Why Choose PLTS?
As you pursue your calling to serve others and make a difference in the world, your journey of spiritual growth and adventure will be guided by pastors, educators and church leaders who are committed to teaching, faithful in ministry and excellent in scholarship. You will be well-prepared for the challenges and opportunities of ministry in the 21st century.
At PLTS, we:
- Fight for justice. We equip leaders of spiritual and moral courage to act on their faith in public by working for racial, gender, economic, and environmental justice.
- Immerse ourselves in a dynamic urban context. Being immersed in Berkeley provides many opportunities to critically reflect and practice spiritually at the intersection of culture, faith, and politics.
- Unleash the power of diversity. We collaborate as people from diverse cultural and faith traditions claiming the Spirit’s power for liberation and healing to transform our communities.
Our Perspective
Four orienting perspectives characterize PLTS’ role in the church and our approach to theological education:
- Nurturing a life-giving relationship with God includes embracing and sharing the life-changing power of God’s love through Jesus and cultivating spiritual practices and skills for building community that strengthens people spiritually.
- Intellectual engagement with Scripture, faith traditions, and the world involves hearing and interacting with theological voices from the margins of power and privilege and putting Christian beliefs and practices into collaborative engagement with other religious traditions and secular disciplines.
- Faithful social transformation grounded in the good news of Jesus Christ endeavors to build communities of resistance and hope by integrating the spiritual and political dimensions of life through theological reflection, social analysis, and implementing strategies to work for justice and ecological healing.
- Learning through a socio-ecological lens that looks at race, class, gender, and earth in order to develop competencies for effective community engagement in diverse cultural and political contexts.