Master of Theology Degree Course
Forthcoming Modules 2010
August 16 – 20
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—
August 30 - September 3
The Life and Thought of Francis Turretin
Purpose:
• To examine the history and theology of Francis Turretin (1623-1687) through a careful reading of Turretin’s Institutes of Elenctic Theology (the primary Systematic Theology textbook of Old Princeton)
• To introduce the historical and theological context of seventeenth-century Protestant Scholasticism and its relation to the sixteenth-century Reformers
• To enable students to reflect upon the Reformed theological tradition and its value for the contemporary church
Topics covered include the background of Post-Reformation Scholasticism, theological prolegomena, the doctrine of God, the decrees of God, man’s free will, justification, covenant theology, ecclesiology, and eschatology.
Dr Jeff Jue BA MDiv PhD
Associate Professor of Church History
B.A., University of California, Irvine, 1994; M.Div., Westminster Seminary California, 1998; Graduate Studies, University of Geneva, 1999; Ph.D., University of Aberdeen, 2003; Lecturer, The Aberdeen School of Christian Studies, 2000; Tutorial Instructor, University of Aberdeen, 2000–2001; Visiting Professor, Reformed Theological Seminary, 2002– ; Westminster, 2002– .
Recent Modules
January 2010
Classical Reformed Covenant Theology
This course will cover the covenant theology of selected major authors from the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, especially Robert Rollock, John Ball, Samuel Petto, John Owen, Thomas Blake, and Thomas Boston. It will examine the evidence for and the relationship between the covenants, and will use material from the period to assess recent critiques of classic Reformed covenant theology.
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 -
March 2010
The Doctrine of Scripture in Theological and Historical Perspective
This course will review the Reformed doctrine of Scripture in its classic formulations through study of the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 1.
We will study the thematic unity of Scripture in the light of recent discussions of covenant theology and review the doctrine of Scripture in the church fathers, Reformers and Puritans through selected readings. The course will cover the debates over Scripture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and engage critically with recent re-evaluations of the doctrine of Scripture, notably the arguments of Peter Enns’ Inspiration and Incarnation and Andrew McGowan’s The Divine Spiration of Scripture.
Iain Campbell MA BD MTh PhD
Point Free Church of Scotland, Isle of Lewis
Minister of Snizort Free Church of Scotland, Isle of Skye, 1988-95; Editor, The Monthly Record (the official publication of the Free Church of Scotland, 1996 – 2000); College Board, Free Church of Scotland College; Back Free Church, 1995-2009; Point Free Church, 2009 -
June 28 - July 2
Classic Reformed Sacramental Theology
Purpose:
• To examine the sacramental theology of the Reformed churches from Zwingli to Nevin through reading and discussion of primary and secondary sources.
• To consider this theology in the context of its disagreements with Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Anabaptist claims.
• To enable students to reflect upon the Reformed sacramental tradition and its value for the contemporary church
Topics covered include the doctrine of baptism, particularly in relation to the development of covenant theology, the Eucharistic views of Zwingli and Bullinger, Calvin and Vermigli, classic confessions including the Westminster Confession and Larger Catechism, and the nineteenth century dispute between Nevin and Hodge. Recent discussion of the Eucharistic theology of John Calvin will be considered.
Robert Letham BA MAR ThM PhD
Senior Tutor in Systematic and Historical Theology at Wales Evangelical School of Theology
With twenty-five years pastoral experience, he has taught at Westminster Theological Seminary, Reformed Theological Seminary (Washington, DC / Baltimore) and London School of Theology. He is the author of a number of books, including The Work of Christ and The Holy Trinity, and the Theology of the Westminster Assembly.
Earlier Modules
January 2009 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 2009 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 2009 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 2009 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 —
September 2009 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 -
Topics covered by the course (2002-2008)
Scottish Covenant Theology
Andrew McGowan
2002, 2004, 2006, 2007
History of Reformed Thought
Carl Trueman
2002
Jonathan Edwards
Sam Logan
2002
Doctrine of Adoption
Carl Trumper
2002
English Nonconformity
Robert Oliver
2002, 2003, 2005, 2007
Life and Thought of John Owen
Carl Trueman
2003, 2005
English Puritan Piety
William Barker
2003
History and Theology of Apologetics
Scott Oliphint
2003
Reformed Ecclesiology -
(Doctrine of the Church in Reformed Theology)
Craig Troxel
2003, 2006, 2008
The Westminster Standards
Sinclair Ferguson
2004
Life and Thought of Martin Luther
Carl Trueman
2004, 2008
Old Religion in the New World -
(Transatlantic Puritan Thought)
Jeff Jue
2004, 2006, 2008
Life and Thought of Jonathan Edwards
Stephen Nichols
2004, 2006
Calvin's Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
Sinclair Ferguson
2005
Kuyper and His Worldview Tradition
McKendree Langley
2005
Reformed Doctrine of Salvation
Lane Tipton
2005, 2007
History of the Atonement
Garry Williams
2006, 2008
Calvin's Theology of Union with Christ
Mark Garcia
2007
History and Theology of the Westminster Assembly
Chad Van Dixhoorn
2007
The Life and Thought of J Gresham Machen
Stephen Nichols
2008
Application forms and more information can be obtained from:
The John Owen Centre
104 Hendon Lane
London N3 3SQ UK
Telephone: 020 8346 7587
johnowen@ltslondon.org
To book to audit a ThM module please email johnowen@ltslondon.org
The auditing fee is £175 per module