McGill-Queen's University Press Church, College, and Clergy: A History of Theological Education at Knox College, Toronto, 1844-1994: Volume 20 (McGill-Queen's Studies in the History of Religion)

Using the public writings of faculty members, Fraser describes the evolution of theological education at Knox College and, by extension, the ministry and mission of the Presbyterian Church of Canada. Fraser argues that Knox College, with its mission to uphold and spread the great evangelical truths of the Gospel, played a crucial role in the development of Presbyterian culture and in shaping the dominant views of the church. Review "An engaging history of Knox College ... Fraser's coherent and forceful argument makes a significant contribution to our understanding of religion in Canada. His knowledge of both the cultural and functional settings of theological education enables him to work, as it were, from the inside out, taking as his primary focus the issues and ambitions that were at the very heart of Knox College." William Westfall, History, Atkinson College, York University. From the Author An Exploration of How a College Served Its Church Theological colleges have a profound influence on the leaders of the churches they serve. Over the past 150 years, they have been the primary institutions responsible for the education of the clergy and, as such, have formed generation after generation of professional church leadership. This book examines the kind of theology taught and the kind of leadership formed at the largest Presbyterian theological college in Canada, Knox College in Toronto, between its founding in 1844 and its 150th anniversary in 1994. As a student of the college myself and now a theological educator, albeit in a different college, I was intrigued by the role the college played in the life the church and the kinds of theological and institutional struggles that had marked its relationship with its sponsoring and funding denomination. The book is not a comprehensive history of the college, but rather focuses on the ecclesiastical cultures propagated by the college's faculty and the kind of leadership they sought to educate for the denomination. I suggest that there have been three different dominant cultures in the college, shared by the denomination: conservative orthodoxy; progressive orthodoxy; and neo-orthodoxy. Each fostered a particular kind of the leadership for the church as it sought to be faithful and effective in the Canadian context. In recent years, all of these theological traditions have come into question and no dominant paradigm guides the teaching of the college. As a result, a new kind of tension has been apparent between college and church over the kind of education clergy need. From the Back Cover Church, College, and Clergy commemorates the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Knox College in Toronto. Founded in 1844, it is the oldest, largest, and most influential Presbyterian theological school in Canada. Brian Fraser traces the history of the college and examines how Presbyterians in Canada educated the leaders who ensured the preservation and propagation of their culture. Using the writings of faculty members, Fraser describes the evolution of theological education at Knox College and, by extension, the ministry and mission of the Presbyterian Church of Canada. About the Author Brian J. Fraser is dean of St Andrew's Hall and associate professor of church history, Vancouver School of Theology.