Theological Education for an Economy of Life

After happy days over Christmas with our family in Scotland and Spain I am now back to Zomba and the start of another academic year. High on the agenda is the introduction of a new Masters programme – the first to be attempted by ZTU as a 100% online programme. This introduces the possibility of having international students as well as Malawians. The first cohort of 10 includes seven from within Malawi and three from outside (don’t try to run before you can walk).

The programme runs under the banner of “Theological Education for an Economy of Life” – quite a mouthful, so you can understand why it quickly becomes “TEEL” for short. ZTU’s effort is part of a broader initiative by the Council for World Mission, with partner institutions active in Jamaica, South Africa and the Philippines. Each has a particular emphasis and ZTU’s is “Faith and Political Renewal.” We feel that it is a timely one.

The effort traces its roots to a significant ecumenical conference held at Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2012, which rejected the currently prevailing economic and financial system as exploitative and destructive to God’s creation and our common human life. The Sao Paulo statement emphasized the need to replace an economy of death with an economy of life. In response to the statement an ecumenical action plan was prepared by a global ecumenical panel of experts spelling out changes that are needed at the international and local levels by churches, governments, and international institutions. Part of the action plan was the need for provision of critical education on this subject. 

Along with partners, CWM dedicated several years to asking how the churches could best contribute to the construction of a new international financial and economic architecture. The next step was to find ways to educate young theologians and church leaders on the subject in a systematic and organized way. 

The TEEL curriculum proposes three units of study: 1) Discerning the Signs of the Times and Analyzing the Current System; 2) Exploring and Engaging Alternatives to the Economy of Death; 3) Rising to Life: Living out the New Heaven and New Earth. This is what we will be venturing into with our 10 pioneer students, who will go on to complete a TEEL-related Masters dissertation.