Systematic Theology
Department chair: Prof. Dr. Ronald T. Michener
Studies in Systematic Theology
The research in the department Systematic Theology follows three thematic lines.
The first line of research focuses on Postmodern Theology and Theological-Hermeneutical Philosophy. This research examines the theological nature of interpretation and the ongoing interpretive nature of theological discourse through critical engagement and appropriation of contemporary and postmodern philosophies shaping the theological landscape of today. The influences of such major continental figures as Heidegger, Levinas, Frei, Lindbeck, Foucault, Marion, Derrida, among others, are considered.
The second line of research, Moral Theology and Postmodern Ethical Discourse, concerns the role of Evangelicals in contemporary society, especially in the area of ethics and moral theology. The climate of postmodernity has led to various shifts in moral discourse and ethical dialogue. Fresh perspectives for moral argumentation that provide compelling inclinations toward Christian principles and values are investigated. Research is also conducted into the necessity and possibility of an Evangelical ‘public theology’. The underlying concern is to understand the particular contributions Christians and Churches in the broader Evangelical world can make in a pluralistic democratic setting.
The third line of research, Ecclesiological Studies and Ecumenism, examines the identity of the Evangelical tradition, within both Church denominations and non-denominational Free Church movements in Europe and worldwide. This work acknowledges the diversity of this tradition both within institutional ecclesiological forms of government and in the ongoing growth of the organic, congregational Church models. Particular attention is paid to ecumenical involvement of Evangelicals and Pentecostals and their dialogue with Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, and Reformed traditions.
Independent Academic Personnel
| Prof. Dr. Ronald T. Michener | Postmodern theological concerns, theology of weakness/illness |
| Prof. Dr. Steven C. van den Heuvel | Theological ethics, ecology, ethics of technology, theory and ethics of hope |
Special Academic Personnel
| Dr. David Courey | Pentecostal theology, Luther’s theology of the cross | |
| Prof. Dr. Nico den Bok | Classical Theology, Trinitarian Studies, Augustine | |
| Dr. Emilio Di Somma | Political theology, ethics of technology, theological anthropology | |
| Dr. Raymond Hausoul | Protology, eschatology, hermeneutics | |
| Dr. Myron Bradley Penner | Kierkegaard, postmodern theology | |
| Dr. Sang Hoon Lee | Eternity, time and eschatology in modern theologies | |
| Dr. Peirong Lin | Christian mission drift, Christians and non-profit organizations | |
| Dr. Arttu Mäkipää | Political theology/ethics, economics and theology | |
| Prof. Dr. Ir. Michel Verhaegen | Ethics of technology, ethics of responsibility | |
External Instructors
| Dr. Rob Nijhoff |
Promovendi / Junior Researchers (with or without AAP/SAP-status)
| Evert Jan Broekhuizen | The Role of Moral Communities for a Pro-active Ethics of Technology |
| Fadi Abou Dib | The Sophiology of Vladimir Solovyov |
| Carina Dimitrova | The Peace-making Role of Business as Mission in Light of John Wesley’s Theology of Social Transformation |
| Laura Fabrycky | Sin and the Citizen: Acedia and the Political Tasks of Love in Democratic Political Community |
| Jason Glen | An Analysis of Shame and Guilt through the Writings of Nussbaum and Bonhoeffer |
| Daniel Keil | Relativist Epistemology and Its Critique of Objective Knowledge Claims |
| Paul Kievit | TBD |
| Stephan Meijers | Robust Realism: A Reconstruction of Machiavelli’s Civil Servant Ethics for Education in Moral Resilience |
| Matthias Meister | Being Free in the Public Sphere: Bonhoeffer’s Concept of Freedom as an Answer to the Totalizing Effects of Digitalization |
| Jonathan Plender | Contested Hopes in Those Dealing with Parkinson’s Disease |
| Cees Tulp | “Life” as Preconditional for an Ethics of Responsibility for Technological Developments: A Dialogue between Michel Henry and Jürgen Moltmann |
| Daniel Vassen | Critical Realism and the Knowledge of God: A Critical Appropriation of Roy Bhaskar’s Epistemology for Theological Method |
| Ben Wiskerke | Hope in Agricultural Crises: A Qualitative Theological Study among Dairy Farmers in the Netherlands |
