 Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan As from September, the Masters in Theology (ThM) of PRTS will be facilitated for students in South Africa. This news has been received with widespread enthusiasm.
So far more than 40 people have shown interest in this programme. At this stage it seems that no less than 12 students will be accepted to participate in the first classes this year. Dr Stephen Myers of PRTS will present the first two modules: Reformed Spirituality and Piety and Reformed Covenant Theology. Both modules will be offered on 22-24 and 27-29 September 2021, with three hours of class time per module per day. Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids is widely-recognized academic institution that is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in North America. The ThM degree expands and deepens a student’s abilities for church leadership and teaching. It is designed for students who already have M-level degree (or at least a BTh Honours) to help them take their research to a higher level. It can be used as a terminal degree or as a transitional degree for those wishing to pursue PhD studies in religion or theology.  As a growing academic institution, Mukhanyo must continue developing and renewing its programmes. A project to do just that has been ongoing for the past several years and good progress is being made.
New study guides for the two higher certificates (diploma-level) and for the bachelor of theology (degree-level) are now in an advanced phase. Most of the modules – 87 of the 89 – are already in the process of being rewritten and are going through a number of steps such as formatting (twice), editing (twice) and external proofreading. This upgrade project started in 2018. It is partly financed by international sponsors and is scheduled to run at least until the end of 2022, but most probably will take longer, inter alia because of additional modules being added to strengthen the several programmes and since the Covid-lockdown made it impossible to record lectures. This project to produce and/or update study material of a high quality involves not only the lecturers, but also the studio videographers, a team of editors, the printers, etc. But the products are something to be proud of and will be used for many years in southern Africa.  Registration is open for studies in 2021. Mukhanyo has a complete range of quality programmes for Bible education, including these accredited qualifications offered in various locations across South Africa:
These qualifications and others are offered across Mukhanyo’s five main regional centres and its growing network of distance locations:
* National Senior Certificate (for detail see prospectus)
To register for study, phone or email the coordinator at one of the following Mukhanyo centres:
For information about Mukhanyo’s accredited theological qualifications, see https://www.mukhanyo.ac.za/programmes.html. Information about each learning centre is explained at https://www.mukhanyo.ac.za/learningcentres.html.  Mukhanyo now provides a way for future school teachers to begin their studies with a foundational qualification in theology. This new education track will also help church leaders and other Christian workers to grow in their teaching ability.
Mukhanyo’s accredited Higher Certificate in Bible Teaching has been expanded with an education track. This track will prepare students to become Christian teachers and will also be a valuable tool in their daily life. These extra modules were developed by Dr Gerrit Heino, an education specialist serving at Mukhanyo. Students can now choose to add a maximum of four education modules to this diploma-level Higher Certificate. These four modules, “Becoming a Christian Teacher” (CE01 to CE04), introduce a student to a variety of topics in the field of Christian pedagogy and didactics with the following themes:
The lessons in the study guide for each module correspond with two education books, The Teacher’s Handbook and The Essence of Christian Teaching. These books, along with the user-friendly study guides, give the student a comprehensive introduction to Christian teaching. To graduate with this NQF level 5 accredited qualification, students must complete the eight core modules in the programme along with these four education modules. They will then graduate with a “Higher Certificate in Bible Teaching for Christian Education” – an excellent foundation for further study at the degree-level or a teaching ministry within the church.  The BTh Honours programme at Mukhanyo has continued again this semester with no less than sixteen students. In the first semester, COVID-19 did at first disrupt the programme’s smooth flowing. But the format was switched to online lectures that have gone satisfactorily. This approach is continuing for now, according to Dr Bryson Arthur, the Honours programme manager and senior lecturer at Mukhanyo.
The modules being offered this semester are Theology of Salvation, Issues in Christian Ethics, Biblical Hermeneutics, and Research Methodology. Dr Bryson is grateful to Mukhanyo’s Academic Dean, Dr Japie Malan, for stepping in to teach Biblical Hermeneutics. This is normally taught by Rev. Peter Manzanga, senior lecturer, who is presently stuck in Zimbabwe due to travel restrictions. In the meantime, Rev. Manzanga has submitted his completed thesis for a PhD degree, so at least he has remained productive. He hopes soon to return to South Africa as Dr Manzanga. The Honours programmes are also being developed gradually to include more modules, eventually with comprehensive tracks in Systematic Studies, Biblical Studies, and Historical Studies. It is taught at a rigorous and reflective standard aimed at just below Masters’ level. Only students who have higher-than-average marks for their BTh degree are accepted into the Honours programme. The modules promote thoughtful research and normally active participation in class dialogue. Rigorous dialogue has been more difficult to facilitate with the online format, but the questions keep coming, says Dr Bryson. |
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