Protestant Theological University

The PThU, Protestant Theological University of the Netherlands, was founded on January 1, 2007, as a result of the merging of three protestant theological institutions/universities in the Netherlands: the Theological Academic Institute (TAI) of the Protestant Church of the Netherlands with locations in Utrecht and Leiden, the Theological University Kampen (ThUK), and the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary (ELS) in Utrecht.

The PThU is rooted in the European Reformed tradition. With this in mind, it participates in an ongoing dialogue between the various world religions and other fundamental life options and in the interaction between faith and culture. It offers an internationally and ecumenically orientated programme of theological study with explicit attention being paid to intercultural questions.

Today the Protestant Theological University has three theological training centres for the Uniting Protestant Churches in the Netherlands, which united into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands in 2004. We train pastors in Kampen, Utrecht and Leiden. An intensive three-year master’s program prepares students for the office of pastor in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. Practical relevance to the ministry is the objective that characterizes education and research at the PTHU. What compels us in this is the question what a living Christian faith can mean for people today. We are convinced of the vital contribution that the Protestant tradition can make, also in the area of theological studies. At the PTHU we contribute to this by doing theological research that meets the highest standards of academic quality.

The University is rooted in the European Reformed tradition, which flourished greatly in the Netherlands in previous centuries. However, one of the distinguishing features of this tradition is that it is always open to renewal, to new reformation. Globalization in our contemporary world requires a reinvigorated, multicolored Protestantism that is comfortable with different, sometimes clashing cultures. Kampen offers theology with an international and ecumenical outlook, paying explicit attention to intercultural
issues.

Education and research
At the Protestant Theological University education and research are situated at the intersection of scholarship and faith involvement. On the one hand it is fully academic, scholarly research. On the other hand the tradition, within which this research takes place, is that of the Protestant Churches in the Netherlands. This combination of academic scholarship and a deliberately chosen theological identity lends a particular character to the PTHU: education and research are ‘geared to practical relevance’ and at the same time focussed on supporting and advancing the personal learning process of the students themselves with an eye to their future employment in church and society.
Research is done in four research groups: Biblical Studies, Church History, Practical Theology and Ethics. Systematic Theology and Cross-Cultural Theology.

 

See for more information this website:
http://www.theologischeuniversiteitkampen.nl/generalInfo.asp?lIntEntityId=193

 

Photo: Kampen - Theological University