Like today, the late 1970s were a time of crisis, change, and uncertainty.
In the San Francisco Bay Area—a crucible of social ferment and intellectual debate—a group of Christian pastors, laypeople, and scholars led by Dr. David Gill and the Rev. Dr. Earl Palmer founded New College Berkeley in 1977. Their goal was to provide interdisciplinary, graduate-level Christian studies for laypeople seeking to “think Christianly” about their vocational and cultural contexts.
In its first era (1977-94), NCB was a degree-granting “seminary for the laity.” In 1993 it became an affiliate of the Graduate Theological Union.
In its second era (1994-2022), NCB focused on spiritual formation, spiritual direction, and contemplative retreat programs, helping introduce and foster these historic Christian practices among evangelical Protestants.
Now in its third era (2022-present), NCB’s mission is to connect Christians, churches, and academia to discern gospel faithfulness for our time–the hard and necessary work of relating the unchanging gospel to today’s era of crisis, change, and uncertainty.
NCB’s seminars, workshops, retreats, lectures, cohort programs, and publications seek to embody a “third space” approach: creating hospitable settings that bridge church and academic interests, lay and ordained needs, majority and minority communities, younger and older generations, and historic and emergent ecclesial traditions.
NCB stands firmly within historic, orthodox Christianity and honors its roots in 20th-century American evangelical Protestantism. At the same time, NCB actively welcomes ecumenical conversations and embraces scholarly inquiry. This combination of confessional commitments and open dialogue awakens theological imagination, bringing the gospel into conversation with multiple disciplines, traditions, and lived experiences, and inviting fresh discernment of what faithfulness to the unchanging gospel requires in our changing world.
Through ongoing conversations and relationship-building, NCB fosters spiritual friendships that encourage deep thinking, courageous hope, and faithful living. Join the conversation today.
What We Do:
Cohorts, Certificates & Retreats: Intensive learning pathways and opportunities equip leaders with tools for societal analysis, critical discipleship & influence.
Spiritual & Communal Health: Spiritual direction, contemplative retreats and exercises root gospel discernment, healing and friendship in the Triune God.
Gospel, Theology & Society Events: Workshops & conferences engage social, economic, environmental & technological challenges through the lens of faith.
Radix Magazine, Writing & The Arts: Exploration of the visual, performing & literary arts (with opportunities to publish) cultivate theological & social imagination.
Keywords:
Ecumenical: Welcoming and engaging a wide range of Christian traditions and movements with humility, curiosity, and conviction
Third Space: Hospitable "in-between" spaces that intentionally bring together people from different backgrounds, experiences, and communities
Discerning Gospel Faithfulness: The ongoing work of relating the unchanging gospel to a changing world, asking: How do we understand, articulate, and live out the good news of Jesus Christ here and now?
Theological Imagination: The capacity to draw on existing theological categories and understandings while freshly exploring, articulating, and reimagining what faithful belief and practice look and sound like today
Spiritual Friendship: Friendships rooted in shared faith commitments and shaped by overlapping longings, wounds, questions, and hopes
The Gospel: The good news that in the life, death, resurrection, and promised return of Jesus Christ, God is redeeming a people for himself and renewing all creation