Biography

James P. Boyce had the distinction of being Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's first president. Boyce was born in 1827 in South Carolina. Money was no problem for his family growing up. He was a bookworm as opposed to an athlete. Attending Brown University, he was influenced by the evangelist Francis Wayland. Boyce also studied at Princeton Theological Seminary under the Calvinist Charles Hodge. Boyce went from being a Baptist minister to being a professor of theology at Furman University. His heart's desire, however, was to open a Baptist seminary, which he accomplished in 1859. During the Civil War, Boyce served as a Confederate Army Chaplin. Later in life, he would be offered several different leadership jobs, even a very lucrative position with the S. C. Railway Company. All of which he turned down to focus his time, energy, and resources on the seminary he had begun. Boyce wrote several books, including Abstract of Systematic Theology (1886). Becoming quite ill, he sought treatment in Europe but to no avail. Boyce died on December 28, 1888.

Wailand Groenendyk
CCEL Staff Writer