Our Master's in Theology Program prepares you for the academy, the classroom and the church. We invite you to study with a faculty deeply committed to
- "doing theology" in the Augustinian tradition;
- providing you with a Christian intellectual and moral environment;
- integrating contemporary thought, experience, and method in course work; and
- advancing the various disciplines of Systematic Theology, Biblical Studies, Historical Studies and Historical Theology, Christian Ethics, Spirituality, and Lay Ministry.
Goals
Our program goals reflect our departmental academic vision of "doing theology" in the Augustinian tradition and are consonant with our Principal Academic Strategies.
Faith Engaging Culture
On the program level you pursue three questions concerning content, context and application of theological studies with a focus on faith engaging culture:
- What is the fundamental truth of a faith claim (veritas)?
- What are its biblical, historical, and contemporary cultural contexts (unitas)?
- What are its ethical, spiritual and ministerial significance (caritas)?
Integration of Knowledge
On the level of the curriculum, our students pursue the integration of knowledge. We study the intersection of faith and culture by bringing theological perspectives in dialogue with each other: biblical, historical and Augustinian, systematical, ethical, spiritual, and ministerial. Critical knowledge thus requires familiarity with these perspectives (and their methods of analysis). However, our distinctive contribution to learning is the integration (not the parallel study) of knowledge.
Knowing and learning in the Augustinian Tradition
On the level of course work, we pursue knowing and learning in the Augustinian tradition. You will become familiar with the classical questions of the western theological tradition and study the intersection of theology and culture from within diverse academic areas.
- To accomplish these goals we require that you complete foundational graduate seminars and take courses in a minimum of four academic areas, all of which study the intersection, or "engagement", of faith and culture from unique perspectives and with distinctive methods.
- Upon graduation you will be familiar with the classical questions of the western theological tradition, the diverse theological possibilities of studying the theology–culture interrelationship, and thus the larger theological dialogue within our department.
Objectives
Our program objectives reflect Augustine's vision of learning and knowing with the mind and the heart.
Tasks of the Mind
- construct, evaluate, and advance theological arguments and discuss their significance for Christian living;
- describe central characteristics of the Christian understanding of human existence, the world, and God;
- investigate the resources of the Christian theological tradition in light of the questions raised by contemporary culture and the continuing challenges of human life;
- demonstrate knowledge of biblical traditions and interpret biblical texts using current exegetical methods;
- examine Christian ethical traditions, think systematically about moral and ethical questions, and evaluate the impact of individual and collective actions on the common good;
- trace continuity and changes in Christian belief and practice from biblical roots, through historical developments, to contemporary forms of expression;
- understand the methods appropriate to research and pursuit of knowledge in the diverse fields of inquiry within the program; and
- use these methods to produce research suitable for the MA level and beyond, whether for the pursuit of further study or professional, practical, and personal purposes.
Tasks of the Heart
- engage their mind and deepen their Christian lives by integrating the speculative (mind) and practical (heart) in their studies and dialogues with faculty and fellow students;
- discern the relevance of Augustinian vision that all authentic human wisdom is ultimately in harmony with divine wisdom for their own lives and values;
- advance academic ways of understanding Christian belief and practice by doing theology as “faith seeking understanding” (Anselm), that is, as a critical, systematic reflection on the life of faith;
- recognize Christian theology as a living, enduring way of knowing that continues to be refined, developed, and extended as it engages the contemporary world;
- respond to Augustine's call to the restless search for wisdom by responding to a relationship offered from beyond the boundaries of human existence;
- deliberate and form judgments about the implications of Christian moral principles for building a more just, sustainable and peaceful world; and
- assume positions as productive, ethical, intellectual, and socially responsible citizens and leaders.
