Studies
Master of Theology degree course
The John Owen Centre for Theological Study offers a ThM degree course in association with Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, USA. This Master of Theology course is in the area of Historical and Systematic Theology and is taken as a series of modules, making it accessible to those already in full-time ministry.
Westminster Theological Seminary is the doyen of intellectually rigorous Reformed seminaries worldwide, with over 700 students currently enrolled, and it has a proven track record of keeping faithfully to the historic Reformed faith.
The purpose of the course is to increase the student's knowledge of a major field of theological learning - in this case that of the Reformed and Puritan periods - particularly through training and practice in the use of the methods and tools of theological research, and thus to further the student's preparation for pastoral or teaching ministry, or for more advanced graduate study. It is aimed especially at theology graduates, ministers and missionaries.
Credentials for admission to the course include an initial baccalaureate degree plus the MDiv degree or its theological equivalent from approved institutions. Knowledge of both Hebrew and NT Greek is required, as well as of one other language relevant to theological study (e.g. Dutch, French, German, or Latin). An examination in this chosen language must be passed before the course's thesis can be submitted.
For the purposes of admission to this course, the two-year training course at LTS has been recognised by the Association of Theological Schools of America and Canada, and by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, following on-site inspections, as equivalent to a Master of Divinity degree in the USA.
The course itself consists of six modules, taught by visiting faculty members of WTS and adjunct faculty members, each of one week's duration. Essays are required following each module, plus the writing of a thesis after all the modules are completed. Five modules are normally offered in each calendar year.
Students are also required to complete and pass the Theological Bibliography and Research Methodology course which is included in one of the modules.
Fees
There is an initial application fee plus a matriculation fee payable when acceptance on to the course is confirmed. The tuition fees are payable in installments at the commencement of each module and there is a small charge for meals and facilities. There is an additional fee of on submission of the thesis.
It is possible for those not taking the degree course to attend the lectures by paying an auditing fee.
Fees for nationals of the UK or other European countries »
Fees for nationals of countries outside the UK and Europe »
Accommodation
Accommodation, if required, is available during the teaching weeks in single study bedrooms. Residence at the John Owen Centre at other times is also possible subject to availability.
How to apply
Application forms are available from:
The John Owen Centre for Theological Study
104 Hendon Lane
London N3 3SQ UK
Telephone: 020 8346 7587
E-mail: johnowen@ltslondon.org
Applications must be submitted by the end of September for January entrance to the course, by January 15 for June entrance, or by March 15 for August entrance.
Master of Theology Course Curriculum 2009
January 5 - 9 English Nonconformity
This course will concentrate on the period from 1660 to 1735, the age of ‘Old Dissent’. It will also focus on the nonconformity that developed between the Restoration of the Monarchy and the impact of the eighteenth century Evangelical Revival. Particular attention will be paid to the impact of the Restoration on Puritanism. Important doctrinal issues will include the Neonomian Controversy, the growth of Arianism and the development of Hyper-Calvinism. Significant theologians and leaders include John Owen, Richard Baxter, Robert Trail, Benjamin Keach, Isaac Watts, Thomas Bradbury, Bernard Foskett and Philip Doddridge.
Robert Oliver BA PGCE PhD
Lecturer in Church History and Historical Theology
London Theological Seminary
History Teacher 1960-1976; Pastor, Providence Baptist Church, Cheltenham, 1964-67; Pastor, Old Baptist Church, Bradford on Avon, 1971 - ; joined the faculty of London Theological Seminary in 1989. Adjunct faculty member WTS, 2001 —
March 23 - 27 Union with Christ in Calvin's Theology
This course will pursue an understanding of Calvin's thought by attending to the exegetical, polemical, and historical-contextual facets of his teaching. It will cover the function of the union idea in the way Calvin relates justification sola fide to the recognized necessity for good works. The focus will be on his Romans commentary, his expositions of sacramental union with Christ and his extensive refutation of Andreas Osiander. The course will conclude with a discussion of proposals by narrative theologians who ostensibly build on extensive work in Calvin's Christology and theology of union with Christ.
Mark Garcia BS MAR PhD
Research Fellow, WTS Philadelphia
Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, 2004-06; Visiting Scholar, Faculty of History, Cambridge University, 2006- ; Senior Member and Post-doctoral Research Associate, Wolfson College, Cambridge 2006.
June 22 - 26 The Origins of Covenant Theology
A study of the theological and social movements that helped to shape covenant theology from the late medieval period, through the Protestant Reformation, to its maturation in the era of Reformed orthodoxy. Special attention will be given to the conflicting theories of the origins of Covenant Theology.
Peter Lillback BA ThM PhD
President and Professor of Historical Theology
Westminster Theological Seminary
Prior to his current appointment, he served the Seminary as an adjunct faculty member for nearly twenty years. He is also senior pastor of Proclamation Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, where he has served since 1991.
August 24 – 28 The Apologetics of Cornelius Van Til and Francis Schaeffer
This course will introduce students to the apologetics of these two magisterial figures in the twentieth century. The purpose includes: deeper familiarity with Reformed apologetics, learning the art of Christian persuasion, and developing an appropriate apologetic for our own times. Topics covered will include the history of Reformed apologetics, showing how these two figures emerged in the twentieth century. We will spend considerable time examining their apologetic methods and show commonalities as well as differences between them, with a view to assessing their influence and place in history. Most of all we want to apply and develop the type of apologetics affirmed by these and other persons in the Reformed tradition.
William Edgar BA MDiv PhD
Professor of Apologetics, WTS
Home missionary of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Pennsylvania, 1969-1970; Faculty, Brunswick School, Greenwich, Connecticut, 1970-1978; Professor of Apologetics, Faculté Libre de Théologie Réformée, Aix-en-Provence, France, 1979-1989; Westminster, 1989 —
August 31 - September 4
History of the Atonement
An opportunity to engage first-hand with a selection of classic Reformed treatments of the doctrine of the Atonement. The course will involve extensive reading of primary texts from a range of Reformed theologians, including John Calvin, John Owen, Jonathan Edwards and Charles Hodge, focusing particularly on their exposition and defence of penal substitution atonement. The course will examine the historical background of Reformed conceptions, their polemical function, their biblical basis, and their internal systematic coherence.
Garry Williams MA MSt PhD
Visiting Professor of Historical Theology
B.A., Christ Church, Oxford, 1993; Postgraduate Certificate in Education, University of Cambridge, 1994; M.St., Christ Church, Oxford, 1996; D.Phil., The Queen’s College, Oxford, 1999; Religious studies teacher, The Royal Grammar School, Guildford, 1994–1995; Research assistant in moral and pastoral theology, Oxford, 1996–1999; Lecturer in church history and doctrine, Oak Hill Theological College, London, 1999–2009 ; Westminster, 2005–; Director of The John Owen Centre 2009 -
All courses will meet daily from 9:15 am to 3:30 pm with lunch provided
Master of Theology Course Curriculum 2008
January 7 - 11 The Life and Thought of Martin Luther
The purpose of this course is to examine the life and teaching of Martin Luther through studying texts written by Luther and his contemporaries which illuminate the intellectual development and theological contribution of the German Reformer. Topics include the controversy over indulgences, the nature of justification, the dispute with Erasmus, the Marburg Colloquy, and the development of Lutheran theology in the 1530s and 1540s.
Carl R. Trueman MA PhD
Professor of Historical Theology and Church History
Lecturer in Theology, University of Nottingham, 1993-98; Senior Lecturer in Church History, University of Aberdeen, 1998-2001, Westminster Theological Seminary, 2001
March 17 - 20 History of the Atonement
An opportunity to engage first-hand with a selection of classic Reformed treatments of the doctrine of the Atonement. The course will involve extensive reading of primary texts from a range of Reformed theologians, including John Calvin, John Owen, Jonathan Edwards and Charles Hodge, focusing particularly on their exposition and defense of penal substitution atonement. The course will examine the historical background of Reformed conceptions, their polemical function, their biblical basis, and their internal systematic coherence.
Garry Williams MA MSt PhD
Lecturer in Church History and Doctrine
Oak Hill Theological College, London.
Garry Williams studied for a doctorate at Oxford University, where he researched Hugo Grotius's doctrine of the atonement.
June 23 - 27 The Doctrine of the Church in Reformed Theology
This course seeks to familiarize students with ecclesiology in the Reformed tradition through readings in historical, biblical and systematic theology (including John Calvin, John Owen, William Cunningham, James Bannerman, Charles Hodge, Herman Bavinck, G.C.Berkouwer, John Murray, Thomas E. Peck, Herman Ridderbos, Stuart Robinson, James Henley Thornwell, Gerhardus Vos, and Thomas Witherow). Those who hold to Reformed convictions face the numerous challenges of sacramental, liberal, and emergent views of the church, as well as the ongoing need to speak meaningfully in an age in which so much of the church is infatuated with individualism, the parachurch, and "postmodernism." This course seeks to equip students more fully with the ability to articulate—thoughtfully and winsomely—the conviction that "there is no ordinary possibility of salvation" outside of the church, and to defend the church's rightful claim to ordain "stewards of the mysteries of God" (1Cor 4.1), to exercise the "keys of the kingdom" (Mt 16.19), and to carry out her work as the "pillar and foundation of the truth" (1Tim 3.15).
Craig Troxel MATS PhD
Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology
Pastor, Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Glenside, PA. 1995—; Westminster Theological Seminary 1997—
September 1–5 The Life and Thought of J. Gresham Machen
This course looks at the life and thought of Gresham Machen, setting him in the transatlantic context of the Modernist/Fundamentalist debate of the early twentieth century. Attention will be given to Machen as biblical scholar, theologian, culture critic, and churchman.
Stephen Nichols BS MA MAR PhD
Professor of Historical Theology and Philosophy at Lancaster Bible College and Graduate School.
Graduate of Philadelphia Biblical University (BS), Westminster Theological Seminary (MAR), West Chester University (MA) and Westminster Theological Seminary (PhD). Lancaster Bible College Faculty, 1997 - ; Lecturer in Church History, Westminster Theological Seminary, 2004-. Author of books on Jonathan Edwards and Martin Luther.
September 8-11 Old Religion in the New World: Transatlantic Puritan Thought
The course will investigate New England puritan theology (through Jonathan Edwards) in comparison with British and continental Reformed Tradition.
Jeffrey Jue BA MDiv PhD
Associate Professor of Church History
B.A., University of California at Irvine, 1994; M.Div. Westminster Theological Seminary 1998; Graduate studies, University of Geneva, 1999; Ph.D. University of Aberdeen, 2003; WTS, 2003-
Details of topics covered to date in the ThM course can be found by clicking here