Postgraduate study at Moore is no academic exercise

Mark Fairfull

Postgraduate study at Moore College offers graduate students the opportunity to build their knowledge and skills for ministry. Moore offers three distinct programs, each produced to fit different goals, interests and outcomes. All three are taught or supervised by our world class faculty— scholars and researchers in their fields—and founded on Moore’s renowned Biblical Theology.

» PhD – Equips you for teaching, research and the scholarly enhancement of Christian ministry.

» Master of Theology MTh – A postgraduate research award designed for your future teaching ministries.

» Master of Arts Theology MA(Th) – Provides continuing education in theology to enhance your full-time ministry.

Keen to find out more about our graduate students, we interviewed one of our PhD students to find out his experience of postgraduate study. PhD student Andrew Spalding is married to Tammie and they have two small children. After a six-year stint in youth ministry at Narellan Anglican Church, they moved to complete a PhD at Moore College.

Andrew says that researching his thesis has already astonished him. “The working title for my research is ‘Reading Ecclesiastes as Parental Discourse’, which is a way of saying I’m thinking about the significance of the address to ‘my son’ in the epilogue of Ecclesiastes (12:12). One of the unique and interesting features of wisdom literature is the way that it addresses young people, yet this is something that has received little attention in Ecclesiastes. Chiefly, I’m looking at how this ought to affect the way we read Ecclesiastes, but I am also hopeful there will be further payoff for how we think about the instruction of children and young people.”

“It is astonishing how much has been written about even the most obscure parts of the Old Testament, but yet somehow, there are so many questions that haven’t been asked yet, let alone answered. The riches of God’s word are truly inexhaustible!”, he continued.

Reflecting on this topic Andrew observed, “More negatively, I have been surprised to discover just how much biblical scholarship relies upon unfounded assumptions. Earlier in the 20th century convoluted historical reconstructions of the origins of the Bible were in vogue. In recent decades this has given way to reader-response approaches that rest on postmodern ideology. There is a great need for evangelical scholarship that wrestles with what the text actually says, rather than finding ‘clever’ ways to avoid it.”

Andrew’s research has influenced his faith profoundly. “Some people think that academic study of the Bible is a spiritually barren exercise. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. It is a great privilege to devote so much time and energy to the Word of God, to benefit from the labours of others who have gone before, and to do this in the Moore College community.”

He continued, “Many people comment upon the irony of choosing to do a PhD on a book that warns against the weariness of study (Eccl 12:12). But this is actually one reason why studying Ecclesiastes has been so enriching. Biblical wisdom literature puts the pursuit of knowledge into its proper context, and even relativizes it. It affirms that the fear of the Lord is the beginning (Prov 1:7) and the end (Eccl 12:13) of wisdom. It is a means of living well in God’s good-yet-fallen world, but never an end in itself.”

Thinking about why he chose Moore to do his PhD, Andrew said, “Moore College has a strong reputation for reformed theology, intellectual integrity, and a track record of preparing men and women for gospel ministry in the real world. The launch of the Moore College PhD and a growing post-graduate community seemed like an offer too good to refuse. And in terms of job prospects, a Moore College degree is recognised everywhere the Bible is taught faithfully.”

When looking to future ministry, Andrew hopes his research can have wide benefits. “I’m hoping that there will be insights I can draw from my study into how we teach young people, and what we can learn more generally from the pedagogy of the Old Testament wisdom literature. More specifically, my purpose in signing up for a PhD was for the skills I would develop along the way—to develop my critical thinking, reading, and writing—in order to prepare for a ministry in theological education.”

If you would like more information about the different programs, which one would suit you best or the admission requirements, we would be very happy to chat with you. Phone +61 (0) 2 9577 9999 or email RegistrarDept@moore.edu.au.