Piedmont Divinity School History

Our Legacy

Piedmont Divinity School (originally Piedmont Bible Institute) exists to equip men and women to serve Christ in a variety of ministries. Since its inception in 1945, this purpose has been founded on the primacy of teaching the truths of the inerrant Word of God.

Throughout the school’s history, God has been pleased to use numerous individuals to carry out this purpose. One such individual is Hoyle Bowman. Dr. Bowman was a graduate of Piedmont, and went on to earn his Master of Theology degree at Dallas Theological Seminary and his Doctor of Theology degree at Grace Theological Seminary. In addition to his service as a Marine, pastor, and conference speaker, he taught Bible and theology at Piedmont for over 50 years. His faithful teaching of the Scriptures epitomized the mission of Piedmont and, for a number of years, this emphasis on theology and Bible was made evident in the naming of a school in his honor: The Bowman School of Bible and Theology.

God has also been faithful in using various individuals to financially support Piedmont in its ongoing work. Integral in this regard have been Tony and Chris Alford. The Alfords are successful business entrepreneurs. As they have conducted their business endeavors, they have committed themselves to serve God and make each day count for his glory with a view to eternity. This motivation has compelled them to be active in missions, serve on ministry boards, and make profound financial contributions to fund the proclamation of the Gospel. Their generous contributions toward innovation and broader influence have enabled Piedmont to continue in the direction of training men and women to serve Christ. And in their honor, the Alford School of Ministry served as an important part of our legacy.

In recent years, Temple Baptist Seminary has served as the name in which our theological programs were provided. This naming occurred with the merging of Tennessee Temple and Piedmont International University (now known as Carolina University), and honored the long tradition of theological education provided for thousands of students at Tennessee Temple and Piedmont. As Carolina University has grown and expanded its worldwide footprint, the theological emphasis and legacy is now carried under the name of Piedmont Divinity School (or PDS) which represents the best of our legacy institutions and programs.

The Present

Piedmont Divinity School continues to hold and cherish the truths of the Christian faith on which the school was founded. Piedmont is intentionally evangelical as it encourages students to rightly handle the Scripture and pursue Christian scholarship so that they might be equipped to serve Christ in various contexts around the world and bring glory to him. To this end, we offer programs rich in hermeneutics, Bible, Hebrew and Greek, theology, and ministry.