Scholarships

The thesis is a scholarly piece of written work that reports on the findings of theoretical, practical, or empirical investigation into a defined area of applied theology conducted by you under supervision. Undertaking a thesis provides you with an opportunity to do original in-depth research at Masters level. You will engage in a supervised investigation of a topic of their interest. You are expected to be self-directed in your studies and to produce an account of your research which equates to internationally recognized standards.

MA902 Thesis

120 Credits

The thesis is a scholarly piece of written work that reports on the findings of theoretical, practical, or empirical investigation into a defined area of applied theology conducted by you under supervision. Undertaking a thesis provides you with an opportunity to do original in-depth research at Masters level. You will engage in a supervised investigation of a topic of your interest. You are expected to be self-directed in your studies and to produce an account of your research which equates to internationally recognized standards.

MB531 Introduction to the Old Testament

15 Credits

This course dives into the wild, exciting, bewildering world of the Old Testament. While Christians often neglect this portion of their Bibles, the Old Testament was Jesus’s Bible and the Bible of the early church. The Spirit still speaks through these ancient texts, inviting us to grapple more deeply with God’s mission to the world and helping us understand more fully the story that comes to its climax in Jesus. In this course, you will gain a better sense of what’s in the Old Testament, as well as specific skills, practices, and dispositions for interpreting the Old Testament. Together, we will also consider some of the implications of the OT for Christian ministry and practice today.

MB6/726 Baptist Churches

15 Credits

An exploration of the contexts and convictions of Baptist churches as they developed in England, America and New Zealand. This course integrates these contexts and convictions with contemporary issues in Baptist ministry and mission.

MM6/769 Youth Development and Gospel Formation

15 Credits

This course explores the nature of both the gospel and salvation through the lens of ministering to youth in New Zealand. It will also evaluate the presentation of the gospel in the context of the unique qualities of youth culture and the adolescent experience, making note of various ethnic differences in the New Zealand context. The course will help you to think through the challenges for youth of living out the gospel in the 21st century, as well as developing ministry solutions, at both an individual and group level.

MA829 Public Theology and the Church

30 Credits

This course examines the way the discipline of public theology seeks to enable the people of God to engage biblically and theologically with public issues in church and society. We will consider the contested nature of public theology as a discipline, as well as the role of biblical studies, systematic theology, historical studies, and practical theology within public theology. Readings and Zoom discussions will give you an opportunity to engage contemporary examples of public theology, while the final assessment will invite you to consider the role of public theology in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic (or a topic negotiated with the lecturers).

MA828 Gospel and Discipleship: Interpreting Mark in Today’s Contexts

30 Credits

Gospel and Discipleship: Interpreting Mark in Today’s contexts. This course seeks to address the question, what is the good news of Jesus and how does it teach us to live? The Gospel of Mark has two central themes, the identity and work of Jesus Christ – the Gospel’s central character, and the nature and cost of answering Jesus’ call to discipleship. This course will begin with detailed critical exegesis of Mark, setting the book in its historical context with attention to Jewish, scriptural, and Graeco-Roman backgrounds and with close attention to its theological and narrative design. The goal of this paper will be to bring such historically informed exegesis into robust and meaningful integrative conversations with the pressing issues of today.

MA827 Theology, Race and Church

30 Credits

The magnification of the #blacklivesmatter movement and protests about systemic racism around the world raise important issues for theology and the church, not least because of the church’s entanglement in the construction of the modern racial condition. This course examines historical and contemporary misappropriations of theology in the development of current racial issues and explores the biblical and theological possibilities for a gospel centred account of the church’s antiracial witness to God’s kingdom. The aim is to understand the church’s historic and contemporary relationship to racism and examine biblical and theological possibilities for anti-racist discipleship.

MA826 Bible and Politics

30 Credits

This course explores the question: what does it mean to live as disciples in our political lives? Our primary focus will be exploring political dynamics in specific biblical texts, both in light of their ancient political contexts and in dialogue with their contemporary theological and ethical significance. We will examine both the political nature of the people of God and the diverse ways Scripture envisions that people engaging politically with the nations and places within which they find themselves. Having glimpsed something of the exegetical diversity of the Bible’s political witness, we will then explore some of the diverse ways Christian theology and praxis has sought to understand and respond to that Scriptural witness. Readings and Zoom discussions will give you an opportunity to engage examples of political exegesis, theology, and praxis.

MA821 Research Essay

30 Credits

The Research Essay provides you with an opportunity to undertake an in-depth study of a topic or issue in Applied Theology under the guidance of supervisor. The topic will normally be in an area that you wish to explore but is outside the scope of available courses in the academic programme. You will acquire specialist knowledge of a specific field and develop skills in research, the evaluation of evidence and the articulation of ideas.

MA812 Leadership – Divine and Human

30 Credits

This course considers the life and written work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer who has been variously described as theologian, pastor, pastor-theologian, writer, activist, pacifist and martyr. In the face of such diversity, we attend to the continuities in Bonhoeffer’s thought and practice. More specifically, this course will posit a personal quest undertaken by Bonhoeffer to understand the plight of ego and power and their solution in the notion of discipleship and freedom.

Further, the course brings Dietrich Bonhoeffer into conversation with Bull Hybels, the former pastor and leader of Willow Creek. Willow Creek proves to be a valuable case study in which issues of ego and power surface. It is important to understand them rightly and posit how Bonhoeffer’s thought and practice provides a needed corrective.

MA810 Leading in the Footsteps of Jesus

30 Credits

This course asks why various models of leadership found in the biblical text may have been helpful to the church in their ancient socio-historical contexts and how they may provide insights into contemporary ministry leadership. Students will engage the writings of Luke-Acts and the letter to the Philippians and the models of leadership they present. These models of leadership will be explored in the socio-historical milieu of the New Testament and interpreted in the crowded marketplace of classical ideas about leadership. The course will exegete New Testament texts and classical Graeco-Roman sources to critically compare their various approaches to leadership. The insights gained from studying biblical approaches to leadership in their ancient setting will enable students to critically reflect on competing modern ideas about leadership and recalibrate their approaches to leadership in Aotearoa.

MA805 Human Flourishing

30 Credits

God epitomizes the flourishing life within Godself. Further, God creates the cosmos out of the sheer abundance of God’s goodness and plenitude, not because God needs to create, but in some sense, God wants to create. In creating, God orders the creation toward its full flourishing. While, that flourishing has also been thwarted, God has still provided means for this to be restored and even deepened. This course will focus especially on human flourishing, assuming this is what God intends for humankind. To inform what is meant by flourishing, we will look at biblical, theological, and psychological perspectives on the flourishing life. This will entail looking back to understand that which impedes us from flourishing and looking forward as we envisage what flourishing may look like in the future.

MA801 Research Methods in Applied Theology

30 Credits

What is “Applied Theological Research” as understood within Carey’s whanaungatanga ethos and how could we go about it? What kinds of topics and questions could it explore, and what methods might be employed? This course considers the philosophical, epistemological, methodological and personal issues involved in researching at the intersection of faith, contexts and practice. A range of research methods will be introduced and examples of recent and current research evaluated. Attention will also be given to the motives for undertaking research, the communities within and for whom the research is to be done, and the spiritual life and personal care of the researcher.

Through the course you will follow a process of identifying an area of research that is of interest to you and shaping a research project directed towards answering a specific focal question, engaging relevant fields of study and utilizing appropriate research methods. Through the process your cohort will be a supportive community engaging with each other’s areas of interest and contributing to your development as emerging researchers. By the end of the course, you will have designed a research project such as would be suitable for a postgraduate research essay or thesis and presented this as a full Research Proposal.

MI700 Integrative Project

15 Credits

The Integrative Project is typically undertaken in the final year of the Bachelor of Applied Theology programme. It is an opportunity for you to draw on your learning across the Integrative Theology curriculum to resource understanding and faithful action in relation to an issue at the intersection of their faith, context, and practice. Utilizing the integrative framework of Word, World, and Work you will make use of a range of sources of knowledge and approaches to bring your faith, contexts, understanding, and examples of practice into conversation with each other. Having considered the topic and questions that arise in relation to it from within each of those areas, you will develop a Christian response to the issue that demonstrates attentiveness to faith, context, and practice.

MS6/705 Christian Spirituality

15 Credits

This course introduces and explores Christian spirituality. It equips you to comprehend and cultivate authentic Christian spiritualty and critique various approaches to spirituality. We construct a biblical theology for Christian spiritualty and trace various spiritual themes and dynamics through Christian history, highlighting key people, movements, practices and writings. We examine the principles and practices of spiritual formation and spiritual disciplines. You will engage with spiritual practice and reflect on your own spiritual journey. Christian spirituality is not only personal, but also public, so we consider its implications for Christian community, leadership, and select global issues.

MS510 Te Ao Māori

15 Credits

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the Māori world in order to inform Christian life and ministry in Aotearoa New Zealand.

MM6/794 Poverty, Transformation, and the Gospel

15 Credits

In this course we consider the challenges that issues such as poverty and injustice pose to Christian faith and action. Current development theory and practice will be introduced and considered in relation to Biblical and theological perspectives on such themes as the gospel, the kingdom and the mission of God. The course will resource you to evaluate various development approaches and construct proposals for Christian practice in Aotearoa New Zealand or overseas. 

MM6/777 Families and Ministry in Aotearoa

15 Credits

All of us are part of a family of one sort or another. How do we make sense of family in today’s complex world? How do social and cultural changes influence family trends and our understanding of what families should be like, including marriage, gender roles, and parenting? This course examines the family, and family life, in contemporary New Zealand from theological and sociological perspectives. You will be challenged to think through the implications of such perspectives and family trends in NZ for church life and ministry. This course has been developed to support the needs of students engaged in ministry particularly to children, young people, and families.

MM565 Faith Formation in Children

15 Credits

This course examines the nature and spirituality of children in light of biblical, theological, and developmental perspectives. It analyses current ministry practices, considering cultural trends, as well as addressing transformational teaching practices for children. Practical approaches that respond to the spiritual needs of children and nurture their growth as whole persons are included.

MM6/768 Adolescent Development and Spirituality

15 Credits

This course will explore the process of adolescent development and its complexities and consider how a growing sense of spirituality might be nurtured during adolescent years. You will learn about adolescent development, including biological and sociological perspectives, as well as some difficulties within the field of adolescent research. Spiritual formation in adolescents will also be explored, including theories of formation, research on the effectiveness of current models of faith formation, and key practices that contribute to spiritual formation in young people. Discussion and evaluation of the course concepts will occur in light of your own faith stories and experience in congregations.

MM665 Missional Leadership

15 Credits

This course explores a biblical understanding of Christian leadership for our present mission context that is changing, dynamic, and often chaotic. You will be introduced to models of leadership from differing biblical contexts, drawing from these models principles and practices of leadership for today and tomorrow’s church and mission organisational life. You will learn a variety of skills for leading yourself, teams, churches and organisations. You will learn how to think theologically about the practices of leadership you and others utilise in Christian organisations. The course will address a range of practical topics related to leadership, and students will learn to develop creative, culturally nuanced, and faithful forms of leadership.

MM663 Introduction to Preaching

15 Credits

This course provides you with an introduction to the theology and practice of Christian preaching. Using the Apostle Paul’s philosophy of preaching (1 Corinthians 1.18-2.5) as a starting point, the course demonstrates how the preparation of effective sermons journeys through ‘five corners’: starting with the written word, then moving on to the listener, the society and the preacher, before finding a destination in the living Word. As this journey develops, you are equipped with a sound methodology for preparing and delivering sermons that are faithful, clear, relevant and engaging. The course introduces you to different types of sermons, as well as to the basic principles of effective oral communication. This is an interactive course, with sessions on Zoom supplementing the block course to enable a focus on practicing skills and evaluating sermons.    

MM661 Pastoral Counselling

15 Credits

This Level Six course builds on the foundation laid in Introduction to Pastoral Care. It introduces you to the philosophy and basic skills involved in pastoral counselling. In so doing, it seeks to demonstrate how these principles and skills apply in the personal, relational, and spiritual experiences of persons that seek pastoral counselling.

MM581 Mission of God

15 Credits

The mission of God is the outworking of God’s gracious love to redeem and restore all of creation, ultimately revealed to us in the work of Christ. Remarkably, it also includes an invitation to God’s people to participate in this ongoing work of reconciliation and renewal in the power of the Spirit.  In this course we explore the biblical story and trace God’s mission and the formation of God’s people in the narrative. We evaluate examples of how God’s mission has been, and is being interpreted and carried out, and consider what this means for our participation today.  Various strands of learning in Bible, theology, spirituality, history, culture and society, and the practice of ministry and mission are introduced with a common orientation towards knowing and serving God within the community of God’s people as participants in God’s mission. The mission of God course serves as a gateway into Carey’s Applied Theology programme. Various strands of learning and Bible, theology, spirituality, history, culture and society, and the practice of ministry and mission are introduced with a common orientation towards knowing and serving God within the community of God’s people as participants in God’s mission.

MM572 Foundations of Youth Ministry

15 Credits

This course aims to introduce you to ideas and practices that are fundamental to youth ministry in Aotearoa New Zealand. It will encourage you to begin the journey of thinking theologically, sociologically, and philosophically about youth ministry. You will develop practical skills for ministry with youth as well as engaging with a range of recent scholarship that highlights various approaches to, and ethos of youth ministry.

MM564 Worship Then and Now

15 Credits

The course will strive to integrate both the practical and theological application of worship design and leadership in order to foster meaningful, contextual and biblically grounded response to God as His gathered community. It will explore the narrative nature of worship and liturgy and its formative potential. You will be exposed to various worship experiences and worship leading guests throughout this course in order to explore the actual practice of worship leadership and the careful theological planning of creative, experiential, participatory, interactive, and connective worship experiences.

MM561 Introduction to Pastoral Care

15 Credits

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the theory and practice of pastoral care in a Christian framework. This will involve an exploration of the biblical, theological, and historical underpinnings of pastoral care. We will also explore the role that self-awareness and self-care plays in the lives of pastoral care givers. We will examine a range of listening skills and pastoral care processes that are foundational to effective pastoral care. And we will delve into several issues that are frequently encountered in pastoral care such as crises, grief, cancer, and questions on listening to God.

MF409 Learning to Live

15 Credits

This course is focused on developing your personal formation and self-awareness for ministry and follows a model of Reflective Practice. It also allows you to receive accreditation for supervised participation within a number of appropriate ministry contexts. Over the year you will participate in 240 hours of practical ministry and will reflect upon this with the coordinator, a mentor, in a peer group, in a reflective essay and in a personal journal project.

MF478 Faith Engaging Social Issues

15 Credits

This course will help you practice the process of theological reflection in regards to various social issues you may confront as you seek to live out you faith. You will also learn valuable participatory development skills for engaging with various social issues, such as the environment, war, poverty, gender, race, sexuality, etc.

MF402 Making Life Work

15 Credits

In this course you will examine various facets of life that you will encounter during you Intermission year. You will explore through both biblical and theological approaches how you might interact with, and respond to these facets effectively as a young Christian. This course will explore and probe a range of life facets, including: identity, social action, character, spirituality, discipline and sexuality – and consider implications for personal growth and group discipleship.

MB430 Exploring God’s Word

15 Credits

This course provides a broad overview of the Bible as God’s ongoing story of creation and humanity. It will introduce you to key people and events from both the Old and New Testament, while providing a framework for understanding recurring themes (theological, ethical, and literary). It will consider how the Bible continues to influence and inspire individuals and communities in the present day.

MB421 Christian Worldview

15 Credits

This course will explore the concept of worldview as a foundation for what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ in a complex world, enabling you to articulate a Christian perspective on the world. The course will investigate the multiple ‘stories’, or worldviews, in which New Zealand Christians must operate and, using this, you will examine various aspects of life in order to help you effectively interact and engage with your wider community.

MF705 Contextual Theological Praxis

30 Credits

This course allows you to receive accreditation for a supervised ministry internship undertaken within an appropriate context. Over the year you will perform 200 hours of practical ministry internship and will reflect upon this with a Supervisor, in an online peer group, and in assignments.

RESTRICTION: This course is available only by arrangement with the Programme Lead of Field of Education prior to enrolment.

MF505 Contextual Theological Praxis

30 Credits

This course allows you to receive accreditation for a supervised ministry internship undertaken within an appropriate context. Over the year you will perform 200 hours of practical ministry internship and will reflect upon this with a Supervisor, in an online peer group, and in assignments.

RESTRICTION: This course is available only by arrangement with the Programme Lead of Field of Education prior to enrolment.

MF605 Contextual Theological Praxis

30 Credits

This course allows you to receive accreditation for a supervised ministry internship undertaken within an appropriate context. Over the year you will perform 200 hours of practical ministry internship and will reflect upon this with a Supervisor, in an online peer group, and in assignments.

RESTRICTION: This course is available only by arrangement with the Programme Lead of Field of Education prior to enrolment.

MF701 Reflective Field Education

15 Credits

This course aims to allow you to reflectively use in-depth biblical and theological knowledge within practical Christian ministry experience.

PREREQUISITE: This course is restricted to those achieving merit or excellence in MF601 Reflective Field Education 2.

MF601 Reflective Field Education

15 Credits

This course aims to allow you to reflectively use in-depth biblical and theological knowledge within practical Christian ministry experience.

PREREQUISITE: This course is restricted to those achieving merit or excellence in MF501 Reflective Field Education 1.

MF501 Reflective Field Education

15 Credits

This course aims to introduce you to biblical and theological reflection, as well as tools for personal growth, to assist you to reflect within your practical Christian Ministry placement, and integrate this knowledge into your praxis.

MB6/728 A History of the Gospel in Aotearoa

15 Credits

This course explores the story of Christianity in Aotearoa New Zealand from 1814 through to the present day. We will examine how the message of the gospel has shaped church and society over the last two hundred years. We will illuminate the historical dimensions to many contemporary issues facing the New Zealand church. And we will highlight how an understanding of the history of Christianity in Aotearoa is crucial to effective gospel ministry and mission in this country today.

MB526 Insights into Church History

15 Credits

This course provides an introduction to the history of the Christian Church between 1500AD and 2000AD. You will explore key personalities, topics and themes drawn from the Reformation era, the modern church movement (c.1700’s to 1900’s), and mission history.

You will reflect upon and critically evaluate the significance of these selected personalities, topics and themes for the historic development of Christianity and their ongoing influence on Christian life and leadership today.

MB6/743 Apologetics

15 Credits

1 Peter 3:15 “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” We all have questions, both non-believers and believers. Doubt and questions are part of honestly seeking truth for non-believers and a faith seeking understanding. In contemporary New Zealand society, Christianity is now often seen by many as weird, incomprehensible and stupid, but is that true? This course helps equip you with the essentials of a holistic contemporary apologetic, which shows why Christians have good reasons to believe what we say we believe. This is holistic because those reasons are of the head and the heart, embracing the human condition, human experience, and basic intuitions as well as history, science and logic, which all point to the truth of essential Christian beliefs. You will be equipped to confidently (but not arrogantly!), listen better, ask better questions, share better answers and have better conversations, all with gentleness and respect. This course will provide an overview of all the key areas in contemporary apologetics, while giving the opportunity to look at an area of personal interest in more depth. It will also look at how apologetics is relevant in the current post Christian cultural context.

MB630 Understanding Culture

15 Credits

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the theology of culture and develop basic skills for understanding and interpreting culture from a theological perspective. In so doing, it seeks to demonstrate how culture has a profound impact on the ways in which we view ourselves, others, our own contexts, and the gospel.

MB6/724 Humanity and Hope

15 Credits

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to theological anthropology as this has been revealed in Scripture, in Christ, and developed in light of eschatology. As we come to these revelations, we will also recognise that we are cultural beings, and thus our understanding of anthropology cannot be divorced from the particularity of individual persons or whole societies. You will thus be equipped to engage questions of who and what we are, while also doing this as an embodied and encultured learner. These questions necessarily lead to the further question of how we are meant to be in the world, both in this age and in the one to come.

MB6/723 Spirit and Church

15 Credits

What does it mean to be the body of Christ? This course explores ideas of the Church, ministry and the sacraments from a biblical, historical and theological perspective. Particular attention will be paid to a trinitarian theology of Church and the impact of these concepts on other Christian doctrines.

MB6/722 Spirit and Trinity

15 Credits

In this course we attempt to equip you to analyse and evaluate Christian understandings of the doctrine of Trinity, with special focus on the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Deep engagement with Scripture, especially from Paul’s theology, will provide you a basis for understanding the development of the doctrine of the Trinity in the early church. Various aspects of Trinitarian grammar will also be examined, with the aim of bringing those insights into dialogue with contemporary issues.

MB6/720 Christology

15 Credits

This course will consider the identity and mission of Jesus the Christ, both as he has been understood in church history and as he has been considered in the light of contemporary questions of meaning. The goal is not only to become familiar with classic texts and controversies, but also to equip you to consider and articulate the enduring and universal relevance of Jesus to a postmodern cultural situation. Specific emphases will be directed toward the scriptural basis for Christology, the meaning of conciliar Christological definitions, the dynamics of soteriology, and the nature of salvation.

MB521 Thinking Theologically

15 Credits

In this course we introduce you to the study of the Christian faith and how to apply theological methodology to key doctrines. We will define what theology is, how it has been practised in the past, and how recent developments are affecting the discipline. We shall spend some time investigating the various resources for the theological task including Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. This will involve an examination of the concept of revelation and authority.

MB790 Research Essay (Bible and Theology)

15 Credits

This course provides opportunity for advanced level students to undertake guided research. Enrolment must be approved by the Academic Director and will also require the support of a supervisor able and willing to supervise the research. (There is therefore no guarantee that a student will necessarily be given the opportunity to undertake a proposed research essay.)

The Research Essay is a maximum in length of 6,000 words including footnotes and excluding bibliography.

MB6/733 Worship and Wisdom

15 Credits

This course examines two areas of Old Testament literature: the Psalms and the so-called Wisdom books (Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes). The Psalms serve as scripts for prayer and song intended to shape our lived theology of life with God. The wisdom books invite us to explore what the wise, flourishing, God-fearing life looks like practically, both in the humdrum of “everyday” life, as well as in the crucible of physical, social, and existential suffering. All four books offer God’s people an essential, irreplaceable, yet often neglected resource for contemporary discipleship oriented towards life with God.

MB6/748 Biblical Narrative (Old Testament)

15 Credits

Stories are central to the way humans understand themselves, their world, and God. In this course you will explore Old Testament narratives (stories) and how to interpret them. You will focus especially on the skill of reading Old Testament stories with literary sensitivity and skill. In the course, we will learn some of the specifics of how biblical authors make their points through the narrator’s comments, characters, plot, dialogue, etc. To accomplish this, we will explore 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, and Esther in detail. Learning to read these biblical narratives well will help you imagine how they might shape and inspire the theological imagination and action of contemporary faith communities.

MB6/740 Acts: A Missional Reading

15 Credits

The book of Acts is unique among the New Testament writings, connecting the story of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel to the continuing narrative of Jesus’ followers as they took their witness from the geographical centre of Jewish faith in Jerusalem across political, ethnic and cultural boundaries into the heart of the Roman Empire and its capital city. It is a book about mission produced in the context of early Christian mission. In this course we read it in relation to the understanding and practice of mission today, utilizing tools of Biblical study and of missiological reflection as we engage both the text and our contemporary mission contexts.

MB6/738 Revelation and the Justice of God

15 Credits

In this course, you will explore the original meaning and significance of the Book of Revelation with a special focus on its message of God’s justice. In exegeting the text, we will consider the importance of genre, interpretative method, historical background, context, and theology for understanding Revelation’s message of hope and justice for those living in an unjust world.

MB6/737 Romans

15 Credits

Paul’s letter to the Romans has been one of the most influential documents in the history of the church. In this course we attempt to hear its message. We shall explore its historical, social and religious context, follow its argument carefully and consider what its original purpose might have been and what it could say to the church today.

Your skills will be developed in exegesis, analysis of texts, research and presentation and your theological awareness and interpretative competencies will be cultivated.

MB6/736 Gospels: John

15 Credits

In this course we get beneath the surface of John’s gospel. Why was it written in that particular way? What are its distinctive emphases? How has John structured his narrative? What does it contribute to our understanding of Jesus and the church’s faith, and how does it speak to our own day? Skills will be developed in exegesis, analysis of texts, and theological awareness. This course will enable you to acquire a thorough knowledge of the content of this Gospel; recognise its genre and literary structure; identify some of its distinctive characteristics, emphases and theological themes; become aware of major issues of current scholarship in relation to its nature and interpretation, and make use of the results of your study of this gospel in considering issues of contemporary significance.

MB6/735 Gospels: Luke

15 Credits

In this course we will get beneath the surface of one of the four Gospels (Luke). We will consider why Luke has constructed his account in this particular way. What are the Gospel’s distinctive emphases? What does it contribute to our understanding of Jesus and the church’s faith, and how does it speak to our own day?

Your skills will be developed in exegesis, analysis of texts, research, and presentation; your theological awareness and interpretive competencies will be cultivated.

MB6/732 Pentateuch

15 Credits

The Pentateuch is the explosive beginning and foundation of Christian Scripture. In this course, you will explore these remarkable books, gaining both a sense of their overarching themes and content, as well as interpretive strategies for digging deeply into their stories, laws, rituals, and poetry (the world in the text). You will see how understanding the ancient Near Eastern context can illumine our understanding of these ancient texts (the world behind the text) and imagine what it would mean for these texts to shape us as participants in God’s mission individually, in our churches, and in the world (the world in front of the text).

MB6/731 Prophets: A Canonical Reading

15 Credits

This course will introduce you to key themes and texts in the prophetic books of the Old Testament. We will set the scene by introducing the historical, cultural, literary, and theological contexts of these texts in ancient Israel before moving to explore in more depth their theological message in the light of the whole of Scripture. Our primary focus will be on what these books, in their finished form, contribute to our understanding of God and his relationship with his people and the world. Thus, we will see themes and theological questions that are raised and answered in different ways in different books and how these are in dialogue with each other within the canon. The ultimate goal will be for you to understand how to hear and respond to these texts as God’s address for us today.

MB6/744 1 Corinthians

15 Credits

Paul’s correspondence with the church in Corinth permits us to glimpse some of the realities and
challenges of life in the early Christian communities in the Greco-Roman world. In this course we shall explore the historical, social and religious context of 1 Corinthians, follow Paul’s response to
theological issues, ethical questions, and practical problems that had arisen, and consider what this
letter might say to the present-day church and Christian leaders. Your key learning from this course will be historical exegesis of ancient texts, critical engagement with New Testament scholarship, theological analysis, and integrative biblical engagement with contemporary concerns and realities.

MB532 Introduction to the New Testament

15 Credits

This course aims to introduce reading and interpreting the New Testament, to enhance knowledge and understanding of your faith, and ways in which New Testament Scriptures can influence personal and community faith, and the use of New Testament theology in ministry contexts.

MM790 Research Essay (Ministry and Mission)

15 Credits

This course provides opportunity for advanced level students to undertake guided research. Enrolment must be approved by the Academic Director and will also require the support of a supervisor able and willing to supervise the research. (There is therefore no guarantee that a student will necessarily be given the opportunity to undertake a proposed research essay.)

MM6/795 Special Topic: Ministry

15 Credits

This course will help students to explore reaching their community through both good news and good works. Essentially it is a course in practical theology; however, students will engage with dimensions of sociology, missiology and theology to examine topics as varied as place-sharing, the art of neighbouring, community development and justice making, establishing social and community ministries and becoming an ‘Alongsider’.

MM6/788 Issues Facing the Church Today

15 Credits

This course studies the topic of Issues Facing the Church Today. Aspects that will be explored include history, theology, method and practice of mission, and mission in particular contexts.