Reforming Theological Education
Mission and Purpose:
Reforming Theological Education is an initiative that addresses the current character, crisis and trajectory of theological education within seminaries and schools of theology in North America. Particular interest is in examining how the curriculum, theological perspective, and ideological agenda of these schools both have an impact upon and at the same time clash with Christian churches from which these same schools predominantly draw their student body. There is an identity crisis and theological schizophrenia within many theological institutions of higher learning. Caught in the troughs of modernity and post-modernity’s interest toward skepticism, relativism, religious pluralism (i.e. universalism), and focus toward humanism, many Christian seminaries (and schools of theology) function like schools of philosophy and world religion. Without negating the value of the latter, the theological academy has lost its most vital missions: that of training women and men for Christian service in parish and Para-church ministries which proclaim the gospel. Students within most theological institutions are given a disjointed curriculum whereby the Church and the theological academy (which by extension are divided by a great chasm) function in opposition to one another. The theological curriculum has either jettisoned the Christian Evangelical faith, does not affirm the significance and sensibilities of Christianity among ethnically diverse groups, or does not take a real interest in social justice issues. Within these theological institutions, the voice of students (i.e. those belonging to Christian churches) and their orthodox theology has been drowned out by elitist theological educators, many of whom have jettisoned the church, its mission and its theology. Many theological educators claim to speak for those in the church. Claiming to be prophetic as well as understanding the pulse of the Christian community, some educators tell students and the church what and how they should think: what questions are important and how they should think both theologically and socially (take the Eddie Glaude “The Black Church is Dead” essay for instance). Lost in the discussion is the voice of the student and the church. The foreign rhetoric and ideological agenda within the academy is of little interest to the church, however, the impact of the academy is significant and has the potential to wreak havoc and much damage. As such, there needs to be a reform of theological education, to reclaim the evangelical Christian character that has remained a constant in the majority of our Christian congregations. It is on this basis that this project will help students and the church to recapture its voice within theological education, and at the same time remind the theological academy of its organic Christian roots.
History and Rational:
This project developed out of the personal experience and theological engagement of Dr. Jamal-Dominique Hopkins first as a seminarian and international graduate theological student, and later as a theological professor, educator and member of several theological guilds. An undergraduate of Howard University, Dr. Hopkins completed his Master’s degree in theology and biblical studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. He later went on to complete his Ph.D. in Religions and Theology (focusing on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Qumran studies) at the University of Manchester, in England. He is the only (known) person of African Descent with a Ph.D. in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Against the backdrop of this background, the two-fold question that asks what is understood about, and what is the responsibility of the theological educator is crucial. On the basis of this two-fold question the theological educator wrestles with whether and in what respects one is either a Christian theological educator or a theological educator who happens to be Christian; the distinction between the two classifications is significant and not so subtle. Through symposiums, conferences, and a think-tank study group, this project explores difficult concerns related to the currents within theological education and its impact upon the Christian church. The Journal of Reforming Theological Education will feature the studies and proceedings of researched works.
Jamal-Dominique Hopkins, Ph.D.
Director, Reforming Theological Education Project,
Initiative of J.D.Institute
Mission and Purpose:
Reforming Theological Education is an initiative that addresses the current character, crisis and trajectory of theological education within seminaries and schools of theology in North America. Particular interest is in examining how the curriculum, theological perspective, and ideological agenda of these schools both have an impact upon and at the same time clash with Christian churches from which these same schools predominantly draw their student body. There is an identity crisis and theological schizophrenia within many theological institutions of higher learning. Caught in the troughs of modernity and post-modernity’s interest toward skepticism, relativism, religious pluralism (i.e. universalism), and focus toward humanism, many Christian seminaries (and schools of theology) function like schools of philosophy and world religion. Without negating the value of the latter, the theological academy has lost its most vital missions: that of training women and men for Christian service in parish and Para-church ministries which proclaim the gospel. Students within most theological institutions are given a disjointed curriculum whereby the Church and the theological academy (which by extension are divided by a great chasm) function in opposition to one another. The theological curriculum has either jettisoned the Christian Evangelical faith, does not affirm the significance and sensibilities of Christianity among ethnically diverse groups, or does not take a real interest in social justice issues. Within these theological institutions, the voice of students (i.e. those belonging to Christian churches) and their orthodox theology has been drowned out by elitist theological educators, many of whom have jettisoned the church, its mission and its theology. Many theological educators claim to speak for those in the church. Claiming to be prophetic as well as understanding the pulse of the Christian community, some educators tell students and the church what and how they should think: what questions are important and how they should think both theologically and socially (take the Eddie Glaude “The Black Church is Dead” essay for instance). Lost in the discussion is the voice of the student and the church. The foreign rhetoric and ideological agenda within the academy is of little interest to the church, however, the impact of the academy is significant and has the potential to wreak havoc and much damage. As such, there needs to be a reform of theological education, to reclaim the evangelical Christian character that has remained a constant in the majority of our Christian congregations. It is on this basis that this project will help students and the church to recapture its voice within theological education, and at the same time remind the theological academy of its organic Christian roots.
History and Rational:
This project developed out of the personal experience and theological engagement of Dr. Jamal-Dominique Hopkins first as a seminarian and international graduate theological student, and later as a theological professor, educator and member of several theological guilds. An undergraduate of Howard University, Dr. Hopkins completed his Master’s degree in theology and biblical studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. He later went on to complete his Ph.D. in Religions and Theology (focusing on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Qumran studies) at the University of Manchester, in England. He is the only (known) person of African Descent with a Ph.D. in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Against the backdrop of this background, the two-fold question that asks what is understood about, and what is the responsibility of the theological educator is crucial. On the basis of this two-fold question the theological educator wrestles with whether and in what respects one is either a Christian theological educator or a theological educator who happens to be Christian; the distinction between the two classifications is significant and not so subtle. Through symposiums, conferences, and a think-tank study group, this project explores difficult concerns related to the currents within theological education and its impact upon the Christian church. The Journal of Reforming Theological Education will feature the studies and proceedings of researched works.
Jamal-Dominique Hopkins, Ph.D.
Director, Reforming Theological Education Project,
Initiative of J.D.Institute
