Terry Brensinger demoted as a seminary president, Greg Boyd let go as a visiting scholar
Fresno Pacific University announced it was taking Brensinger and Boyd out of their respective roles. The cause—and any connection between the two actions—is unclear.
Fresno Pacific University has demoted its seminary president and cut ties with three high-profile pastors affiliated with one of the school’s master’s programs amid concerns from constituents over those pastors’ theological positions.
Terry Brensinger, who has been president of Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary since 2013, will leave his administrative role and become professor of pastoral education in January after a semester-long sabbatical. The seminary, which is affiliated with the Mennonite Brethren denominations in the U.S. and Canada, is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and has fewer than 200 students.
Brensinger said donors made threats to withhold funding, especially in response to a book by Gregory A. Boyd, God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God, which advocates “open theism.” Boyd, an Anabaptist and senior pastor of Woodand Hills Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, is also author of the best seller The Myth of a Christian Nation.
