These are the PTC elective unit options which can be used to complete levels 2 and 3 of the PTC course. Two electives are needed for each of these levels.

Wisdom and Exile (Old Testament 4)

Wisdom and Exile (Old Testament 4) focuses on those sections of the Old Testament devoted to the perennial questions and concerns of God’s people at any time. This includes books devoted to living well in God’s world (the Hebrew concept of ‘wisdom’), liturgical literature that helps us see how to bring our whole lives, both joyous and painful, before God, and finally the Old Testament works that explicitly look forward to the ‘end times’.

John's Gospel

This unit focuses solely on John’s Gospel, examining its distinctive content and style. Through a close reading of the text, the distinctive features of John that are drawn out, include the concepts of ‘life’ and ‘discipleship’. Specifically, what does it mean to ‘live’ or ‘abide’ in Jesus, and what does being a disciple of Jesus actually require?

Romans

Romans examines Paul’s most important theological work, his Letter to the Romans. Students will be introduced to Paul’s thinking on the concepts such as sin, grace, Law, judgement, predestination, salvation and blessing. As a central concern of Paul’s in this work is the ongoing place of the Jews in God’s plans students are also introduced to Paul’s thought on this important issue.

Christian Worship

Christian Worship explores how we can best worship God with a particular emphasis on how we should think about what happens when we gather together in worship. We begin by tracing the origins of worship through the Old Testament sacrificial system, moving on to consider the changes brought to worship by the gospel. With this groundwork laid the subject considers topics such as the use of music and liturgy in public worship gatherings.

Prayer Book

Prayer Book explores the liturgy of the Anglican churches, and especially the role of the Prayer Book in providing a structure for that liturgy. The subject has an historical aspect, tracing the development of the Prayer Book from the pre-Reformation form to its contemporary form and noting the political and cultural forces that informed this development. It also has a theological aspect, using theological concepts to explain why the Prayer Book has the precise form it does.

Christian Ethics

Christian Ethics explores the foundations of Christian ethics. Firstly through examining the grace found in the gospel and then considering the status of moral rules in general. The importance of motivation and the role of the conscience in ethical decision-making is also explored. The course addresses both the positive and negative aspects of Christian ethics and once a solid theoretical foundation has been laid, it proceeds to examine contemporary ethical issues from a Christian standpoint.

New Testament 4 (2022)

New Testament 4 provides an overview of Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude and Revelation. It introduces students to a wide range of literary styles and theological concerns, such as the Christian attitude to suffering, the relationship of Christ’s sacrificial work to the Old Testament Law and the Christian expectation of the ‘end times’. Special attention is given to Hebrews, 1 Peter and Revelation.