Law and Theology (J.D.)

Program Overview

The Juris Doctor (J.D.) in Law and Theology trains legal analysts who can also think theologically about the law they analyze. Law and theology have argued with each other for as long as either has existed — about the source of authority, the meaning of justice, the purpose of punishment, and the limits of obedience — and much of Western law was first written by people trained in both. This program restores that conversation at a professional level, so that students learn the law as lawyers do and then ask what it is for. The first half of the program builds the core of a legal education: legal method and writing, constitutional law and fundamental rights, contracts and civil obligations, civil procedure and evidence, and professional responsibility. The second half sets that training beside the theological tradition: natural law from Aquinas to its modern defenders, the Reformation's two kingdoms and three uses of the law, covenant and the rule of law, theories of punishment and forgiveness, and the debate between legal positivism and its critics from Hart and Fuller to Finnis. Students read judicial opinions alongside theologians and learn to state, without confusion, what each kind of argument can and cannot establish. Graduates work in law-related roles in churches, universities, nonprofits, and public policy, and as writers and teachers on the moral foundations of law. The J.D. thesis takes a contested legal question — a sentencing principle, a conscience claim, the authority of an unjust law — and examines it through both disciplines. The degree is an academic and professional credential in law and theology; it is not a qualifying law degree for admission to the bar, and graduates who intend to practise law must meet the licensing requirements of their own jurisdiction.

Core Courses

• JD 501 — Legal Method, Research, and Writing (9 credits)
• JD 510 — Constitutional Law and Fundamental Rights (9 credits)
• JD 520 — Contracts, Torts, and Civil Obligations (12 credits)
• JD 530 — Civil Procedure and Evidence (9 credits)
• JD 610 — Jurisprudence: Natural Law, Positivism, and Their Critics (9 credits)
• JD 620 — Theology of Law, Justice, and Punishment (9 credits)
• JD 680 — Professional Responsibility (6 credits)
• JD 699 — Juris Doctor Thesis in Law and Theology (9 credits)

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from a recognized institution
• Statement of purpose describing an interest in law and its relation to faith, ministry, or public service
• Analytical writing sample of at least 1,500 words
• Current résumé or ministry profile
• Official transcripts from prior institutions when available
• Signed acknowledgment that the degree is not a qualifying law degree for bar admission in any jurisdiction