Seeking Wise Counsel

[HannahG]

Good afternoon all:

I am brand new to the forum! I am seeking some advice, but my situation is a bit odd to be honest. I am a physician (pediatric resident planning a fellowship) and have a PhD in Bioethics from a state university. I do research on end of life issues, early phase clinical trials, and professional responsibility and conscience formation. I have recently had a conversion experience. I grew up Catholic but had only a marginal faith. The Lord has been patiently helping me grow in love of him and his word. I have developed a real interest in interpreting the Old Testament and New Testament in search of timeless wisdom on bioethical questions. I want to dive deep into the original languages and do rigorous scholarship. Secondarily, I would like some training in theological Ethics and church history, as so much of the reactions to contemporary questions are bound up in the human circumstances of the time. I can only consider non-traditional options and distance learning at this juncture. Theologically, I am quite open. I currently attend both Catholic mass and a non-denominational service each week. I had my conversion experience at the non-denominational church. 

These are the options I’ve considered but am open to your wisdom:

BD University of London and then a research masters in the UK (Birmingham, Aberdeen, etc.)

Gordon Conwell or Dallas for Biblical languages and OT/NT

Someone advised me that Fuller is good for Ethics, and they have a concentration I think.

I am open to Catholic institutions but haven’t found distance learning options.

I am a single woman so would appreciate a supportive environment. However, I am not called to pastoral ministry!!

I am very lucky to have no educational debt, and I do not plan to rely on theological training for my income. However, I would like to contribute as a physician researcher.

Thanks for your help! I hope to return the favor!!

 

Edited January 26, 2019 by HannahG

[Fontanabush]

You may want to look at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, which has some great scholarships and is part of Boston Theological Intiative. 

[HannahG]

22 minutes ago, Fontanabush said:

You may want to look at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, which has some great scholarships and is part of Boston Theological Intiative. 

I will look into it! I didn’t realize they offered distance learning or alternative schedules. Thanks much!

[sacklunch]

Your interests are very wide, which is understandable given your background. Attending GC will have wildly different outcomes, as far as your interests and future prospects, than will say BC. I can't speak to the field(s) of Ethics, but I can for biblical studies. Distance learning for languages is difficult, though less so for ancient languages, since most of what they teach in divinity schools is a passive form of learning within a very narrow literature (i.e. only reading the Hebrew Bible or Greek New Testament). I can't say for certain, but my guess is that if you're limited to distance learning, Catholic and secular schools have less biblical studies than Protestant schools. Well, before I ramble more here, tell us what you want out of this, end game.

[EarlyXianity]

I think that you're asking the right questions and admire your desire to bring all of these things together; we need more folks doing that kind of integrative work!  

I don't know what length timeline you have in mind as you think about expanding your knowledge base, how many hours a week you can give in attention to this more theological work, or what your facility is with languages, but I do have some concern that introductory Greek and Hebrew, historical theology, and theological ethics are all pretty demanding and time intensive subjects for people who can give nearly full-time attention to them.  I think it would be really important to work right now to make sure that you're developing a realistic (as realistic as possible) sense for the scope of these fields and the time-investment it would demand.

One way to do this would be to talk to people who are already doing this kind of work.

One place that's trying to cultivate these conversations across the gulf between medicine practitioners and theological ethicists is the Theology, Medicine, and Culture initiative at Duke. As far as I know, there aren't not a lot of options for non-traditional degrees at Duke, but it couldn't hurt to learn more about their fellowship and to talk to some of the people associated with the program to see if they might be able to help you think through how you might focus and pursue some of your questions.  Click around their website here: https://tmc.divinity.duke.edu

I don't know where you're considering fellowships, but it wouldn't hurt to apply at Duke and other places that are doing excellent work in both medicine and theological ethics.  


 

[EarlyXianity]

In addition to applying to the 1 or 2 year Fellowship through the TMC, you might also consider the Master's of Arts in Christian Practice (M.A.C.P), a 2 year hybrid degree.