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Worship and Culture Concentration
CATS Home | Church History and Historical Theology | Christian Ethics | New Testament | Old Testament | Theology | Philosophical Theology and Philosophy of Religion | Practical Theology | Theology and Culture
Faculty
Todd Johnson: history of worship;
liturgical theology; ecumenical and Evangelical practice in worship
PhD in Theology: Worship and Culture Concentration
The Christian Church is a church at worship. It is also a church heavily influenced by contemporary culture. As it moves further into a new millennium the church faces a number of strong challenges. One is for the church to understand the power of the cultural and philosophical forces that come to bear upon the Christian faith and the ministry of the church. Another is the challenge for the church to continue to celebrate the biblical, historical, and theological influences that have shaped it and to find ways to bring elements of tradition and historical practice into conversation with current expressions of worship, praise, prayer, preaching, and lamentation. A further challenge is to grow in our understanding of the ways that arts, media, and ever-changing technological resources present themselves as tools, opportunities, and sometimes, obstacles for ministry. How does the practice of Christian worship provide resources for a church in such interesting times? And how does postmodern culture provide resources for the study of worship and theology in an Evangelical tradition? The purpose of the Worship and Culture Concentration is to engage these questions and provide leadership for the church as it seeks to find expressions for worship and proclamation in a postmodern context.
This concentration focuses on the biblical, historical, and theological dimensions of Christian worship and brings them into conversation with the forces of contemporary culture. It addresses issues of philosophy, media, cultural influence, technology, and the arts, and considers how they present themselves as resources for ministry and as fitting assets for the creation of new expressions of faith. The concentration features a major in Worship and Culture and encourages a minor concentration in Practical Theology.
Program Overview
Stage One: Foundations for Research 1. Language Studies 2. Methods Seminar 3. 4 more seminars which lead
toward preparation for Comprehensive
4 Comprehensive Examinations
Stage Two: Dissertation 1. 4 seminars or directed readings
Note: of the 8 non-methods seminars/readings, 6 are in the major area; 2 are in the minor area
Major Concentration
PhD students majoring in Worship and Culture will take the following doctoral seminars as part of their major concentration. The methods seminar and the history and liturgical theology seminars are to be taken prior to the Comprehensive Examinations.
1. Theology and Culture: Methods (Dyrness/Johnston)
2. The Shape of Liturgical Theology (Brehm Chair/Schmit)
3. One seminar/reading from the following types of seminars dealing in an interdisciplinary fashion with Worship and Culture (list not exhaustive and subject to change):
a. Worship, Theology, and the Arts (Dyrness) b. Theology and Contemporary Culture (Johnston) c. Theological Uses of Postmodern Philosophy (Murphy) d. Postmodernity (Shenk)
4. One seminar/reading from the following types of seminars dealing with theology and its cultural expressions (list not exhaustive and subject to change): a. Worship and the Emerging Church (Gibbs/Bolger) b. Theory and Theology of the
Use of Technology and Media in Church and c. Theology and Church Music (Schmit/Brehm Chair)
5. The Shape of Worship: Historical and Contemporary (Brehm Chair/Schmit)
Minor Concentration
PhD students majoring in Worship and Culture will normally take a minor concentration in Practical Theology. The minor will consist of two seminars, the first of which is to be taken prior to Comprehensive Examinations.
1. The Shape of Practical Theology (faculty)
2. One other reading/seminar in the field of Practical Theology
Comprehensive Examinations
Four Comprehensive Examinations will be taken after completing five seminars (including the methods seminar).
1. Theology and Culture: Methodology
2. Liturgical History and Theology
3. Interdisciplinary study of Liturgy and Culture
4. Minor field (normally, The Shape of Practical Theology)
ThM students majoring in Worship and Culture will take:
-Theology and Culture: Methods (Dyrness/Johnston)
-Directed Reading: ThM Thesis
-16 units in major field (at either 500 or 800 level)
-16 units in any field (at either 500 or 800 level)
-1 research language
At least 8 units must be taken at the 800 level.
Research Languages
PhD students will complete two research languages, typically French, German, or Spanish. Latin may be substituted as research warrants. If no biblical languages were taken prior to entering the program, one modern language will be required and either Greek or Hebrew will be required as the second research language.
ThM students will take one modern research language or Latin, as research warrants.
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