JAT Publications | Doctrines of the Soul

Doctrines of the Soul

“Victory,” 5th C BCE, Olympia, Greece. Photo credit JAT 2001.

As part of my journey of faith and exploration, I enrolled in a Master of Divinity program in 2007 at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, the university from which I had earned two previous degrees. I studied full-time for two years, then spent a year as a part-time student while I worked on this Research Paper.

On this page I’ve posted the Research Paper I completed in 2010. It was a struggle to find a way to write a paper about doctrines of the soul in a university setting where modern and post-modern theologians don’t look kindly on any mention of the soul, let alone a deep dive into the radical nature of Jesus’ teachings. I had to pass research through the lens of Tertullian’s later doctrines of the soul in order to meet the requirements of the research committee. But this turned out to be a blessing, because, in researching Tertullian’s doctrines, I began to see one major reason why the church has been having so many problems healing its relationship with God. Almost since the beginning, the church has been ignoring what Jesus said about the soul!

This is original research, so please bear in mind that it’s protected by Canadian and international copyright law.

Work on this paper brought to the fore many observations about the church that had been brewing in the back of my mind for some time. One thing became clear to me: I couldn’t in good conscience continue on my intended path of ordination in the United Church of Canada. So after I completed my Research Paper, I took a couple of years off to decide what I wanted to do, then returned to Queen’s and completed a Master of Theological Studies degree in 2014.

Comments on this paper are welcome.