Bristol Baptist College, England, is the oldest of the theological seminaries of the denomination.

Baptist Church History – Facebook

Admin  ·   · Daily Baptist Encyclopedia Post by Jim Curran(please see warning note at bottom to see how far this college has sunk!) Bristol Baptist College, England, is the oldest of the theological seminaries of the denomination. Many of the eminent men who founded thie early Baptist churches in England and Wales had been educated at the universities of Oxford and Cam- bridge, and when the doors of these great national institutions were closed against Nonconformists by law, after the restoration of Charles II., they felt themselves compelled to provide for the continuance of an educated ministry. In 1675 the Baptist ministers in London invited their brethren through- out the country to meet in the following May in the metropolis with a view to form ‘‘a plan for providing an orderly standing ministry who might give themselves to reading and study, and so be- come able ministers of the New Testament.” Four years after this meeting, in 1679, an excellent deacon of the Broadmead church, Bristol, Mr. Ed- ward Terrill, executed a deed leaving a considerable part of his property to the pastor of the Broad- mead church for the time being, “‘ provided he be a holy man, well skilled in the Greek and Hebrew tongues, and devote three half-days a week to the instruction of any number of young students, not exceeding twelve, who may be recommended by the churches.” In 1689 what was called a General Assembly was convened in London, in which more than one hundred churches were represented, and it was resolved to raise a fund, one object of which should be to assist ‘“ members of churches who had promising gifts, were sound in fundamentals, and inclined to study, in attaining to the knowledge of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.” Progress, however, was slow for various reasons. Mr, Terrill’s fund did not become available until the death of his widow, but there is evidence showing that Mr. Caleb Jope was chosen as one of the ministers of the Broadmead church, Bristol, for the purpose of teaching, and that he received support from Ter- rill’s fund from 1714 to 1719. With the acceptance of the pastorate at Broadmead by Mr. Bernard Foskett, in 1720, the Bristol Academy became a recognized institution among the churches. The Particular Baptist Fund, which had been established in 1717, included ministerial education among its objects, and from this quarter the work at Bristol received considerable aid. Sixty-five students were taught by Mr. Foskett, of whom the most note- worthy were Benjamin Beddome, John Ryland, Sr., Benjamin Francis, Hugh Evans, Morgan Edwards (afterwards of Philadelphia), Dr. Ash, and Dr. Llewellyn. Hugh Evans succeeded Mr. Foskett, and was succeeded by his son, Dr. Caleb Evans. Under their direction the interests of the college flourished, and in 1770 the Bristol Education So- ciety was formed “for the enlargement of the number of students in this seminary, and its more effectual and permanent support.’’ Among the students admitted to the college during Dr. Kvans’s presidency were John Rippon, John Suteliff, Robert Hall, Samuel Pearce, Joseph Hughes, the founder of the British and Foreign Bible Society, William Steadman, Joseph Kinghorn, John Foster, and William Staughton, afterwards of Philadelphia. In 1785, Robert Hall became one of the tutors m the institution, and as assistant minister at Broad- mead gave brilliant promise of the oratorical fame which in subsequent years he attained. On Dr. Evans’s death, Dr. John Ryland, of Northampton, accepted the presidency, and continued his official service thirty-two years, until his death, in 1825. The present edifice in Stokes Croft, Bristol, was built in 1811. Dr. Ryland was succeeded by the Rey. T. S. Crisp, who for several years had filled the classical professorship and served the Broad- mead church as assistant minister. Mr. Crisp held the office until his death, in-1868, when he was suc- ceeded by the present distinguished president, Dr. F. W. Gotch, who had been Mr, Crisp’s colleague since 1846, and also a former student of the institu- tion. Under Dr. Gotch Bristol College maintains its ancient reputation, and enjoys the confidence of the churches. During its continuous history from 1720 to the present time about 600 students have been registered on its roll, several of whom have become presidents and professors in Baptist colleges. Between forty and fifty missionaries of the Baptist Missionary Society received their education at Bris- tol, among whom were Dr. Marshman, Dr. Yates, John Mack, Thomas Burchell, and C. B. Lewis. Bristol College possesses a remarkably valuable library, and a choice collection of rare and antique articles of various kinds, the munificent bequest of Dr. Andrew Gifford. The library contains a manu- script copy of Wycliff’s translation of the Epistles, the Acts, and the Apocalypse, and another of a Wyc- lifite version of Matthew and the Acts, which be- longed to the celebrated Lord Cobham, the Lollard leader; the copy of the great charter of Edward I. which Blackstone used in preparing his Com- mentaries ; a copy of the first edition of ‘‘ Paradise Lost,’’ supposed to have been Milton’s own copy ; a Concordance published in 1673, with the auto- graph of John Bunyan. In English Bibles and Testaments the library is very rich, the most val- uable book in the collection being a copy of the first edition of Tyndale’s New Testament, of which no other complete copy is known to exist. It is literally the first English Testament, and as such it is justly styled the most interesting book in the language. There are no less than thirty-five different editions of English Bibles and Testaments published during the reigns of Henry VIII. and Edward VI., in- cluding the rare and valuable first and second edi- tions of Coverdale’s folio Bible. Of early printed books, there are three from Caxton’s press in 1481-82, the first books printed in England; the second, third, and fifth editions of Erasmus’s Greek Testament; the ‘‘ Nuremberg Chronicle,” 1493; and a book called “‘ Roberti Sermones,” printed in 1475. The walls of the library and museum are adorned with a large collection of portraits, both paintings and prints, of notable persons, for the most part identified with the denomination. An exquisitely finished miniature of Cromwell, one of the few authentic likenesses of the great hero, is the chief treasure in the museum, which is crowded with objects of varied interest from all lands. A bust of the Rev. Dr. Gifford, with an appropriate Latin inscription, is placed over the entrance to the museum, : : From the Baptist Encyclopedia by William Cathcart(NOTE: as with most older colleges it has become rank liberal. There is no mention of the Gospel or personal salvation on their website instead the emphasis is the social “gospel” (which isn’t) -The college does train women for the “ministry” and they are affiliated with the Baptist Union of Great Britain which is rank liberal. They refer people to the Baptist’s Union’s documents on becoming a minister which are nauseating. (although all featured in this did not graduate from there) The emphasis is on food pantries etc and no where is the gospel to be seen! The entry of women into ministry is front and center (even having one on the banner for “exploring a call to “baptist” ministry”) over half the ones in the document are women. God did not call them! This is in direct violation of God’s Word- 1Ti 2:12 “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” as well as I Tim 3:1-2 and Titus 1:5-6 Rev 2:20-21 and others . Compromise began many years back (apparently starting with Darwinism) and has just gotten worse over time. Let this be a cautionary tale- by far most older churches and colleges have compromised- time has simply given the devil more opportunities. Let us rather- 1Co 16:13 “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” )