OK, here’s some news for pastors inclined to the deeper study of the New Testament in its own cultural origins/context. Scot McKnight is now directing a new Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program at Northern Seminary aimed to help pastors deepen their understandings of the cultural questions/contextual issues at work behind the writings of the New Testament.

Here’s the announcement:

Northern is excited to announce a new Doctor of Ministry in New Testament Context.

“The DMin in New Testament Context will give pastors the opportunity of a lifetime.  In my speaking and conversations with pastors, preachers, and lay folks, one of the most illuminating features we have to bring to the church is clarifying the historical context of Jesus and the apostles. Time and time again flashes of insight come to Bible readers when they grasp a social custom at work, a religious controversy throbbing behind a question put to Jesus, or a historical memory that is shaping precisely what Jesus was teaching or the apostle Paul writing. Because this “background” or “Jewish context” is so important and at the same time much less accessible for pastors, the DMin in the New Testament Context will provide pastors with the opportunity to focus study on Jewish texts and this will enable them to shed light on pressing concerns in the church today.”

Tell your pastor and pastors tell your pastor friends. The applications are now arriving and Northern’s very excited about the interest in Scot’s new DMin program in New Testament Context.