Eden Theological Seminary (a seminary of the United Church of Christ and the place I make my home) is going through some rough financial times. Investments for the seminary have declined with fluctuations in the stock market and are not providing the kind of revenue needed for the operating budget. A much needed capital campaign for Eden brought in well over the $18 million goal set just two years ago. Enrollment for the school is also up. But the lack of resources for the operating budget has forced staff cutbacks and the consideration of higher tuition costs. UCC students receive scholarships from Eden currently that amount to about 75% of tuition. The cutbacks in staff are personally difficult – obviously – for those who have lost their jobs and for the Eden community as a whole. Please hold our seminary in your prayers.
The anti-UCC web site www.UCCtruths.com is putting their own spin on the story. A headline on their site blares out “Eden Theological Seminary hemorrhaging money.” The real truth behind this story is that the board at Eden has made responsible and prudent decisions in the face of a hostile economy that will ultimately provide for the health of the seminary. Those decisions have been painful. But the seminary should be recognized for working towards the long-term health and future of the school. Future generations will likely receive the same high quality education that Eden has provided to distinguished alumni from generations past such as Reinhold Niebuhr, H. Richard Niebuhr, and Walter Brueggemann. Current students today benefit from a distinguished faculty that carries on a solid tradition of quality theological education.
Why would ucctruths present the story in such a way? They happily claim that they are in “no way affiliated with the United Church of Christ... and we are proud of that.” Eden is proud to be a seminary of the UCC. Our community believes in the mission of the UCC. That is why our students have come to Eden – to dedicate ourselves to the church. We draw strength from the prophetic tradition of the UCC. Ucctruths, which draws frequent praise from fundamentalists groups like Biblical Witness, shows distain for that tradition. But with a name like “ucctruths” don’t you think they’d be responsible enough to present a truthful and accurate picture of the faculty, staff, students and alumni that work each day to build up the church and carry on the mission of Eden Theological Seminary? Ucctruths does a disservice to the church and to those at Eden who have lost their jobs with such a misleading and un-truthful picture.
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Related Link: Higher Education Endowment Gains in FY04 Not Enough to Offset Prior Losses
