2020 Timetable

The 2020 Session 1 Timetable is available here.

The 2020 Session 2 Timetable is available here.

If you have any queries, please email admin@sbc.edu.au.

Session 1 Subjects

THL115/ THL490-Liturgical Theology:

This subject explores the history and practice of worship across a variety of Christian traditions, including contemporary and blended worship. The subject centres on the effects and interrelationships of rites, symbols, words, music, gesture and space in facilitating worship. Key issues considered include liturgical forms, symbol, language, music, architecture and mission. In the context of human ritual activity, the importance of worship in the formation of Christian identity is analysed, including the relationship of worship to questions of power and abuse.

Taught by Bishop Tim Harris.

THL131/THL410- Early Church History:

This foundation subject introduces students to skills appropriate to studying church history, including the use and analysis of early sources, both written and non-written, and later historical interpretations. It encompasses the contributions of the Apostolic Fathers and early Christian Apologists, and explores early challenges to the Christian movement from within and without. Close attention is given to church-state relations and the formulation of Christian theology by prominent theologians and significant councils, especially those convened at Nicaea and Chalcedon. The subject also examines early Christian monasticism, issues of ethnicity and gender, mission and the claims of the Bishop of Rome to supremacy. Consistent attention is given to understanding the broader context of the Graeco-Roman world in which Christianity developed.

Taught by Dr Jennifer Hein.

THL101 – New Testament Greek I:

This foundational subject develops the competence needed to begin to read the New Testament in Koine (Common) Greek. It does this by introducing students to the basic grammar and vocabulary of the Greek New Testament. The subject draws attention to the significance of New Testament Greek for biblical and theological study.

Taught by The Rev’d Dr Joan Riley.

THL304 – The Pentateuch:

This subject is a detailed investigation of the five books of the Pentateuch (Torah: Genesis to Deuteronomy). It examines the history of and contemporary perspectives on the Pentateuch along two main lines: detailed exploration of various Pentateuchal texts and the study of critical developments in Pentateuchal scholarship. Exegetical and interpretive competence is further developed and refined through the critical review and creative application of historical, socio-cultural, literary and ideological methods of analysis to a range of texts in the Pentateuch.

Taught by The Rev’d Dr Joseph Chung.

MIN405 – Applied Principles of Church Leadership:

This subject introduces students to responsible leadership practice, which is grounded in biblical and theological principles, together with a critical review of church leadership practices. Particular models of church leadership are addressed together with their critical application within varied ministry contexts. Students are challenged to develop and implement more effective and context sensitive models of leadership for ministry.

Taught by The Rev’d Dr Don Owers.

THL111 – Introduction to Christian Theology:

This subject offers an introductory engagement with the major doctrines of the Christian faith, including God as Trinity, the person and work of Christ, the Spirit, humanity and the church. It explores the tasks, methods and sources of Christian theology, enabling students to develop initial skills of theological reasoning together with the capacity to use theological vocabulary. Attention is given to historical and contemporary approaches to doing theology, as well as to the relation between Christian doctrine and Christian practice.

Taught by Dr Rodney Fopp.

THL245 – God and Humanity:

This subject examines the development, critique and reformulation of theological ideas regarding humanity and humanity’s relation to God and creation. Traditional themes in theological anthropology are considered, including creation, the imago dei, sin, grace, salvation and vocation. Challenges to historical formulations, including the challenge of difference, are brought into conversation with contemporary approaches such as feminist, postcolonial, ecological, queer and liberation discourses.

Taught by The Rev’d Dr Cathy Thomson.

THL514 – Theological Hermeneutics:

This subject explores the history of hermeneutics, ranging from Ancient and Biblical through to Contemporary Philosophical and Theological Hermeneutics. The subject addresses the interpretation of texts, the issue of meaning, and the question of what it is to understand. Hermeneutics occupies the place between epistemology and methodology, and, studied at the advanced level, will equip students with the capacity to locate themselves in relation to their critical reading of texts.

Taught by Dr Rodney Fopp.

This subject investigates the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark and Luke as literary expressions of the development of early Christianity from its roots in Judaism. It explores these three Gospels in their historical, literary, socio-cultural and religious contexts. It assesses these Gospels as sources for understanding Jesus and also probes the puzzle of their interrelations. On a rotating basis, one of these Gospels provides the focus for detailed study of literary, historical and theological issues germane to its interpretation.

Taught by The Rev’d Dr Ruth Mathieson.

This subject introduces students to the key aspects of supervision in a field education and/or learning context. The student will examine the basic models and theological perspectives associated with supervision in a learning context and undertake critical reflection on their own experiences of supervision. Students will also be introduced to the key aspects of transformational learning and the ethical issues associated with supervision. The student will learn skills in a range of areas, including how to establish and manage a supervision relationship; how to assist in the setting of learning goals; how to evaluate and offer feedback; how to facilitate theological reflection; and how to establish and maintain boundaries.

Taught by The Rev’d Peter Williams.

This subject is a foundational introduction to the contents of the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) and to basic scholarly tools and critical methods used in Old Testament studies. It surveys the formation of the Old Testament, both as a whole and as comprising collections of books, while focusing on selected texts from the Torah (Pentateuch), Prophets, Writings and Apocrypha. It pays particular attention to issues of oral and textual transmission, historical and geographical context, religion and culture, genre and canon, exegesis, interpretation and diverse theological perspectives.

Taught by The Rev’d Dr Gethzi Devasagayam.