Significant historical work commemorates 200th anniversary of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 12/20/19)—In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School’s beginnings—with thirteen men and thirteen dollars—“School of Prophets: A Bicentennial History of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School” unfolds the organizational history of a great theological seminary, as well as the dramatic story of the notable women and men who contributed to the school’s rich legacy.
Hence, while this is a bicentennial history of an institution, it is fundamentally the history of the people who have epitomized, shaped and advanced its expanding heritage. Thus, the narrative includes chapters about institutional growth and development, as well as chapters that serve as cameo biographies of key people who exemplified the spirit of that same period:
- William Newton Clark,
- Walter Rauschenbusch,
- Howard Thurman,
- Joanna P. Moore and
- Martin Luther King Jr.
In the final analysis, founding president Augustus Strong was correct to call this a story of “bricks, brains and books,” but, in the larger sense, it is an account of the galvanizing prophetic Christian vision evolved from its American Baptist roots to the ecumenical enterprise known as Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.
Demonstrating the interconnectivity between the history of the divinity school and history of American culture and theology, this significant work is of interest to seminarians and pastors; professors of American History, Church History and Theology; and readers interested in American Baptist history.
Author John R. Tyson, M.Div., M.Phil., Ph.D., teaches Church History and United Methodist Studies at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, N.Y. In addition to teaching and mentoring responsibilities, he has authored more than 75 articles and conference papers, as well as having edited or written eight books, including “The Way of the Wesleys” (Eerdmans, 2014).
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