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Theological Seminaries THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
of ministers through a seven-years' course, of which the first four are preparatory for theological study proper. In the theological course much more time is given to Biblical and historical than to dogmatic theology, the idea being that Christianity is not a philosophical system, but a personal life. The history of Augsburg Seminary has been one of continual struggle, partly on account of the financial difficulties with which an institute of this kind must contend among poor and struggling immigrants, and partly because the principles of the seminary have been the object of many and persevering attacks from those who were more or less interested in continuing in the new country the ideas prevailing in the state churches in regard both to the education of ministers and to the relation between the clergy and the common people in the .churches.
B. Augustana: Augustana Theological Seminary, under the control of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, was established in 1860 at Chicago, whence it was removed, three years later, to Paxton, Ill., and thence, in 1875, to Rock Island, Ill., where it is now permanently located. It had its origin in the need of providing ministers for the Swedish immigrants, and among its founders were Rev. L. P. Esbjorn, Rev. T. N. Hasselquist, and Rev. Erland Carlsson, while its earliest professors were the two first named and Dr. A. R. Cervin, T. N. Hasselquist being also first president until his death in 1891. In 1890 two additional professors were appointed, and the course of study was changed on the adoption of the university plan, the courses offered now numbering twenty. The number of graduates of the seminary, inclusive of the year 1909, is 698, and the instruction corresponds to the best requirements of well-equipped seminaries, the diploma being recognized by the Church of Sweden. The seminary has also a post-graduate department offering twenty-four courses. Students may receive the B.D. degree, and all who have acquired A.B. and B.D., and pass satisfactory examinations in eight subjects of the post-graduate courses, receive the degree of C.S.T. by continued studies and on the completion of an accepted and printed thesis on some theological subject. The degree D.D. may be conferred if the scholarship of the candidate and his standing are such that he may be recommended. The seminary stands for Lutheran orthodoxy, evangelical Christianity, and higher theological culture, and its influence on its own denomination has been to extend the work of Augustana Synod throughout the United States and to encourage missionary activity in foreign lands. Standing for true conservatism, true liberalism, and faithfulness to the Augsburg Confession, it has done much to strengthen the Lutheran Church in the United States. There are, however, no special movements that have originated in the seminary except the Augustana Foreign Mission Society. All the professors of the seminary have been more or less prominent, and among them special mention should be made of T. N. Hasselquist (who was also one of the founders of the Augustana Synod), O. Olsson (q.v.; president of the institution from 1891 to 1900), and R. F. Weidner (q.v.; now president
of the Lutheran Seminary at Chicago). The regular professors are four in number: C. E. Lindberg (acting president and professor of systematic theology, liturgies, and church polity), N. Forsander (q.v.; historical theology, Swedish homiletics, and pastoral theology), S. G. Youngert (philosophy, Greek New Testament, exegesis, NewTestament introduction, and catechetics), and C. A. Blomgren (Hebrew, Old-Testament introduction and exegesis, propaedeutics, and English homiletics). There are eighteen trustees of the institution, which is governed by the Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod; and it had in 1910 fifty-eight students, all of whom are Lutherans, from almost every state in the Union. The endowment is about $380,000, this being for the entire institution of Augustana College and Theological Seminary, and the library of 24,000 volumes likewise belongs to the institution as a whole. A new library building known as the Denkmann Memorial Library, costing over $200,000, was dedicated in 1911. Since 1901 the president has been Dr. Gustav Andreen, who for some years has been relieved from teaching in order to raise additional funds for the college and seminary.
3. Chicago: This seminary, officially known as " The Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church at Chicago, Ill.," received its charter July 29, 1891, was opened Oct. 1 of the same year, and is now located in Maywood,'a suburb of Chicago. The directors, originally appointed by the officers of the General Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, are self-perpetuating, and elect their successors from synods in strict harmony with the doctrinal position of the seminary " as set forth in the Fundamental Principles of Faith and Church Polity as declared by the General Council (1867) at Fort Wayne, Ind." The first president of the board (to 1894) was the Rev. W. A. Passavant (q.v.), by whose zeal and liberality the seminary was founded. So far but five professors have been connected with the seminary: Rev. R. F. Weidner (q.v.; dogmatics and exegesis since 1891; elected president in 1893), Rev. H. W. Roth (practical theology and church history, 1891-97), Rev. G. H. Gerberding (practical theology since 1894), Rev. E. F. Krauss (New-Testament exegesis since 1900), and Rev. Alfred Ramsey (historical theology since 1904). The aim of the institution is to prepare men for the ministry of the Gospel, especially in connection with the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and is open to all students of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and to all pastors thereof, as well as to any others, whether students or pastors, who, having the proper gifts and education, give evidence of Christian character and experience. All the sciences included in theology, some thirty or more, are logically arranged so as to be comprised in twentyone distinct and independent courses covering seventy-two hours' instruction weekly, and each subject, except Greek and Hebrew exegesis, may be completed in one year. A student of average ability can graduate in three years (sixteen courses), and in four years can take the degree of B.D. (twenty-one courses). Twenty-four different courses are also offered to post-graduates by correspondence.