{"id":474,"date":"2019-08-06T15:34:38","date_gmt":"2019-08-06T19:34:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sth\/?page_id=474"},"modified":"2023-07-11T17:05:48","modified_gmt":"2023-07-11T21:05:48","slug":"deans-welcome","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sth\/about\/deans-welcome\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome from Dean Pak"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Boston University School of Theology!<\/h3>\n

The School of Theology (STH) is the founding school of Boston University and a leading theological educator nationally and globally. STH is distinguished by its premier theological faculty, compassionate and energetic staff, and extraordinary alumni leading change and revitalization in churches, the academy, and communities across the globe.<\/p>\n

Our world today needs religious leaders who are grounded in their faith tradition and gifted with nimbleness, humility, and conviction to reimagine new ways of being and leading with compassion and courage. In a world where racism continues to plague structures, systems, and processes\u2014let alone individual habits\u2014we need leaders personally and structurally committed to anti-racism and the celebration of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In a world where opposing sides of an issue or political viewpoint are increasingly siloed and unable to listen or converse, we need leaders equipped to address conflict and facilitate hard conversations and deep listening. In a world plagued by the dire effects of climate change, we need leaders who advocate for ecological justice. In a world destabilized by a global pandemic and rising mental health needs, we need leaders trained in trauma care, pastoral care, and spiritual care. In a world where religion continues to be a prime site of conflict, we need the humility and hospitality to invite interreligious conversation and partnerships.<\/p>\n

Boston University School of Theology seeks to cultivate and equip such leaders through its degree programs, specialized tracks, certificates, and the work of its Centers. From the Master of Divinity tracks<\/a>\u00a0to our DMin in Transformational Leadership<\/a>, STH offers a rich educational experience that integrates academic excellence with on-the-ground practices and lived experiences. STH also boasts\u00a0a strong MTS degree<\/a>\u00a0 and leading PhD program<\/a> with multiple tracks, as well as a Master of Sacred Music<\/a> and a Master of Sacred Theology<\/a>. Its Centers & Programs<\/a> offer certificates in Religion and Conflict Transformation, Faith and Ecological Justice, and Theology and Latinx Studies, as well as the exciting events and research coming out of the Center for Global Christianity and Mission, Center for Practical Theology, Theology and the Arts Program, and the Anna Howard Shaw Center.<\/p>\n

Three key commitments of STH are academic excellence, beloved community, and social justice. We seek to integrate these into everything that we do so that academic excellence is pursued with a commitment to the community and social justice, just as social justice is grounded in community principles<\/a> and the pursuit of academic excellence. We are a diverse<\/a> and ecumenical community with a broad and invitational Christian identity rooted in the school\u2019s Wesleyan heritage, lived out in\u00a0dialogue through our Communities of Learning<\/a>, and embodied in the pursuit of interreligious conversation and partnership in the Boston Theological Interreligious Consortium<\/a> (BTI).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Our amazing faculty, outstanding staff, and innovative alumni are ready and eager to invite you into conversation, learning, and partnership, as we seek to equip the current and future leaders, pastors, ministers, scholars, chaplains, counselors, non-profit and community organizers, and simply the interested seeker to revitalize our world today.<\/p>\n

With faith and hope,<\/p>\n

Dean G. Sujin Pak<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Boston University School of Theology! The School of Theology (STH) is the founding school of Boston University and a leading theological educator nationally and globally. STH is distinguished by its premier theological faculty, compassionate and energetic staff, and extraordinary alumni leading change and revitalization in churches, the academy, and communities across the globe. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15163,"featured_media":0,"parent":66,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/474"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52787,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/474\/revisions\/52787"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/66"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}