“The Subtle Temptations of State Sponsored Theological Education: A New Zealand Perspective ”

Over the past fifteen years in New Zealand, theology has come in from the tertiary educational cold in various ways. One of the results or reasons for this has been willingness on the part of the state to accredit and provide funding for theological education and research. This has taken place largely through a compliance system of accreditation and resource allocation. The result has been academic recognition and a precarious financial boon for theology and some theological institutions and their students. But little attention has been paid to the epistemological and pedagogical temptations of compliance. Drawing on the recent experience of the writer, this article seeks to identify a number of the subtle temptations posed by state sponsored theological education and research.