Keep light on at the seminary

Funding is never fun. And the Salt Lake Theological Seminary is having an especially dour time this spring. The only Protestant divinity school in the Intermountain West needs to find half-a-million dollars in the next 24 days or face a possible shutdown.

And if the seminary closes, it means there'll be a little less light and good will to go around.

Members from the seminary staff stood with the LDS faithful at a recent general conference to decry the slash-and-burn style of the street preachers. And the school fills a corner of education in Utah no other institution can. The seminary offers courses in subjects ranging from New Testament Greek to modern Christian poetry. For years, the dean of spiritual life, David L. Rowe, and his wife, Hazel, have sprinkled Christian music around the Salt Lake Valley and spread generosity and warmth. Retreats for local clergy are often held. Popular musicians, such as Michael Kelly Blanchard, and nationally known writers, including Luci Shaw, have been brought in to enrich the lives of seminary students and others in the state. Dramas have been produced. Prayer services have been held. And field trips organized.

Once located within earshot of the University of Utah, the seminary moved into a modern building just off South Temple and 700 East on Sept. 10, 2001. The terrorist attacks the next day diverted many donations the seminary was counting on. At the same time, the school had a growth spurt, and the fluid situation has left the seminary on the cusp of gaining accreditation from the national Association of Theological Schools. The seminary needs to graduate a class of students (coming up on May 14), expand its library from 20,000 to 30,000 books and display "financial viability" to win accreditation. Once there, the school could attract more students and qualify for funding from special charitable foundations.

We urge Utahns to help however they can. Used book stores and libraries may leaf through their stacks of Christian texts to find volumes that could be of interest to the seminary. Those with disposable income looking for a worthy recipient may want to look at the Salt Lake Theological Seminary.

We hope all will be done that can be to keep the flame burning.