Advanced Studies (Th.M./Ph.D. Programs)

Fields of Study

LSTC offers the advanced degrees in the fields of Old Testament, New Testament, historical studies, theological studies (including emphases on Christian ethics and religion and science), and world Christianity and mission.

Biblical Studies
Students work in both the Old Testament and the New Testament during the first year (or six courses) before the qualifying examination, but concentrate upon the testament of choice during the second half of the course requirements. The program requires a minimum of two seminars in the testament that is not the area of concentration. Doctoral work in this field emphasizes both the mastery of the technical tools of critical biblical scholarship and the significance of the biblical witness for the life of the church.

Historical Studies
Building on a broad mastery of the history of the Christian tradition and the tools of historiography, students may concentrate upon a particular period or problem corresponding to personal interests and faculty strengths.

Theological Studies
The discipline of systematic theology involves the task of working out a critical restatement of the Christian faith in light of the challenge of the contemporary intellectual and cultural context. The student works to gain a firm grasp of the historical background of contemporary problems and to attend to their philosophical dimensions. The goal is to combine mastery of the work done by others with the student’s own growing competence in “doing theology.” The student may undertake studies in Christian ethics as an emphasis within this field. There also are opportunities for doctoral study in religion and science, using the resources of the Zygon Center for Religion and Science.

World Christianity and Mission
World Christianity and mission builds on the programs in historical and theological studies at LSTC. It draws on the resources of the Chicago Center for Global Ministries, ACTS (especially the Catholic Theological Union and McCormick Theological Seminary), and the University of Chicago. Students in this field are admitted either in historical studies/world Christianity and mission or in theological studies/ world Christianity and mission. Students desiring to focus on interfaith and cross-cultural studies are encouraged to consider this concentration.

This webpage was last modified on August 9, 2007

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