Prior to Princeton Seminary’s establishment, clergy were trained in college classrooms. Young men called to ministry in the Presbyterian Church made their way to Princeton to attend the College of New Jersey, founded in 1746 and renamed Princeton University in 1896. The Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon, President of The College of New Jersey in the later years of the 18th century and a Presbyterian pastor and teacher, had the distinction of being the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence.
The Seminary’s charge at its founding was “to unite in those who shall sustain the ministerial office, religion and literature; that piety of the heart, which is the fruit only of the renewing and sanctifying grace of God, with solid learning; believing that religion without learning, or learning without religion, in the ministers of the gospel, must ultimately prove injurious to the church.”
The Seminary’s charge at its founding was “to unite in those who shall sustain the ministerial office, religion and literature; that piety of the heart, which is the fruit only of the renewing and sanctifying grace of God, with solid learning; believing that religion without learning, or learning without religion, in the ministers of the gospel, must ultimately prove injurious to the church.”
Learning has always been foundational in the Presbyterian Church, so it is not surprising that Presbyterian seminaries are centered around two buildings: their chapels and their libraries. Princeton’s chapel is lovely, the perfect setting for daily worship in the midst of the academic scrum. But Princeton’s library is matchless, an extraordinary resource available to students, faculty, and the broader community. You’d have to travel to Rome, to the Vatican Library, to find a richer and broader theological collection.
All buildings age, and the Seminary’s library building was no exception. It was dated and worn when I was a student 15 years ago. A bold decision was made a few years back by the Seminary’s leaders to tear down the old building and in its place build not just a replacement, slightly larger and technologically up-to-date, but a building that would house a library designed to reach out to the global community: to pastors, teachers, and lay women and men in far distant lands, especially those without the easy access we have to books, articles and other resources to help them learn.
Construction of the new library is well underway. I’ve been following the library’s progress closely not only as a faithful alumnus twice over, but also as a member of the Bicentennial Committee that is helping the Seminary prepare for a joyous celebration next year.
Our Pastors’s Committee has a two-fold charge: first, to help raise funds for this exciting ministry project, and second, to help our congregations learn more about Princeton Seminary and how broad the school’s reach is. There are 11,000 Seminary alums scattered throughout the globe, including almost 400 here in Virginia, ministering, teaching, preaching, counseling, evangelizing, and praying in the name of Jesus Christ. Seminary professors author books and articles that influence preaching and teaching in churches of every denomination. We’ll host Professor Cleo LaRue next June as guest preacher and teacher.
The world of theological seminaries seems removed from us as we go about our daily business, as though they were cloisters, rather than the vibrant centers they are. Our seminaries touch all our lives – not just mine – deeply and profoundly.
We as a church community should take a keen interest in and be strongly supportive of all our theological seminaries, and especially Princeton as it takes a giant step forward to become a resource available to men and women the world over eager to learn, eager to grow in their knowledge of Jesus Christ.
