Master of Arts

Theology and Culture

 

The purpose of the M.A. in Theology and Culture is to enable effective witness and service both within the Christian community and to the larger society. Through exploration of the various influences on contemporary culture and theology, you will come to a better understanding of their your own assumptions and those of your faith tradition.

The program encourages the development of the necessary understanding and skills for effective engagement with cultural trends, social transformation, and the attendant challenges facing the church. The goal is to develop thinking and practice that is biblically informed and creatively faithful to the historic mission of the Christian faith.

You will develop a distinctive research profile, and by taking the additional Ph.D. component, can prepare for doctoral work in biblical and theological studies.

 

Degree Objectives

  • To immerse students in an integrated comprehensive arts approach to theological graduate education drawing from the best of theology, philosophy, history and biblical studies;
  • To model and facilitate the use of Scripture to “exegete” the value claims and popular trends of contemporary culture;
  • To offer graduate-level exposure to the world of theological and spiritual reflection;
  • To promote a sensitive expression of historic biblical wisdom traditions;
  • To provide hands-on training in developing biblically-informed pastoral responses to the demands of ministers’ respective communities
  • To develop skills for research and writing in related fields and promote opportunities for sharing the fruits of that learning with the wider academic and Christian communities.

 

Courses

 

Core Courses (18 credits)

  • Entering the Biblical Narrative
  • Biblical Interpretation and Modernity
  • Philosophy for Understanding Theology
  • Christianity in Conversation with Contemporary Worldviews
  • A Theology of Vocation
  • The Meaning of Christian Community

 

Electives (18 credits)

  • Biblical Languages: Method and Interpretation
  • A History of Christian Theology
  • Church and Society in America
  • Theology and Media: Interpreting the Hollywood Narrative
  • The Spirituality of Christian Worship
  • Texts Within Context
  • Biblical Imagery and Theological Imagination
  • Hebrew 1 & 2
  • Greek 1 & 2

 

Research Component (12 credits)

  • Method Seminar
  • Written Thesis

 

Total Credits: 48

Options

  • Introduction Component: 12 credits, replaces some thesis/elective credits
  • Ph.D. Component: additional 12 credits for a Ph.D.-ready, 60-credit degree

 

Schedule

For a full-time student, this program can take as little as two years,
with courses scheduled across three annual terms. Most courses are taught in Friday/Saturday intensives. Three weekends complete one course.

 

Fall Term 2008

Classes on Friday (3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and Saturday (8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)

Biblical Interp & Modernity
9/ 12-13, 10/10-11, 11/14-15

The Meaning of Christian Community
9/19-20, 10/17-18, 11/21-22

Theology and Contemporary Media
9/26-27, 10/24-25, 12/5-6

 

Spring Term 2009

A Theology of Vocation
1/23-24, 2/20-21, 3/20-21

Entering the Biblical Narrative
1/30-31, 2/27-28, 3/27-28

A History of Christian Theology
2/6-7, 3/6-7, 4/3-4

 

Summer Term 2009

Classes Tuesday through Friday/8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Texts in Context – Deuteronomy
 5/19-22

Philosophy for Understanding Theology
6/23-26

Church and Society in America
7/14-17


 
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