Aquinas College :: Theology

AQ Difference

Outstanding Senior Awards 2008

Graduating seniors Jeff Campbell and Brett Thatcher were honored as the Theology Department's Outstanding Seniors for the 2007-2008 academic year. Congratulations Jeff and Brett!

Theology Department Mission Statement

Following St. Thomas Aquinas, our patron, faculty and students together seek the truth of existence as it emerges in the human response to God's invitation to participate in the fullness of life. Theology at Aquinas College attends to human existence and life and contemporary concerns in light of Sacred Scripture, church tradition, and the natural law which mirrors God's eternal wisdom. Committed to the theological enterprise of "faith seeking understanding," the Theology Department is an integral and indispensable part of a Catholic liberal arts education.

Mandatum

All full time theology faculty have been offered and accepted an individual mandatum from ecclesiastical authority. Professors Marko and Marshall have accepted the commitment and responsibility to teach authentic Catholic doctrine from former Bishop Robert Rose of Grand Rapids; Professor Davis received his mandatum from Cardinal Adam Maida, former Apostolic Vicar of Grand Rapids and Archbishop of Detroit. Essentially the mandatum is an acknowledgment by church authority that a Catholic professor of a theological discipline is teaching within the full communion of the Catholic Church.

Department News

In response to the Da Vinci Code movie release in September of 2006, Dr. Stephan Davis, Assistant Professor of Theology, presented to Westminster Presbyterian Church on "Gospel Truth and the Church's Story." Also in September of 2006, Professor Davis presented a full day session on the Prophets for the Diocese of Grand Rapids. In 2006-07 Dr. Davis is a presenting a four part series on the Gospel of Luke and Catholic Social Teaching ("the Jesus Jubilee") to the ordained deacons of the Diocese of Grand Rapids. In November of 2006, Professor Davis delivered a public lecture at AQ entitled the "Theological Rehabilitation of the Pharisees" as part of the Aquinas College Faculty Lecture Series.

Dr. Dennis Marshall, Associate Professor of Theology, at the invitation of Aquinas College Campus Ministry, spoke on sexuality during a Student Affairs week devoted to the subject. He shared reflections on St. Albert the Great during the Feast Day Liturgy Celebration in November 2006. He also spoke on sin and grace to the R.C.I.A. group facilitated by his wife and campus minister, Terry Marshall. His piece on “Adoration and Mission” appeared on Faith Alive on the Internet. Professor Marshall also addressed a gathering of catechists for the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids on the “Christ of Faith and Faith of Christ” during the first semester at West Catholic High School. His presentation at a junior high school retreat at St. Jude’s Parish in Grand Rapids was very well received by students and staff.

Dr. Robert Marko, Professor and Chair of Theology, was interviewed on WOOD-TV for the release of The Da Vinci Code film and delivered a lecture entitled “Da Vinci Code: Fact, Fiction or Fraud” at Westminster Presbyterian Church in September. His interviews on Eastern Catholicism were aired on local PBS affiliates, WGVU FM and AM, and his review of George Weigel’s "God’s Choice: Pope Benedict XVI and the Future of the Catholic Church" in Catholic Studies Book Reviews also occurred during the fall 2006 semester. In February 2007, Dr. Marko addressed students at Calvin Theological Seminary on Catholicism and Vatican II. In March 2007, Professor Marko presented a full day session on Ecclesiology for the Diocese of Grand Rapids. Also in February 2007, Dr. Marko was again voted Faculty Member of the Month by the Student Senate. For April 2007, on the second anniversary of the death of John Paul II, Professor Marko was interviewed by Karolina Wozniak of the Polish daily, “Zycie Warszawy.”

Become an AQ Theology Major!

Aquinas has more than 50 majors in theology, of which the majority are traditional age (19 to 22 years old), students evenly split between males and females. Very few Catholic liberal colleges and universities in the United States have as many undergraduate majors. We also offer in conjunction with the Dioceses of Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo and Center for Ministry Development a national certification in Youth Ministry awarding eight credits.


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