Robbie Crouse, Ph. D. 2016

Recipient of the Jeffrey Meyer Fellowship  

Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology 
Knox Theological Seminary

I came to Wheaton hoping to be enriched in biblical and theological study and challenged by devoted faculty. That is exactly what I got. In particular, I am grateful for the interdisciplinary vision of Wheaton's PhD program: its goal to cross boundaries of biblical, historical, and systematic theology for the sake of the church and academy. The deeply evangelical commitment also provided an encouraging and supportive community of Christian scholars. 

My dissertation, "Two Kingdoms & Two Cities: Mapping Theological Traditions of Church, Culture, and Civil Order," spanned the gap between historical and systematic theology by seeking to provide a map of contemporary options in political theology and their retrievals from the past. It demonstrated how key theological decisions -- such as interpretations of law/gospel, Israel/church, creation/redemption, and general/special revelation -- worked out in different Christian approaches to culture and society. 

One of Wheaton's great strengths is the close-working relationship of dedicated supervisors. Daniel Treier poured time and energy into my research, providing that delicate balance of student originality and critical oversight. His insights always proved to be essential for the overall project, and his direction, as well as the encouragement of the entire program and student community, made this an ideal place for doctoral work. I also cannot overestimate the real practical benefit of Wheaton's financial support in allowing its students to be devoted to study without taking a mass of loans and debt. For all these reasons, I continue to recommend to Wheaton to aspiring Christian scholars.