ASIA THEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (INDIA) APPROVED MODEL FOR TWO-YEAR DIPLOMA PROGRAMME According to the guidelines provided by the Accreditation Commission, the three year B.Th. degree programme will have 36 subjects. So the two year Diploma programme ought to have 24 subjects: 14 core subjects and 10 electives. The following schema for the core subjects has been approved: Old Testament 3 New Testament 3 Theology 1 Religions 1 Society 1 History of Christianity 1 Christian Ministry 4 TOTAL NUMBER OF CORE SUBJECTS 14 TOTAL NUMBER OF ELECTIVES 10 [Approved by the AGM in July 2000] GUIDELINES REGARDING B.Th. and M.Div. CURRICULA B.Th. M.Div No. of core subjects optionals credit hours (3) credit hours (4) optionals credit hours (3) credit hours (4) Semester Trimester Semester Trimester 22 18 14 12 108 90 144 120 20 17 126 105 168 140 The average duration of the B.Th. and M.Div. degree programmes is 3 years. In cases where the duration is in excess of three years, it is recommended that the extra period not be packed with extra subjects alone, but that other kinds of inputs be considered internship, exposure to various experiences and ministry contexts and so on.
B.Th. Model Curriculum CORE SUBJECTS (22) Biblical Studies 1. OT Survey 2. NT Survey 3. Pentateuch 4. OT Prophets 5. Life of Christ 6. Pauline writings 7. Biblical interpretation Theology and Ethics 8.-9. Christian Theology I & II 10. Introduction to Christian Ethics History of Christianity 11. General History of Christianity 12. History of Christianity in India Religions & Society 13. Major religions in India 14. Contemporary Indian movements Mission Studies 15. Introduction to Mission and Evangelism 16. Principles of Church Growth Christian Ministry 17. Preaching and worship 18. Church administration and leadership 19. Pastoral care and counselling 20. Educational ministry in the church General Studies 21. Basic spirituality 22. Study methods OPTIONALS (14 to 20)
DESCRIPTION OF CORE SUBJECTS: 1. OT Survey: A study of the OT books in their historical setting. 2. NT Survey: A study of the NT books in their historical setting. 3. Pentateuch: A study of the first five books of the Bible with special emphasis on their theological content. 4. OT Prophets: A study of the prophetical movement in Israel and the theology of the prophets. 5. Life of Christ: A study of the life and ministry of Christ based on the Gospel of Mark. 6. Pauline writings: A survey of Pauline theology with special emphasis on Rom.1-8. 7. Biblical interpretation: An introduction to the different kinds of writings in the Bible and the approach to be taken in interpreting them. 8.-9. Christian Theology I & II: Doctrine of revelation, God, Man, Christ, Salvation, Church and eschatology. 10. Introduction to Christian Ethics: A survey of contemporary personal and social ethical issues. 11. General History of Christianity: A survey of the worldwide growth of Christianity in the Christian era. 12. History of Christianity in India: A survey of the coming to India of Christianity and its spread across the country. 13. Major religions in India: A study of Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. 14. Contemporary Indian movements: A study of contemporary religious and social movements and trends in the sub-continent and their relevance to the Indian Church. 15. Introduction to Mission and Evangelism: Biblical and theological basis for mission, and contemporary trends. 16. Principles of Church Growth: An introduction to principles of church planting and church growth. 17. Preaching and worship: A study of the principles of Christian worship and preaching. 18. Church administration and leadership: A study of the basic principles of management and leadership as related to Christian ministry. 19. Pastoral care and counselling: A study of the basic task of a pastor in his oversight and nurture of a congregation. 20. Educational ministry in the church: A study of the principles of education and educational psychology as they relate to the ministry of teaching in the church. 21. Basic spirituality: A study of the basics of Christian life and discipleship. 22. Study methods: A study of the methods and techniques involved in study, research, paper writing, and so on.
Model M.Div. Curriculum Core Subjects Biblical Studies 1. Introduction to the Bible, Part I 2. Introduction to the Bible, Part II 3. Preliminary Greek 4. Preliminary Hebrew 5. Biblical Interpretation 6. Biblical Theology Theology and Ethics 7. Introduction to Systematic Theology 8. Person and work of Christ 9. Christian Ethics 10. Theology in the Asian context with special emphasis on India History of Christianity 11. History of Christianity 12. History of Christianity in Asia with special emphasis on India Religion and Society 13. Survey of World Religions 14. Modern Religious and Secular Movements Evangelism and Missions 15. Introduction to Missions and Evangelism 16. Introduction to Communication: Theory and Practice Christian Ministry 17. Church and Ministry, Part I 18. Church and Ministry, Part II Electives 12 subjects (3 year programme) 17 subjects (3 + year programme) BRIEF COURSE DESCRIPTIONS BIBLICAL STUDIES 1. Introduction to the Bible, Part I An overview of the Old Testament that sets its books in the context in which they were produced. 2. Introduction to the Bible, Part II An overview of the New Testament that sets its books in the context in which they were produced. 3. Preliminary Greek An introduction to Biblical Greek, intended to provide students with the necessary knowledge of the language that will enable them to be able to use basic tools like lexicons. 4. Preliminary Hebrew An introduction to Biblical Hebrew, intended to provide students with the necessary knowledge of the language that will enable them to be able to use basic tools like lexicons.
5. Biblical Interpretation An introduction to the task of interpreting the Bible in its context and in a way that is relevant to the contemporary context. 6. Biblical Theology A study of the theological themes of the Bible that is based on the unity of the two testaments. THEOLOGY AND ETHICS 7. Introduction to Systematic Theology An overview of the major doctrines of the historic Biblical faith. 8. Person and work of Christ An introduction to the doctrines of the person and work of Christ that includes a historical survey of Christological debate in the Church. 9. Christian Ethics An introduction to the basic principles of Biblical ethics and how they apply in modern contexts. 10. Theology in the Asian context with special emphasis on India An introduction to contextual theologies in Asia, with special emphasis on India. HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY 11. History of Christianity A general introduction to the spread of the Christian faith across the world, and its impact on local cultures and contexts. 12. History of Christianity in Asia with special emphasis on India A survey of the spread of the Christian faith across the continent of Asia, and its impact on its peoples, their customs and cultures. RELIGION AND SOCIETY 13. Survey of World Religions An introductory study of the major religions of the world, with an emphasis on those that are predominant in the sub-continent. 14. Modern Religious and Secular Movements A survey of modern religious and secular movements in India, and contemporary trends. EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS 15. Introduction to Missions and Evangelism An introductory study of the biblical and theological basis for the mission of the Church. 16. Introduction to Communication: Theory and Practice An introduction to the basic principles of communication, especially in relation to the task of bearing witness to the good news of Christ. CHRISTIAN MINISTRY 17 & 18. Church and Ministry, Parts I & 2 An overview of the history, theology and practice of Christian ministry that includes the basics of pastoral care and counselling, worship and liturgy, church management, homiletics, contemporary issues in ministry and leadership training.