ABILENE, Texas (ABP) — Logsdon Seminary, one the many Baptist divinity schools founded after fundamentalists took over the Southern Baptist Convention's seminaries, has gained recognition from the primary accrediting agency for theological schools in the United States and Canada.
The school, part of the Logdson School of Theology at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, announced Feb. 14 that the Association of Theological Schools has granted it full accreditation.
“ATS is the premier accrediting agency for graduate professional theological education,” said Thomas Brisco, dean of the seminary and the associated Logsdon School of Theology,” in a statement accompanying the announcement. “This accreditation confirms that Logsdon's programs and degrees conform to the high standards mandated by the association.
The announcement also noted that the accreditation applies to degrees offered through the seminary's distance-learning program and at its two extension centers — at Wayland Baptist University in Lubbock, Texas, and at the South Texas School of Christian Studies in Corpus Christi.
Schools that train ministers, chaplains and other clerics for ordained positions generally seek accreditation from ATS. A school must meet certain curricular, management and academic-freedom requirements to achieve the recognition, and ATS officials conduct extensive on-campus investigations before granting initial accreditation. They also periodically review accredited institutions.
Robert Ellis, the school's associate dean, said “endorsement for chaplaincy often requires a master of divinity [degree] from a seminary with ATS accreditation, and many denominations require theological education at a school with ATS accreditation in order to receive ordination.”
Hardin-Simmons, founded in 1891, is affiliated with the moderate-led Baptist General Convention of Texas. The Logsdon School of Theology, which includes the Logdson Seminary, came into existence in 1983. The seminary was established in 2004. The BGCT also supports another relatively new moderate divinity school, the George W. Truett Theolgical Seminary at Baylor University.
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