Master of Philosophy in Contextual Theology

International Network in Advanced Theological Education (INATE)

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The network will promote and facilitate interchange in all directions: North-South, South-South, South-North, and will thus be a programme where mutuality and equality is given high priority. It is hoped that this co-operation may represent a new and feasible model for global relationships within advanced theological education.

The main guidelines for the Network co-operation is found in the two Network documents Letter of Intent (signed in August 1996 at the Consultation in Oslo) and Statement of Co-operation (signed in August 1997 at the Consultation in Gurukul). These two documents regulate the Network activities.

4.1 The Network Institutions

The Network consists of the following institutions;

• Escola Superior de Teologia in São Leopoldo, Brazil;
• School of Theology at the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa;
• Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute in Chennai, India;
• Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hong Kong, China;
• Evangelical-Lutheran Theological University in Budapest, Hungary;
• Faculty of Theology, University of Oslo, Norway, and its partner institutions in Oslo (Seminary of Practical Theology, University of Oslo and Diakonhjemmet College).

This gives the Network a broad and varied basis for its purpose - to develop a contextual theology that corresponds to both local and global challenges.

4.2 Thematic Frame

The thematic frame for this academic co-operation is contextual theology. By contextual theology we understand a theology that is conscious of its contemporary social, cultural, political, etc. embeddedness, and the way in which this embeddedness bears upon the theological endeavour and its results. At the same time, this contextual theology is committed to contributing constructively to the transformation of the context in which it is embedded, answering to its challenges and working towards the solution of urgent problems.

4.3 Implications to the Master of Philosophy in Contextual Theology

Student and staff exchange is a main element in the Network co-operation, together with the thematic emphasis on contextual theology, which is reflected in Master’s programme in Oslo. Students from the Network do not fall in under the standard procedure of application, and will be given their own application forms. There will be approximately 2 students from the Network at the Faculty of Theology each year. These students will follow the standard Master’s programme together with all the other Master’s students.

The Network programme period will be from 1998-2001.

4.4 Coordination and Information

The Faculty of Theology, in co-operation with the Practical Theological Seminary and Diakonhjemmet College, has been asked to carry the responsibility of coordinating the International Network in the period 1998-2001. This means that there is a Network Coordinator at the Faculty in the above mentioned period (the programme period), who is responsible for coordinating the activities in the Network, such as curriculum-, subject-, and consultation planning and implementation, etc.

The Network Coordinator can be contacted through e-mail, or by contacting the Faculty (ref. "The Network Coordinator").