History of Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton College
The current Undergraduate Department of Biblical and Theological Studies enjoys a long history—arguably as long as the college itself! Wheaton College finds its origins in a time when small Christian institutions were emerging all over the new nation, seeking to train students through dedicated faculty devoted to the ministry of higher education.
Founding Years: Christian Higher Education and Liberal Arts Roots (1860 and Beyond)
From 1860, when the Wesleyan Illinois Institute was renamed Wheaton College, the formation of students in Christian thought and practice was among the foremost aims of the college. Many faculty members were themselves ministers, including the first president of the college, Jonathan Blanchard. They saw the work of education as a ministry to young students entering diverse professions around the world.
Emergence of the Bible and Philosophy Department at Wheaton College
Students, for their part, not only studied in the various disciplines that comprise a liberal arts education, but also pursued doctrines of salvation, apologetics, biblical criticism, and moral history during the early years of the college. In 1917 Wheaton College arranged itself in departments of study, reflecting a growing trend in colleges and universities. The “Bible and Philosophy” department emerged as one of these new divisions, reflecting the focus on Christian education at the school.
Edith C. Torrey: Early Leadership in Women’s Biblical Education
Under the presidency of Charles Blanchard, the Bible and theology became increasingly important to the formation of students. Thus, in 1925, the college hired its first full-time Bible instructor: Edith C. Torrey, daughter of the well-known evangelist R. A. Torrey. She was an esteemed teacher of the Scriptures, offering courses such as “Bible Survey,” “Life of Christ,” “Old Testament History and Prophecy,” and “Apostolic Age.”
Growth of Bible Courses and Theology Degrees (1930s–1940s)
During the 1930s and 1940s, the Bible curriculum gradually expanded, while continuing to be taught alongside philosophy, psychology, and education. Unlike other liberal arts colleges, Wheaton required all students to complete coursework in Bible and a course in Theism during their studies, reflecting a persistent belief that biblical studies are foundational for a truly Christian liberal arts education. In 1938 Wheaton College began offering a Bachelor of Theology, and, from 1946, a Bachelor of Divinity.
Archaeology and Biblical Scholarship at Wheaton College
Archaeology, part of the Undergraduate Department of Biblical and Theological Studies to this day, commenced as a distinctive field of study in 1936 with the hiring of Professor Free, who came from Princeton and the Oriental Institute in Chicago. Four years later, the college began offering a major in archaeology, allowing students a chance to investigate the Bible in its original historical context. By 1953, Professor Free began excavations at Tel Dothan, in the northern West Bank, assisted by his wife Ruby, and the English professor Clyde Kilby with his wife Martha. Many Wheaton College students traveled to assist Professor Free in subsequent years, elevating the reputation of the program and school around the world.
Expansion of the Bible Department and Global Ministry Impact
Under the presidency of Raymond Edman in the 1940s and 1950s, the Bible department grew to be the largest on campus. Since all students took at least sixteen hours of Bible, the department had the largest faculty and taught the highest number of students of any department on campus. Many students prepared for ministry in local churches or as international missionaries and Bible translators, while others pursued graduate education and training in seminaries. Moreover, as new challenges to Christian faith appeared worldwide, Wheaton encouraged students to pursue coursework in Christian doctrine and apologetics rather than earlier requirements in ethics and theism.
Academic Restructuring and the Religion Major (1970s)
In the 1970s the Bible department, with archaeology and Christian education, became a new division within Wheaton College. A new major in religion appeared in 1970, preparing students for work beyond biblical studies and archaeology alone. “‘Our concern,’ said Professor Morris Inch, department chairman, ‘is to enable qualified men and women to enter the program of studies in higher educational institutions with a view to teaching later in similar institutions’" (quoted in Bechtel, 314). Coursework in “Christian Thought” and “Christ and Culture” became part of a curriculum focused on forming Wheaton’s students to address a wide range of individual and social concerns facing students in generation after generation.
Distinguished Faculty and Leadership in Christian Scholarship
All the while, Biblical and Theological Studies faculty have continued to develop new curricula, shape the lives of our students, and serve the wider church and profession worldwide through advanced scholarship. To read the names of Wheaton Biblical and Theological Studies faculty is to capture a “Who’s Who” list of leading figures in the history of American Christian thought: Merrill Tenney, Morris Inch, Robert Webber, Hassell Bullock, Mark Noll, Karen Jobes, and John Walton, to name only a few.
Continuing Mission: Biblically Rooted and Theologically Formed Students
For over a century, what we now know as the Undergraduate Department of Biblical and Theological Studies has remained at the heart of the mission of Wheaton College. For students, staff, and fellow faculty members, the department has served with an enduring goal: “to cultivate Christians who are biblically rooted and theologically formed.”