NCIU’s Focus for Biblical Studies and Theology Programs
BIBLICAL STUDIES
The Biblical Studies concentration offers a general program in biblical studies based on the English text with special emphasis upon the literature, interpretation and themes of the whole Bible. The program helps the student to explore the biblical text within both its historic contexts and its use in modern worldwide contexts.
The program is primarily designed as a terminal degree for students who do not expect to continue formal academic studies to the upper graduate level.
Accordingly, knowledge, translation skills and use of the biblical languages are not required.
THEOLOGICAL STUDIES
In this concentration students are trained in basic, biblical and theological knowledge. They are also encouraged to develop skills that enable them to take into account the original linguistic, literary, historical and cultural contexts of the Bible. Students are thereby enabled to critically consider varied religious traditions, beliefs and practice in our present world societies.
The ultimate goal of our Theological Studies concentration is to ensure that the individual's life and the corporate Christian body are faithful to God's revelation of Himself in Scripture.
Therefore, students with sound theological training will know how to evaluate critically their own personal theological leaning, be aware and respectful of other theological positions and be able to distinguish those values that are distinctly Christian from those that the secular world espouses.
BIBLICAL STUDIES & THEOLOGY AWARDS
Bachelor award = 136 credit hours
Bachelor of Arts inBible & Theology [136cr]
Bachelor of Theology [136cr]
Master award = B + credit hours
Master of Arts in Bible Theology [B + 48crs]
Master of Theology [B + 48crs]
Master of Divinity[B + 72crs]
Doctoral award = M +credit hours
Doctorof Theology [M + 48crs]
OVERVIEW - BIBLICAL & THEOLOGICAL STUDIES
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL STUDIES
The NCIU Bachelor of Arts in Bible & Theology is a distance-learning degree program designed in response to the expressed needs of pastors, workers and emerging leaders. The course is specifically for church workers, missionaries, intending missionaries, church planters and church leadership associates wanting to further equip themselves for the changing global environment of the twenty first century.
This degree program exposes students to a wide range of new possibilities for church ministry, pastoral leadership and missiological endeavors. These strategic studies will empower them to meet the challenge of contextualizing the gospel in an increasingly urbanized, international and highly “wired” techno-savvy global community.
In addition, this NCIU Bachelor’s course has built in the option of special focus electives. This will enable practitioners to pursue carefully focused coursework in areas such as Church Ministry, Christian Education, and Pastoral Counseling or Missiological study.
The NCIU Bachelor of Theology distance-learning degree program purpose is to help students who are planning to invest their lives in church or mission vocations to achieve the desired level of knowledge through biblical and theological studies.
The Bachelor of Theology program requires the ability to use the principles of biblical interpretation to identify and evaluate basic elements of theological thought through systematic analysis of statements of truth, theologies and doctrines of the Christian faith.
The degree program exposes students to a wide range of new possibilities for church ministry and pastoral teaching, pastoral leadership and missiological endeavors. The strategic studies will empower them to meet the challenge of contextualizing the gospel in an increasingly urbanized, international and highly “wired”, techno-savvy global community.
In addition, this Bachelor’s course will enable practitioners to pursue carefully focused coursework in areas such as church ministry, pastoral leadership or missiological study. The course will culminate in a research-based writing project that draws upon the praxis objectives undertaken.
Master of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies
The MA (Bible & Theology) degree program has been specifically designed to provide:
an understanding of Scriptures for students anticipating Christian ministries that would include church administrators, parachurch organization leadership, counselors, bi-vocational leaders and ministries, “tent-making” occupations in other cultures, non-professional religious leaders in the local church and others.
The concentrations in the Biblical and Theological Studies graduate program stress the concepts, principles, history, and methods of the theological disciplines.
The program provides a scholarly, helpful, and understanding atmosphere in which students confront both traditional and contemporary interpretations and issues. It is committed to helping students formulate and articulate a biblical and global understanding of life and ministry in a setting committed to traditional biblical Christianity.
The distance-learning Master of Theology degree, provided by NCI University & Theological Seminary has been designed to provide emphases in Biblical Understanding and Exegesis, Old and New Testament Studies, Systematic Theology, Philosophy of Religion & Ethics, Spiritual Formation and Biblical Ministry Development.
The mission of the Master of Theology program of NCI University & Theological Seminary is the development of disciples of Jesus Christ who will be able to teach their respective disciplines.
This program has been developed specifically for those believers whose calling to Christian service is to serve in positions of leadership for which the Master of Theology or other similar professional degrees are normally required.
As an outgrowth of NCIU’s role to provide discerning evangelical biblical/theological scholarship and instruction, the M.Th. program exists to provide opportunities for specialized focus on disciplines that are crucial to fulfill NCIU’s mission.
We want to give students who choose one of these discipline areas a foundation upon which they can teach or go on for advanced study.
The Master of Divinity program of NCI University & Theological Seminary is designed to provide a strong foundation in Biblical Studies and Theological understanding.
The course of study will broaden the historical perspective, deepen the theological reflection, and develop the professional skill of both pastoral and mission leaders to a high degree of competence and excellence, at the same time it will prepare them to take major roles in leadership development and strategic expansion of the Kingdom in their chosen sphere of service.
Students in the program are expected to develop an advanced understanding of the nature and purposes of ministry, to show enhanced competencies in pastoral analysis and ministerial skills, as well as the integration of these dimensions into the theologically reflective practice of ministry.
They are also expected to gain new knowledge about the practice of ministry, and to demonstrate continued measurable growth in personal spiritual maturity.
The Doctor of Theology is designed to train scholars who can serve the church worldwide as teachers, researchers, pastors, and leaders. The program aims at fostering faithfulness to the teaching of Scripture in combination with creative and critical reflection on its significance for the church and contemporary culture.
Students may focus on Biblical Theology, Systematic/Historical Theology, or Missiology. The nature of Scripture and of the theological task demand that theology be rooted in Scripture and that Scripture be interpreted theologically. The NCIU Th.D., therefore, requires that its students take a holistic approach to biblical-theological and missiological studies.
Students will be required to write dissertations that focus on one area of mutually agreed academic specialization. The entire program, including the dissertation, will of necessity require integration with the other specialties. In order to facilitate this integration, students in the NCIU Th.D. program will write dissertations that are distinctly theological in nature.
The program seeks, at the same time, to be integrative in other ways, by bringing to bear on the theological and missiological task insights from people and cultures outside the North American context, and thus affords the student room for exploration of specialized focus areas.
