Theology of Justice and Mercy

Program Overview

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Theology of Justice and Mercy studies what Scripture says about the poor and what the church has done about it. The biblical witness is relentless: gleaning laws and jubilee, prophets who measure worship by the treatment of widows, a Messiah who reads Isaiah 61 aloud and says it is fulfilled, and apostles who make a collection for famine relief part of the gospel's expression. The theological question is not whether God cares about the poor but what follows for a church that confesses him. Students read the biblical material closely — law, prophets, wisdom, the Gospels, and the apostolic letters on wealth, debt, labour, and generosity — and then work through the theological traditions: patristic teaching on property and almsgiving, monastic poverty, Catholic social teaching from Rerum Novarum forward, the Latin American liberation theologians and their critics, Black and womanist theology, Reformed and evangelical social thought, and contemporary theologies of development. The programme insists on rigour in both directions: it examines the Marxist analytical categories in some liberationist work critically, and it examines equally critically the comfortable exegesis that spiritualizes every text about money. Empirical literacy is required — poverty measurement, the effects of aid, and the evidence on what actually helps. The dissertation contributes original research on a biblical theme, a theological tradition, or a contemporary practice of justice and mercy. Graduates teach ethics and social theology, lead relief and development organizations, direct denominational justice work, and pastor congregations engaged in their neighbourhoods.

Core Courses

• JST 801 — Biblical Theology of Justice and Mercy (6 credits)
• JST 812 — Patristic and Medieval Teaching on Property (6 credits)
• JST 824 — Modern Social Teaching and Liberation Theologies (6 credits)
• JST 836 — Critiques and Counter-Critiques (6 credits)
• JST 848 — Evidence, Development, and Practice (5 credits)
• JST 860 — Research Design in Social Theology (4 credits)
• JST 899 — Doctoral Dissertation in Justice and Mercy (24 credits)

Admission Requirements

• Master's degree in theology, ministry, ethics, or a closely related field
• Ministry, advocacy, or teaching experience in the area of specialization
• Statement of purpose naming the community, question, or practice your research serves
• Academic writing sample or substantial ministry portfolio
• Current curriculum vitae or ministry profile
• Official transcripts from prior institutions when available