Redeemer Seminary M.A. Program

PROGRAMS OF STUDY

CERTIFICATE IN CHRISTIAN STUDIES (CERT.)

MASTER OF ARTS (M.A.)

A student who holds a baccalaureate degree from an approved institution receives the degree of Master of Arts (M.A.) on the completion of the prescribed program of study. The program requires at least two years of full-time study for completion.

The Master of Arts is a professional degree program designed to train men and women preparing to serve Christ in occupations other than the ordained Gospel ministry.

This program builds on basic biblical, theological, and historical foundations. These are integrated and sharpened through active involvement in the area of concentration throughout the entire course of study.

Requirements for the Degree

Twelve credit hours during a semester, or three credit hours during the winter term, is the minimum program for a full-time student. No student may take more than 20 credit hours during a semester without the permission of the faculty. Not more than five credit hours may be taken during the winter term.

No student will be granted a degree whose cumulative academic average at the completion of the program is lower than 1.80. The degree shall be granted only to persons enrolled at Redeemer at the time of the completion of their program of study. A student who has completed requirements by the end of the winter term of the year of graduation may receive the degree in absentia.

Students should be aware that many of the M.A. courses are offered in the evening hours.

30-32 Hours Core Courses Plus 24-26 Hours Electives

All students must take the following core courses regardless of concentration, plus the electives:

OT 131	Biblical Theology I	3 hrs
OT 141	Old Testament for Ministry	3 hrs
NT 133	Biblical Theology II	3 hrs
NT 141	New Testament for Ministry	3 hrs
CH311	Reformation Church History	3 hrs
CH211 or CH323	Ancient Church History Modern Age Church History	2 hrs 4 hrs
ST 101	Intro to Systematic Theology	2 hrs
ST533	Westminster Standards	2 hrs
AP 101	Introduction to Apologetics	3 hrs
PT 173	Biblical Interpretation	3 hrs
PTC 261	Human Personality	3 hrs
M.A. Core	Required Courses	30-32 hrs
M.A. Electives	See Elective Options	24-26 hrs
M.A. Total	Core + Electives	56 hrs

M.A. CORE COURSES (OT, NT, and PT173 M.A. courses not applicable to M.DIV./M.A.R.)

OT 131 Biblical Theology I
Purpose: To show how responsible interpretation and application of any biblical text does not begin with the question “How do I apply this passage to my life?” but with “How does this passage connect to the great narrative of redemption which climaxes in the gospel, the story of Christ, and his people?” Topics covered include the nature of the Bible and its coherence; continuities and discontinuities in various major themes, such as the kingdom of God, definitions of the people of God, the Spirit and the New Covenant; the centrality of the gospel in application. Not available to M.Div. or M.A.R. students. 3 semester hours.

OT 141 Old Testament for Ministry
Purpose: To expose the student to specific interpretive issues in Old Testament historical and prophetic books; to demonstrate how Old Testament historical and prophetic books are to be interpreted and applied in light of the gospel; to engage in close reading and apply to specific books (Joshua and Jeremiah) the principles of biblical-theological interpretation learned in Biblical Theology I and Biblical Theology II. Topics covered include redemptive-historical interpretation and the question of application; critique of various popular methods of application of historical and prophetic literature; the nature of biblical history-writing; the office, function, and theology of the prophet in the Old Testament; the specific theologies and redemptive-historical trajectories of the books of Joshua and Jeremiah; and the use of Old Testament historical and prophetic literature in ministry. Prerequisites, OT 131, and NT 133. Not available to M.Div. or M.A.R. students. 3 semester hours.

NT 133 Biblical Theology II
For course description, see OT 131. Not available to M.Div. or M.A.R. students. 3 semester hours.

NT 143 New Testament for Ministry
Purpose: to examine some of the ways that New Testament writers applied the story of Jesus Christ to various problems confronting the first-century church; to develop responsible ways of applying the story of Jesus Christ to problems we face today. Topics covered include how the centrality of Jesus in the NT functions in relation to redemptive history, how that history applies to believers today, some major theological themes of the NT Gospels and Epistles, and the task of bridging the historical and cultural gap between the ancient and modern worlds. Not available to M.Div. or M.A.R. students. 3 semester hours.

CH311 Reformation Church
Purpose: to introduce students to the major events, personalities, and ideas which shaped the Reformation of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, to encourage students to think historically about the church's past, to enable students to read major theological texts from the Reformation for themselves. Topics and personalities covered include the late medieval context, Martin Luther, John Calvin, justification by faith, anabaptism, the Catholic Reformation, the Anglican settlements, and the rise of Puritanism. 3 semester hours.

CHOICE OF CH211 OR CH323:

CH211 Ancient Church History
Purpose: To introduce students to the major events, personalities, and ideas which shaped the life and thought of the early church; to encourage students to think historically about the church’s past; to enable students to read the major texts of the early church Fathers for themselves. Topics and personalities covered include the first-century background, the Apostolic Fathers, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, trinitarian and christological debates, Augustine, the rise of monasticism, and martyrdom. 2 semester hours.

CH323 The Church in the Modern Age
Purpose: to introduce students to the major events, people, and cultural developments which shaped the doctrine and life of the post-Reformation church; to introduce students to some major writings of the time; to introduce students to the challenges to the Christian faith from new directions in the social, political, and philosophical climate; to relate American history and culture to modern Christianity; to introduce students to the globalization of Christianity in the modern missionary movement; to help students understand the continuing relevance of Calvinism and its ongoing discovery of biblical truth. Topics and people covered include the Enlightenment and Deism, Awakening methods and theology, the role of small groups, Romanticism, divisions and realignments within Protestantism and Calvinism, American Presbyterianism, Fundamentalism, Modernism, Neo-orthodoxy, New Evangelicalism, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and the Presbyterian Church of America; Erskine, Zinzendorf, Spener, Wesley, Whitefield, Edwards, Witherspoon, Schleiermacher, Ritschl, Hodge, Kuyper, Barth, and Machen. 4 semester hours.

ST101 Introduction to Systematic Theology
Purpose: to provide foundations for the study of theology, particularly for deepening understanding of the teaching of Scripture as a whole and in its unity. Topics covered in the course include nature, method, and sources of theology; revelation and the inspiration of Scripture. 2 semester hours.

ST533 The Westminster Standards
Purpose: To exposit the theology of the Assembly by means of a study of the Westminster Confession of Faith. Topics covered in the course include the origin and convening of the Westminster Assembly. 2 semester hours.

PT 173 Biblical Interpretation
Purpose: To gain an overall framework for interpreting/applying any passage of Scripture, a framework that is sensitive to the reader’s world, the author’s world, and the text itself; to gain experience in seeing the Christological/Gospel-centered implications of any text as a prerequisite for meaningful personal application; to grow in ability to rivet Scriptural truth to real-life ministry situations; to practice biblical interpretation in the context of community. Topics covered include the problem of meaning, historical and contemporary models for the interpretation/application of Scripture, Bible translators, resources for Bible study, genre, and contemporary challenges in interpretation (including the role of the reader and the impact of culture in the process of interpretation). Not available to M.Div. or M.A.R. students. Prerequisites, OT 131. 3 semester hours.

Beyond the M.A. Core Courses, students who desire to focus their program in a particular field may elect to enroll in courses appropriate to that field. Students may choose from any M.A. or M.Div./M.A.R. courses for which they are eligible (some M.Div./M.A.R. courses have Greek & Hebrew prerequisites).

ELECTIVE CONCENTRATIONS (see course descriptions in comprehensive list):

Biblical Counseling: Courses taken through the CCEF School of Biblical Counseling Distance Education Program.

Historical Theological Studies: ST113, PT211, CH211, CH223, CH323

World and Urban Mission: PT123, PTM151, PTM163, PT343, PTM572, PTM671, PTM681