Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) is a Protestant theological seminary in the Reformed theological tradition in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It was founded by members of the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary in 1929 after Princeton chose to take a liberal direction during the Fundamentalist–Modernist controversy.

History

Westminster Theological Seminary was formed in 1929, largely under the leadership and funding of J. Gresham Machen. Though independent, it has a close relationship with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, which Machen helped found in 1936. The seminary was founded by members of the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary, following a controversy over the liberal direction that Princeton was beginning to take. Westminster Theological Seminary considers itself to be the faithful continuation of Princeton's historic theological tradition. Many of the founders of Westminster, including Machen, John Murray, Oswald Allis, Robert Dick Wilson, and Cornelius Van Til, had been professors at Princeton prior to the controversy. The first president of the seminary was Edmund Clowney, who served from 1966 until 1984. He was followed by George C. Fuller and Samuel T. Logan. The current president is Peter Lillback, who also serves as a professor of historical theology.

In 1982, the California branch of Westminster became an independent institution, the Westminster Seminary California, and in 2009 the Dallas branch was established as Redeemer Theological Seminary and since 2017 has been Reformed Theological Seminary's Dallas campus.

In 2011, Westminster signed a Memorandum of Understanding with International Reformed Evangelical Seminary in Jakarta, Indonesia. The two schools have been publishing the journals: International Journal of Reformed Theology and Life and Unio Cum Christo. Westminster also created an endowment for the Stephen Tong Chair of Reformed Theology the same year.

Theological position

In Philadelphia on September 25, 1929, J. Gresham Machen declared the following in his inaugural address: "We believe, first, that the Christian religion, as set forth in the Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church, is true; we believe, second, that the Christian religion welcomes and is capable of scholarly defense; and we believe, third, that the Christian religion should be proclaimed without fear or favor, and in clear opposition to whatever opposes it, whether from within or without the church, as the only way of salvation for lost mankind. On that platform, brethren, we stand. Pray that we may be enabled by God’s grace to stand firm. Pray that the students who go forth from Westminster Theological Seminary may know Christ as their own Savior and may proclaim to others the gospel of his love."

The current board and faculty continue to hold to this original vision. All trustees and faculty members are required to affirm their agreement with the theological perspective presented in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, the core doctrinal statements of many Presbyterian denominations.

Westminster's strict adherence to the Westminster Standards and to Protestant theology in general has led to several dismissals of tenured faculty members since 1980. In 1981, theology professor Norman Shepherd was dismissed from Westminster due to his views on the doctrine of justification by faith alone. In 2008, Old Testament professor Peter Enns was dismissed from Westminster over controversial views expressed in his book Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament, and in 2014 Old Testament professor Douglas Green was terminated from his position over his views on the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

In the early 1990s, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools disputed with Westminster because of its refusal to give women membership on the board of trustees. The accrediting body backed down after the United States Department of Education took the seminary's side in the dispute.

Accreditation
Westminster, under a charter from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania granted in 1930 and as subsequently amended, has the power to grant the degrees of Master of Arts in Counseling, Master of Arts (Religion), Master of Divinity, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Philosophy.

Since 1954, Westminster is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. It is also accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada.

Academics
The seminary currently offers the following degrees:
 Master of Arts (MA)
 Master of Divinity (M.Div.)
 Master of Theology (Th.M.)
 Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.)
 Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Westminster publishes the semi-annual Westminster Theological Journal.

Legacy
According to Roger E. Olson, Westminster has had an influence on evangelicalism far beyond its size. Beyond Westminster's impact in the theological realm, the pioneering work of J. Alan Groves and his students has produced the codification of the Westminster Leningrad Codex, which underlies all modern Bible software.

People

Leadership
 Edmund Clowney (1966–1984)
 George C. Fuller (1984–1991)
 Samuel T. Logan (1991–2005)
 Peter Lillback (2005–present)

Notable faculty (past and present)

 Jay E. Adams
 Oswald Thompson Allis
 Gregory Beale
 Harvie M. Conn
 Ray Dillard
 William Edgar
 Peter Enns
 Sinclair Ferguson
 John Frame
 Richard Gaffin
 Richard Gamble
 John Gerstner
 Robert Godfrey
 J. Alan Groves
 R. Laird Harris
 D. G. Hart
 Philip Edgecumbe Hughes
 Kent Hughes
 Rienk Kuiper
 Peter Lillback
 Tremper Longman
 John Gresham Machen
 Allan MacRae
 Jack Miller
 John Murray
 Manuel Ortiz
 Vern Poythress
 O. Palmer Robertson
 Norman Shepherd
 Moisés Silva
 Ned Bernard Stonehouse
 Carl R. Trueman
 Chad Van Dixhoorn
 Cornelius Van Til
 Bruce Waltke
 Robert Dick Wilson
 Paul Woolley
 Edward Joseph Young

Notable alumni

 Greg Bahnsen
 Susan Wise Bauer
 Joel Beeke
 Alistair Begg
 Ralph Blair
 Robert M. Bowman, Jr.
 Anthony Bradley
 Eugene S. Callender
 Edward John Carnell
 Stafford Carson
 Edmund Clowney
 Harvie M. Conn
 Jack Cottrell
 Glenn Davies
 Stephen Dempster
 Mariano Di Gangi
 Ray Dillard
 Chad Van Dixhoorn
 William Edgar
 Peter Enns
 John Frame
 Bob Fu
 Richard Gaffin
 John Gerstner
 Bruce L. Gordon
 Thomas David Gordon
 J. Alan Groves
 Wayne Grudem
 Chulha Han
 Allan Harman
 Edward F. Hills
 Paul King Jewett
 Karen H. Jobes
 James B. Jordan
 Gordon Keddie
 Timothy Keller
 John Euiwhan Kim
 Meredith Kline
 William L. Lane
 Peter Leithart
 Robert Letham
 Peter Lillback
 Samuel T. Logan
 Tremper Longman
 George Marsden
 Taylor Marshall
 Carl McIntire
 J. Ramsey Michaels
 Bruce Miller
 C. John Miller
 Robert Morey
 Harold Ockenga
 Deok-Kyo Oh
 C. Herbert Oliver 
 Manuel Ortiz
 Yun Sun Park
 Vern Poythress
 Richard L. Pratt, Jr.
 H. Evan Runner
 Philip Ryken
 Francis Schaeffer
 Moisés Silva
 James Skillen
 Bong-Ho Son
 Robert Sungenis
 Joni Eareckson Tada
 Willem A. VanGemeren
 Kevin Vanhoozer
 Marten Woudstra

See also

 List of Westminster Theological Seminary people
 North China Theological Seminary (the "Westminster Seminary of China")

References

External links
 

 
Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Presbyterianism in Pennsylvania
Universities and colleges in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Educational institutions established in 1929
Seminaries and theological colleges in Pennsylvania
1929 establishments in Pennsylvania
웨스트민스터 신학교()는 1929년 세워진 미국 장로교 신학교이다. 펜실베이니아주 글렌사이드에 위치한다. 이외에 독립적으로 운영되는 캘리포니아주 웨스트민스터 신학교가 있다.

특징 
웨스트민스터 신학교는 1929년 프린스턴 신학교와 신학적 차이점으로 인해 분리되었는데 기독교 정통 개혁주의자인 그래함 메이첸박사와 코닐리어스 밴틸 박사를 주축으로 세워졌다. 그래함 메이첸박사는 관습적이며 피상적인 종류의 훈련이 아니라 오히려 심오하고 그리스도 중심적인 준비를 위한 훈련을 제공할 것이라고 강조했다.웨스트민스터 신앙고백서를 중요하게 여기며, 개혁신학과 구 프린스턴 신학교의 전통에 뿌리를 두고 있다. 게할더스 보스의 성경신학과 코닐리어스 밴틸의 전제주의 변증으로 유명하다. 그 밖의 교수로는 스톤하우스, 에드워드 J. 영 (E. J. Young), 존 머레이, 간하배, 래이몬드 딜라드, 그리고 리차드 게핀과 같은 교수들이 있었다.

졸업생

미국 동문들 
특별히 고든 콘웰 신학교와 풀러 신학교를 창설하고 첫 학장을 지낸  헤롤드 옥켄가, 훼이스 신학교를 설립하고 학장으로 섬겼던 칼 맥킨타이어, 그리고 저명한 신학자인 프란시스 쉐퍼도 이 신학교 졸업생이다. 지금 미국에서 가장 영향력 있는 목회자 중 하나인 팀 켈러목사와 현 휘튼 대학 총장인 필립 라이켄이 신학교 출신이다.

한인 동문들 

한국의 많은 학자들을 배출하였는데 박윤선 박사와 황성수 박사를 비롯한 현재 국내 대학의 약 20명이상의 전 현직 총장들과 많은 신학교수들을 배출하였다.

특히 개혁주의신학으로 한국 신학계와 교계에 적지 않은 영향을 끼친 웨스트민스터 신학교는 1929~50년대에 박윤선, 김치선, 명신홍, 황성수(1942년 수학), 한태동, 박희천, 한철하 박사 등이 졸업했으며, 1960-70년대에는 김의환, 손봉호, 김명혁, 박형용, 이종윤, 최낙재, 정규남, 박희천, 서영호, 전호진, 한태동, 황창기, 손석태, 옥한흠 등을 배출했으며, 1980-1999년대에는 오덕교, 황규명, 서영일, 신국원, 오광만, 김광열, 이광희, 안명준, 원종천, 김성환, 김재성, 박응규, 권성수, 김길성, 이영훈, 김의원, 김인환, 장동민, 성종현, 김준, 김준수, 김추성, 김현성, 노진산, 박영돈, 장동민, 오창록, 신문철, 강웅산, 정승원, 이상원, 채규현, 김한요, 장은일,  김진규, 오창록,박노철, 허주, 신문철, 안승준, 최순진, 최창호, 한상화, 홍철, 이만수, 조진모, 이학민, 이성재, 이종민, 임건택, 장우천,  최재호 박사들이 졸업했다. 

2000년대 이후로  이강택, 정성국, 박덕준, 이강택, 홍승민, 권경철, 송영재, 김의창, 김두환, 김준, 안창민, 이정민, 이한석, 권혁민, 김상순, 양대식, 강명옥, 신호섭, 이국진, 전형준, 정성국, 정영교, 박순오,  황영아, 황준식, 도지원, 오병제, 오원석, 유영택, 이규한, 임대규, 조영천, 최병남, 최지훈, 한규삼, 김진수, 김망규, 김대언, 이승남, 김상순, 황현조, 조성훈, 김대호, 안상준, 이진영, 박 바울, 등그 외에 수많은 한국의 신학대학교의 많은 지도자들을 배출했다. 

명예박사를 받은 한인으로는 박윤선, 옥한흠, 이종윤, 그리고 이원상이다. 미국 대학의 지도자 중 한국계는 미국 캘리포니아 웨스트민스터신학교 김은일 학장 (Joel E. Kim)이 있고 텍사스주 소재 남부개혁대학신대원 (Southern Reformed College and Seminary) 에 이광진 (James A. Lee) 총장 등이 있다. 목회자로는 여의도 순복음교회 담임 이영훈목사, 어바인 벧엘교회 김한요 목사 등이 있다. 2022년 12월 부터 2024년 12월까지 웨스트민스터 신학교 한국동문회 회장은 평택대학교 이광희 박사이다.

역대 총장들 
 에드먼드 클리우니(1966 - 1984)
 조오지 C. 풀러 (1984 - 1991)
 사무엘 T. 로간 (1991 - 2005)
 피터 릴백 (2005–present)

전. 현직교수진 

 Jay E. 아담스
 Oswald Thompson Allis
 Gregory Beale
 Harvie M. Conn
 Ray Dillard
 윌리엄 에드거
 Peter Enns
 Sinclair Ferguson
 John Frame
 리차드 게핀
 Richard Gamble
 John Gerstner
 Robert Godfrey
 J. Alan Groves
 R. Laird Harris
 D. G. Hart
 Philip Edgecumbe Hughes
 Kent Hughes
 Rienk Kuiper
 피터 릴백
 Tremper Longman
 존 그레섬 메이천
 Allan MacRae
 Jack Miller
 존 머레이 (1930-1966)
 Manuel Ortiz
 번 S. 포이트레스
 O. Palmer Robertson
 Norman Shepherd
 Moisés Silva
 Ned Bernard Stonehouse
 Carl R. Trueman
 Chad Van Dixhoorn
 Cornelius Van Til
 Bruce Waltke
 Robert Dick Wilson
 Paul Woolley
 Edward Joseph Young

각주

외부 링크 
  웨스트민스터 신학교 홈페이지

미국의 신학교
미국의 장로교
펜실베이니아주의 기독교
펜실베이니아주의 대학교
장로교 신학교
개혁주의
정통장로교회
1929년 개교