist Church and fully affiliated Professor of Preaching at the Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. *

Bernard Ramm Bernard L. Ramm (1 August 1916 in Butte, Montana – 11 August 1992 in Irvine, California) was a Baptist theologian and apologist within the broad evangelical tradition. He wrote prolifically on topics concerned with biblical hermeneutics, religio ...

, alumnus, author, theologian, professor *

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 ...

, evangelical theologian, author, first editor-in-chief of Christianity Today * Wayne E. Croft, Sr., Senior Pastor of the St. Paul's Baptist Church in West Chester, Pennsylvania and The Jeremiah A. Wright, Sr. Associate Professor of Homiletics and Liturgics in African American Studies at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia *

Tony Campolo Anthony Campolo (born February 25, 1935) is an American sociologist, Baptist pastor, author, public speaker and former spiritual advisor to U.S. President Bill Clinton. Campolo is known as one of the most influential leaders in the evangelical ...

, alumnus, speaker, bestselling author, and social activist * Michael A. O'Donnell, alumnus, speaker, and author * Wayne "Coach" Gordon, President of the Christian Community Development Association and SeniorPastor at Lawndale Community Church *

Thaddeus Kirkland Thaddeus Kirkland (born January 12, 1955) is an American politician who is the Mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania since 2016. A Democrat, he served as a member of the 159th district from 1993 to 2016. Early life and education Born in Chester, Kirk ...

, Mayor of

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester i ...

and former Pennsylvania State Representative * L. David Schlosser, longtime Baptist pastor, enshrined member of the Chapel of the Four Chaplains (deceased 1990) * Jay Smith, Christian apologistChristianity Today: "Unapologetic Apologist - Jay Smith confronts Muslim fundamentalists with fundamentalist fervor" by Deann Alford
June 13, 2008 * Alyn E. Waller, Senior Pastor of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church and President o
Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Society
* William David Thompson, Pastor of First Baptist Church in Philadelphia and former Director of Homiletics at Eastern Baptist Seminary. * Edward R. Dalglish, Old Testament Teacher, * Gaddala Solomon, a student of Edward R. Dalglish and Baptist Pastor from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

* Brenda Salter McNeil, an intercultural engagement expert and faculty at Seattle Pacific University.

References

External links

*
ATS profile of Palmer Theological Seminary
{{authority control Seminaries and theological colleges in Pennsylvania Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Seminaries and theological colleges affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA Universities and colleges in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Educational institutions established in 1925 1925 establishments in Pennsylvania