The Paideia Centre for Public Theology is not a degree granting institution but our graduate members are registered with Trinity College Bristol for the University of Bristol. PhD. Dr. Bartholomew has adjunct status at Trinity and is able to supervise PhDs for them.
JAMES RUSTHOVEN
Description of research:
Bioethics is a young discipline whose formative leaders have come from fields such as theology, philosophy, biology, anthropology, and medicine. Intense internal debate has occurred over the past 30 years regarding the best method to use when engaging bioethical problems. Competing methods of deliberation and decision-making have drawn from various theories and frameworks and have been classified broadly as top-down and bottom-up methods. Those in the former category start with cases, concentrate on the particulars of the case, and draw from previous key cases and established theories or frameworks to justify decisions. Those in the latter involve starting with a preferred theory and fitting the particulars of the case or situation with that theory. Largely in response to practical needs, several scholars of bioethics have proposed using principles that derive from a perceived common morality. According to proponents, such a concept of morality does not require a basis in any particular theory of ethics nor presuppositional grounding as justification for choosing solutions for bioethical problems. It is contended that such a morality is deficient in its premises, leading to decisions driven by accommodation of beliefs for the sake of consensus. My project critiques the dominant contemporary bioethical framework known as principlism and proposes a reconceptualization of the principles embodied in this framework by means of a biblically-based covenantal ethic.
About Jim:
My immediate family consists of my wife Thea, son Nathan and his wife Karin, sons Joel and Daniel, and myself. Thea is a professor of French literature at Redeemer University College and supervises French cultural experiences for her students in Quebec and France. Nathan is a social worker in Ottawa while his wife Karin teaches at Ottawa Christian School.
Joel has just completed a master’s degree in English at Carlton University while Daniel is completing his bachelor’s degree at Redeemer University College. I am currently engaged in part-time medical practice in Brantford, Ontario while working on my dissertation toward a PhD degree. I also work on projects relating to bioethics education with the Canadian Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches. We are active members of the Christian Reformed Church.
SEAN PURCELL:
Research area:
Most philosophical approaches to imagination have focused on perception, creativity, or genius. Paul Ricoeur breaks with the tradition by examining imagination in terms of its function in language, particularly in forms of symbolic language. This move to understand imagination by its role in particular types of discourse such as metaphors and narratives places imagination within the network of questions related to the problem of interpretation. It is this novel move by Ricoeur that removes some of the veil that prevents our access to imagination by locating it in the everyday activity of language. My research aims to understand Ricoeur’s significant contribution to a philosophy of the imagination while at the same time attending to the questions that emerge from his reliance on Kant and Heidegger. This approach will bring to light the questions regarding the ontology and anthropology that undergird Ricoeur's framework. These questions regarding the basic philosophical foundation for imagination open the door to place Ricoeur's work into dialogue with the work of Reformational philosopher Calvin Seerveld. His modal aesthetic framework offers a way to understand imagination from within a scripturally-directed non-reductionistic ontology and anthropology. Hopefully this interaction between Seerveld and Ricoeur will open up new insights into how imagination functions in God's world.
About Sean:
Sean, who is originally from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, and his wife Krista, who hails from Grimsby, Ontario, and their daughter Ella (age 3) have now lived in Hamilton for three years. Prior to moving to Hamilton, Ontario Sean and Krista lived and worked at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. While at Geneva Sean completed his M.A. in Higher Education and then taught undergrad courses part-time while continuing his graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh. At Geneva, Krista worked as a Residence Hall Director where she advised, counseled, and administered a college residence of 120 students. Serving in that capacity offered Sean and Krista the unique opportunity to live in the residence hall alongside undergraduate students which cemented in both of them a love for students and the importance of the university years.
JAMES SIKKEMA:
Research area:
Metaphysics, ontology, natural philosophy; uncovering the metaphysical, ontological and natural philosophical presuppositions within the Cartesian tradition (Descartes, Kant, Husserl); critiquing this tradition with Spinoza and his readership (Herder, Hegel, Deleuze) in relation to the same issues; working out the ontological, metaphysical and natural philosophical differences and implications of ‘the moment’ for Kierkegaard and Nietzsche; other interests include existential philosophy, aesthetics, philosophy and literature, philosophy of history and intellectual/cultural history, philosophy of science and social/political philosophy. The goal of all of my research is to clear the metaphysical ground in order to allow the gospel to speak in and for itself so that the activity of the Son of Man will be repeated in all of those who find rest in the Eternal.
About James:
James, who hails from St. Catharines, is married to Evelina (nee Hiraldo-Rodriguez), a native of the Dominican Republic; they have two sons, Jalen Isaiah (4) and Kenyon Ellis (2). James, a Redeemer University College graduate, and Evelina just moved to the Hamilton area, before this they were in Los Angeles where James completed an MA in philosophy at Loyola Marymount University. Evelina hopes to attend culinary school when James’ studies are complete in order to become a pastry chef. Jalen and Kenyon love to play basketball (and virtually any other sport they encounter), read, draw, play games, and help Mom with baking. Jalen is in junior kindergarten and currently attends St. Ann’s Catholic School in Ancaster.
JOHN MILTON:
Research area:
The primary area of my graduate training and research has been in the language, history and interpretation of the Hebrew Bible. My dissertation topic, the Last Words of David in 2 Samuel 23:1-7, focuses on the theological and textual emplotment within the book of Samuel, with comparison of the biblical text to last words and farewell discourses in Ancient Near Eastern, Greco-Roman and early rabbinic literature. I am also interested in the implications of the history of interpretation and historical criticism for contemporary theology and issues of composition and redaction of the biblical text.
About James:
I live with my wife Diane, and our four children David (age 15), Micah (age 13), Sarah (age 11) and Sivan (age 9) in Montréal, Quebec. My B.A. in Judaic Studies is from Concordia University (Montréal, Quebec). I also have a M.Div. from Trinity International University (Deerfield, Illinois) with a specialization in Old Testament and Semitic languages. Currently I work as a program coordinator and psychosocial counselor at Welcome Hall Mission. I am also an assistant professor at Acadia University (Faculté Théologie Évangélique), an adjunct lecturer at FAREL (Faculté Théologie Reformée) and an Instructor in Bible for Lay Education at the Presbyterian College in Montreal. Diane has a B.A. in Literature and Religious Studies. This year she is balancing full time work at home with the children with M.A. coursework in the Integrated Studies in Education program at McGill University.
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