First Female President to Accredited Baptist Seminary Elected
Molly Marshall, a 20-year veteran professor who once taught at the conservative SBTS, was elected President of the Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Marshall will be the first female president of an accredited Baptist Seminary
The Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Kansas, elected Molly Marshall as its 10th president, making her the first female President to lead a Baptist-affiliated seminary accredited by the Association of Theological Schools.
Marshall’s unanimous election was announced Monday, Nov. 15, following a recent board of directors meeting, during which the seminary’s presidential search committee nominated the longtime theologian.
"We are very pleased that Dr. Marshall has chosen to accept the decision by the board to hire her," said incoming trustee chairman Don Wissman, who also served on the search committee, according to the Associated Baptist Press. "We interviewed a field of exceptionally well-qualified candidates, but Dr. Marshall's love and devotion for theological education is what convinced the committee that she is the right choice to lead the seminary into a new era."
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Marshall was the first woman to teach at a Southern Baptist seminary, serving 11 years at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) in Louisville, Ky. However, she left in 1995 over the theological differences between her and the more conservative administration at SBTS – the flagship seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention.
According to a Sept. 2000 article by the Southern Baptist Convention’s Baptist Press, Marshall was removed because of her theological position known as “inclusivism” – the idea that those of other world religions do not need to come to explicit faith in Christ in order to be saved.
Marshall, “a renowned feminist theologian, resigned from Southern’s faculty in 1994 before facing proceedings that could have led to her dismissal” according to the Baptist Press.
Since then, Marshall taught at the Central Seminary – a 100-year-old school associated with the American Baptist Church U.S.A. and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF). The CBF is a moderate denomination that branched off from the SBC in the 90s over theological differences.
To date, Marshall taught theology and spiritual formation at Central, and also served as the acting academic dean.
"I believe in what we do at Central as we seek God together," Marshall said in a statement following her election. "We are in the process of forming and transforming ministries, which is the heart of theological education. I'm grateful for the trust and confidence the board has given me to lead Central as a teaching church seminary -- realigning congregational life with theological education."
Marshall, 54, succeeds Thomas Clifton, who retired at the end of 2003 after 10 years as president. In her 20 year teaching career, Marshall also produced three books: “What It Means to be Human," "Joining the Dance: A Theology of the Spirit," and "No Salvation Outside the Church."
Marshall will start Jan. 1.
