This year we will celebrate our seminary’s founding by American Presbyterian missionaries 150 years ago. The seminary was originally housed on a boat that sailed over the Nile, so that students could combine studying with preaching the Gospel in villages. Nowadays, we have our main campus in Cairo and branches in Minya (250 km south of Cairo) and Alexandria (225 km north west of Cairo). Altogether, there are over three hundred students.
Some ETSC faculty and students in the library of the Center for Middle Eastern Christianity. Dr. Michael Parker (sitting) is ETSC’s Director of Graduate Studies. |
Currently, our seminary is reviewing its curriculum and introducing new degree names. From fall 2014 onwards, we hope to offer the following degree programs:
From fall 2015 onwards, we also hope to offer some shorter certificate (non-degree) programs to serve various interests and needs.
ETSC Faculty |
The seminary receives financial support both from churches and individuals in Egypt and from abroad, so that tuition fees can be kept relatively low. For international students we are sometimes able to secure a scholarship.
Yes, certainly. Our programs in Arabic have drawn students from Sudan, Syria, Iraq, and other Middle Eastern countries. Our advanced program in English has received students from many nations: Norway, Syria, Italy, Korea, India, Sudan, Germany, etc
Some ETSC students in front of the Mohammed Ali mosque at the citadel in Cairo. |
Graduates of our ordination track usually become pastors in Egypt, especially in villages and in new church plants in ever-expanding Cairo. One recent graduate became a missionary pastor in Iraq and a soon-to-be graduate is currently serving half-time in Gaza. Graduates of our part-time programs usually use their degree to be better equipped for ministries in which they are currently serving
Graduates of our advanced program in English have become full-time or part-time faculty at our seminary and at seminaries in Sudan and in the United States. Some graduates have continued their studies overseas, at institutions like Princeton Theological Seminary and Yale Divinity School. One of them is now the head of our seminary library and another is the chairman of the board of our seminary. International graduates serve as pastors or in other positions in their home countries.
Inside the recently renovated chapel of ETSC. |
Our seminary is one of the leading centers of Christian theology in the Arab speaking world. As a Presbyterian seminary we have welcomed students from many Protestant denominations and even some from Coptic Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches.
For international students, Egypt is a fascinating country: it is the second country of the Bible, has an incredible number of Pharaonic, Coptic, and Islamic monuments, and is the center of the Arab Spring. Compared to most Western countries, life is very cheap. Although mass demonstrations are now less common than during the last few years, our on-campus accommodation makes it easy for students to stay a day at home in case of unrest in the city.
Two types of international students will especially enjoy studying in Egypt at our seminary:
• students interested in studying Christianity in the context of the Middle East and in an Islamic society;
• non-native speakers of English who have a TOEFL score that is above 500 but just not high enough to be admitted to most schools in America or Europe—ETSC specializes in offering high quality theological education to people for whom English is a second language.
Students of the ordination program during a conference last September |
ETSC has two libraries on its main campus: a general theological library with some 50,000 volumes (half in English, half in Arabic) and a specialized research library in its Center for Middle Eastern Christianity (CMEC).
We offer programs in our branches in Minya and Alexandria. Next academic year we hope to start implementing on-line distance learning.
—
My thanks to Willen de Wit for his contribution to series. ETSC publishes its own journal, the Cairo Journal of Theology. Please pray for the faculty of students of ETSC.
The Association of British Theological and Philosophical Libraries held their Spring Conference in Edinburgh at…
I have always been fascinated by the arguments for and against the unity of the…
Rutherford Centre for Reformed Theology is closing and merging with the Highland Theological College (pictured…
Today's free book is Herbert Udny Weitbrecht's commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, part of…
One of the advantages of working for an educational institution is that you do get…
In 2013 I received permission from InterVarsity (USA) to digitise and host their 1980s student…