The School of Theology is committed to providing students a robust and well rounded theological education.
Anglican studies offerings provide the opportunity to explore the tradition, heritage, and current experience of Christianity expressed in the Anglican and Episcopal churches.
There are two questions that we must address to the Holy Scriptures: “What do they mean now?” and “What did they mean then?” No serious study of the Bible can avoid either. Not to ask “What do they mean now?” is to refuse to deal with the fundamental intention of the texts, which were certainly written to inform, inspire, challenge, and convict. Not to ask “What did they mean then?” is to run the risk that the answer to the former question will be fantasy. The Scripture courses at the School of Theology are a serious attempt to address both questions, in a setting where commitment to Christ and commitment to academic integrity are seen as ultimately inseparable.
The Church is a community of moral discourse, decision, and action. Accordingly, courses in Christian ethics and moral theology are central to a seminary curriculum. The coordinating themes for the courses in Christian ethics and moral theology at the School of Theology are our obligations of love of God and neighbor as they pertain to the formation of individual and social character. Throughout, we explore the distinctiveness of the Episcopal and Anglican traditions in ecumenical conversation with other traditions of Christian faith. In all courses, we engage the Church’s contemporary challenges and on-going debates. Our hope is that our vision of God and neighbor will deepen and inspire our moral reflection and action.
History is thinking about and studying the meaning of the past, not simply to examine it but to recover a usable past that can help shape the future. The courses offered trace church history and historical theology from the formation of the church to the present. Special emphasis is given to English church history and The Episcopal Church in the United States.
The Apostle Paul explained the challenge with uncharacteristic clarity and brevity—“How are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim?” (Romans 10:14). Homiletics trains believers to be proclaimers. Building on the foundation of theology, ethics, Church history, and Biblical studies, students learn how to have something to say that is worth hearing, and how to say it well enough to be truly heard. Two courses in homiletics are required in the Master of Divinity curriculum, one in the Middler and one in the senior year. Each course is a mix of lecture and preaching groups, during which students offer sermons of their own for feedback and critique.
Liturgy lies at the core of the church’s being: in its classical definition, the ekklesia or “church” is the worshiping assembly. The study of liturgy is therefore of crucial importance in theological study. Core courses in liturgics and church music offer a basic education in historical, theoretical, and practical aspects of liturgical studies. Electives enrich this core, allowing students to pursue greater knowledge of various aspects of the liturgy.
Missiology is the study of all aspects of the mission of the Church, including theology and history of missions, current mission practice and experience, multicultural studies including that of other world religions, and social and economic issues that affect mission.
Theology is sustained through critical reflection on the sources, norms, and contents of Christian belief. This task belongs to both the individual and the community and seeks a faithful and effective expression of the Gospel for our time and place. Core courses and electives develop a student’s skill in theological reflection as integral to the church’s ministry and mission.
Theory and Practice of Ministry courses encourage students to form an understanding of human nature and a theology of lay and ordained ministry.
While research and writing are skills conventionally mastered in the humanities at the undergraduate level, many students arrive in seminary after a long hiatus between their undergraduate work and their master’s program. Other students will not have majored in the humanities and do not have the same skills as their peers. Even those who have an extensive humanities background can benefit from further work on their writing skills and from the chance to learn the particular bibliographical resources available for the academic study of theology. The course is designed to strengthen the student’s abilities in academic research and writing in the theological disciplines. It complements the introduction to theological writing that takes place during orientation.
When a student, in consultation with his/her advisor, determines that an educational goal cannot be met through courses offered, the student may propose to meet this goal through a directed reading.
