Asian Christianity and Mission

Program Overview

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Asian Christianity and Mission studies the churches of the world's most populous and religiously diverse region. Christianity in Asia is ancient in some places and recent in others, a persecuted minority here and a confident majority there, and it has produced theologies shaped by Confucian ethics, Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, colonial history, communist governance, rapid urbanization, and extraordinary church growth. Students study the history of Christianity in Asia from the Church of the East along the Silk Road through the Jesuit missions, the colonial era, and the twentieth-century movements, then concentrate on particular contexts: the Chinese church in its registered and unregistered forms, Korean Christianity and its missionary sending, the Indian church and caste, Japanese Christianity as a small minority, Southeast Asian churches amid Islam and Buddhism, the Filipino church, and the Pacific island churches. Theological reading engages Asian theologians directly on the questions they actually raise — ancestors and the communion of saints, suffering and dignity, minjung and dalit theologies, family and filial obligation, religious pluralism, and the relationship between Christian faith and national identity. Mission study addresses contextualization, persecution and legal restriction, house-church models, and Asian churches as senders rather than only fields. The dissertation contributes original research on an Asian or Pacific church, theologian, or mission question. Graduates teach Asian Christianity and missiology, lead mission and training organizations, and serve churches across the region and its diaspora.

Core Courses

• ASC 801 — History of Christianity in Asia (6 credits)
• ASC 812 — Asian Theologies in Their Own Voices (6 credits)
• ASC 824 — Contextualization in Asian Settings (6 credits)
• ASC 836 — Church, State, and Restriction (6 credits)
• ASC 848 — Asian Churches in Mission (5 credits)
• ASC 860 — Research Design in Asian Christianity (4 credits)
• ASC 899 — Doctoral Dissertation in Asian Christianity (24 credits)
• ASC 870 — Regional Sources and Contextual Theological Method (3 credits)

Credit requirements

• Core courses: 60 credits
• Required elective credits: 9 credits

Total required: 69 credits

Elective Courses

Complete 9 credits from the options below (18 credits offered).

• ASC 910 — The Chinese Church (3 credits)
• ASC 920 — Caste, Dalit Theology, and the Indian Church (3 credits)
• ASC 930 — Christianity Amid Islam and Buddhism in Asia (3 credits)
• ASC 940 — Theological Education in Asia (3 credits)
• ASC 950 — Asian Christian Art and Public Witness (3 credits)
• ASC 951 — Urbanization and New Asian Congregations (3 credits)

Admission Requirements

• Master's degree in theology, missiology, world Christianity, worship, or a related field
• Cross-cultural ministry, mission, or ecumenical experience, or equivalent research preparation
• Statement of purpose naming the region, movement, or question your research will address
• Academic writing sample
• Current curriculum vitae or ministry profile
• Official transcripts from prior institutions when available