Soon and Very Soon

Hello All:

I have had some requests to start a blog so that it will be easier to follow me as I start my studies at the University of Oxford. After some thought, I have decided to go ahead and begin Nagy in Oxford(s) - I just couldn't resist the pun. For those who don't know, I dress pretty sharply, and I wear a pair of Oxfords nearly every day. I will plan on posting every 1-2 weeks. I didn't want this post to be too long, so I have added many links.

To start, I think it makes a good deal of sense to give you the basics of my program and my goals. My program is the MTh in Applied Theology - you can find even more detail here. These links should inform you thoroughly about the program aside from which additional two units I have chosen and which college I will be attending. I will be at Regent's Park College (links to your right and above), and I have chosen Sociology of Religion and Ecclesiology in an Ecumenical Context as my units. Why? I think they will help me the most in achieving my goals.

Regent's Park College Quad

My goals are as follows:

1. In the first year of the program I want to increase my knowledge of sociological approaches to studying religion and of the ecclesial practices of the major Christian denominations.

2. In year two I want to conduct a sociological study of the role of the Holy Spirit in the major denominations of Christianity (comparative pneumatology). I plan to conduct ethnography and interviews in congregations to find out if or how congregants experience the Holy Spirit.

In completing these two goals I am hoping to make a significant contribution to the fields of pneumatology and experiential apologetics. As you will have read in the previous link, experiential apologetics is considered the weakest form of defending the Christian faith. I hope that through my research this way of defending Christianity will begin to become stronger. Therefore, what I am really hoping for is to sharpen a tool for evangelization efforts.

Helwys Hall

I will be arriving in Oxford on September 29th, and my program begins on October 11th. It is all completely amazing to me, and I cannot thank my professors and campus ministers at Saint Michael's College enough for helping me realize this adventure. And, of course, a perpetual thank you to my parents. Very exiting times!

I'll be in touch soon.

Truly,

Tim



P.S. Always feel free to email me at timothy.nagy@regents.ox.ac.uk or post below if you have any comments or questions. Also, if you would like to receive posts via email, just submit your email address in the gadget to the right.