Philocrites

The decline of liberal seminaries.

by Philocrites

"The mainline schools get the money, but the evangelical schools get the people," says Christianity Today. The six largest seminaries in the U.S. are now conservative Evangelical — with enrollments approaching 7,455 students. The six largest mainline seminaries — there are only six in the top twenty — have only 3,200 students. Mainline schools used to lead the way in theological education. No longer.

The trend is actually even worse than it appears: The mainline schools depend on their endowments because tuition is lagging far behind costs. Union Theological Seminary in New York, a leading liberal school, is in dire financial straits. But the conservative schools depend on tuition — and their students are willing to pay. Liberals depend on income from the past; conservatives are paying in the present.

Copyright © 2003 by Philocrites | Posted 17 January 2003 at 12:06 PM

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