Unification Theological Seminary

The Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) is a Unification Church-affiliated graduate seminary headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. It is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and the New York State Education Department (NYSED).[1][2][3]

Unification Theological Seminary
TypePrivate seminary
Established1975
Religious affiliation
Unification Church
PresidentDr. Thomas J. Ward
Location
New York City
,
New York
,
United States
Websiteuts.edu

UTS also has a larger, 250-acre campus located in Dutchess County, New York; however, almost all instruction is now conducted through the Seminary’s New York headquarters. The seminary's first classes were offered in September 1975.

Students and Alumni

While the majority of UTS students have been Unification Church members, there are also students from other faiths. Historically, the UTS faculty has included academics representing the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian faiths, as well as Unificationist faculty with degrees from Harvard University, Columbia University, Graduate Theological Union, The New School, Vanderbilt University, and Drew University. The Seminary has over 100 students enrolled in its three Master degrees and in its Doctorate of Ministry (D.Min.) program. Most Unification Church leaders in the United States hold UTS degrees. UTS graduates have also played major leadership roles in many of the Unification Church-related organizations in the United States, as well as Unification-inspired civil society and corporate entities including the Universal Peace Federation, the Family Federation for World Peace, World Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP), the American Clergy Leadership Conference, World & I Magazine, Paragon Publishers, the Professors World Peace Academy, Unification Theological Seminary, and the Women’s Federation for World Peace.

Research and Publication

Since its inception, the Unification Theological Seminary has served as the principal venue to provide formal, academic religious and theological training for its Church leaders. It has offered courses in New Testament, Old Testament, the Pauline Epistles, Patristics, Hermeneutics, Church History, Apologetics as well as Islam, East Asian Religion, Religious Education, Peace Studies, as well as in the Unification Church’s own canon of Divine Principle, Unification Thought, the Teachings and Writings of Reverend Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon and their applications, and other related sources.

The Seminary has played an important role in Unification apologetics, academic research related to the movement’s historical development, and in the articulation of the Unificationist perspective. Dr. Young Oon Kim, the Unification Church’s first theologian and the first Korean missionary to the United States, taught at Unification Theological Seminary from its founding in 1975 until just prior to her death in 1989. Dr. Kim authored several seminal church academic texts including Unification Principle and its Applications (1980) and Unification Theology (1980), Unification Thought and Christian Theology (date), and Systematic Theology. Dr. David S.C. Kim, an early missionary, who served as President of the Unification Theological Seminary from 1975-1994 edited the authoritative three-volume Day of Hope in Review texts, comprehensive collections of the press coverage of the early years of Reverend Moon’s speaking tours in the United States.  Dr. Andrew Wilson, a Harvard-trained Old Testament Scholar, oversaw the selection of texts and the editing of World Scriptures (1991) and also served as co-author together with Dr. Joong Hyun Pak of True Family Values. Dr. Wilson is currently working with Rev. Hee Hun Standard in the translation, editing, preparation for publication of 원리 원본 (Wolli Wonbon), the original draft of Unification teachings personally drafted by Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Dr. Michael Mickler’s History of the Unification Church in America (1993) and his 40 Years in America: An Intimate History of the Unification Movement 1959-1999 (2000)  are authoritative texts on the Unification Movement, documenting both its achievements and challenges. Over the past five decades, numerous volumes on Theology, Church History, Religious Education, Inter-Religious Dialogue, Peace Studies, Evolution, Threats to Ecosystems, and on the Philosophy of Science have been published by UTS faculty and alums, including Dr. Jonathan Wells, Dr. Thomas Walsh, Dr. Karen Smith, Dr. Keisuke Noda, Dr. Frank Kaufmann, Dr. Frederick Swarts, and Dr. Kathy Winings, who currently serves as National President of the Religious Education Association.  The Seminary also sponsors The Journal of Unification Studies, an academic journal.

Academics

The seminary offers four distinct degree programs:

Program Duration of the Course Notes
Master of Religious Education, MRE 2-year Program Welcomed the first class of 56 students in 1975
Master of Divinity, M.Div. 3-year Program Added in 1980
Master of Arts in Religious Studies, MA 2-year Program Added in 2011
Doctor of Ministry, D.Min. 3-year Program beyond Master level Inaugurated in 2006

Presidents (past and current)

The Seminary has had six presidents so far.

No. Name Duration of Service
Founding President.[4] David S.C. Kim, 1915–2011 1975 to 1994
2nd President Theodore Shimmyo 1994 to 2000
3rd President Tyler Hendricks, 1948– 2000 to 2010[5]
4th President Dr. Richard A. Panzer 2010 to 2015[6]
5th President Dr. Hugh Spurgin 2015 to 2019
Incumbent Dr. Thomas J. Ward 2019 to present[7]

Alumni
  • Daniel Fefferman – Executive director of the International Coalition for Religious Freedom.
  • Tyler Hendricks – President of U.S. Unification Church (1991–2000), president of Unification Theological Seminary (2000–2010).[8][9]
  • Michael Jenkins – President of U.S. Unification Church (2000–2009).[10]
  • Lee Shapiro – Documentary film maker, killed while filming in Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War.
  • Jonathan Wells (1978) – Biologist, Author and proponent of Intelligent design.
  • Andrew Wilson – Academic dean of UTS; editor of World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts
  • Michael Mickler – Professor of Church History, authority on the History of the Unification Church in the United States
  • Theodore Shimmyo – President of Unification Theological Seminary (1995-2000), Professor of Theology and respected authority on Unification Theology
  • Thomas G. Walsh – Chairman of the Universal Peace Federation
  • Taj Hamad – Chairman of the World Association of Non-Governmental Agencies

See also

References
  1. "List of Accredited Institutions by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education" MSA CHE. accessed March 16, 2016
  2. "College and University Campuses in New York State Directory:OHE:NYSED". eservices.nysed.gov. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  3. News, U. T. S. "History of UTS, January 1990". Unification Theological Seminary. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  4. Tribute to 1st UTS President, Dr. David S.C. Kim, 1915-2011 Archived 2012-02-08 at the Wayback Machine UTS Website. Accessed February 13, 2012.
  5. Thank you Tyler Hendricks (UTS’78) UTS Alumni Association Website. Accessed February 14, 2012
  6. Dr. Richard Panzer Takes the Helm at Unification Theological Seminary Unification Church News Website. Accessed February 14, 2012
  7. Mickler, Michael. "UTS Welcomes Dr. Thomas Ward". Unification Theological Seminary. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  8. New President for US Church, TParents Website. Accessed February 14, 2012
  9. Tyler Owen Hendricks Archived 2008-12-02 at the Wayback Machine UTS Website. Accessed February 14, 2012
  10. Rev. Michael Jenkins, New HSA President, TParents Website. Accessed February 14, 2012
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