Federal Theological Seminary of Southern Africa
The Federal Theological Seminary of Southern Africa aka Fedsem was a multi-denominational
theological seminary in South Africa, and an experiment in ecumenical theological education
.
Origins
It was opened in
apartheid legislation such as the Group Areas Act
which forced theological colleges for black students that were situated in "whiter" areas to close or move.
Among the colleges that were threatened by this legislation were
Fort Hare University College
at Alice in the Transkei. They opted for the model of English collegiate universities, like Oxford, Cambridge and Durham, where each college functioned independently, but shared resources such as teaching staff and libraries. Each college had its own accommodation for students and staff, and its own chapel.
The colleges that opened in 1963 were: St Peter's (
Congregationalist
).
The first principal was Father Aelred Stubbs, who stepped aside after eight years to make way for an African principal.
On 26 November 1974, the government issued an expropriation order, giving the Seminary three months to vacate the land and the buildings. The seminary was obliged to move, first to
Fedsem closed in 1993.
References
- ^ The Federal Theological Seminary of Southern Africa oikoumene.org
- ^ "Fedsem: Mixing church and politics". 21 November 2011.
External links
- Notes on the foundation of the Federal Theological Seminary of Southern Africa G A Duncan, University of Pretoria
- The Daily Telegraph[dead link]
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