C. Benton Kline Jr. - Class Notes 1945-1949

Dr. C. Benton Kline Jr. was born May, 1925 in Pittsburgh, PA. He attended the College of Wooster in Ohio graduating with his B.A. in 1944. He then went on to study at Princeton Theological Seminary earning both a Bachelors in Divinity (1945-1948) and a Masters in Theology (1948-1949). It was following his B.D. at Princeton that he was ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in June 1948. After his time at Princeton, Dr. Kline attended Yale University earning his Ph.D. in Philosophical Theology. Upon graduating he began working at Agnes Scott College in Georgia. He taught there from 1951 to 1968 and was appointed the Dean of the Faculty from 1957-1968. He then began teaching at Columbia Theological Seminary. He stayed there from 1969 to 1985. He was the Dean of Faculty from 1969 to 1971 at which point he was appointed the to be the President of the Seminary. He stepped down from the presidency in 1976 but still stayed on as professor. After 1985 he became an adjunct professor until 1988 at which point he became a visiting professor up until 2004. In 1994, Dr. Kline served as the acting director of the seminary’s library. Dr. Kline also served within the Presbyterian church. He chaired multiple committees in the Synod of Georgia from 1956-1968. He also was the chair of multiple task forces for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) from 1971-1985. Most prominently he was the chair of the Task Force that formed the Presbyterian response to the pamphlet, Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry, that was put forth by the World Council of Faith. Dr. Kline was also a member in various other committees and task forces throughout his life. He was honorably retired as an ordained minister in 1988 though he kept being involved in the church.