Postgraduate Divinity 2019-2020

Can properly theological ways of thinking and acting allow us to attend and respond to concrete challenges and problems confronting the world today? Or does theology continually (and inherently) tempt us to look above and beyond reality and its claims?  This course is organised around a series of engagements with prominent modern theologians and their texts. In particular, we will engage this material with a particular view to questions of concreteness, embodiment, and identity. 

This course allows a student to do in-depth study in a specific area in Divinity or Religious Studies agreed upon with his or her supervisor and approved by the Head of School. It may be offered in conjunction with the student sitting in on level 4 lectures relating to the subject material. 

Christian Spiritual Formation involves the transformation of the whole person to the character of Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. It is concerned with people’s attitudes, character, intentions and thoughts, and the development of their spiritual maturity. This course will explore and study the personal disciplines and practices which Christians have exercised in their attempts and efforts to grow in their relationship with God over the centuries. Students will have the opportunity to reflect upon the usefulness and relevance of these texts in their own spiritual journeys and to their present spheres of ministry.

This course engages at length and in depth with the thought of one or more formative thinkers in the Christian theological tradition, aiming to foster critical reflection on the scope and coherence of Christian teaching as well as the defining concerns and conventions of Christian systematic theology, and to cultivate in students the interpretative and analytical skills required for advanced work in the discipline. In this course, students will engage intensively with one or more major works from the Christian doctrinal tradition. 

The course will efficiently deliver content specific to biblical studies, relevant to students who wish to graduate with the M.Th in Biblical Studies. The content of the course will be delivered through the New Testament research seminar, allowing for a high-level of research-led teaching to be achieved without significant additional workload for staff in the area. 

20,000 word dissertation written on a topic related to the student's taught Master's programme and agreed to by the supervisor and the programme co-ordinator.

This course examines the account of creation in the biblical book of Genesis in order to explore the theological account of human moral action it offers. By exploring different movements of the creation story, the course lays out the basic structure of Christian moral theology. The aim is to develop a theological approach to the fundamentals of Christian ethics, clarifying its relevance for issues of sexuality and procreation, economics, work, governance, health, animals and the environment. The course offers a broad theoretical framework for thinking about the whole scope of ethical questions in contemporary society. Download course guide.

The course provides a survey of Jewish History (from the Persian and Hellenistic periods to the present day) and of Jewish culture (Jewish identity, rites and other aspects of religious life) through the ages. It provides students with a full overview of Judaism from its inception to the present.

This course allows a student to do in-depth study in a specific area in Divinity or Religious Studies agreed upon with his or her supervisor and approved by the Head of School. It may be offered in conjunction with the student sitting in on level 4 lectures relating to the subject material. 

Opportunities to explore and reflect on principles and patterns of church leadership in both the first and twenty-first centuries. In studying the New Testament sources, the relevance of both informed historical and theological study will be apparent; the relevance of distinguishing between descriptive and prescriptive New Testament content will be evaluated; and the extent to which the context for church may be determinative for patterns of church leadership will be identified. This will provide a basis for reflecting on various issues that surround current practices of church leadership.

Christian practices are not activities as such, and neither are they religious duties. They are, rather, patterns of communal life within the Christian tradition that address fundamental human needs by revealing the presence and power of God. Practices point beyond the individualism of our present culture and disclose the social qualities of the Christian life. This course will explore the role and the effect which a number of Christian practices have played in the lives of local congregations. Students will have the opportunity to reflect upon the potential role of these practices in their own areas of ministry

The course involves a consideration of the development of the Christian doctrine of God and related themes from Scripture to the 20th century. It pays close attention to significant texts in the Christian tradition (including creedal statements, and the writings of Origen, Augustine, Barth, and others), and to discussions of the doctrine of the trinity. The course requires careful reading of key primary texts.