TREN Database

TREN.com is the Theological Research Exchange Network, which, in practical terms, means it's a place for you to get (theological...duh) master's theses and doctoral dissertations. After you sign up, you'll even find some free resources. The interface is a bit clunky, but it works.

There are a couple of benefits of going to a place like TREN when you need to read that unpublished paper. 1) It's easier to deal with a website than it is to deal with the individual university library, 2) you might get lucky and find they have already scanned it, which means you can start reading it right away.

They are a bit more expensive than I would like, but hey, I'm not aware of any other options. To get a paper copy it's $0.15 per page, microfiche $3-5 per document, and pdf costs vary.

I'm not entirely sure what I would do with microfiche anymore...

Digital Dead Sea Scrolls Now Online

Many thanks to the Jerusalem Museum for making these important resources freely available. Also, my hat tip to Biblical Studies and Technological Tools for making me aware of it. The Great Isaiah Scroll, the War Scroll, the Temple Scroll, the Community Rule Scroll, and the Commentary on Habakkuk Scroll are currently available with more to come. Google has done some incredible coding to highlight versification when you are reviewing the scroll at its most 'zoomed-out-ness,' as well as an English translation of the MT to give you the gist of what is being said.

See the Scrolls!.

D.Min-ology

No, I'm not going to delve into the theological underpinings of a Frank Peretti novel, I'm talking about the Doctor of Ministry degree.

The D.Min is a "professional" degree (over and against an "Academic" degree) where a student takes approximately 30hrs worth of advanced classes and then write a 100-200 page project paper. This degree allows for specialization in areas such as management and goal setting, preaching, church planting, or missiology.

David Wells sees this type of a degree as troubling, because it reveals, he argues, a desire to be seen as a "professional" amidst other (secular) professionals. One of the many sources Dr. Wells uses is the Hartford Study that seems to have looked at why a student desired to get the degree (n.b.: I didn't read the study, I read the synopsis by one of the authors). In that synopsis, Dr. Carroll explains some of the reasons the degree was so popular:

Certainly the initial success of the degree was partly due to the broader continuing-education movement that gained momentum in the early 1970s among the professions in general. Without doubt the success of the D.Min. also reflects the importance Americans attach to credentials. Some cynics believe, too, that the D.Min. has provided one way in which clergy can try to bolster their status and enhance their careers.

 Other reasons cited later were increased pay and better self-esteem.

All that to say, I am certainly not disparaging the D.Min degree, in fact, I would probably complete such a program if given the chance. I love the chance to have outside assessment, and I think the D.Min allows pastors to continue to develop their mental acuity and be a continued blessing to their ministry. Of course, it could be taken for foolish or selfish reasons, but so could an associates degree.

If you'd like to continue to read more about this, see the Journal of Christian Ministry, which is online for free.

What do you think of the D.Min degree? Do you have one? Was it helpful? Would you consider getting one?