Union Theological Institute and Seminary Port Harcourt, Nigeria is a Multi-denominational Seminary. An affiliate of Covenant Christian University Lahore, Pakistan. "That they may all be one." Jn 17:21. "Start Where You Are, Go Where You Dream.”
Tuesday, August 12, 2025
UTIS BEGINS SEPTEMBER 2025 ADMISSIONS
The Union Theological Institute and Seminary - an inter-denominational Pastoral institution, has commenced enrollment for the 2025/2026 Academic and Formative year beginning with the Fall semester which starts on 08th September, 2025.
Admissions are open for the Advance Certificate and Diploma in Theology and Ministry as well as the Bachelor and Master of Divinity degrees which are under the affiliated awarding institution - the Covenant Christian University Lahore, Pakistan.
Under this affiliate, students can earn ministry for degrees and bolster their ministry experience in diverse cultures and among congregations drawn from various professions.
Also a Post graduate diploma in Theology is available for pastors from other fields of study who wish to take a bolder experience to advance their ministry part and to earn a master of Divinity degree.
Admission into the diploma and bachelor of Divinity are open for students who have attended a secondary level education or equivalent with a minimum of five (5) O' Level credits in English and four other subjects; while an A'Level certificate is an added advantage.
At UTIS, schooling does not interfere with education and you can study at your pace.With affordable fees and balanced spirituality, UTIS stands out as the latest and the in ecumenical pastoral learning with state of the art approach. Start where you are, Go where you dream!
Thursday, July 10, 2025
UTI ANNOUNCES MAIDEN CONVOCATION
The Union Theological Institute and Seminary has announced that it would hold it's maiden convocation in early spring of next year say about April.
The Rector Bishop Calixtus Oke DD gave the indication while interacting with graduands on the way forward for a beautiful event come 2026.
The bishop who is also the president of the college disclosed that students drawn from 2020 to 2025 will participate in the epoch event and called for support from students and Ecumenical Partners and friends of the institution to make the event a wonderful one.
According to the Rector, the event will feature presentation of honor and Awards to deserving beneficiaries as well as honorary honors to select personalities.
Meanwhile,a committee comprising of students and staff have been set up with Pastor Temple Ngoke to chair the committee.
A date shall be announced after the first meeting of the committee and plans shall be set in motion to drive through the process for a fruitful celebration.
Monday, May 1, 2023
Graduation: UTI Makes Official Listing
The Union Theological Institute and Seminary, has officially announced the listing of candidates for graduation.
Out of thirty (30) students admitted for various programmes, between 2020 and 2023, only Seventeen (17) successful candidates have been listed for the institution's maiden graduation.
This is official announcement. The list includes the following:
1. Abel Edoo Obari - Diploma in Theology & Ministry
2. Dominic William - Diploma in Theology & Ministry
3. Frank Ofonnmbuk - Diploma in Theology & Ministry
4. Francis Ndukwu - Diploma in Theology & Ministry
5. Gladys Baridam - Diploma in Theology & Ministry
6. Simeon David Onwe - Diploma in Theology & Ministry
7. Sylvester Daniel Ikpe - Diploma in Theology & Ministry
8. Victoria Isaac - Diploma in Theology & Ministry
9. Uwem Famous - Diploma in Theology & Ministry
10. Michael Ngulube One - Diploma in Theology & Ministry
11. Gift Seno Sunday - Diploma in Theology & Ministry
12. Victor Nkani - Bachelor of Divinities (B. Div)
13. Johnson Nwogu - Bachelor of Divinities (B. Div)
14. Desmond Ogwara - Bachelor of Divinities (B. Div)
15. Edeh Godspower Faah - Master of Divinities (M. Div Systematic Theology)
16. Obo Eben Awaa - Master of Divinities (M. Div Pastoral Theology)
17. Osarobele Eugene - Master of Divinities (M. Div Pentecostal Theology)
Note: This list shall be transmitted to the Affiliate University as stipulated.
Rector
01/05/2023
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Bishop Calixtus Apostolic Succession
The President of Union Theological Institute and Seminary, UTI, Port Harcourt, Calixtus Oke has been consecrated a bishop of the Old Catholic Church in Nigeria.
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| Most Reverend Calixtus Oke, Bishop Metropolitan, Old Catholic Prelature of the Good Shepherd, Nigeria |
Bishop Calixtus Oke who also doubles as the Rector of the institution which runs an affiliate degree programmes I in Divinities with the Covenant Christian University Lahore, Pakistan, was consecrated in line with tradition by two prelates of the Orthodox Anglican Communion.
The consecration which took place on the 22 of December, 2022, was held at the Orthodox Anglican Communion All Saints Cathedral Ogbakwu, in Owerri-West local government area of Imo State.
Archbishop Prof. Samuel Nnabugwu Baaba, led the consecration and assisted by Bishop Columba Obumnaeke Okereke of the Orthodox Anglican Church Owerri diocese.
Both consecrating prelates enjoy apostolic lines of Succession in line with ancient tradition, which includes, Orthodox, Anglican and Old Catholic lines.
Apostolic Succession lines
Orthodox and Old Catholic Lines
Ignatius Elias II (1847) - Partriach of The Syriac Orthodox Partriachate of Antioch
Ignatius Jakoob II (1847)
Joseph Pulikottil (12 Feb 1865)
Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvarez (29 July 1889)
Joseph Rene` Vilatte (29 May 1892)
Carmel Henry Cafora (7 April 1907)
Roman W. Slocinski (30 May 1921)
Paul William Adolph Schultz, Snr. (29 June 1927)
Paul Christian Gerald William Schultz, Jnr. (31 Oct 1974)
Jurgen Bless (4 Jan 1986)
Paul Scheibler ( )
Robert Joseph Godfrey (6 Aug 1995)
Scott Earle McLaughlin (1 May 1999)
Chukwuereka Iheanachor (30 Sept 2011)
Christopher I. Umane (30 Oct 2011)
Samuel N. Baaba (24 May 2016)
Calixtus Oke (22 Dec 2022)
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Anglican Lines of Succession
Fredrick Cornwallis - (1768 - 1783 Archbishop of Canterbury) (19 Feb 1750)
John Moore (Archbishop of Canterbury) (12 Feb 1775)
William White (4 Feb 1787)
John Henry Hopkins (31 Oct 1832)
Daniel Sylvester Tuttle (1 May 1867)
James De Wolf Perry (6 Jan 1911)
Henry Knox (14 Oct 1930)
Arthur C. Lichtenberger (5 April 1951)
Albert Arthur Chambers (1 Oct 1962)
Charles Dale David Doren (28 Jan 1978) & Jurgen Bless (4 Jan 1986)
Samuel Paul Scheibler ( )
Herbert Groce & Robert Godfrey (6 Aug 1995)
Scott Earle McLaughlin (1 May 1999)
Chukwuereka Iheanachor (30 Sept 2011)
Christopher I. Umane (30 Oct 2011)
Samuel N. Baaba (24 May 2016)
Calixtus Oke (22 Dec 2022)
Sources: https://sites.google.com/site/gnostickos/bishopsbless
http://Semclaughlin.orthodoxanglican.net/succession/succession2.pdf
www.christianepiscopal.ca/orders.html
Website of the Orthodox Anglican Communion
Website of St. Andrew's Theological College & Seminary
Thursday, September 8, 2022
2022/2023 ACADEMIC CALENDAR
UNION THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, UTI
PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA
INTER-DENOMINATIONAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
AFFILIATE OF COVENANT CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY LAHORE, PAKISTAN
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| Application Advertisement |
CALENDAR FOR 2022/2023 SESSION
SEPTEMBER 2022
5TH MONDAY - SEMINARY OPENS FOR 2022/23 SESSION
12TH MONDAY - ACADEMIC COUNCIL MEETING
13TH TUESDAY - LECTURES WEEK BEGINS
27TH TUESDAY - MEETING OF EDITORIAL BOARD OF UTI
MAGAZINE - "THE ECUMENIST"
OCTOBER 2022
3RD MONDAY - ECUMENICAL/INTER-FAITH WEEK
6TH THURSDAY - ECUMENICAL/INTER-FAITH WEEK ENDS
27TH THURSDAY - SUBMISSION OF SEMINAR ENDS
NOVEMBER 2022
1ST TUESDAY - LECTURES CONTINUE
2ND WEDNESDAY - MEMORIAL LECTURE DAY
14TH MONDAY - TEST/ASSESSMENT BEGINS
30TH THURSDAY - TEST/ASSESSMENT ENDS
DECEMBER 2022
1ST MONDAY - STUDENT'S WEEK BEGINS
6TH TUESDAY - RECTOR'S BIRTHDAY/STUDENT'S WEEK ENDS
19TH MONDAY - CHRISTMAS BREAK BEGINS
JANUARY 2023
5TH THURSDAY - CHRISTMAS BREAK ENDS
9TH MONDAY - INSTITUTION OFFICE OPENS FOR BUSINESS
10TH TUESDAY - ENTRANCE TEST FOR ROVING APPLICANTS
16TH MONDAY - LECTURES BEGIN
17TH TUESDAY - CLEARANCE/ORIENTATION FOR FRESHERS
24TH TUESDAY - ACADEMIC COUNCIL MEETING
31ST TUESDAY - SUBMISSION OF PROJECT BEGINS
FEBRUARY 2023
6TH MONDAY - LECTURES CONTINUE
22ND WEDNESDAY - ASH WEDNESDAY (NO LECTURES)
28TH TUESDAY - MEETING OF EDITORIAL BOARD
MARCH 2023
6TH MONDAY - CULTURAL WEEK
9TH THURSDAY - CULTURAL WEEK ENDS
27TH MONDAY - EASTER BREAK BEGINS
28TH THURSDAY - SUBMISSION OF PROJECT ENDS
APRIL 2023
7TH FRIDAY - GOOD FRIDAY
9TH SUNDAY - EASTER SUNDAY
14TH THURSDAY - EASTER BREAK ENDS
17TH MONDAY - THEOLOGY OF UNION WEEK BEGINS
20TH THURSDAY - THEOLOGY OF UNION WEEK ENDS
24TH MONDAY - LECTURES CONTINUE
MAY 2023
1ST MONDAY - WORKERS DAYS (NO LECTURES)
2ND TUESDAY - LECTURES CONTINUE
9TH TUESDAY - THE ECUMENIST EDITORIAL
BOARD MEETING
10TH WEDNESDAY - TEST/CLEARANCE FOR FRESHERS
15TH MONDAY - LECTURES CONTINUE
23RD TUESDAY - EDITORIAL BOARD MEETING
JUNE 2023
1ST THURSDAY - END OF LECTURES/REVISION WEEK BEGINS
9TH THURSDAY - REVISION WEEK ENDS
12TH MONDAY - DEMOCRACY DAY (PUBLIC HOLIDAY)
13TH TUESDAY - WORK ON PRODUCTION OF THE ECUMENIST
20TH TUESDAY - PRODUCTION OF THE ECUMENIST ENDS
21ST WEDNESDAY - EXAMINATION BEGINS
JULY 2023
13TH THURSDAY - EXAMINATION ENDS
17TH MONDAY - EVALUATION OF STUDENTS BEGIN
24TH MONDAY - FINAL SUBMISSION OF EVALUATION
& PREPARATION FOR GRADUATION
25TH TUESDAY - ACADEMIC COUNCIL MEETING
AUGUST 2023
5TH SATURDAY - GRADUATION CEREMONY AND LAUNCHING
MAIDEN EDITION OF "THE ECUMENIST"
7TH MONDAY - SUMMER VACATION BEGINS
SEPTEMBER 2023
4TH MONDAY - SEMINARY RESUMES FOR 2023/24 SESSION
12TH TUESDAY - ACADEMIC COUNCIL MEETING
13TH WEDNESDAY - LECTURES BEGINS
27TH WEDNESDAY - MEMORIAL LECTURE DAY
Friday, March 11, 2022
UTI ADMISSION CIRCLES
Uinion Theological Institute
Affiliate of Covenant Christian University Lahore, Pakistan
Implements Roving Admissions
Beginning with the 2021/2022 Academic Session, the Union Theological Institute, UTI, shall commence a roving admission season to meet the yearning of our students and prospective students who have asked for modifications in admission/academic regime to accommodate all facets of ministry, work and school lives.
Therefore, in line with our fundamental educational axiom: "At UTI, schooling does not interfere with education..." This modification is indeed wholesome as students now have the opportunity to round off their programmes at their choiced season without any infraction on the formative/academic calendar. This option also includes student's choice of periods of examinations as convenient within the stipulated seasons; however, this option is not without the express authorisation of the college.
These Admission Seasons shall include ONLY the following:
Fall Season (September - November) This generally span through a total of four (4) months. It is one of the seasons when most colleges open their doors for fresh students. The fall semester spans between the months of September and December.
Spring Season (March - May) Spring season is also open for new applicants. It is also a 4 month academic period that usually starts in January and goes on until the end of April. Exams can be scheduled in May for graduating students.
Summer Season (May - August) This usually is three (3) months long starting from the month of June and going on until the end of August. The Summer season is often optional for prospective students and it is generally used to run internships and part-time jobs that can aid their education.
What this means is that there shall be only three enrollment seasons in the college year beginning with the 2021/2022 academic session. However, these periods can span a few weeks on either side.
Thursday, March 10, 2022
UTI Cultural Week
Union Theological Institute begins her Cultural Week for the 2021/2022 Academic year with the theme:
Cross-cultural Compenetration in Ministry Perspectives.
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| Pioneer class of Diploma of Theology poses with the Rector |
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
UTI 4 Cardinal Goals
Union Theological Institute, a multi-denominational Seminary is a community of faith partners from diverse Christian traditions that pursue ecumenical theological studies, interfaith understanding, and collaboration in ministry education to better equip clergy and laity for the ministry of the Church in a diverse society.
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| Photo: UTI Chancellor Most Rev. Ignatius Kattey (Rtd.) poses with UTI staffs and Ecumenical Partners at maiden matriculation |
UTI Cardinal Goal therefore is to foster ecumenical and interfaith understanding through four (4) ways:
1) Strengthening support for ecumenical study and dialogue that explores the distinct theological traditions of the churches, analyzes barriers to Christian unity, and explores opportunities for shared public witness.
2) Providing an ecumenical context for equipping ministers to serve the mission and ministry of the Church in the world through diverse communities and in ways that witness to the unity that is ours in Christ.
3) Helping partner churches share their rich theological, spiritual, and practical resources through programs and services that are best done in collaboration, and in ways that enrich the mission and programs of each other.
4) Engaging in interreligious study and dialogue, with members of other faiths, that explores the differences and shared values of the theologies and practices of the other religions.
Partner UTI... Embolden Christian Unity!
Sunday, December 26, 2021
2021/2022 Academic Calendar
UNION THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, UTI
PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA
INTER-DENOMINATIONAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
AFFILIATE OF COVENANT CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY LAHORE, PAKISTAN
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| UTI Ceremonial Crest |
CALENDAR FOR 2021/2022 SESSION
NOVEMBER 2021
8TH MONDAY - INSTITUTION OPENS FOR 2021/22 SESSION
11TH THURSDAY - LECTURES WEEK 1 BEGIN
16TH TUESDAY - ADMIN/ACADEMIC COUNCIL MEETING
30TH TUESDAY - INAUGURATION OF EDITORIAL BOARD OF UTI
MAGAZINE - "THE ECUMENIST"
DECEMBER 2021
1ST WEDNESDAY - STUDENT UNION DAY
6TH MONDAY - RECTOR'S BIRTHDAY ANIVERSARY
9TH THURSDAY - LECTURES WEEK 5
13TH MONDAY - TEST/ASSESSMENT BEGINS
16TH THURSDAY - TEST/ASSESSMENT ENDS
20TH MONDAY - CHRISTMAS BREAK BEGINS
JANUARY 2022
3RD MONDAY - CHRISTMAS BREAK ENDS
4TH TUESDAY - INSTITUTION OFFICE OPEN FOR BUSINESS
6TH THURSDAY - ENTRANCE TEST FOR NEW APPLICANTS
10TH MONDAY - LECTURES BEGIN
11TH TUESDAY - CLEARANCE/ORIENTATION FOR FRESHERS
18TH TUESDAY - ACADEMIC COUNCIL MEETING
FEBRUARY 2022
2ND WEDNESDAY - LECTURES WEEK 9
28TH MONDAY - LECTURES WEEK 13
MARCH 2022
7TH MONDAY - CULTURAL WEEK, SUBMISSION OF PROJECT
10TH THURSDAY - CULTURAL WEEK ENDS
21ST MONDAY - SEMESTER BREAK & EDITORIAL WEEK
24TH THURSDAY - SEMESTER BREAK ENDS
28TH MONDAY - LECTURES WEEK 15, SUBMISSION
OF PROJECT ENDS
APRIL 2022
4TH MONDAY - THEOLOGY OF UNION WEEK BEGINS
7TH THURSDAY - THEOLOGY OF UNION WEEK ENDS
11TH MONDAY - EASTER BREAK BEGINS
15TH FRIDAY - GOOD FRIDAY
17TH SUNDAY - EASTER DAY
21ST THURSDAY - EASTER BREAK ENDS
25TH MONDAY - LECTURES WEEK 16
MAY 2022
2ND MONDAY - REVISION WEEK, THE ECUMENIST EDITORIAL
BOARD MEETING, LECTURES FOR FRESHERS
9TH MONDAY - DIPLOMA EXAMS BEGIN
19TH THURSDAY - DIPLOMA EXAMS END
23RD MONDAY - B.DIV, PGD, M.DIV. EXAMS BEGIN
31 ST THURSDAY - B.DIV, PGD, M.DIV. EXAMS CONT.
JUNE 2022
2ND THURSDAY - B.DIV, PGD, M.DIV. EXAMS END
6TH MONDAY - WORK ON PRODUCTION OF THE ECUMENIST
9TH THURSDAY - PRODUCTION OF THE ECUMENIST ENDS
13TH MONDAY - SUBMISSION OF RESULTS/EVALUATION
16TH THURSDAY - EVALUATION OF STUDENTS END
20TH MONDAY - FINAL SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENT
& PREPARATION FOR GRADUATION
23RD THURSDAY - ACADEMIC COUNCIL MEETING
25TH SATURDAY - GRADUATION CEREMONY AND LAUNCHING
MAIDEN EDITION OF "THE ECUMENIST"
27TH MONDAY - SUMMER VACATION BEGINS
JULY 2022
21ST THURSDAY - SUMMER VACATION ENDS
25TH MONDAY - SEMINARY RESUMES
26TH TUESDAY - ADMIN/ACADEMIC COUNCIL MEETING
27TH WEDNESDAY - APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR SUMMER ADMISS.
28TH THURSDAY - INSTITUTION OFFICE OPEN FOR BUSINESS
AUGUST 2022
1ST MONDAY - LECTURES WEEK 1
8TH MONDAY - MATRICULATION
11TH THURSDAY - LECTURES WEEK 2
18TH MONDAY - LECTURES WEEK 3
22ND MONDAY - ECUMENICAL/INTERFAITH WEEK BEGINS
25TH THURSDAY - ECUMENICAL/INTERFAITH WEEK ENDS
29TH MONDAY - LECTURES WEEK 4
SEPTEMBER 2022
5TH MONDAY - LECTURES WEEK 5
12TH MONDAY - LECTURES WEEK 6
26TH MONDAY - LECTURES WEEK 7
27TH TUESDAY - MEMORIAL LECTURE DAY
OCTOBER 2022
3RD MONDAY - REVISION WEEK & SUBMISSION OF
SEMINARS/TERM PAPERS BEGIN
10TH MONDAY - DIPLOMA, B.DIV. EXAMS BEGIN
13TH THURSDAY - DIPLOMA, B.DIV. EXAMS END
17TH MONDAY - PGD, M.DIV. EXAMS BEGIN
20TH THURSDAY - PGD, M.DIV. EXAMS END
24TH MONDAY - EVALUATION OF STUDENT'S BEGIN
25TH TUESDAY - ADVISORY BOARD MEETING
26TH WEDNESDAY - ACADEMIC COUNCIL MEETING
27TH THURSDAY - END OF SESSION GET-TOGETHER AND AWARD
OF HONOURS
31ST MONDAY - FALL VACATION BEGINS
NOVEMBER 2022
14TH MONDAY - RESUMPTION FOR 2022/2023 SESSION
15TH TUESDAY - APPLICATION OPENS FOR FALL ADMISSIONS
16TH WEDNESDAY - SEMINARY OFFICE OPEN FOR BUSINESS
17TH THURSDAY - ADMIN/ACADEMIC COUNCIL MEETING
21ST MONDAY - LECTURES WEEK 1 BEGIN
Sunday, June 20, 2021
UTI Students Share Experience
End of First Semester, Second Semester Begins 5th July 2021
We thank God for seeing us thus far. We congratulate also our students and wish them well as they break for two weeks.
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| Evangelist Gladys Baridam A student of UTI |
Hear UTI students as they share experience after the maiden first semester.
UTI vacates 21st June 2021 to resume July 5th 2021 for second semester. Please note that admission is still open for new enrollments. Pick up your forms at UTI study centre @PraiseGod Plaza along East/West Road by Holy Ghost Zone, Aleto Eleme OR Apply online via www.uniontheologicalinstitute.org
Saturday, June 12, 2021
Our Core Values
UNION THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE
Our Core Values
DEPENDENCE ON GOD
We are dependent on God in all we are and in all we do. One among many ways we express this dependence, is through the discipline of prayer. It is also expressed through our attitude and motives which are characterized by humility and faith.
EXCELLENCE
We bring our best effort to all we do in UTI as unto the Lord (Col. 3:23-24). We pursue improvement in all areas of ministry through distant and in-classes instruction, administration and relationships. Rather than chasing slick perfectionism, we do the best with what God has given us and conduct ministry education with integrity, quality and appropriate professionalism.
CHRIST-LIKE RELATIONSHIPS
First and foremost, UTI is a family and followers of Jesus Christ. As His followers, we honor Him in all of our relationships. We practice the unity of love as He Christ prayed in His high-priestly prayer "... that they may all be one" (John 17:21).
LEARNING TOGETHER
We are people of inquiry. We strive to understand the purposes of God with growing depth and clarity. We pursue learning together ecumenically with respect to theology, ministry and missions and growing in personal development.
DEDICATION
Everyone in UTI is dedicated because we are called to serve. We are motivated by our founding vision and the sending grace of God rather than to gain influence over others. Here, we mean we are dependable, ably motivated, pro-active and broadly self-directed while committed to the spirit of teamwork.
TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION
We desire quality so we mobilize resources towards transformative education that develops everyone's life spirit, soul and body for Christ. This includes the expansion of the mind and heart, and a reorientation of life leading to obedience. It’s facilitated through consciously directed and relational processes.
Slogan: At UTI, "schooling does not interfere with education."
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Our commitment to the continuous formation of leaders is key. The development of leaders requires a personal, relational approach rather than only through “systems” or processes. We pursue Christlike servant models of leading. We want to develop leaders who in turn develop leaders. We value leaders and workers who are proactive team-based problem solvers.
ECUMENICAL PARTNERSHIPS
We nurture deliberate and defined relationships with others who will co-labor with us in our vision for a common mission. This includes individuals, churches, and other local ecumenical platforms. We seek a broad, objective, and neutral embrace of the many diverse Christian traditions and denominations, as well as theological streams that earnestly pursue the global evangelization of peoples of all demographics irrespective of gender, ethnicity, location, and socio-economics.
UTI Academic Programmes
UNION THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE {UTI}
PORT HARCOURT
AN INTER-DENOMINATIONAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
AFFILIATE OF COVENANT CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY LAHORE, PAKISTAN
ADMISSIONS OPEN FOR THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMMES:
ADVANCE CERTIFICATE, DIPLOMA/POST-GRADUATE IN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY; BACHELOR AND MASTER OF DIVINITIES
(FULL TIME, PART-TIME, ONLINE)
ADVANCE CERTIFICATE PROGRAMME
The Advance Certificate in theology and ministry is a one year full time programme. It provides foundational theological and ministerial training for prospective ministers, church workers etc, and the basics for tertiary level theological studies. Admission for the advance certificate is open to applicants with first school certificates or its equivalent and persons with ministry experience with little or no formal schooling.
DIPLOMA PROGRAMME
UTI Diploma in Christian theology and ministry delivers a basic yet thorough foundation for ministry. It serves as a comprehensive introduction to the essential areas of biblical knowledge, theological understanding and hands-on experience in Christian life and leadership. Admission requirement: Students from high school level education or its equivalent can thrive in the diploma programme which runs for a minimum of 12 - 14 calendar months.
POST-GRADUATE DIPLOMA PROGRAMME
This is an Advance level theological education for applicants who are graduates and professionals in other academic disciplines other than theology and who have chosen a path in ministry, theology or divinities. It serves as an entrant into the theological disciplines for applicants with tertiary institution certificates. The PGD theology and ministry is an 18 months full-time or part-time or online course with field experience inclusive.
BACHELOR OF DIVINITIES PROGRAMME
The UTI Bachelor of Divinities degree is designed to help students grow closer to Christ, become grounded in the Bible, theology; develop a biblical world view and serve God in various kinds of Christian ministry and leadership. This degree also provides an excellent foundation if the student plans to continue at UTI for the Master of Divinities degree. It runs for a minimum of three years full-time. Admission is open to applicants with A’ Level or O’ Level certificate or its equivalent.
MASTER OF DIVINITIES PROGRAMME
The Master of Divinities programme is a professional level graduate degree designed to equip students for effective ministry as a pastor, church planter, evangelist or missionary. UTI M. Div. offers the following: Master of Divinities Pastoral Ministry/Theology; M. Div. Pentecostal Theology; M. Div. Applied Ministry/Theology; M. Div. Prophetic Ministry; M. Div. Biblical Theology. The programme runs for no fewer than 18 months of full-time or part-time and covers at least 70 academic credit hours for graduation.
TUITION/FEES
UTI is affordable. We understand that paying for college is a big decision that is why our rates are “pocket-friendly” compared to other private institutions. All our programmes attract a 20% discount on tuition.
Why Choose UTI?
We are Christ-centered and poised to study together irrespective of denominational divide to fulfill the command of Christ “…that they may all be one.” Jn 17:21; We are flexible – study from anywhere and work on your schedule; UTI degrees meet Ministry needs; We partner Churches to provide ministry education to strengthen God’s call; We have spirit-led instructors.
STUDY CENTRE
Union Theological Institute & Seminary study centre is located @PraiseGod Plaza by East/West Road (from Port Harcourt – before the Port Harcourt Refinery Junction and form Ogoni, after the Port Harcourt Refinery Junction before Holy Ghost Zone) Aleto Eleme.
CONTACT: Rector’s direct line: +234-7012516796. Email: uniontheologicalinst@gmail.com
Theology of Union Day 2021
THEME: DOCTRINE OF UNION AS CENTRAL TRUTH OF SOTERIOLOGY
MAY 31, 2021 | By: CALIXTUS OKE
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said: “Father the hour has come. Glorify your Son that your Son also may glorify you. As you have given him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as you have given Him. And this is eternal, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. …Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you. Holy Father, keep through your name those whom you have given me that they may be one as we are.” John 17: 1-3, 11.
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| Staff and students group photo after Theology of Union Day event at the UTI study centre |
Introduction
Thinking through church unity is not a luxury, but required theological homework for any pastor, especially those belonging to inter-denominational theological organizations and institutions and working with various networks and broader ecumenical groups. No matter the abuse and scandal of division, we must conclude from Scripture that the union and happy communion of the saints are precious to God. In the quoted text above of Jesus’ high-priestly prayer, the essence of God’s saving intervention in Christ is to be lived and witnessed among believers through the oneness of faith as a model of the unity of the triune God.
Just as importantly, it’s easy to see how problems of “unity,” even among Bible-believing Christians, continue to baffle and confuse. Can we associate with those who associate with those we wouldn’t associate with? What is the role for denominations? What is the role for broad parachurch ministries or organizations? How should we understand confessional identity? If we are to have unity in essentials, what are those essentials? Where should Christians agree to disagree? Where should churches agree to disagree? What are the right doctrinal boundaries for churches, for denominations, for movements, for institutions and for friends?
Union is central in God’s Salvific Plan in Christ
“So that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.”
While God has indeed dealt with his creatures under different dispensations (the pre-law stages, the age of the law, the post-law stage, etc, in various and divers forms, now he deals with his creation through His son Jesus Christ who his the go-between man and God. As a manifestation and affirmation of his being sent by the Father, unity of the saved in the world is a necessary condition for affirmation of the unity of God’s (the triune God) redemptive work in Christ. Unity therefore is not some common thing.
Unity is a relational good
We are called to maintain where true spiritual unity is already present (that is the Church – the body of Christ). Ephesians 4:1-16 is the classic text on church unity (along with John 17) and the most practical for day to day church life. Having just finished explaining how the mystery of the gospel brings together Jews and Gentiles, Paul exhorts the Ephesians to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (v. 3). The assumption is that the Jews and Gentiles in Ephesus already share the most important things in common. The goal now is to be patient with each other and bear with one another in love (v. 2). The call to unity is the summons to show in relational practice what is already true in our common spiritual reality.
This spiritual reality on which relational unity is based is described in seven parts: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. Paul wants the Jews and Gentile Christians in Ephesus to get along because, despite their historic, ethnic, and cultural differences, they have these deep spiritual realities in common.
No Unity without shared allegiance to Christ
Paul is not exhorting everyone willy-nilly to maintain the unity of the Spirit. Indeed, there is no unity of the Spirit to maintain without, for example, a shared allegiance to our one Lord Jesus Christ and a shared commitment to our one faith. That Paul is thinking of an objective standard of faith in verse 5 (ala Jude 3) is confirmed by his use of “faith” in verse 13. This is an absolutely critical point. Church unity is dependent upon a common set of doctrinal beliefs. If we do not share “one faith” with Mormons or liberals or Unitarians, then we have no unity to maintain. Of course, this begs the question: what core doctrines constitute “the faith”? The ecumenical creeds are a start. A shared understanding of Scripture, justification, the resurrection, the atonement, basic Christian morality, the Trinity, and the person of Christ are certainly some of the non-negotiables. However “the faith” is defined, the important point from Ephesians 4 is that it can be defined and circumscribes our shared unity.
Unity admits and celebrates diversity
Although Paul celebrates diversity in the midst of this unity, but the diversity is not theological. He expects an ethnic diversity (Jew-Gentile) and a diverse array of gifts and offices all working toward the same end (vv. 7-13). In the gospel of Mark, Jesus warns against jealousy and intolerance towards others who do not share our common identity. See Mark 9:38-41. The saying in verse 40 is a broad principle of the divine tolerance. This goes to show that unity is not to be confused with uniformity but union of faith in Christ.
Christ is our Unity
Unity is something we have (Christ) and share in common; something we maintain; and something we grow into (v. 13). While Paul expects there to be a common faith, he also allows that we will have to mature and grow into this unity of faith. However, there is no command to have unity with those who do not share the same basic elements of our faith. (We can only tolerate them... emphasis mine). If the command to “maintain the Spirit of unity in the bond of peace” is mainly a call to relational oneness in view of spiritual oneness, there is nothing in Ephesians 4 to suggest that Baptists and Presbyterians (for example) must necessarily be in breach of this command because they do not belong to the same ecclesiastical institution.
Conclusion
If the saved or the elect of God are returning to a common father, then union among believers is imperative. The communion in which Christians believe and for which they hope is, in its deepest reality, their unity with the Father through Christ in the Spirit. Since Pentecost, it has been given and received in the Church, the “communion of saints.” It is accomplished fully in the glory of heaven, but is already realized in the Church on earth as it journeys towards that fullness…the “not yet” of verse 13 may, in fact, be our allowance (though not our desire) for some difference of opinion here on earth.
Hopefully as we love and listen to those who are truly are brothers and sisters, we can increase in our knowledge of the faith and some of our disagreements can be minimized, even if we don’t completely attain the unity of the faith. Like I said at the beginning, we need some of our best pastors, theologians, and historians to help the church understand what it means (and doesn’t mean) to be one. I have only given a little insight. There are too many important issues at stake, and too many opportunities to bring God glory (or bring him dishonor), to ignore the biblical command to maintain the unity of the one Spirit.
God bless us all.
Go All the Way to Success!
Dear Students, Staff and Ecumenical Partners,
As we enter the final days of the very First Semester at UTI, we celebrate our common successes and experiences that have deepened our knowledge of the Word of God, expanded our horizons and allowed us to make connections with others who have challenged our assumptions even as we wrestle with deep questions.
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| UTI students prepared set for exams |
As an intellectual community with commitment to service, we have considered how what we learn in classrooms and our various denominations help shape our dispositions academically.
At this point, on the part of our students, we also recognize that stress is an inevitable part of exams and many members of our community have experienced extra stress this time because of the troubling events across the country, on college campuses and around the world.
These upsetting occurrences have not only evoked a plurality of theological discuss in class about issues bothering on the sanctity of life, sense of the secred among other issues bedeviling our nation and how theology can frontally investigate and address these perspectives.
The conversations have been enlightening and important, yet also difficult, raising issues that are challenging to discuss, even as they are vitally important to our existence and nationhood.
We will definitely continue these conversations, engaging respectfully with one another and listening with empathy as we strive to move our College closer to its founding vision.
As president, I am committed to that vision and will continue to work each day, with each of you toward its realization.
During these final days of the semester, I encourage you to reach out for help and support if you feel stressed up by physical or emotional distractions interfering with your ability to prepare your exams.
I wish you all great success in your exams and greater accomplishments as we conclude the semester.
I wish you all an enjoyable restful first semester break.
To our Chairman and Advisory Board Members, the Chancellor, Grand Patron, Patrons, Ecumenical Partners and all great friends of UTI, we appreciate your show of love and support. God bless you all.
Fr. Calixtus Oke (Assoct. Prof.)
President/Rector, UTI
05/06/2021
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
UTI Students: Learning Together Ecumenically
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Dear Partner,
I hope this letter finds you healthy, safe, and well.
May I begin by thanking you for accepting to be one of Union Theological Institute & Seminary Ecumenical Partner.
On behalf of the Chairman of Board of Union Theological Institute & Seminary, Archbishop (Prof.) Insram Younas Sodagar, DD, I welcome you to a new month of fruitfulness.
We at UTI believe that we can achieve more when you stand by us. Wherever Seminary education is imperative and ministry demands a vocation — whether it be at a small Bible College or a Seminary — producing high-quality ministers has several consistent and daunting challenges.
It's a fact that good ministry education does not come without a cost, and we all need to do our part as community of believers to help students and formators continue to tell their stories differently.
I have a keen understanding of the challenges facing ministry and minister's formation not only because of my time in it, but also as someone who is helping to prepare the next generation of ministers in the classroom.
Our students are fully aware of these partnerships and do believe that financial threats to study shall be overcomed and one of the ways that we can ensure UTI continue to deliver high quality work is through our financial support.
UTI, being a new vision needs vision publishers in line with Scriptures in Psalm 68:11.."The Lord gave the word and great was the company of those who publish it."
Consequently, for this purpose, in this maiden enrollment for 2020/2021 Academic Session, UTI, in collaboration with her affiliate partner, Covenant Christian University Lahore, Pakistan, graciously granted a total of 25 slots of Full-tuition Scholarships for ministers with proven financial difficulty who enrolled for a one year diploma in theology and ministry as vision publishers.
This Scholarship worth is valued at 1.8 Million Naira @72,000 Naira tuition per student per annum.
Since we do know that the institution has not it's permanent campus yet there is want of rent, instructor's stipends, office equipment and general overhead cost to be maintained.
We do understand that these kinds of asks can be challenging for many of us in the best of times.
Know that our gratitude, appreciation, and respect for your support is magnified even more because of the fraught times through which we're all living.
Thank you so much for giving. Thank you for helping to keep quality ministerial formation alive. And thank you for helping us continue telling our stories better in the weeks, months, and years ahead.
God bless you.
Sincerely in Christ,
Calixtus Oke
President/Rector UTI
05/05/2021
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Hans Küng, celebrated and controversial Swiss theologian, has died
Apr 6, 2021
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| Theologian Fr. Hans Küng pictured in his office in Tübingen, Germany, in February 2008. (CNS/KNA/Harald Oppitz) |
Catholic priest and theologian Hans Küng, the renowned scholar and prolific writer who had lived with Parkinson's disease, macular degeneration and arthritis since 2013, died April 6 at his home in Tubingen, Germany. He was 93.
Few men throughout Christendom have had as much to say or had their work seen by as many Christians — and others — as Küng, the celebrated and controversial Swiss theologian and Catholic priest.
Open a magazine or turn on the television in Europe and it's likely the viewer caught the face and heard the Germanic-toned voice of the famous Swiss professor who lived, taught and lectured more than 40 years in Germany. Often, he was photographed in the company of heads of state — Britain's Tony Blair, the Soviet Union's Mikhail Gorbachev, Germany's Helmut Schmidt, as well as world religious leaders.
He frequently carried on public dialogues with scholarly representatives of Buddhism, Chinese religions, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism. He also met with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan as he pursued his quest for a global ethic as a pathway toward international peace in the 21st century.
Related: Ripples spread out from Hans Küng's work
Tens of thousands of his readers living beyond Europe's borders in America, Australia, Asia and Africa had heard him too, or at least read one or more of his tomes. He was the premier Catholic theologian to speak in China on religion and science, the first theologian to address a group of astrophysicists, and later the European Congress of Radiology on the subject of a more humane medicine.
Reasons for his popularity were ubiquitous: readability, clarity, erudition, honesty, fearlessness. He was smart, occasionally profound. Someone less intellectually gifted could understand his arguments and be drawn to his texts and his talks for just that reason. He said and wrote what he thought needed to be aired in what he deemed his relentless struggle for intellectual freedom and his passionate search for truth.
In his most popular book — Christ sein (On Being a Christian) — which quickly sold more than 200,000 hard covers in German alone when it was released in 1974, Küng said he probed theological issues that are of concern to any educated person. He wrote for those "who believe, but feel insecure," those who used to believe "but are not satisfied with their unbelief" and those outside the church who are unwilling to approach "the fundamental questions of human existence with mere feelings, personal prejudices and apparently plausible explanations."
For such a wide audience, Küng kept the Scriptures and the daily paper close at hand. From age 10 when the Nazis invaded Switzerland's neighbor Austria, thus initiating World War II, the lad Hans — eldest of seven Küng children — began reading the daily paper. It was a discipline he maintained to his death despite declining vision. Keeping up on world and religious affairs rendered him "a realist, not a romanticist," he told this reporter at a number of our meetings.
Often controversial, the name "Küng" came with its own brand of adjectives in conservative church and political publications: He was Küng the dissident, the bête noire, the disobedient, the heretic, the apostate, the errant, the Protestant. In short, "l'enfant terrible of the Catholic Church," yelled many a headline.
His 1971 book, Infallible?: An Inquiry, caused an uproar across the Catholic world, challenging the papal infallibility declaration promulgated in 1870 at the First Vatican Council. Küng probed its theological basis and found the claim of supreme papal authority to be an impasse to reunion with other Christian churches.
The book appeared only three years after the Vatican had asked Küng to answer charges brought against his earlier volume, The Church. Catholic officials disputed the theologian's understanding of papal authority and requested he appear in Rome to answer charges.
Küng stood his ground. He would not recant. He wanted to see the file the Vatican had amassed on him. He demanded a written list of the questions regarding his book as well as the names of those vetting the work. He asked to speak in German during any meetings with Vatican officials and further requested that the Vatican pay his travel expenses to Rome or else hold the hearings at Küng's house in Tübingen.
Besides taking on infallibility, Küng also criticized the law of celibacy, favoring instead a married clergy and a diaconate, with both open to women as well as men. He argued compulsory celibacy was the chief reason for the shortage of priests, and he accused the hierarchy of preferring to deny the faithful a close-to-home celebration of the Eucharist for the sake of maintaining mandatory celibacy. The law contradicted the Gospel and ancient Catholic tradition and ought to be abolished, he wrote.
He found fault with the ban on dispensations for priests who wanted to leave the priesthood — introduced by Pope John Paul II after his election as pontiff in 1978 — calling it a violation of human rights.
Related: Hans Küng knows church's problems - and that change is inevitable
His historical critical approach to research led him to conclude that the early Christian communities in Corinth and elsewhere had had lay members preside over eucharistic services in the absence of a priest.
He took issue with the church's ban on artificial contraception and its inhibitions in matters of human sexuality. He even had the chutzpah to critique the first year of the pontificate of John Paul II. In an essay appearing in eight papers across Europe, the Americas and Australia, Küng questioned whether the new pope was open to the world, was a spiritual leader, a true pastor, a collegial fellow bishop, an ecumenical mediator or even a real Christian.
Küng acknowledged that traditional Catholics would find the putting of such questions to the popular pope "more unforgivable than blasphemy." But he said his criticism arose from "loyal commitment" to the church and he felt "the pope has a right to a response from his own church in critical solidarity."
License to teach revoked
Headline writers and broadcasters had their day Dec. 18, 1979, when the Vatican pulled the rug out from under Küng's teaching career, revoking his missio canonica, or license to teach as a Catholic theologian at the University of Tübingen, where he had been since 1960. Such a license is required to teach as a Catholic theologian at a pontifically recognized institution, like Tübingen's Catholic theology school.
The German secular university has long had separate schools of Catholic and Protestant theology. Its Catholic school, at which Küng served as professor of dogmatic theology from 1963 to 1979, is renowned for its modern interpretation of the New Testament.
In Disputed Truth, Book 2 of his three volumes of memoirs, Küng spent 80 pages reviewing charges against him — secret meetings by German bishops and Vatican officials outside of Germany, betrayal by seven of his 11 Tübingen colleagues and a near physical and emotional breakdown caused by exhaustion from his efforts to answer Vatican accusations while preserving his place in a state university.
In the end, Küng retained his professorship, not in the Catholic faculty, but in the university's secular Institute for Ecumenical Research, which he had founded and directed since the early 1960s. He also remained "a priest in good standing," which upset those who sought his excommunication. Despite his outspokenness, Rome recognized his lifelong devotion to the church and allowed Küng to preach and to publish until illness and disability slowed him in 2013.
Küng indicated a certain dismay in 1979 when he learned of the involvement of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the removal of his teaching license. As dean of theology at Tübingen in the early 1960s, Küng had offered — and Ratzinger accepted — a professorship at Tübingen. But following student revolts in Germany in 1968, Ratzinger left academia, returning to his native Munich where he became archbishop, then cardinal. He later headed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for 25 years under John Paul.
To the surprise of many, Küng requested a meeting with Ratzinger shortly after Ratzinger was elected pope in April 2005. The two priests had retained their respect for one another and a limited correspondence over 45 years. Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, quickly agreed to meet Küng. The pair talked for four hours and dined at Benedict's summer residence at Castel Gandolfo.
A communiqué issued by the Vatican two days after the Sept. 24, 2005, reunion indicated the meeting was friendly and that Benedict praised Küng for his efforts to build a global code of ethics that enshrined the values that were held in common among religions and recognized by secular leaders, too.
The two did not take up any doctrinal questions. Nor did Küng ask that his teaching license be restored. Instead, they found accord on matters relating to science and religion, faith and reason, and social issues concerned with ethics and peace-building.
Although their shared evening was but a scintilla of time compared to the quarter-century that Küng had been in a state of strained relations with the Vatican, the theologian saw it as a sign of openness and even a harbinger of hope for those who share his critical vision of the church and what he had oft termed its "inquisitional proceedings" against him and against other dissidents.
For years, Küng had asked priests and bishops to show some courage against what he called a repressive Roman system that demanded obedience over reason and conformity over freedom of conscience. What was it in fact that gave this renegade thinker such abiding confidence in the midst of decades of struggle?
A hint is provided in On Being a Christian, which has seen many editions and been translated into dozens of languages. Küng called it "a small Summa" on which he worked for seven years. Its 720 pages probe whether Christian faith could continue to meet the challenges of the modern world and whether the Christian message was an adequate one for today's men and women. Küng said he wrote it because he did not know what was specifically Christian, and he needed to find out.
'I have an infinite intellectual curiosity. I am never satisfied. I must always know more about everything so I can detect just what are the problems. I do not have many prejudices before starting, as I do not fear the outcome.'
—Hans Küng
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Early in the work, Küng quoted German physicist and philosopher Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, who said: "There is one thing I would like to tell the theologians: something which they know and others should know. They hold the sole truth which goes deeper than the truth of science, on which the atomic age rests. They hold a knowledge of the nature of man that is more deeply rooted than the rationality of modern times. The moment always comes inevitably when our planning breaks down and we ask and will ask about the truth."
Truth-seeking was the chosen task to which Küng brought his insatiable probing and unquenchable intellect.
"I have an infinite intellectual curiosity," he told this reporter during the first of many meetings over nearly 40 years. "I am never satisfied. I must always know more about everything so I can detect just what are the problems. I do not have many prejudices before starting, as I do not fear the outcome.
"Christology presents so many problems and so people say: 'It's dangerous to touch the virgin birth, the pre-existence of Christ, the Trinity.' But I think the truth cannot do harm — not to me personally and not to the church," he told NCR.
The chance to reflect on God gave Küng enormous pleasure and satisfaction, he related in My Struggle for Freedom, the first volume of his memoirs.
'I can swim'
Already as a youngster, Küng recalled coming home "radiant" when he realized "I can swim ... the water's supporting me." For him, this experience illustrated "the venture of faith, which cannot first be proved theoretically by a course on 'dry land' but simply has to be attempted: a quite rational venture, though the rationality only emerges in the act," he wrote in his first memoir.
A lifelong lover of nature, Küng spent much time in its environs — swimming almost every day of his life and skiing up to age 80 during brief holidays in Switzerland. Skiing helped him if only for a few hours to "air my brain and forget all scholarship, often defying the cold, wind, snow and storm," he attested in his memoir.
Almost all of his books were composed in longhand as Küng sat on his living-room-sized terrace in Tübingen, close to the banks of the Neckar River, or alongside his Lake Lucerne home in his native Sursee, Switzerland. Sunshine and fresh air pervade his texts as much as do research, history, exhaustive scholarship, and analysis of and solutions to specific theological and philosophical problems.
'The nicest liturgical words and the highest praise of Christ — unless backed by Scripture and understood by the people — are just not useful.'
—Hans Küng
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The inclement elements to which Küng alluded while on the Alpine slopes became the stuff of weathering the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In fact, the Holy Office — as it was known in pre-Vatican II days — opened a secret file (the infamous 399/57i) on Küng shortly after he wrote his first book and doctoral dissertation, Justification, in 1957. In it, Küng predicted that an agreement in principle between Catholic theology as set down at the 16th-century Council of Trent and 20th-century Reformation theology as evidenced in Swiss Reformed* theologian Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics was possible.
Although only 28 when he published this conclusion, it would be the first of many ecumenical and interfaith inquiries that solidified his own roots in a living faith in Christ, which he said lasted his entire career and helped him always to be open to other faiths. Indeed, Küng long held that steadfastness in one's own faith and a capacity for dialogue with those of another belief are complementary virtues.
Four decades after writing Justification, Küng brought out volumes on Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Chinese religions. In the course of his research, he met frequently with religious leaders in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Of these meetings, he said he initially had more questions of faith (dogmatics) than of ethics (morality). But in the course of time, it dawned on him that despite dogmatic differences between the religions, there were already decisive common features in ethics that could be the foundation for a global ethic.
So, at the start of the 1990s, Küng was well-prepared to take on the task of preparing a Declaration Toward a Global Ethic for the Parliament of the World Religions that convened in Chicago in 1993. The most referenced part of the declaration was no peace among the nations without peace among the religions.
Not surprisingly, the child who discovered he could swim became the man who recognized the three great river systems of the high religions of China, India and the Semitic Near East, which he found in preparing a journey of many weeks to sub-Saharan Africa in 1986 and while working on a German television series in Australia in 1998.
None of this would have happened had he not had his teaching license withdrawn in 1979, he later admitted.
Nor would it have occurred had he not been ordained a Catholic priest. That event took place in 1954 in Rome. Küng celebrated his first Mass in St. Peter's Basilica and preached to the Swiss Guard, some of whom he knew well after seven years studying philosophy and theology in Latin at Rome's Jesuit Gregorian University.
He completed a further three years of study in French for his doctorate at the Sorbonne and the Institut Catholique in Paris, where he wrote his Justification thesis.
Küng returned to Switzerland, serving two years as an assistant priest in Lucerne. Barth invited him to lecture in Basel on the theme: The church always in need of reform. Some in the audience found his enthusiasm for renewal over-optimistic. However, on Jan. 25, 1959 — the week following his talk — Pope John XXIII called for a Second Vatican Council. And Küng in preparing his reform lecture of Jan. 19 had already amassed extensive notes for a volume on just such a venture.
That book, The Council, Reform and Reunion, became programmatic to a number of Vatican II documents, including those on scriptural study, worship, liturgy in the vernacular, on dialogue with other cultures and faiths, on reform of the papacy, religious liberty and on the abolition of the Index of Prohibited Books.
Vatican watcher and former NCR Rome correspondent Peter Hebblethwaite ventured that no theologian would ever again exert as much influence on the agenda of a council as Küng had. Not only was The Council, Reform and Reunion a best-seller in Germany, Holland, France and the English-speaking world, it bore the approval of Vienna's Cardinal Franz König, who dictated its imprimatur to Küng from his hospital bed after sustaining grave injuries in a road accident.
Council adviser
Shortly after the book's release, Küng's bishop, Carl Joseph Leiprecht of Rottenburg, Germany, invited him to be his personal peritus, or expert, at the upcoming council. Küng was hardly keen about a return to Rome. But a number of colleagues persuaded him that the council promised to be the church event of the century and Küng dare not miss it.
"How am I to suspect that this yes will determine my fate for almost a decade and beyond?" he noted in his memoir.
At 34, Küng was the youngest expert at the council, soon joined by Dominicans Edward Schillebeeckx of Belgium and Yves Congar of France; German priests Ratzinger and Karl Rahner, plus U.S. clerics John Courtney Murray, George Higgins, John Quinn, Gustave Weigel and Vincent Yzermans.
Not only did progressive bishops seek out Küng's acumen and writing skills, but his fluency in French, Italian, Dutch, German, English and Latin made him the go-to guy in dealing with the press. He was quick to publish his views on council texts and backroom maneuvering in leading papers and was a frequent television guest, remembered as much for his good looks and business suits as for his expertise.
During the council's third session in October 1964 — by which time Pope Paul VI had replaced the late John XXIII — it looked as if the new pontiff was about to postpone a vote on key declarations on religious liberty and on the Jews by first returning them for further checking to the highly conservative Curia.
Working behind the scenes but at the behest of powerful progressive churchmen, Küng helped convene meetings with 13 cardinals who quickly drafted a protest letter to the pope. Before the ink had dried, Küng breached the secrecy imposed on periti and put the public in the picture. He telephoned reporters at top European newspapers and briefed them "on the scandalous machinations" against the two declarations.
When the bishops returned for their session on Monday morning, they were greeted by a storm in the international press. The uproar plus the personal intervention by cardinals with the pope meant that both schemata remained on the council agenda. The draft on the Jews passed 1,770 to 185 on Nov. 20, 1964.
A year later, the bishops voted in favor of the Declaration on Religious Liberty 2,308 to 70.
On Dec. 2, 1965, Paul VI invited Küng to a private audience. It lasted 45 minutes — more than twice as long as predicted. Küng recalled the pontiff's telling him that having looked over everything Küng had written, the pope would have preferred that he wrote "nothing." This was after the pontiff had lauded him for "his great gifts" and suggested Küng use his talents at the service of the church.
Conform
Confused but still smiling, the theologian assured his supreme boss, "I'm already at the service of the church."To this, the pope implied Küng must "conform" if he really intended to serve the church. Before leaving the papal library, Küng managed to steer the conversation to the disputed issue of contraception, offering the pope a memorandum with a dozen points for him to hand on to his papal commission studying the birth control issue.
'My theology obviously isn't for the pope [I will do theology] for my fellow human beings … for those people who may need my theology.'
—Hans Küng
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He later recalled that the audience with Paul VI confronted him vividly with the question: For whom was he doing theology? Already in late 1965, Küng understood: "My theology obviously isn't for the pope (and his followers), who clearly doesn't want my theology as it is."
On that very day Küng resolved he would do theology "for my fellow human beings ... for those people who may need my theology."
Over the years following the council, Küng would point out frequently the hundreds of letters he received and the comments from crowds of supporters who attended his lectures in Germany and abroad testifying that they remained in the church because of his vision, his theology and writings.
His spring 1963 lectures in the United States, following the first session of Vatican II, drew more than 25,000 people to Notre Dame, Boston College and Georgetown University and to venues in California, Texas, Minnesota, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. At St. Louis University, he received the first of many honorary degrees, but the Jesuit school was chastised for not first seeking Rome's permission to honor Küng.
On April 30, 1963, President John Kennedy welcomed Küng to the White House, introducing him to Vice President Lyndon Johnson and congressional leaders with the words: "And this is what I would call a new frontier man of the Catholic Church."
In November 1983, on the 20th anniversary of Kennedy's assassination, Küng shared with this reporter how privileged he had felt to live during "the reign of the two Johns."
Noting that John XXIII's death had come only five months ahead of Kennedy's, Küng recalled that each man's time in office was cut short. Yet each had a brief window of opportunity that they seized — the pope in calling the council, the president in working on arms control with the Soviets, Küng said while relaxing in his hotel room in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he was teaching the autumn semester at the University of Michigan.
On visits to his home in Tübingen in 1977 and 1985 and during subsequent meetings in Berkeley, California; New York; Ann Arbor; Detroit; Chicago; Pittsburgh; and Mahwah, New Jersey, this reporter held wide-ranging conversations with Küng about his faith, his family, the role of God, prayer and liturgy in his life.
'I have a real aversion to bad liturgy. I think it is essential that people feel immediately that the man presiding believes what he says, is committed to this cause, is addressing them and not just performing prayers.'
—Hans Küng
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Those privileged to see Küng say Mass — as this reporter was in Greenwich Village where he preached on the Sonship of God in the late 1980s — saw a man of deep faith who gave as much attention to the words and symbols of the liturgy as he did to composing his books and lectures.
For years, he had presided at the 11 a.m. Sunday Mass at St. Johannes Kirche (St. John's Church) in the center of the Tübingen campus. Küng had proposed the Mass for professors.
"I have a real aversion to bad liturgy," he said. "I think it is essential that people feel immediately that the man presiding believes what he says, is committed to this cause, is addressing them and not just performing prayers. The nicest liturgical words and the highest praise of Christ — unless backed by Scripture and understood by the people — are just not useful," he said in Tübingen.
Years later in a final seminar on "Eternal Life" delivered to 20 students and 20 auditing professors at the University of Michigan, Küng focused on the Last Supper.
"We see a man facing his death. It's very simple. It's a ceremony in a traditional Jewish context. He takes bread, gives his blessing, breaks it, passes it out," Küng said, extending his arms to those close to him. "He knows it's his last time with them. He says: 'Take. My body. Remember me. This night.' "
Students exchanged glances. Person to person. Catholics and Hindus. Moist eyes and silence. A sense of communion filled the seminar room.
"There are depths of piety in this man that we've not yet begun to fathom," biblical scholar David Noel Freedman told NCR after the seminar. Freedman credited Küng's strong faith to his very traditional Swiss Catholic upbringing, his strong mother, and his father who ran a shoe store in the middle of Sursee — "and those five sisters of his."
*This article has been edited to correct Karl Barth's denomination.
© NCR
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