Courses

This course advances the student’s ability to conduct practice-led doctoral research within the framework of biblical and theological studies. By design, one of the unique challenges of the Doctor of Practical Theology program is the integration of professional practice with the highest standards of research method. This includes content and methods from the social sciences, but no one’s research in any discipline proceeds in a cultural vacuum. When conducted within the context of the Christian faith, research must also be informed and critiqued by biblical-theological studies. Different students enter the DPT program with different levels of formal training and experience in Christian studies. This course provides a framework that orients the student’s research within the biblical-theological disciplines, building upon whatever foundation they bring with them into the DPT program. As a result, the student will be able to improve and modify their practice based on theoretical and theological considerations.

Knowing

• To explain how language makes meaning.
• To demonstrate sound word-study methodology
• To explain the contribution of major parts of the Bible to the grand narrative of redemption.
• To describe how one’s professional practice fits within the context of redemptive history.
• To describe how one’s practice relates to the major topics of systematic theology.

Being

• “To present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15)
• To allow the Scripture to motivate, form, and transform one’s professional practice in the way of the Lord and in the grand narrative of redemption.

Doing

• To articulate the primary theological topics relevant to one’s research interests.
• To identify some of the major biblical passages relevant to one’s research interests.
• To interpret the biblical text meaningfully within broader context.
• To discern appropriate secondary sources relevant to one’s research interests.