Tyndale University

Toronto Bible Training School 1898 (110 College Street, Toronto; 1898)

Toronto Bible Training School Main Hall 1898 (110 College Street, Toronto; 1898)

Tyndale's logo until 2012

The Toronto Bible Training School was founded in 1894 by a group of brethren under the supervision of Elmore Harris pastor of Walmer Road Baptist Church. Elmore Harris became the first President. William Boyd Stewart (former pastor of Bond Street Baptist Church) was the first Principal. Courses were held at the Walmer Road Church for the first four years until they relocated to new facilities the Gothic Revival building at 110 College Street (demolished after 1928 and now site of the University of Toronto's Banting and Best Department of Medical Research Building since 1930) in 1898 financed chiefly through generous contributions of the Harris family. (This land had been leased from the University of Toronto). The name of the school was changed to Toronto Bible College in 1912 and in September 1928 relocated to 16 Spadina Road (just north of Bloor Street and now Native Canadian Centre) when the lease expired.[5] It became the first permanent Canadian Bible school and only the third in North America.[6] The founders' vision of TBC was to train laypeople as "Sunday School teachers, Pastors' Assistants, and as City, Home and Foreign Missionaries."[7] The institution's leadership was largely Baptist and Presbyterian, but also included Methodists and Anglicans.[8] The TBC graduation service was always a significant Toronto event, held initially at Massey Hall, and then moved to the University of Toronto's Varsity Stadium to accommodate crowds as large as 6,000.[9]

In the 1940s, the school's president, John McNicol, steered a path between modernism and ultra-fundamentalism (specifically dispensationalism)--both of which McNicol denounced as threats to the health of the church.[10] This unique position gained TBC the support of evangelicals in a variety of mainline denominations.[11]

In 1968, Toronto Bible College merged with the London College of Bible and Missions from London, Ontario. LCBM began in 1935 as the London Bible Institute, led by J. Wilmot Mahood. The newly merged institution was named Ontario Bible College (OBC). This merger brought more students to the Toronto-based institution from other evangelical denominations including the Associated Gospel Churches, the Brethren, and the Mennonite Brethren.[12] In 1976 OBC relocated to a former Jesuit seminary (Regis College) in Willowdale, Toronto (formerly City of North York), designed by modernist architect Peter Dickinson. In the same year, the institution also established a graduate school named Ontario Theological Seminary (OTS). OBC/OTS was given degree-granting powers by the Government of Ontario in 1986,[13] and received full accreditation by the Association of Theological Schools in 1989.[14]

By 1995, the institution had become insolvent and filed to make a proposal to creditors under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act in Canada. A new president, Brian Stiller,[15] and CFO, Winston Ling,[16] were brought on and a new board was chosen. In 1998 the school was renamed Tyndale College and Seminary after William Tyndale, a Reformation theologian of the sixteenth century. The leadership intended the name change to indicate their vision to build "a world-class centre of Christian higher education in Canada."[17]

William Tyndale

In 2003, the Ontario Legislature authorized Tyndale to change its name to Tyndale University College and Seminary. Tyndale was also given the right to confer the Bachelor of Arts degree in the humanities, social sciences and business, as well as undergraduate, graduate and doctoral level degrees in religion, theology, and divinity.[18] On December 5, 2007, Tyndale was given ministerial consent by the Province of Ontario to offer a Bachelor of Education program to prepare teachers for primary, junior, and intermediate grades.[19]

In June 2006, Tyndale entered into an agreement to acquire a neighbouring facility, St. Joseph's Morrow Park, 3377 Bayview Avenue, from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto.[20] A key reason for Vatican approval of the pending transfer of the campus from Catholic to Protestant hands was Tyndale's commitment to maintain the aesthetically significant chapel as "sacred space".[21] The facility transfer was completed on March 31, 2013, and all departments and offices were moved to 3377 Bayview Avenue in the Spring of 2015.[22] The Catholic girls' high school will continue to operate in a wing of the property until at least June 2018.[23]

Tyndale University campus in Bayview Woods-Steeles, Toronto, 2013.

Tyndale Seminary is the largest accredited seminary in Canada with more than 700 students at the masters or doctoral level,[24] and the University College received high rankings in the 2009 Maclean's University issue's measure of student satisfaction (see below).[25] In 2011, student satisfaction was amongst the highest of all Canadian universities.[26] While students ranked the quality of teaching and classroom discussion above average,[27] the Maclean's study also found the institution below average in some educational practices, including active and collaborative learning.[28]

In January 2020, consent was granted by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities for Tyndale to remove "& College" from its title.[29] Tyndale's corporate branding and logos were altered to reflect the change in name to Tyndale University.[30] Tyndale currently has legislation in Parliament to receive additional degree-granting capabilities, including a Doctor of Education and Doctor of Philosophy.[31]

Tyndale University is fully accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada to award its graduate theological degrees.[45] The University is also accredited with the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities,[46] as well as the Association for Biblical Higher Education.[47] Tyndale is an affiliate of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities[48] and the Christian Higher Education Canada (CHEC) association.[49]

Tyndale University was scheduled to have former President of the United States, George W. Bush, speak at a breakfast hosted by Prem Watsa of Fairfax Financial Holdings on September 20, 2011.[50] According to Tyndale professor Craig Carter, Bush “was to speak on the role of faith-based institutions in the world of higher education.”[51] Upon learning of the scheduled event, a group of alumni launched a website[52] protesting Tyndale’s association with Bush. After two days of online protests, the event was canceled[53] "due to a scheduling change” but no other explanation was given.[54] Following the cancellation, former Tyndale President and Vice Chancellor Gary Nelson noted the need for Tyndale "to have clearer policies and guidelines in place so that diverse views can be expressed in a respectful and hospitable space.”[55] He also expressed regret that Tyndale “did not have such a framework in place” and stated that "Tyndale will continue to host various people to speak on issues that matter."[55] The cancellation of Bush's visit garnered widespread attention from media outlets across Canada like the Toronto Star,[54] the CBC,[56] Maclean’s,[57] and The Arena with Michael Coren.[58] It was also covered by the Huffington Post[59] and the Chronicle of Higher Education.[60]

• Addie Aylestock, first black pastor in the British Methodist Episcopal Church
• Bruxy Cavey (b. 1965), pastor and author
• Gino Reda (b. 1960), sports broadcaster and television personality
• John Arnott, founder of Catch the Fire Ministries, birthplace of the Toronto Blessing [61]
• Lorna Dueck, host of Context with Lorna Dueck and an Executive Producer of 100 Huntley Street
• Merlin Grove (1929–1962), farmer, missionary, and martyr[62]
• Smith, Oswald J. (1889–1986), pastor, author and missions advocate
• Zacharias, Ravi (1946-2020), apologist and evangelist

• Official website