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Theophilos

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Everything posted by Theophilos

  1. We (family of 3) made the move from AZ to MA and used ABF Relocubes. Same principle as the U-Boxes, but for our route ABF was more affordable. Had a great experience with them. We had an 8-month-old at the time, so the 40+ hour drive was not our preferred method anyhow. If you're looking to move a car as well, check out Auto Driveaway. They pair up people looking to move their car with people looking to make the drive. It's fully insured, etc., and cost us about half as much as any other auto transport service we looked into. Good luck!
  2. I'll second the Memrise recommendation. They have a Greek that is keyed to my textbook. Super helpful. I have classmates that have also used it for Hebrew. Duolingo is good for modern languages. Conversational rather than reading knowledge, but a good supplement all the same. If you're MDiv or Biblical Studies, the Logos app is a halfway decent resource. Pretty basic, but really user-friendly.
  3. I agree that one needs to be open to "confronting different points of view," but that can certainly still be done from within an evangelical institution. Evangelicalism is by no means monolithic, contrary to its popular caricatures. The difference is that HDS, e.g., will challenge you with viewpoints that you may not even recognize as "Christian," a more evangelical institution will challenge you with diverse viewpoints formed within the same fundamental framework (e.g., different views on interpreting a specific passage of scripture rather than whether or not scripture is the verbally inspired word of God). As for schools, I'd second the recommendation to Fuller. MarXian is right that except for the *most* conservative evangelicals, it's still considered a conservative school by most. I'd also second the Westminster nod if you want to train in a more explicitly reformed environment. Phoenix does have Grudem, which is great. If you were already in Phoenix, I'd definitely keep it in mind, but I'm not sure I'd move to go there. Other places you might consider include Regent in Vancouver and Trinity in Deerfield. Trinity has Kevin Vanhoozer, who is doing, in my opinion, some of the more interesting work in theology from an evangelical perspective. Although, he is "research professor" now so I don't know how accessible he is to students. Same with Don Carson, another evangelical heavyweight at Trinity. If you're open to moving a little farther, you may also want to consider Gordon-Conwell. It's firmly in the evangelical tradition (founded by Billy Graham et al) and well respected academically. It also has the advantage of giving you access to classes at the other Boston-area Div Schools (HDS, BU, BC, etc.) through the BTI. I was in a similar place as you two years ago, so if you have any other questions, feel free to ask/PM.
  4. Ha. Looks like Macrina and I were working on essentially the same response at the same time. Sorry for the redundancy!
  5. It's unfortunately not nearly this cut and dry. At least as many students doing doctoral work at top programs are doing so with an MDiv vs MTS/MA. True, an MTS will give you a more specialized focus than the MDiv, but many PhD programs also look favorably on the breadth of education you get with an MDiv degree. I can't speak to Harvard's MDiv in particular, but I would say that if you have absolutely no interest in or plan for vocational ministry, you may find some of the more "practical" courses boring, irrelevant, etc. Just my two cents.
  6. This is great to hear. I had a wonderful experience with the program as an undergrad.
  7. Much like you I'm another year out, so I don't have any "here's what worked" advice. But I did find this blog over in the Philosophy board: http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.com/2012/05/applying-to-phd-programs-in-philosophy.html?m=1 Seems to offer some good advice and also gives 3 samples from admitted students. Granted, this is a different field, so it may not all apply. This is where the more experienced folks would have to weigh in. Thoughts? Decent advice?
  8. I'll leave your first question for those more qualified, but a comment regarding your second: My understanding is that PhD programs within a divinity school require a masters degree in divinity/theology. This has to due with the accrediation standards at div schools. (Others, am I right on this?) This doesn't seem to be the case with religious studies departments, but as someone getting my MA in theology and looking to do PhD work in philosophy, I've been told that a theology masters is really a moot point for philosophy programs, except to the extent my focus was mainly and recognizably philosophical. I imagine it would be the same going the other way. Your best bet might be finding a philosophy program with a strong philosophy of religion faculty, and one that lets you take courses from its RS dept or affiliated div school. I think the Catholic/Jesuit programs you mention fit that mold. Not sure what other ones are out there.
  9. In January I moved with my family (wife and 1-yr old) from the Southwest to the Boston area for my Masters program. I still have two years left, but am starting to research potential PhD programs and POIs. All of our family is on the West Coast, and we are considering heading back that way after I finish up the Masters. My interest broadly speaking lie mainly with systematics/constructive theology. While I tend to come at it from a reformed-leaning perspective, I'm not married to that tradition. My undergrad is in philosophy, so I also take an interest in theology that is more formally philosophical. I've begun to look into GTU, UD/Illif, and Fuller. Thoughts on those programs in light of my interests? Other programs on the West coast?
  10. I think a used book store is always a good place to start. My advisor does work on Shakespeare and English puritanism, so I found a neat, older edition of Richard III for her. Might be a little tougher to find something for your advisor's interest, but worth a shot.
  11. Just moved my family (wife and 8-month old) 2,700 miles to do a Masters. If I get into a PhD program, it'll mean another move in a couple years. While I can't offer advice as someone who's been through it, I can offer the perspective as someone who's in it. It's crazy stressful, but so long as you keep the main thing the main thing, i.e., family first, and have a supportive spouse/family, it's very doable. Just shot up a quick prayer for you. Blessings.
  12. Another distinction that will be more or less pronounced depending on the school is that seminaries and divinity schools more often than not specialize in the Christian tradition (or at most, the Abrahamic religions). Religious studies departments, on the other hand, tend to cover a wider bredth of the world religions. You probably won't get a class on the Christology of Jonathan Edwards in a religious studies department, nor are you likely to have a class on Hindu mysticism at a divinity school.
  13. The website says it's "available for all degree programs except the MA in Counseling." Fret not!
  14. I was up visiting GCTS a couple of weeks ago and was incredibly impressed. I'm not sure why it isn't mentioned more, maybe too "evangelical" for some people's liking. It certainly isn't narrow, though, and there seems to be some great interdenominational dialogue going on there. It has very strong faculty and the feel I got from my visit is that the programs are rigorous and the students are dedicated to their studies. I met with one professor, and he told me that they regularly send students to top PhD programs (The Ivy's, Duke, ND, etc.). On top of that, they are a part of the Boston Theological Institute which allows you to cross-register at the other theological schools in the Boston area - Harvard, BC, and BU to name just three. I'm interested in PhD work too, and it seems like a great place to prep for that. Also, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more beautiful campus anywhere. As to the GPA question, I'd use the spring semester to bolster your application to downplay your GPA. You could do some sort of independent study, or write something that you could highlight on your application. That way, when it comes time to write a personal statement you can highlight your achievements. It might still be tough, but it's not hopeless. After all, the GPA is only part of any application package. Best of luck!
  15. I'll second the Vandy recommendation. I'm not familiar with Byrd, but Lake and Lim are excellent.
  16. Does anybody know anything about the South Hamilton area? I'll be moving there to attend Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and I'm curious if there are any options for housing off campus. It seems like a pretty rural area... Thanks!
  17. Is Moo your "prosective supervisor"? I'm starting up my MA from GCTS in the fall, and the PhD program at Wheaton has definitely piqued my interest. Hope you enjoy it, and maybe I'll see you there in a couple years!
  18. What are your interests, if you don't mind?
  19. Theophilos

    ThM Funding

    I actually asked a professor just that, and here's the definitive answer he gave me: depends. If you're doing an MDiv without much research focus, it could help to give you some direction heading into a PhD program. Also, it depends on the quality of your MDiv/MA program and what kind of program you're looking to enter for a PhD. If you're looking to get into a top flight PhD program but coming out of a less than rigorous masters program, then it could help to prove your mettle with a ThM from a stronger institution. Like the others have said, though, I don't think it's a make or break sort of thing. It won't cover glaring weaknesses, and if you're already a strong student, then you are still a strong candidate without it.
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