On December 7, Nanjing Union Theological Seminary held an opening ceremony welcoming 12 students who are beginning doctoral programs.
As the only registered Protestant seminary in China which offers doctoral degrees, five of the doctoral students were admitted in 2019 and the rest enrolled this year, according to the Academic Affairs Office of the national-level Seminary. Among them, five are majoring in Systematic Theology, another five in Pastoral Ministry, and two in the New Testament.
Eight doctoral supervisors attended the ceremony online, including Professor Mingjia Luo and Professor Weitong Cao , the tutors for Systemic Theology, Professor Huang Ximu and Professor Bin You guiding the study of the New Testament, and Professor Pan Yirong and Professor Cao Minjing mentoring the Pastoral Ministry degree.
Dr. Chen Yilu, the doctoral supervisor for the Pastoral Ministry degree and Dr. Chen Yongtao, supervisor for Systematic Theology, were also present.
Combined with their own background and teaching experience, the supervisors instructed the new PhD students to clarify their goals, and also expressed their willingness to accompany them for three or four years of study.
PhD students Wang Zuomou, Ni Haiyang, and Yu Yin, as the student representatives of the Pastoral Ministry degree, Systematic Theology and the major of the New Testament, expressed their gratitude to the seminary. They also said they would appreciate the opportunity to study for a doctorate and try their best to complete the studies.
President Gao Feng encouraged them to study with a strong sense of vision and responsibility, and apply what they had learned. He stated that the seminary should also develop research topics based on the actual situation, and contribute to the development of the Chinese churches and the Sinicization of Christianity.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
