Grace Theological Seminary - Xapis / Grace Yearbook (Winona Lake, IN)

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The Background and Origin of Grace Theological Seminary By President Alva J. McClain It has been said, with some degree of justification, that Grace Theolog- ical Seminary under its present name was born out of theological conflict. But the school owes nothing to the conflict except its external form. Its definite Christian faith and educa- tional ideals are matters which great- ly antedate the form. And these are the important things. Therefore, this account will be concerned mainly with historical background and or- igins. Elsewhere in this publication Dean Herman A. Hoyt is presenting a rather complete academic history of the school. I. The Brethren Church and Education. The Brethren movement began in 1708 in Germany under the leader- ship of Alexander Mack, a well-edu- cated and Bible-loving Calvinist, who with others of similar inclinations felt that the Reformation in Europe had not brought the church entirely back to its original apostolic purity in faith and life as founded by the Lord Jesus Christ. These Brethren began their organization as a distinctively “Bible” church, accepting the Holy Scriptures as the fully inspired and inerrant Word of God which, literally inter- preted, was the only infallible rule of faith and practice. Standing boldly for the complete separation of church Dr. McClain in his office. and state, they quickly became ob- jects of persecution. In 1719 they began emigration to America and within a few years the entire membership had come to this country. Here they found refuge un- der the protection of William Penn, and founded their first congregation at Germantown, Philadelphia, where later one of their number, the famous Christopher Sower, established a large printing plant, printed many books, published a paper, set up the first type foundry in America, and brought out his celebrated “Sower Bible,’ now a collector’s item (1). According to Dr. S. Z. Sharp, first president of Ashland College, the early Brethren leaders of that day PAGE 9

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Acknowledgments . . . PAGE 8 Without the encouragement and help received from many friends, the publication of this volume would have been quite impossible. In order to express the deep appreciation of the Staff for help received, the following acknowledgments are made: @ To the Class of 1949, for publishing the first Year Book of Grace Seminary (Edward D. Miller, Editor), which served as a model and inspiration for this book. @ To Dr. Alva J. McClain and Dr. Herman A. Hoyt, faculty advisors, for their encouragement, advice, and detailed assistance. @ ToMr.F.B. Miller, for valuable technical advice, and the handling of engravings. @ To Miss Dorothy Magnuson and Miss Ruth Reddick for typing work, and the compiling of student lists. @ To Dr. Alva J. McClain for contributing The Background and Origin of Grace Theological Seminary; Dr. Herman A. Hoyt, The Aca- demic History of Grace Theological Seminary; John Rea, the articles on Student Pastors and Foreign Missions at Grace; Donald Ogden, the article on Music at Grace; and Charles Turner, the article on Social Activities at Grace. @ To Dr. Paul R. Bauman, Rev. L. L. Grubb, Rev. Homer Kent, Jr., Robert Betz, and Earl Dekker, for taking photographs. @ To Prof. Robert D. Culver, for proofreading and contributing many photographs. @ To alumni who contributed photographs and showed their interest in Many ways. @ To those who did the technical work in publishing the book: Mr. Edson Moyer, art work; the Brethren Missionary Herald Company, composition; the Free Methodist Publishing House, press work and binding.

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PAGE 10 were ‘men of education, who had their minds trained in some of the best universities of Europe, and some of them were themselves instructors in universities. They could read the Scriptures in the original language in which they were written and could give an unbiased translation of them in the language of the common peo- plesGees During their first 150 years in this country, Brethren congregations spread through various Eastern States, and after the Civil War to IIli- nois and west of the Mississippi River. Through these years of pioneering movement and settlement many changes took place. By the middle of the 19th century a reactionary type of leadership had arisen, stressing conformity to traditional customs of dress, a legalistic view of salvation, the authority of church conferences over the local congregations, and op- position to educational and mission- ary activities. Resisting this leader- ship and its reactionary policies, many of the Brethren joined in what became known as the “Progressive” movement, which paved the way for the division of 1882 and the subse- quent organization of the leading ‘Progressives’ in a separate body legally chartered under the name “THE BRETHREN CHURCH.” Fol- lowing this division the remaining group, spoken of as the “Conserva- tives,’ took as their name “The Church of the Brethren” (3). From the standpoint of education, the division of 1882 had salutary ef- fects in both of the resulting organiza- tions. On the one side, the leaders of the newly formed Brethren Church were now free to carry out their “pro- gressive’ ideals and policies, includ- ing education for the church and its ministry. On the other side, within the original body, the powerful influ- ence of the “progressive’”’ movement, the shock of the division itself, aided by efforts of those “‘progressives’’ who remained in the “conservative” group —all combined to stimulate greatly the educational interests and activ- ities of the Church of the Brethren. The passing of the years, however, has widened tremendously the theo- logical chasm between the education- al leadership of the Church of the Brethren and that of the Brethren Church as represented by Grace The- ological Seminary. The former “con- servatives” of 1882 have become the theological liberals of today, so that they find themselves at home in the modernistic National Council of Churches, while Grace Theological Seminary and its supporting churches stand unreservedly for all the great historical and Biblical truths of Chris- tian faith as opposed to the modern negations of so-called “liberal Chris- tianity.” II. Theological Education at Ashland College to 1930 Ashland College had been founded at Ashland, Ohio, in 1878 by a group of Brethren including both “progres- sives’ and “conservatives.” Appar- ently its original plan of organization did not contemplate any special de- partment for the training of minis- ters. However, due to financial diffi- culties and a receivership, its owner- ship passed in 1888 to a group of leading men belonging to the recently