NEXUS
Teaching & Learning, Research & Scholarship in the Australian
College of Theology
April 2013
WHAT’S IN THIS EDITION
(place your cursor over an entry, then CTRL + click)
Editorial ................................................. 3
BTh, BMin, MDiv – same or different? Have your say. ........................................... 3
ACT NEWS ............................................. 3
Maternity Matters....................................................................................................... 3
New email address for Academic Services ................................................................ 4
Celebrating success .................................................................................................... 5
Prizes and Awards.................................................................................................. 5
ACT’s Largest Graduation So Far. Grounds for optimism.................................... 5
Research Graduates of 2013 .................................................................................. 6
Faculty Matters .......................................................................................................... 6
Notification of New Faculty - Academic Deans ................................................... 6
Principals................................................................................................................ 6
Faculty Movements ................................................................................................ 6
Supervisors Workshop at MST .................................................................................. 7
Ethics and Research Projects: Workshop at Malyon College .................................... 7
FORUM................................................... 8
Grants - Now also for HDR candidate ....................................................................... 8
Supervisors – Defined, Research Active, Roles, and Registered .............................. 8
Supervisors Defined ............................................................................................... 8
Research Active Defined ....................................................................................... 9
Supervisors’ Primary Roles ................................................................................. 10
Supervisor Registration ........................................................................................ 10
HDR Candidates You Must Read This: HDR Candidate Enrolments ..................... 10
MARKET PLACE .................................. 11
Pondering Pedagogy ................................................................................................ 11
The Identity of Evangelical Scholarship .............................................................. 11
Impact of Technology on Staff Work Loads ....................................................... 12
Capstone Projects ................................................................................................. 14
Some More Teaching Ideas from Teaching Theology and Religion ................... 14
Course Experience Questionnaire – Graduate Attributes ........................................ 16
Publications by ACT Faculty and Staff ................................................................... 16
Books ................................................................................................................... 16
Articles ................................................................................................................. 17
Conferences and Lectures ........................................................................................ 17
Book Reviews .......................................................................................................... 19
Andrew Hill, HAGGAI, ZECHARIAH AND MALACHI (TOTC 28;
Nottingham: IVP, 2012)....................................................................................... 19
Mark Noll, Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind (Grand Rapids, MI. &
Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans, 2011)............................................................ 19
Trialing Web based publication submission ........................................................ 20
Doctor of Ministry related publications ............................................................... 20
Web Resources......................................................................................................... 20
RESEARCHERS’ CAFÉ ......................... 21
Acknowledging you’re part of the ACT .................................................................. 21
Research Funding – Watch This Space ................................................................... 21
HDR Research Clusters Forums – Are you interested? ........................................... 21
Editorial
BTh, BMin, MDiv – same or different? Have your say.
When a student graduates with an ACT BTh, BMin, or MDiv, what have they been prepared for? If
all three awards lead to the same outcome, should there be three different awards?
Historically we can trace why each award came into being, and how it has been modified. The
traditional BTh, with its emphasis on biblical languages and exegesis reflecting the model of
ministerial training that completed the academic work before the graduate completed an
apprenticeship in a ministry setting under the mentoring of a senior ordained minister. The Bmin
agitated for by colleges that wanted ministry candidates to integrate biblical learning and ministry
practice throughout the whole time of their study and to provide more practical ministry units as
part of the course. Time moved on, and the average age of ministerial candidates shifted to the mid
30s; many already had a bachelor’s degree and North America was developing a Master of Divinity
for graduate candidates. The ACT followed suit, basing its MDiv on the older BTh curriculum.
Now there are three awards all used by denominations as foundational for their ordination
requirements. However, ministerial candidates are no longer the majority of students enrolled in
ACT awards. Should theological education of those not training for ordained ministry be based on
a curriculum designed to train ordination candidates?
We understand how we came to have three awards based on historical grounds or because of market
forces. However, as theological educators we need to do more than simply accept the present
reality as it has historically developed. We need to ask: are there fundamental, essential, differences
between these three awards, and if so, how are they reflected in the curriculum design, the
assessments and the learning outcomes? Is it appropriate that we continue to train those who are
not preparing for ordained ministry using curriculum designed for that purpose?
In preparation for re-registration and re-accreditation of the ACT’s awards these questions have
come to the fore and the Coursework Committee has put in train a process for exploring the
distinction between ministry and theology. A panel has been convened consisting of Mark
Kulikovsky (BCSA), Tim Foster (Ridley), Anthony Brammall (SMBC), Charles de Jongh (Malyon)
and Geoff Treloar (ACT) as the Executive Officer. The panel is seeking submissions from colleges
and individual faculty members. So, if you have something to share on this topic, please send it to
gtreloar@actheology.edu.au
Graeme Chatfield
Associate Dean
ACT NEWS
Maternity Matters
The ACT’s Academic Services Department has seen some recent changes. You can contact
Academic Services on the phone extension 1, or AcademicServices@actheology.edu.au. Diana
Tadjudin is back from maternity leave and is working Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Stephanie Dunk our Quality Officer begins maternity leave on Friday 12 April. While Stephanie is
on maternity leave her work will be shared among the Academic Services team: Diana Tadjudin,
Elisa Norris and ably led by Simon Davies.
New email address for Academic Services
Dear Colleagues,
We have recently launched a shared mailbox for the Academic Services team. This is because most
requests which come to individual team members (quite often to multiple team members) could
actually be handled by any of Diana Tadjudin, Elisa Norris or myself.
So that you get the most efficient response to your enquiries, if your email is a general enquiry that
could be handled by any of us rather than a specific email for the eyes of one individual only, could
you please use the email address AcademicServices@actheology.edu.au rather than individual team
members? Diana and Elisa are both working part time, and I am trying to cut back on my
administrative workload in an effort to make myself available to cover essential portions of the
Quality Officer role as Stephanie Dunk prepares to take maternity leave. Using the shared email
address would certainly help us as it means less chance of receiving duplicate emails when multiple
team members are sent the same request, and is likely to get you a faster response than emailing one
individual team member who may not be available at the time. We have implemented a system
within our team to assess and assign all incoming emails to individual available team members, so
even if you are not sure who needs to make a decision on your enquiry, feel free to send the email to
the shared mailbox.
On a similar note, when we moved office late last year we had a new phone system installed. If you
dial the main ACT office number then extension 1, you will be answered by the next available team
member within Academic Services. If you dial the individual extension numbers of team members,
other ACT staff are unable to answer those calls.
As always, we will do our best to respond to all enquiries as efficiently and effectively as possible,
and we hope that by having one central point of contact within our team for emails and phone calls
we will be able to respond more efficiently to all enquiries.
Kind regards,
Simon Davies
Director of Academic Services
Celebrating success
Prizes and Awards
Our hearty congratulations to the following students who have been awarded the following prizes or
awards:
The F A Walton Prize
Erin Hick (Presbyterian Theological Centre)
The Felix Arnott Prize
Ovidiu Buciu (Crossway College)
The Frank & Elizabeth Cash Prize
Patricia Driscoll (Mary Andrews College)
The John Foster Memorial Prize
Gillian Asquith (Melbourne School of Theology)
The Oliver Heyward Prize
Karen Siggins (Vose Seminary)
Blashki & Sons Award
Rebekah Earnshaw (Presbyterian Theological Centre)
The Dr Doug Abbott &
Mrs Grace Abbott Prize
Scott Downman (Malyon College)
The Janet West Prize
Gillian Asquith (Melbourne School of Theology)
The Kenneth Cable Prize
Paul Pallot (Ridley Melbourne)
ACT’s Largest Graduation So Far. Grounds for optimism.
Between February 5 and April 13 fourteen of the eighteen affiliated colleges of the ACT held their
graduation ceremonies, the other four colleges held their graduations before the end of last year. A
total of 607 awards of the ACT ranging from the Certificate of Theology to coursework Masters
were received by graduates. A further 17 higher degree by research degrees (4 Doctor of Theology,
9 Doctor of Ministry and, 4 Master of Theology) were also awarded.
While the Australian media might dismiss the church in
Australia as declining and increasingly irrelevant, the
ACT joins with its affiliated colleges being optimistic
about the ongoing presentation of the gospel and its
impact in Australia and further afield. While numbers
alone do not guarantee success, the ACT is confident
that the affiliated colleges have used the ACT’s courses
as integral in the preparation of the graduates to
faithfully present the gospel of Jesus in ways that will
effectively engage Australians and others they encounter
beyond Australia.
Morling College Graduation
Dean of the Australian College of Theology Rev Dr Mark Harding, with Principal of Morling College Rev Dr Ross Clifford and doctoral
graduates (L to R) Dr Grenville Kent (DMin), Rev Dr Ian Duncum (DMin), Rev Dr Ross Clifford, Rev Dr Mark Harding, Rev Dr
Timothy MacBride (ThD)
Research Graduates of 2013
Two candidates have had their theses examined and the Academic Board in March approved the
recommendation that the degrees be awarded subject to minor corrections. Our hearty
congratulations to:
Dr Brian Cosby (Presbyterian Theological Centre, Sydney), for his thesis ‘The theology of suffering
and sovereignty as seen in the writings and ministry of John Flavel, c.1630-1691’ leading to the
conferral of the PhD.
Rev Richard Jansen (Bible College of South Australia), for his thesis ‘Recovering the shame of the
gospel’ leading to the conferral of the MTh.
Faculty Matters
Notification of New Faculty - Academic Deans
To help the ACT keep its data base up to date so we can contact faculty about forthcoming
conferences, academic grants, variations in ACT rules and regulations, distribution of NEXUS, and
the like, would you please let us know when your college has employed new faculty members. Just
forward their details and an up to date CV to Trish Ritchings at the ACT office
tritchings@actheology.edu.au
Thanks for your help with this.
Principals
Two of our affiliated colleges are presently looking for a Principal – Crossway College, Brisbane,
and the Bible College of South Australia, Adelaide. You may be interested in either of these
positions, or know someone you think suitable for the task.
The ACT wants to publicly thank both Johan Ferreira and Peter Lockery for the contribution they
have made to the ACT in their role as principal of an affiliated college.
Johan Ferreira has been Principal of Crossway College since 2009, but has decided to conclude in
that role from the end of June 2013, and from the ACT’s Board of Directors. Johan contributed
significantly to the life of the ACT, not least in helping with the merger of the Bible College of
Queensland and Muller College to form Crossway College.
Peter Lockery concluded as Principle of the Bible College of South Australia at the end of March.
After a period of leave he will return to his role as lecturer in theology and ethics at BCSA.
Faculty Movements
Doug McComiskey has joined the faculty at Melbourne School of Theology as Director of the MST
Postgraduate Institute.
Supervisors Workshop at MST
Thirteen MST faculty members joined Graeme Chatfield for a one day supervisors’ workshop on
Friday 15 March.




Session 1 reviewed recent changes in the categories of supervisors and their roles, defining
research active status and the requirements that need to be met to register as an ACT HDR
supervisor. Special emphasis was placed on supervising Doctor of Ministry candidates under
the new structure. Exactly how do the MD801, 802, 803, 804 units fit together?
Session 2 was a workshop on a first interview with a potential Doctor of Ministry candidate.
Session 3 was a review of human participant research processes, ethics protocols and related
issues.
Session 4 was a workshop role play developing a general research area into a more defined
research topic.
The feedback suggested it was a valuable time, especially for those who might be thinking of
supervising candidates undertaking human participant research. The workshop sessions will be
modified to give more time for group work and to provide feedback to the whole group.
If your college would like to have Graeme run the same workshop for you, just ask
gchatfield@actheology.edu.au and he’ll see what can be arranged
Ethics and Research Projects: Workshop at Malyon College
Here are three scenarios for you to consider. Which of them requires ethics clearance from the
ACT’s Human Research Ethics Committee?
You have a student come to you who, as part of an MDiv project, wants to:
1. interview their youth group participants about their understanding of grace and sin
2. administer an anonymous questionnaire via an online system assessing their pastor’s preaching
3. assess the life and ministry of a famous leader of a denomination through some private diaries and
papers they’ve discovered in an archive.
To help college faculty respond to such enquiries, Dr Mark Seton from the ACT HREC has
developed two workshops on ethics and research projects, a Standard Ethics Research Workshop
and a Low Risk Research Workshop. On 30 January Dr Seton held the first Standard Ethics
Research Workshop at Malyon College funded under the ACT’s Professional Development scheme.
Malyon faculty who attended were preparing themselves to supervise Doctor of Ministry candidates
and found the workshop of great benefit.
If your college is interested in undertaking either of these ethics workshops please contact Graeme
Chatfield gchatfield@actheology.edu.au
FORUM
Grants - Now also for HDR candidate
Since 2011 the ACT has made $25,000 per year in grant monies to grant monies available to
affiliated college faculty and HDR candidates. People have been making use of the grants to
attend conferences and present papers, do research, bringing in overseas visitors as
conference key note speakers and for personal professional development. Partly as a result of
these grants we have seen an increase in the number of journal articles and conference papers
produced by ACT affiliated college faculty and HDR candidates.
The Board of Directors will be reviewing the budget for grants at the end of 2013. In
anticipation of the Board of Directors reviewing the budget for grants at the end of 2013, the
Research and Research Studies Committee reviewed the Grants Policy and the Grants
Application Form.
The biggest change was to introduce a new category of grant, the HDR Candidate Conference
grant. Now, HDR candidates who are not employed in any capacity by an ACT affiliated
college can apply for a grant to present a paper at a conference. There will be $5,000 of the
annual grant budget set aside for HDR candidates. Producing a journal article or paper in a
published set of conference papers will be the expected outcome of these grants.
For HDR candidates, presenting an aspect of their thesis research in a group of peers, having
it critiqued, and then published, is a great way to keep the momentum going in your research
and writing.
For faculty, putting your latest ideas out in the wider academic world is a positive way to
refine and sharpen your views.
The next round of grant applications will be considered by the Research and Research Studies
Committee at their meeting on August 9, 2013.
Send digital versions
ekohn@actheology.edu.au
of
your
completed
applications
to
Elizabeth
Kohn
Supervisors – Defined, Research Active, Roles, and Registered
During the course of revising the policy for payment of honorariums to supervisors the
Research and Research Studies Committee revised the descriptions of supervisors and the
definition of research active.
Supervisors Defined
The three categories of supervisor are:
Principal supervisor
•
Employed by an affiliated college >= 0.4EFT or Honorary staff
•
Minimum qualification = doctorate or one award higher than candidate supervised
•
Registered on ACT supervisor’s register
•
Successfully supervised one HDR to completion prior to registration
•
Be research active, and maintain research active status
Co-supervisor
•
Employed, contract, or Honorary staff
•
Minimum qualification = doctorate or one award higher than candidate supervised
•
Registered as Co-supervisor on ACT supervisor’s register
•
Be research active, and maintain research active status
Adjunct supervisor
•
Expert/professional expertise beyond Principal supervisor’s abilities
•
May be appointed as co-supervisor for research content where qualified
•
Must be available for minimum monthly face to face with candidate
•
May be engaged on semester or annual basis
•
May be located overseas if candidate in same overseas location
•
May not be Principal supervisor
Research Active Defined
To be classified as research active for the purposes of HDR supervision an academic staff
member or honorary staff member must demonstrate at the time of their application to be a
supervisor that in the three years immediately prior to their application they accumulated 3
points from the following list.
Category
1
1a
1b
1c
1d
1e
1f
2
2a
2b
2c
2db
3
3a
3b
4
4a
4b
5
5a
5b
Description
Publications as defined and weighted by HERDC
Book from a commercial publisher
Article in a refereed journal
Chapter in a book from a commercial publisher
Chapter in proceedings of a conference from a commercial publisher
Published translation with commentary of a scholarly text
Performance or showing of a creative work as recognized and peer-reviewed
within the field of study / discipline
Supervision completions
Principal supervisor’s successful completion of a doctoral research degree
candidate
Principal supervisor’s successful completion of a masters research degree
candidate
Co-supervisor’s successful completion of doctoral research candidate
Co-supervisor’s successful completion of masters research candidate
Examination of theses/projects
Examination of a higher degree by research thesis/project (doctorate or masters)
Examination of a coursework masters project
Research income
External research income of more than $10,000
External research grant from a scheme on the Australian Competitive Grants
Register in partnership with a colleague in a HESA 2003 Table A or Table B
institution
Unpublished works
Unpublished research doctoral thesis where conferral for the degree occurred no
more than three years prior to application for supervisor status
Major piece of unpublished work publicly accessible and available for peer
review (on case by case basis)
Points
5
1
1
1
3
1
3
2
2
1
1
0.5
1
1
3
1
Supervisors’ Primary Roles
What is the role for each category of supervisor?
Supervisor
When acting as
Responsible for research
Type
content
Principal
Principal
Yes
CoCo-supervisor
As negotiated between Principal
supervisor and candidate
CoPrincipal
Yes
Adjunct
Complementary
In area of expertise
expert
Adjunct
Co-supervisor
Yes
Responsible for academic
administration
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
Supervisor Registration
If you are currently registered it is time to update your registration. Complete the Supervisor
Registration Renewal Form, and submit it electronically to Elizabeth Kohn
ekohn@actheology.edu.au
If you are not currently registered and plan to supervise a higher degree by research candidate
please complete the Application for Registration as Supervisor Form and submit it
electronically to Elizabeth Kohn ekohn@actheology.edu.au
HDR Candidates You Must Read This: HDR Candidate Enrolments
From semester 2 2013 all HDR candidates will be automatically enrolled each semester. You
will be charged tuition fees at part-time and, if you are receiving FEE-HELP, you will incur a
FEE-HELP debt unless you contact us in writing to request a suspension of candidature. You
can apply for suspension of candidature on a semester by semester basis using the Request
for Suspension of Candidature Form. The completed form must reach the ACT office before
the census date for the semester you have been enrolled in (31 March for semester 1; 31
August for semester 2). Completed forms are to be sent to Elizabeth Kohn
ekohn@actheology.edu.au
MARKET PLACE
Pondering Pedagogy
The Identity of Evangelical Scholarship
Derek Tidball, ‘Post-war evangelical theology: a generational perspective,’ Evangelical
Quarterly 81.2 (2009) 145-60
This article hardly qualifies as ‘recent’, but I have no evidence that it has been widely read
and allowed to influence the outlook of our community. This appears to be true to form.
When I first read the article two years ago (in my previous position) I was excited by the way
it applied a sociological method to interpret events I knew quite well historically. So I
immediately sent off a copy to my biblical studies colleagues, the present-day heirs to the
tradition described, fully expecting a wave of enthusiasm and eager response. Only one (like
me, ‘third generation’ in the framework of this article) reacted. From the others (all ‘fourth
generation’) – nothing! What was I to make of this near vacuum? Were my younger
colleagues indifferent to the interpretive tradition to which (whether they know it or not) they
belong? Or did they think this socio-historical perspective had nothing to contribute to their
identities as biblical scholars? The article my ‘fourth generation’ colleagues appear to have
spurned applies the Hansen-Herberg thesis on immigration to the history of evangelical
scholarship from about 1950. It suggests that the generations of evangelical scholars are like
the generations of immigrant communities that first encounter a new society and experiences
deep alienation. It is followed by a second generation which feels more at home in the new
setting and makes a genuine attempt at assimilation but still feels somewhat torn between two
cultures. Their successors feel at home in the new environment, feel no need to prove
themselves and create their own synthesis out of their dual heritage. The remarkable growth
of evangelical scholarship since World War II has, it is argued by Derek Tidaball, himself a
participant observer, run along similar lines. The first generation, born in the early decades of
the twentieth century, had to deal with the perspectives of the ‘new theology’ and the muchmaligned ‘higher criticism’. A new generation, born in the 1920s and 30s, felt more at home
in the world of academic scholarship but had to tread carefully. The monuments to their
efforts to enter the world of moderate biblical scholarship are the New Bible Commentary and
the Tyndale Commentaries. In producing work which is respected in the academy, the third
generation, born in the two decades after the War, choose from two cultures. Some are more
innovative; others, more conservative, but they are inclined to make their own running. What
of the fourth – the emerging – generation? As it is drawn deeper into academe, their danger is
loss of distinctiveness, the possibility of absorption into the mainstream, ‘cultural captivity’.
One antidote is a knowledge of the ground that has been covered to reach the present
position, with both its cautionary tales and encouragement to engage. Will the fourth
generation allow itself to be informed, and even inspired, by the history of which they are a
part? And, if so, how will this work out? The sociology of traditions furnishes another
framework within which this response can be assessed and Tidball’s analysis extended.
Geoff Treloar - ACT
Impact of Technology on Staff Work Loads
Staff workload is a contentious factor in Australian higher education, largely because of the
impact of new technologies. E-teaching and workload is now the subject of a substantial
report.
Although the nature of on-line and blended teaching is still ill-defined and poorly understood,
the application of technology is generally felt to have added to faculty workloads – in at least
5 ways:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Introduction and changeover of learning management systems
Adapting to new applications and programs
The 24/7 availability expected by students and the constant stream of emails
‘e-teaching’, as ‘blended/flexible learning’ becomes a standard part of the teaching
repertoire
5. Shift of administrative activity to the academic desk top.
Faculty have felt the pressure for the following reasons:
1. There is a lot to learn; mastering the functionalities of new technologies is a major
task which requires adequate training;
2. They cannot keep up with the new systems as they are developed and imposed;
3. The opportunity cost is high; they can’t do other things which are expected of them
(especially research);
4. They haven’t been given the training or the time to adapt (or even develop new)
teaching materials to the on-line environment;
5. They have found that on-line teaching takes more, not less, time than face to face
teaching; experience shows that it does become easier, but it remains very time
consuming; and
6. New technologies have increased the number and type of teaching activities
undertaken.
A further general problem is lack of understanding by managers of the many tasks associated
with the management, development and teaching with technologies, and the failure
consequently to develop policies and procedures to take account of the changed nature and
breadth of e-teaching activities.
In all of this there is a challenge to the identity of teachers. Migration of delivery and
administration to the desktop has two important effects:
1. It generates a strong pressure for teaching by intensives.
2. The teacher’s role changes to facilitating and supporting.
Because of lower student numbers and different priorities, theological colleges are better
placed than universities to adapt to the pressures of digital environments. But the pressures
are the same, and the impacts are worth monitoring.
For a full report, see ‘Out of Hours: Final Report of the Project e-Teaching leadership:
planning and implementing a benefits oriented costs model for technology enhanced
learning,’ available at http://www.olt.gov.au/project-e-teaching:leadership-une-2009.
E-Learning Panel
Against this background the establishment of the ACT E-learning Panel as a standing
committee (until further notice) of the Academic Board is timely.
The Panel’s terms of reference are:
1. Re-name and revise the ‘Distance Delivery Processes Policy’
2. Advise the ACT in relation to the impact of e-Learning on pedagogy, assessment
methods and quality assurance
3. Identify and encourage innovation and best practice in all aspects of e-Learning
within the ACT
4. Advise the ACT on ways in which affiliated colleges can best be resourced and
supported in e-Learning
5. Liaise with the AQC and CURP/CC through the Co-ordinator of Coursework
Development in relation to learning pedagogy and assessment
6. Organize an annual e-Learning Consultation
The Panel will normally meet four times each year.
It has met once in 2013. The main business was to consider how the terms of reference might
be implemented.
The interests of the Panel are concentrated on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th terms of reference.
Accordingly its members would be glad to hear from consortium members who have
questions and concerns about e-learning and teaching, and ideas for and experiences with
working in the digital environment. In other words, the Panel seeks to serve the consortium
and is keen to be advised about how best to do so.
The 2013 e-Learning Consortium affords an excellent opportunity for significant initiatives in
all these matters.
Members of the Panel are: Ian Hussey (Malyon – Chair), David Burke (PTCN), Simon
Davies (ACT), Tim McBride (Morling – for the AB). Grant Maple (SOCS), Craig Robotham
(Morling), Nathain Secker (Timothy Partnership), Geoff Treloar (ACT – Executive Officer).
To make a contribution email it to Geoff Treloar gtreloar@actheology.edu.au
Capstone Projects
The project ‘Capstone Courses in Undergraduate Business Degrees: Better design, better
learning activities, better assessment’, funded by the (now-defunct) Australian Learning and
Teaching Council is now complete. The Good Practice Guide can be downloaded from the
project’s website: http://businesscapstones.edu.au/. While the project focuses on capstones in
undergraduate business degrees, the principles and ideas apply across disciplines. The Guide
contains useful information for Deans, Associate Deans and Heads of Department, as well as
convenors of capstone subjects. It provides information, practical guidance, case studies and
ideas for introducing, designing, teaching and assessing capstones.
If you would like a hard copy of the Guide, please contact Liz on E.vanacker@griffith.edu.au
or Janis on J.bailey@griffith.edu.au.
The purpose of the capstone project is in part to give students the opportunity to function as
scholars in Theology. This implied role opens the project to influence by ‘role as resource’
theory from sociology. According to this perspective, understanding a role helps people to
structure their activities to meet the practices, standards and qualities of a role, and thereby to
influence their identity. In our field of study this would require some consideration in the
preparatory stages of the project of the role of the scholar of Theology and how it is
performed. Good role models and commendable specimens of scholarly work might be
examined as part of this process. Several advantages might be anticipated by proceeding
along these lines:
1) imitation of the practices of established scholars;
2) mobilisation of the desire of students to become scholars;
3) incentive to achieve standards of knowledge and practice expected in the field; and
4) a further basis for conversation between teacher and taught.
Perhaps most importantly, the approach furnishes a way of influencing the intellectual life of
students long after they have completed the project and the formal requirements of the
course.
This suggestion comes from Kristi Upson-Saia, ‘Playing the Role of Religious Studies
Researcher in the Senior Capstone,’ Teaching Theology and Religion, 15.1 (January 2012)
42-3. See also her longer study, ‘The Capstone Experience for the Religious Studies Major,’
Teaching Theology and Religion, 16.1 (January 2013) 3-17.
Some More Teaching Ideas from Teaching Theology and Religion
The journal Teaching Theology and Religion has a regular section titled ‘In the Classroom.
Teaching Tactics’, in which faculty are asked to ‘describe a successful classroom teaching
tactic that could be replicated by other instructors’.
Theology
In 15.4 (October 2012) 355 Sherry Jordan, University of St Thomas, contributes ‘Writing to
Learn Theology’. She describes how at 200 level she asks students to write short informal
pieces as a way to learn course content and to begin critical thinking. For her ‘The Theology
of the Protestant and Catholic Reformations’ course, she gets the students to carry out
exercises such as ‘Write a news blog to a group of people who recently moved to Geneva,
explaining why Calvin was exiled and describing your reaction to his return’. A simulated
email on some other development or new idea is another possibility. These are short (1 page,
double spaced), low stake (‘satisfactory’/’unsatisfactory’) exercises. Student feedback
suggests they are highly effective.
Biblical Studies
In 15.1 (January 2012) 40, Dominic Doyle of the Boston College of Theology and Ministry
provides a method for teaching the structural analysis of texts. For assigned passages students
are asked ‘how does the text fit together?’. To answer this larger question, the students ask:
‘Why are the chapters or sections presented in this order and divided in this way? How and
why does the text flow from one section to the next? How do the sections form a coherent
whole?’ Students are not permitted to re-phase; they must analyse. Could the material have
been presented in another sequence? Why and how? The different analyses offer a basis for
comparison and discussion. Doyle comments: ‘Structural analysis does not replace contextual
interpretations, but it does strongly encourage students to give a charitable reading to an
author and to grapple with the argument in its own right.’ In this way the text becomes the
determinant of what happens in the classroom.
General – Getting Them Started: ‘Reading at its Best’
Effective reading is fundamental to the effectiveness of students’ performance. Molly Bassett
of Georgia State University addresses this condition of success in 15.3 (July 2012) 259 where
she recounts setting a new class a pre-reading assignment, asks them to spend the early part
of the first class answering basic questions on the reading experience (where did you read?
What time was it? What was going on around you? What methods did you use to identify
what was important in the reading?) and then sharing the results in small group discussion.
The members of each group introduce themselves and then collaborate to create a list of good
reading practices. These group lists in turn feed into a class list of best reading practice.
Numerous advantages arise. Class members get to know one another; classroom processes
are established; collaboration is established as part of the culture; and concentrated thought
has been given to the ongoing question of how to read effectively.
As ever, the pages of Nexus are open to ACT faculty to report on teaching tactics that might
be replicated by colleagues. Send your insights to gtreloar@actheology.edu.au.
Course Experience Questionnaire – Graduate Attributes
Graduates of the ACT indicate that one of the most valuable outcomes of their study is the
development of graduate attributes and skills that they are able to apply throughout their
lives. In the recent Course Experience Questionnaire, which surveys graduates three months
after they leave college, 14% of those who answered the question “what were the best aspects
of your course?” mentioned the attributes that they had developed through their study at an
ACT affiliated college.
A number of graduates focussed their responses on the opportunities that they had to develop
their knowledge as well as their ability to learn, emphasising the opportunities that they had
while studying for “growing in biblical, theological and church knowledge,” “learning,” and
“mind development.”
Others were appreciative of the personal challenge that the study had presented, including
one student who listed the best aspect of their course as the opportunity “to be challenged and
stretched in my abilities.”
One graduate described their experience of their course by saying that, “critical thinking was
often encouraged and most importantly it has helped me understand the world and its beliefs
far more comprehensively.” This indicates the high academic standard maintained throughout
the consortium primarily benefits the students.
The self-revealing nature of theological study was also explored by graduates, with one
stating that they enjoyed their course because it provided a, “greater understanding of
myself,” as well as helping them to develop their relationship with God, “understanding Him
more and equipping myself much better to serve Him.”
Graduates of the ACT also frequently commended the teaching staff at the affiliated colleges
for their passion and support and reported enthusiastically on the community of which they
were a part while studying.
Stephanie Dunk
Quality Officer
Publications by ACT Faculty and Staff
Books
Bebbington, David and Martin Sutherland (Laidlaw) (eds), Interfaces: Baptists and Others:
International Baptist Studies (Studies in Baptist History and Thought; Milton Keynes:
Paternoster, 2013)
Chapple, Allan (Trinity), A Gospel Pageant: A Reader’s Guide to the Book of Revelation,
(Place: Mosaic Press,
2013)
Chapple, Allan (Trinity), Preaching: A Guidebook for Beginners (Place: Latimer Press, 2013)
Chatfield, Graeme R. (ACT), Balthasar Hubmaier and the Clarity of Scripture: A Critical
Reformation Issue (Eugene, Or.: Pickwick, 2013)
Elliot, Peter (Vose), Church.History@WhyBother? (Sydney: Morling Press, 2013)
Murphy, Edwina (Morling), Ancient Wisdom, Living Hope (Sydney: Morling Press, 2013)
Articles
Goswell, Greg (PTCN), "An Early Commentary on the Pauline Corpus: The Capitulation of
Codex Vaticanus” JGRChJ 8 (2011-12) 51-82.
Goswell, Greg (PTCN), “The Absence of a Davidic Hope in Ezra-Nehemiah,” Trinity
Journal 33 (2012) 19-31.
Goswell, Greg (PTCN), “The Paratext of Deuteronomy,” in Interpreting Deuteronomy:
Issues and Approaches (eds. David Firth and Philip Johnston; Nottingham: IVP, 2012) 209228.
Goswell, Greg (PTCN), “The Temple Theme in the Book of Daniel,” JETS 55 (2012) 509520.
Goswell, Greg (PTCN), "Joshua and Kingship,” Bulletin for Biblical Research 23 (2013) 2942.
Hussey, Ian, (Malyon), ‘A Theology of Church Engagement: A Reflection on the Practice of
the Early Churches,’ Colloquium 44.2 (November 2012) 208-225.
Hussey, Ian (Malyon) “The engagement of newcomers in church attendance: theological and
case study research from Australia.” Great Commission Research Journal (Summer, 2012)
Vol. 4, No1, 108-119.
de Jongh, Charles (Malyon), ‘Christian Leadership Challenges from the Life and Ministry of
Bill Wilson,’ South African Baptist Journal of Theology 21 (2013) 94-102.
Morcom Donald L. (Malyon), ‘Spiritual Leadership and Spiritual Formation: Insights from
Benedict’s Ideal Abbot,’ The South African Baptist Journal of Theology 21 (2012), 13-23.
Treloar, Geoff (ACT), ‘Baptists and the World, 1900-1940: A ‘Great Reversal’?’ in
Interfaces: Baptists and Others: International Baptist Studies (Studies in Baptist History and
Thought; David Bebbington & Martin Sutherland eds; Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2013)
177-98.
Conferences and Lectures
ANZATS – ‘Christians in Communities – Christians as Communities’
29 June-2 July, Laidlaw College, Auckland
See http://www.anzats.edu.au/conferences
Australian Centre for Wesleyan Research – ‘Holy Trinity – Holy People’
26-27 July 2013, United Theological College, North Parramatta
See http://acwr.edu.au/fifth-annual-acwr-conference-26-27-july-2013
Evangelical History Association – ‘Is Christianity History?’
26 July 2013, at Robert Menzies College, Macquarie University
See http://evangelicalhistory.org
Moore College Library Day – ‘Launching Marsden’s Mission’
27 July 2013, at Moore College
See http://moore.edu.au
‘Preaching Australia: Religion, Public Conversation and the Sermon’
19-20 September 2013, St Mark’s National Theological Centre
See http://www.stmarks.edu.au/entry/preaching-australia
Second Evangelical History Association Ridley Melbourne Lecture
5.45 pm, Thursday 12 September 2013, at Ridley Melbourne
Dr Rhys Bezzant will speak on the Clapham Sect
Dr Jonathan Wei-Han Kuan will speak on the history of the CMS’s League of Youth and
Alfred Stanway
Spirituality and Health – Fifth National Conference
7-10 July 2013, Elder Hall Conservatory, University of Adelaide
See http://www.spiritualityhealth.org.au
Inaugural Trinity Symposium – ‘All That the Prophets Have Declared: the Appropriation of
Scripture in the Emergence of Christianity’
22-23 July 2013, Trinity College Perth
See http://www.ttc.wa.edu.au
Melanesian Association of Theological Schools
25-28 June 2013 at Kefamo Conference Centre, Goroka, PNG.
Call for papers
The Vose Conference – ‘Beyond Three Points: Preaching at the Crossroads’
26-27 August 2013, Vose Seminary
Jonathan Edwards Congress – ‘The Global Edwards’
24-28 August 2015
Ridley College, Melbourne
Book Reviews
Andrew Hill, HAGGAI, ZECHARIAH AND MALACHI (TOTC 28;
Nottingham: IVP, 2012)
Andrew Hill is Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College and already the author of a
substantial commentary on Malachi in the Anchor Bible series. He acknowledges and builds
on Joyce Baldwin’s earlier work on the same three Bible books in the original green-covered
Tyndale commentary series (1972). Time marches on, and Hill has produced a commentary
that interacts with the latest scholarly trends, one aspect being that these three books are now
seen as part of a larger prophetic collection, the Book of the Twelve (= Minor Prophets),
whose key themes are the call for repentance and the proclamation of the impeding day of the
Lord. These three prophets each in their own way reflect these two themes.
Hill introduces each of the three prophets in turn, the person of the prophet (so far as that is
known), the date of the prophecy, its audience, form, style, message and main theological
concerns. Hill is a reliable guide in these matters, being both thoroughly up-to-date and
respectful of the canonical status of the material upon which he comments.
Perhaps the most problematic issue in Haggai is the reason behind the prophet’s critical tone
in 2.10 (‘this people…this nation’), and Hill’s explanation is to see the moral failure of the
people as its cause. Hill views the whole prophecy of Zechariah as deriving from the prophet
of that name, rejecting the critical theory that chapters 9-14 have a different and later origin.
All we know about Malachi is his name, with the reference to ‘my messenger’ in 3.1 as a play
on his name. Hill is right to insist that this is the name of the prophet and that he was
responsible for all four chapters of the prophecy, which focusses on covenant themes
(including marriage as a covenant). However, I would disagree with Hill in that he views the
last few verses of the book (4.4-6) as an editorial epilogue.
Hill’s commentary is a welcome addition to resources for pastors and lecturers, and perhaps
with his help, some may venture to even preach or teach the much neglected prophecy of
Zechariah. That is my fond hope!
Greg Goswell – PTC Sydney
Mark Noll, Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind (Grand Rapids, MI. &
Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans, 2011).
Prima facie this is a book that should interest all members of the ACT consortium, students
and faculty alike. For its title encapsulates a large part of what we do. If theology (to use the
formulation of New Testament theologian Adolf Schlatter) is about seeing empirically,
thinking dogmatically and applying ethically, the operations of the mind are clearly
fundamental to its viability. That such intellectual activity is legitimate for the Christian
person is Noll’s fundamental proposition. He defends it by referring to the historic creeds,
drawing out the implications of the Christological affirmations for the life of the mind. The
doubleness of the Chalcedonian formulation is a model for studying the spheres of existence,
the terrestrial as well as the celestial. The principle of contingency implicit in the
circumstantiality of the Incarnation endorses empiricism and inductivism. The particularity of
the life of Christ affirms the benefit of learning about specific times and places. Redemption
as the purpose of the Incarnation provides a solution to the besetting sins of academic life –
pride, arrogance, self-absorption, contempt for the less intellectually gifted. ‘Where is the
Bible in all of this?’ some will ask. The creeds lead back to the scriptural warrants. In many
ways the book is an exposition of the key passages with which the church’s thinkers have
always wrested in working out the stance they should take in relation to the world of thought
– John 1, Colossians 1: 15-17, Hebrews 1, and several others. Although Noll takes up a long
running discussion, he means to initiate, not foreclose, conversation. The book is an
invitation to continue working at the perennial tasks of exploring the mystery of Christ and
working out its implications for life, worship and service. In turn this issues a dual challenge
– to the secularist without who claims the church is anti-intellectual, and to the Christian
within who mistakenly depreciates the work of the mind in the calling of the disciple. This
range generates a comprehensive relevance. Noll illuminates theology as a body of
knowledge, theological education as a specific enterprise, and specific blocs of study as
diverse as ‘The Doctrine of God and the Work of Christ’ and ‘Everyday Christianity’. Those
who have devoted their lives to these tasks will find fresh justification for their commitment;
those who are preparing themselves for such a life will find encouragement; and there will be
insight for those who are discovering for the first time the dimensions and depths of the
Christian tradition.
Geoff Treloar – ACT
Trialing Web based publication submission
We have only one volunteer so far. If you’d like to help out please contact Graeme Chatfield
gchatfield@actheology.edu.au.
We are planning to produce an online submission template by which you can pass on your
publication details to the ACT Office. We hope to trial run the template in semester 2 2013.
The more participants we have in the trial the greater the possibility we’ll get the template
right.
Doctor of Ministry related publications
The Association for Doctor of Ministry Education has a journal, the Journal of Christian
Ministry, which is always seeking quality articles. The guidelines for submissions can be
found by following the link below.
http://www.dmineducation.org/images/stories/documents/aboutthejournal/submissionguidline
s.pdf
Web Resources
Have you discovered a web based resource that others should really know about? Share it
with everyone by publishing the web address in the next issue of NEXUS.
Send the information to gchatfield@acthoeogy.edu.au.
RESEARCHERS’ CAFÉ
Acknowledging you’re part of the ACT
It would be really helpful for the ACT when we are reporting research output to TEQSA if
affiliated college faculty simply noted their affiliation with the ACT as well as the college
they work for. By simply including the following phrase, or something like it, you’ll help us
out:
“<your name> teaches <your field of study> at <your college/seminary>, an affiliated college
of the Australian College of Theology”.
Research Funding – Watch This Space
The present federal government has rejected the ACT’s application to gain access to funding
under the Research Training Scheme. However, the opposition spokesperson on Tertiary
Education has been open to listen to the ACT’s position. We’ll keep you informed of
progress in this matter.
In the meantime, the Directors of the ACT are actively considering alternatives to enhance
our Research profile. We hope to have some processes in place by the end of this year for
Higher Degree by Research doctoral candidates to access funding for their course fees.
HDR Research Clusters Forums – Are you interested?
We are contemplating setting up online forums for ACT HDR candidates so they can interact
with others undertaking research in similar fields of study.
Currently we have HDR candidates researching in the following fields of study from the
Bible and Languages Department:
Genesis
Samuel
Psalter
Song of Songs
Isaiah
Minor Prophets
Matthew
Luke, Luke/Acts
Old Testament in the New Testament
MT and LXX
We have HDR candidates researching in the following fields of study from the Christian
Thought Department:
Ecclesiology
Apologetics and Evangelical religious experience
The Holy Spirit in China
We have HDR candidates researching in the following fields of study from the Ministry and
Practice Department:
Evangelism and Buddhism
Evangelism and Aged Care
Gospel and Culture
Different aspects of Islam
Leadership
Missional Church
Church Growth
Church Planting
Preaching
Rural Churches
If we get a strong response, we’ll get to work at setting up Cluster Forums.
Contact Graeme Chatfield gchatfield@actheology.edu.au if you’re interested.