Category: Personal

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Personal Th.D. / Ph.D.

My Courses This Fall and Birthday Update

I have thoroughly enjoyed my first two weeks in the Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) program at Duke Divinity School.  I am taking three classes and auditing one.  I have described a little about the classes below and then have written a little personal update.   At the end of that, I have placed links to the books we are reading this semester.   

  • Exegesis of Matthew Doctoral Seminar with Richard B. Hays. I am going to be doing a presentation later in the semester on Matthew 18 on "The Church in Matthew" and doing an exegesis paper on the "confrontation process" in Matthew 18.  There are two Ph.D. Duke University New Testament students, four Th.D. students, and a Th.M. student in that course.  Hays is also teaching an English exegesis of Matthew and Greek Exegesis of Matthew course this semester.  He has a book review called "Benedict and the Biblical Jesus"in First Things this month (August/September 2007) on Pope Benedict’s new book Jesus of Nazareth.  (You can only read the article online if you have a First Things subscription).  It is not an entirely flattering review.  Hays didn’t mention the review in class but I saw it at the library.   If you haven’t heard of Hays, he is a well-known (though not to you), New Testament scholar who has written a lot about: the use of the Old Testament in Paul’s letters, the Pauline phrase "faith in Christ Jesus vs. faith of Christ Jesus," the ethical teachings of the New Testament; and has written commentaries on Galatians and 1 Corinthians.  I was definitely drawn to Duke because of Hays.  Though an outstanding scholar, he has a heart for the church.   (See his books here at Amazon). 
  • Theology of Rowan Williams with L. Gregory Jones. We are reading basically all of Rowan Williams books.  Williams is the archbishop of Canterbury which means he is the head of the entire Anglican communion which is in a turmoil right now.  (See The Last Stand of Rowan Williams by Duke Divinity School student Jordan Hylden on the First Things blog for a great recent summary (August 30th)).  I am taking this course with two other students.  I also really wanted to study with Dean Jones (as they call him here at Duke Divinity School as the leader of the school) because of his interest in church ministry, theological education, leadership and theology.  (See Jones’s books here and Williams’s books here). 
  • Th.D. Seminar: Explorations in Practical Theology with Mary McClintock Fulkerson and Richard Lischer.  This is our one required course for the Th.D. program so the 7 of us first year Th.D. students are all in there together.  I am really enjoying this course as well.  I have read Open Secrets by Lischer (his memoir about being a young rural pastor) so it is great to get to have him for class.   Here are Fulkerson’s books.
  • German Academic Research I with Derrick Miller. I have blogged about this class below in an update at the bottom of my How to Read Theological German post.  In short, I have taken the test for my German proficiency requirement but haven’t heard if I have passed yet so I’m auditing this course.  It is good practice.

Personal update:

  1. Today is my birthday . . . that oh, so important 32.  We had the other Th.D. students over Friday night to celebrate and hang out. 
  2. I’m going to get new headphones for my birthday so I can listen to my MP3 player again. 
  3. We are still waiting for baby boy 2 to be born around September 26th.
  4. I am working as a research assistant for professor Randy Maddox ten hours per week tracking down references and preparing digital historical documents.
  5. I am going to the

    The Academy of Evangelism for Theological Education Annual Meeting October 4-6 at Ashland Seminary in Ashland, OH.  The Evangelism Professors and Fellows (like me) funded by the Foundation For Evangelism will meet after that conference on Saturday afternoon the 6th.

  6. Preview: I have just written something on Will Willimon but I am seeing if I can get it published somewhere else instead of just posting it here on the blog.
  7. In light of my old age, I have changed the blog from white font on black background to black font on white background.  Hope you like it.      

Here are the books we are reading this semester.  They are in order by first name of the author. 

Books I’m reading for Doctoral Program

Categories
Personal Th.D. / Ph.D.

Moving, Summer Schedule and New Email Address

June 3, 2007 (See updates to this post farther down in the post). 

Dear All,

Sorry for not blogging much recently but we are busy preparing to move from Upland, Indiana to Duke, North Carolina.  I am going to be doing my Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) at Duke Divinity School.   The full update about that is at my post Starting Doctor of Theology (Th.D) at Duke Divinity School in the fall. 

Schedule

Here is our upcoming schedule if you want to keep track of us or meet up with us. 

  • June 5-7 Wheaton, Illinois. Visiting my parents
  • June 13 Upland, Indiana. Packing the PODS moving container.
  • June 14-17 Traverse City, Michigan. Wedding for Deepak Prabhaker and Corinne Fosdick.  I am giving homily.  Deepak is a high school friend of mine. 
  • June 17 Grandville, Michigan.  Amy and I are attending church at Rob Bell's Mars Hill Bible Church on Sunday at 11:00. 
  • June 18 Drive to Durham, North Carolina. 
  • June 19-21.  Paint inside of house. 
  • June 23.  Move stuff in to house. 
  • July-August.  Teach myself to read German to pass language exam in the fall if possible.  I haven't been able to find anyone yet to study with me. 

New email address

I have also updated my email address.  My primary address will be andy.rowell@ gmail.com (There is no space).  I don't plan on ever posting that one on the web in its entirety to try to keep away the spam.  I have another one listed on this website rowell.andy@ gmail.com.  That one will be forwarded to the main account.      

I also have a Duke email address but since it is limited to 100 MB and gmail gives you 2860 MB I am just going to go with the gmail one.  If you are curious, it is andy.rowell@ duke.edu (there is no space) – that will also be forwarded to the main account.  Perhaps if I am writing any serious proposals, I will use the duke address but the practical aspects of the gmail one are strong!

I can send you a gmail invitation so you can get gmail if you email me and ask. LATER NOTE: Anyone can now sign up for gmail.  No invitations are needed. 

My wife Amy's new email address is rowell.amy@ gmail.com (no spaces).  Her website is http://www.amyrowell.net/

I used How to Import Archived Outlook Email Into GMail Using GML – wikiHow to import our Taylor University email messages into gmail.

I will blog again soon.  Until then, there are lots of other good things to read and listen to.  See my:

The Best Blogs for Church Leaders to Read

Best Podcasts for Church Leaders

I have also been reading Christianity Today's new LiveBlog. 

Grace and peace, 

andy

Update July 9, 2007:

We have arrived in Durham and are getting settled.  The photo below was taken July 1st in front of Duke Chapel. 

Dscn3310

Update July 19, 2007

German

I have finished 10 of the 30 days of German Quickly: A Grammar for Reading German by April Wilson.  I have made and used German Quickly flashcards on Flashcard Exchange.  (You can use them online for free or pay $20 for a lifetime membership for access to printing them.  I used this site when I studied for the GRE last year.  See my post about the GRE here).   

July 21, 2007

Email update

I send out an email yesterday to friends and family with our new phone numbers and address.  If I didn't email you and you are a friend, I don't have your email address!

Here is the quick update I sent to people:
  • I am starting my Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) degree this fall at Duke Divinity School. 
  • We thoroughly enjoyed serving as professors of Christian ministry at Taylor University the last two years.
  • We have purchased our first home and have moved to Durham, NC.   
  • Amy is due to have Baby #2 September 27th.  It's a boy. 
  • Ryan turned 2 in April and is doing well. 
  • It will probably take me about five years to finish the program. 
  • Amy is hoping eventually to work part-time in pastoral ministry at a church.
Categories
Personal Th.D. / Ph.D.

Starting Doctor of Theology (Th.D) at Duke Divinity School in the fall

Update: see my March 2009 post: Advice about Duke Th.D. and Ph.D programs in theology

Original post:

Lots of news: This fall I am starting Duke Divinity School's Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) program.  We bought a house today in Durham, NC.  And we are having baby 2 in September!    Duke

Below I have answered the basic questions. 

What is the Th.D.? 
The Th.D. stands for Doctor of Theology.  It is the equivalent to the Ph.D.  Duke University's Graduate Program in Religion has offered an outstanding Ph.D. program for many years.  The Th.D. will be headquartered in Duke Divinity School.  This is only the second year that the Th.D. degree has been offered by Duke Divinity School.  Like Duke, Harvard University has a Ph.D. and Harvard Divinity School has a Th.D.  I will be able to take courses at Duke University. 
This degree differs from the Doctor of Ministry or D.Min. which is offered by many seminaries.  The D.Min. is a degree which can be done by pastors while they are in full-time ministry.  The D.Min. takes about three years and pastors spend a couple of weeks a year on campus at the seminary.  It is loosely equivalent to another masters degree.  The Ph.D. or Th.D. are 4-7 year full-time academic degrees that prepare people for work as professors.
 
What do you hope to do with the Th.D.?
I hope to serve as professor of Christian ministry at a Christian college or seminary.  I also hope to continue in church leadership. 

What are you going to study?
My area of concentration is ""Scripture and the Practice of Leading Christian Communities and Institutions."  I'm hoping to do qualitative research on a few innovative churches and effective church leaders and analyze them through the foci presented by Duke professor Richard Hays in his book Moral Vision of the New Testament.  The foci are cross, community and new creation.  Duke has an outstanding faculty and I hope to learn from many of them. 
 
How long is the program?
The first two years I take three courses per semester.  I'm trying to decide what to take next year.  Here is the list of courses.  The third year I prepare for comprehensive exams and nail down my dissertation proposal.  The fourth year I crank out that dissertation.  However, most people in the Duke University Ph.D. in Religion take 5-7 years so we'll see. 

When are you moving to North Carolina?
We bought a house today in Durham and the closing is June 15 so we will move from Upland, IN around then.  We were in Durham last week for a Th.D. orientation day and house-hunting.

What will Amy be doing? 
My wife Amy Rowell is going to be having Baby Rowell #2 around September 26th.  We're excited.  Hopefully she won't have this one two months early like last time.  We're very excited about baby 2. 
We are also really praying that she will find a pastoral position in a church.  She is interested in the areas of adult discipleship, preaching, women's ministry, small groups and pastoral care.  Amy is currently serving as a professor of Christian Ministry at Taylor University where she teaches courses such as Personal Foundations for Ministry and Ministry by Women in the Contemporary Context.  She has her MDiv from Regent College and won the preaching award there.  She has served on the pastoral staff at a number of churches.  Thanks for praying that she will find a position where she can use her gifts.

Do you have any advice about applying for Ph.D. programs in church leadership?
I wrote blog posts about my Ph.D. application process and my advice about the GRE and my CV.