Below is the recently adopted “Statement Of Mission, Vision, and Values” for The School Of Theology At Claremont, one of the 13 official United Methodist-related seminaries in the U.S.:
STATEMENT OF MISSION, VISION AND VALUES
At its March 2008 meeting, the Board of Trustees set in motion the Claremont University Project. This statement of Mission, Vision, and Values were adopted to shape the character of the multi-year project.
MISSION
As an ecumenical and inter-religious institution, Claremont School of Theology seeks to instill students with the ethical integrity, religious intelligence, and intercultural understanding necessary to become effective in thought and action as leaders in the increasingly diverse, multireligious world of the 21st century.
VISION
In addition to being a leading school of theology training exemplary ministers for service to their specific religious organizations, Claremont has a vision of being a leading theological university where scholars and practitioners of the world’s religions can come together, learning and practicing how to treat others as they would like to be treated. This will enable religious organizations, leaders, and individuals, regardless of their matters of perspective on faith, to work collectively to bring about harmony and understanding at all levels – individual, organizational, and governmental.
VALUES
With a free and liberating spirit, Claremont nurtures a diverse international community that passionately pursues intellectual rigor, vocational formation, and responsible social engagement. We commit ourselves to think deeply, act ethically, embrace diversity, work for justice and peace, and care for the earth, its people, and its resources so that all life may flourish.
Notably absent from this statement are words such as Jesus, Christ, or Christianity.
At an institution supported by dollars from local United Methodist congregations. And United Methodism is, after all, a self-avowed Christian denomination.
I am no fundamentalist. But Jesus is decisive, and our churches long for pastors who believe as much. Syncretism is a grave danger, not a friend.
If one of our denomination-related schools of theology cannot claim in its Mission, Vision, and Values that is in any way Christian, then perhaps we should “re-think” what it means to be a United Methodist seminary.
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Wow! This is disheartening. This is long way from the denominational roots we discussed in First Step, isn’t it? Without Jesus, we have nothing. Sounds like another “Tower of Babel” waiting to happen…
Wow! Thanks for bringing this to the attention of others. Most statements like this never make it to the eyes of most members. I totally agree that our denomination has taken steps in the wrong direction to rekindle the fires in the heart and soul of it’s members. I am so thankful that GSUMC is not your typical UMC!!
Claremont has long been asking to be dropped from the list of approved seminaries. But I doubt our denomination has the courage to insist that any institution adhere to core doctrines, since we cannot seem to police our own bishops, boards and pastors.
right on target…also absent, secondarily to your notes, are the words “church” and “united methodist”…
Ken —
So can anything from the perspective of GBHEM?
Thanks.
Talbot
You need to check out Jeremy’s post on the subject Mission Holiness Rankings of UMC Seminaries
I’m wondering how much for the angst over this is the mission statement and how much is long-standing disagreement with Claremont’s rather liberal theology.
I ask because it does not take much digging to see that the school is transforming to a university in which the theological school will be one of four schools. It will still be a UM seminary offering UM courses and fully Christian M.Div. The schedule of classes are there for anyone to read.
But the overall institution will be a university with multiple schools rather than a single school of theology. So the mission statement for the university reflects a broader mission than the mission statement of the theology school.
Again, I understand if people do not like Claremont’s liberalism, but the mission statement is not some nefarious abandoning of Christ. The Duke University mission statment does not mention Christ or United Methodism either. I would not knock Duke Divinity School because its parent university does mention Christ in the mission statement.
That’s my take anyway.
John –
As of now, the University Project is more idea than reality.
The Mission, Vision, and Values statement, however, is in effect today.
Further, the goal of the University Project is not a comprehensive university a la Duke, Emory, or SMU (where my father taught on the law faculty). There will be no hard sciences, social sciences, or humanities. Just the study of religion.
To answer your first question . . . sure I have long-standing disagreement with Claremont’s liberal theology. But the attempt to move away from accreditation troubles into the University model is, I believe, one of the consequences of that theology.
All in all, I believe the Mission Statement and University Project would be better owned by the Unitarians than the United Methodists.
What makes this so frustrating is that schools like Bethel and Gordon-Conwell (the latter of which has turned out some amazing UMC Pastors for the last 30 years!) are not recognized by the UMC because they don’t have a sufficient “Methodist ethos”…
Those of us who went to such schools and then see Clarmont enjoying UM support can’t help but feel betrayed by our own denomination.
Talbot,
Thank you for your comments on the UMC and seminary choices. I hope the UMC decides to include Bethel and Gordon-Conwell again in the future. I heard one of these seminaries is talking about appealing the policy change. Perhaps we should pray for a successive appeal.
Thank you JMS for your comments.
Keith Hart