The End of Theological Education
Author Ted A. Smith ISBN 9780802878878 Binding Trade Paper Publisher WM B. Eerdmans Publishing Company Publication Date May 26, 2023 Size 140 x 216 mmHow to envision theological education in this time between the times
The dominant model of theological education is coming to an end—but Ted A. Smith looks to its ultimate ends as sources of hope and renewal.
Smith locates the crisis facing theological education today in a sweeping history of religion in the United States, from the standing orders of the colonial period to the voluntary associations of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He then connects today’s challenges to shifts in contemporary society, including declining religious affiliation, individualization, rising desires for authenticity, and the unraveling of professions.
Smith refuses to tell the story as one of progress or decline. Instead, he puts theological education in eschatological perspective, understanding it in relation to its ultimate purpose: “knowledge of God, knowledge so deep, so intimate, that it requires and accomplishes our transformation.” This knowledge is not restricted to a professional clerical class but is given for the salvation of all. Seeing by the light of this hope, Smith calls readers to reimagine church, ministry, and theological education for this time between the times.
“This is a remarkable book. For seminary faculties, pastors, and denominational leaders it is a ‘must read’ as we discern the present.”
Interpretation
“The End of Theological Education is an immeasurably hopeful book that looks toward the future of the church and its ministry and the future of theological education with fresh perspectives.”
The Presbyterian Outlook
“Smith’s account of imaginaries is revelatory. Pastors, church members and denominational staff should read this portion of the book. They will find the history and analysis a stimulating alternative to pervasive messages of decline.”
Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly
“This book is not only fascinating, especially as a piece of cultural history; it is extremely important.”
“I consider this book one of the top five publications about theological education during the past 100 years, from Robert Kelly’s Theological Education in America (Doran, 1924) to the present. While other books may be more exhaustive in content, none offers more insight.”
—Kenneth J. McFayden, Union Presbyterian Seminary
“In this exciting work, Ted Smith boldly envisions the telos of theological education. The end lies in a future beyond equipping the Christian leader as the professional charged with assembling, organizing, and leading the church as an amalgam of voluntary societies. What, where, who is that end? Every student of theological study needs to explore Smith’s exploration of that critical question. If the future of theological inquiry and thus the future of the church is on your mind, this book must be on your desk.”
—Brian K. Blount
President and Professor of New Testament, Union Presbyterian Seminary
“The crisis in theological education is not just within individual institutions. It is symptomatic of profound societal shifts happening today. Ted Smith’s historically saturated analysis offers a fresh approach to the challenges of the American seminary. Telling an absorbing story, The End of Theological Education is a distinct contribution that will resource the new conversations desperately needed among theological educators and those who lead their institutions.”
—Gerardo Martí
William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Sociology at Davidson College
“Smith captures our current moment persuasively and truthfully. He testifies to God’s way of doing a new thing at this particular end for theological education, while providing a way of thinking through the new structures and modes that theological schools must inhabit. This is a must read for those interested in the multiple futures of theological education and what those futures mean for communities of faith.”
—Frank Yamada
Executive Director, The Association of Theological Schools
“The End of Theological Education is a clarion call to hear what the Spirit is saying between the times; it is fluid and characterized always by the manner in which God’s work thrives in the midst of change. Through a social-theological-religious interrogation of a professional model and a system that centers whiteness, Ted A. Smith invites readers to imagine what the not yet but possible.
This insightful, historically grounded account of the evolution, function, and purpose of theological education should be required reading for all seminary presidents, faculty, governing trustees, accreditors, and denominational leaders.”
—Angela D. Sims
President, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Consolidation
2. Individualization
3. Unraveling
The End
4. Renunciations
5. Affordances
For Further Thought
Notes