See below for the individual units (subjects) currently available. Please go to Courses for information on our undergraduate and postgraduate courses. We encourage you to contact our registrars to start a conversation about what units might best suit your needs.
Note: Due to COVID-19, 2021 units will be available in one or more of the following modes:
AQF levels (Australian Qualifications Framework) specify the standards for educational qualifications:
AQF 5 = Foundational undergraduate level
AQF 6 = Advanced undergraduate level
AQF 7 = Advanced undergraduate level + Foundational postgraduate level
AQF 8 = Advanced postgraduate level
AQF 9 = Advanced postgraduate level
AQF 10 = Doctorate postgraduate level
Here's a helpful chart with more AQF levels information
AQF: 5/7 hybridSEMESTER 1 2021
Monday Daytime Unit
CH001-512/712
Who we are is very much a product of our personal history and experiences. The same can be said of families, people groups, even whole countries. As Christians, we have a shared collective history of thought and experiences that make up who the church is today. Christian History not only helps us to understand ourselves, but it also reminds us how God has sovereignly worked throughout the centuries...
AQF: 6/7/8 hybrid, Corequisite: NT001 or NT003SEMESTER 1 2021
Monday Daytime Unit
NT016-612/712/812
Ever wish you'd been there with Jesus, listening to him in action and even eavesdropping on his conversation with his Father? John was there and left us his eyewitness record. The Gospel of John is unique: simple and accessible, but also complex and profound. Its purpose, according to John, is ‘that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name’ (John 20:31)...
AQF: 6/7/8 hybrid, Prerequisite: LA006, Corequisite: NT001 or NT003SEMESTER 1 2021
Monday Daytime Unit
NT017-612/712/812
Ever wish you'd been there with Jesus, listening to him in action and even eavesdropping on his conversation with his Father? John was there and left us his eyewitness record. The Gospel of John is unique: simple and accessible, but also complex and profound. Its purpose, according to John, is ‘that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name’ (John 20:31)...
AQF: 6 on-campusSEMESTER 1 2021
Monday + Thursday Daytime Unit
LA005-612
Learning to read the New Testament in its original language opens up a richness of understanding of the text. There are fresh insights and nuances that can deepen your love of God's word. In this unit you are introduced to and given experience in reading the language in which the New Testament was written...
AQF: 6 on-campusSEMESTER 1 2021
Monday + Thursday Daytime Unit
LA005-612
Learning to read the New Testament in its original language opens up a richness of understanding of the text. There are fresh insights and nuances that can deepen your love of God's word. In this unit you are introduced to and given experience in reading the language in which the New Testament was written...
AQF: 5/7 on-campusSEMESTER 1 2021
Monday Evening Unit - Northern Beaches Centre
OT001-512/712
As Christians, we want to affirm that the Old Testament is indeed the word of God and that it holds value for the contemporary church. Yet at times we struggle to know what to do with it. While some parts are familiar, there is much here that seems odd or strange. In fact, it can sometimes feel like we are travellers lost in a foreign country – and without a guidebook...
AQF: 6/7/8/9 hybridSEMESTER 1 2021
Monday Evening Unit
EM008-612/712/812 + EM205-912 (Capstone)
Would you like to get to know people from another culture, but are afraid of ‘treading on their cultural toes’? Do you want to learn how to share the gospel with people who are very different to you, in a way that resonates with their hearts?..
AQF: 6 off-campusSEMESTER 1 2021
Monday Evening Unit
LA005-612
Learning to read the New Testament in its original language opens up a richness of understanding of the text. There are fresh insights and nuances that can deepen your love of God's word. In this unit you are introduced to and given experience in reading the language in which the New Testament was written...
SMBC Certificate hybridSEMESTER 1 2021
Tuesday Daytime Unit
CT04
Sex, guns and babies – what is Christian ethics in a postmodern, post-Christian, culturally relativist, morally subjectivist world where "everything is OK as long as you are true to yourself". Can you give a Christian viewpoint on the mini-Pill, euthanasia, IVF, divorce and remarriage, same-sex attraction, war, gambling, or which political party to vote for? Can you explain what makes something right or wrong?..
AQF: 6/7/8 hybrid, Corequisite: OT002 or OT003SEMESTER 1 2021
Tuesday Daytime Unit
OT016-612/712/812 + OT205-912 (Capstone)
There's something intriguing and appealing about books like Job, Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. But then they disorient us. The book of Job is sad, Ecclesiastes is sceptical and Proverbs is self-interested. And they don't seem to be about the gospel...
AQF: 6/7/8 off-campus or on-campus, Prerequisite: LA004-612, Corequisite: OT002 or OT003SEMESTER 1 2021
Tuesday Daytime Unit
OT017-612/712/812
There's something intriguing and appealing about books like Job, Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. But then they disorient us. The book of Job is sad, Ecclesiastes is sceptical and Proverbs is self-interested. And they don't seem to be about the gospel...
AQF: 5/7 hybridSEMESTER 1 2021
Tuesday Daytime Unit
TH005-512/712
‘Everyone is a theologian...they just don't know it!’ If that's so, then the real question is whether you're doing good or bad theology. Theology absolutely matters. That's because what lies at the heart of life, love and the universe is the reality of the Triune God and his plan to create, redeem and perfect the world he has made for his glory...
AQF: 5/7 off-campusSEMESTER 1 2021
Tuesday Evening Unit
OT001-512/712
As Christians, we want to affirm that the Old Testament is indeed the word of God and that it holds value for the contemporary church. Yet at times we struggle to know what to do with it. While some parts are familiar, there is much here that seems odd or strange. In fact, it can sometimes feel like we are travellers lost in a foreign country – and without a guidebook...
AQF: 6/7/8 hybridSEMESTER 1 2021
Wednesday Daytime Unit
TH104-612/712/812 + TH205-912 (Capstone)
For Christians, church is a central part of life. But what, according to the Bible, is the church? What is it we are seeking to do when we gather? What is the church’s nature and essential marks?..
SMBC Certificate hybridSEMESTER 1 2021
Wednesday Daytime Unit
CT02A
Pastoral Theology seeks to provide students with an overview of the structure and content of Christian theology. In doing so, the focus of the subject is upon the personal impact of the knowledge of God upon the student's mind, heart and life...
AQF: 6/7/8/9 hybridSEMESTER 1 2021
Wednesday Daytime Unit
EMO25 -612/712/812 + EM205-912 (Capstone)
Jesus commissioned his disciples to ‘go and make disciples’ (Mt 28:19); Peter exhorted, ‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have’ (1 Pt 3:15); and Paul lamented, ‘How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?’ (Rm 10:14). As Christians, we have a commission, exhortation and passion to evangelise, but do you ever get the feeling that our culture has changed, and methods of evangelism which once worked very well last century, no longer seem as effective?..
AQF: 6/7/8/9 hybrid, Prerequisites: 2x foundational NT/OT units + 1 x CH/TH/PE unitSEMESTER 1 2021
Tuesday Evening Unit
TH002-612/712/812 + TH205-912 (Capstone)
Theology affects all of life. It is intensely practical. It answers the meaning of life questions such as, 'Who am I? What is my purpose? How can I live well?' – by stepping back to see the centrality of God himself to our lives and the universe. As Augustine said, 'You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.'...
AQF: 6 on-campusSEMESTER 1 2021
Thursday Daytime Unit
LA003-612
This unit is the first step in building a solid framework for engaging with Biblical Hebrew texts in their original language. By completing both Biblical Hebrew A and B (Semester 2), students will be in a position to work directly with the Hebrew scriptures, and to continue translation and exegesis of Old Testament texts. After these units, students will be able to take Old Testament exegesis units in the Hebrew stream...
AQF: 6 off-campusSEMESTER 1 2021
Thursday Daytime Unit
LA003-612
This unit is the first step in building a solid framework for engaging with Biblical Hebrew texts in their original language. By completing both Biblical Hebrew A and B (Semester 2), students will be in a position to work directly with the Hebrew scriptures, and to continue translation and exegesis of Old Testament texts. After these units, students will be able to take Old Testament exegesis units in the Hebrew stream...
SMBC Certificate hybridSEMESTER 1 2021
Thursday Daytime Unit
CM07
God has a global mission! And that means that we, as God’s people, also have a mission. But to know how we fit in, we need to understand what God has done, is doing and will do...
AQF: 6/7/8 on-campusSEMESTER 1 2021
Thursday Daytime Unit
PC008-612/712/812
Competence and charisma often outstrip character in Christian leaders. However, what God primarily requires of Christian leaders in Scripture is character. That’s because leadership in God’s church is to be exercised by those who are first and foremost, followers of Jesus Christ. We can only serve as leaders if we are disciples of THE leader, Jesus Christ.
AQF: 6/7/8 hybrid, Corequisite: OT001 or OT003SEMESTER 1 2021
Thursday Daytime Unit
OT008-612/712/812
The Pentateuch is the foundation of all biblical revelation, and indeed, of the entire biblical worldview. How was this part of Scripture designed to impact the lives of ancient Israelites? And how does knowing this help us discern God’s enduring message for today?..
AQF: 6/7/8 hybrid, Prerequisite: LA004 Corequisite: OT001 or OT003SEMESTER 1 2021
Thursday Daytime Unit
OT009-612/712/812
The Pentateuch is the foundation of all biblical revelation, and indeed, of the entire biblical worldview. How was this part of Scripture designed to impact the lives of ancient Israelites? And how does knowing this help us discern God’s enduring message for today?..
AQF: 6/7/8 hybridSEMESTER 1 2021
Thursday Daytime Unit
EM017-612/712/812
Cross-cultural ministry can shape us to be more like our Lord Jesus. Unfortunately, it can also be a difficult and discouraging journey. This is often due to the extra challenges of living and serving away from our normal supports of family, friends and church; being out of our comfort zone in unfamiliar cultures where we struggle as linguistic toddlers; and confronting entrenched spiritual forces that are dogged in opposing the discipling of the nations...
AQF: 6/7/8 off-campusSEMESTER 1 2021
Thursday Evening Unit
PC008-612/712/812
Competence and charisma often outstrip character in Christian leaders. However, what God primarily requires of Christian leaders in Scripture is character. That’s because leadership in God’s church is to be exercised by those who are first and foremost, followers of Jesus Christ. We can only serve as leaders if we are disciples of THE leader, Jesus Christ...
AQF: 5/7 on-campusSEMESTER 1 2021
Thursday Evening Unit
OT001-512/712
As Christians, we want to affirm that the Old Testament is indeed the word of God and that it holds value for the contemporary church. Yet at times we struggle to know what to do with it. While some parts are familiar, there is much here that seems odd or strange. In fact, it can sometimes feel like we are travellers lost in a foreign country – and without a guidebook...
AQF: 6/7/8 hybrid, Corequisites: 6cps TH/CH/PE + 24cps OT/NT/BBSEMESTER 1 2021
Friday Daytime Unit
TH001-612/721/812
Can we know God? And if so, then how? Who wrote the Bible? Is it a divine book? Or a human book? How reliable and trustworthy is the Bible? Can we rely on it to tell us the truth about all things, or just some things? Does God foreknow the future? All of it, or just some of it? If everything happens according to God's will, why is there still suffering and evil in the world? What exactly does it mean to be created in God's image?..
AQF: 5 hybridSEMESTER 1 2021
Friday Daytime Unit
NT001-512
Being a Christian involves ‘following’ the Lord Jesus, not around Galilee and Judea, but in the course of our daily lives. The four Gospels provide four different records of what Jesus said and did. They are the foundation for knowing and understanding what he has done for us, as well as what he said about God and his will. If we really want to ‘follow’ Jesus, if we really want to be salt and light in our world, then the Gospels need to be our regular reading matter.
AQF: 5/7 hybridINTENSIVE
Lecture Week: Monday 18 – Friday 22 January 2021
PE001-512i/712i
What does it mean to live a life worthy of the gospel? How can we properly discern what is ‘right’ and ‘good’ in our post-Christian world? How are we to apply our understanding of God’s will to the complex ethical questions facing Christians today?...
AQF: 6/7/8/9 hybrid, Corequisites: 6cps TH/CH/PE + 24cps OT/NT/BBINTENSIVE
Lecture Week: Thursday 14 – Friday 16 + Monday 18 – Wednesday 20 January 2021
TH104-612i/712i/812i + TH205-912i (Capstone)
For Christians, church is a central part of life. But what, according to the Bible, is the church? What is it we are seeking to do when we gather? What is the church’s nature and essential marks? In this unit we’ll explore the many facets of what church ministry is...
AQF: 5/7 hybridINTENSIVE
Lecture Week: Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 April 2021
NT002-512i/712i
The church is far from perfect; whether we have in mind the early church or the church today. How did the church get started? What issues did those first Christians struggle with? How did God use his people to spread the light of the gospel from its beginnings in Judea and Jerusalem to the very heart of the Roman Empire?..
AQF: 6/7/8 hybridINTENSIVE
Lecture Week: Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 April 2021
PC047-612i/712i/812i
There are not many more important responsibilities in the life of the church than the task of preaching God's word. Whether it is speaking to children, youth, at evangelistic outreaches, or to a Sunday congregation, communicating God's timeless truth in the Bible with accuracy, pastoral warmth, and relevance is a challenging task that requires diligence, prayer, and hard work. But where do you start? What is the process of moving from the ancient text to the modern world?..
AQF: 8/9 hybridINTENSIVE
Lecture Week: Monday 10 - Friday 14 May 2021
NT048-812i/912i
Christians have responded to Jesus' parables in a variety of ways since he first spoke them. Today they continue to delight and intrigue and confront. In this unit we’ll discuss the role of parables in the context of Jesus' ministry, as well as their function in the Gospels. We’ll also look at the history of the study of the parables, especially in modern times (1800-2020), looking at both the longer story parables as well as shorter more enigmatic sayings...
AQF: 8/9 hybridINTENSIVE
Lecture Week: Monday 5 - Friday 9 July 2021
DM003-812i/912i
The human experience of disability keeps turning up on the pages of the Bible and raises questions about the core concerns of theology. What are God’s purposes? What does it mean to be human? How do faith and cognition connect? Who belongs at my church? What answers are on offer in Christianity and other systems of belief?..
AQF: 6/7/8/9 hybridINTENSIVE
Lecture Week: Monday 5 – Saturday 10 July 2021
EM014-612i/712i/812i + EM205-912i (Capstone)
Are you teaching, training, or discipling anyone from a different cultural background than your own? Or do you think you might be in the next few years? If so, this unit is designed to equip you to do this well. We will explore biblical concepts, principles, and examples of teaching and learning, engage with key adult education theorists and practitioners from both western and non-western contexts, and examine case studies of cross-cultural teaching and learning...
AQF: 8/9 hybridINTENSIVE
Lecture Week: Monday 9 - Friday 13 August 2021
OT063-812i/912i
Ruth and Esther make exciting Sunday School stories, but if we scratch a bit deeper we’ll find some thorny interpretive issues. Did Ruth the Moabite truly find belonging among the people of God? To what extent was Naomi’s sense of loss mingled with feelings of shame and guilt? Despite their circumstances, did Ruth and Esther go beyond acceptable sexual boundaries? Was ethnic intermarriage acceptable in the Old Testament? Should we view Esther’s actions against her enemies as ‘revenge’? Was it right for Esther and Mordecai to hide their identity as God’s people? Does God still act in narratives where he is barely mentioned (Ruth) or not mentioned at all (Esther)?..
AQF: 8/9 hybridINTENSIVE
Lecture Week: Monday 20 - Friday 24 September 2021
PC073-812i/912i
Christian ministry is hard work and stressful at the best of times, even when it is a joy and blessing. Following in the way of Jesus necessarily involves suffering and sacrifice. Caring for God’s people is demanding and costly. Unresolved conflict can demotivate us. Criticisms can hurt. The challenge is to keep holy, healthy and maturing in the midst of the ups and downs of Christian ministry. A vibrant spiritual relationship with the living God is vital. We are to attend to our physical, emotional and mental health. Loving relationships with family and friends are crucial aspects of our being and well-being...
AQF: 5/7 hybridINTENSIVE
Lecture Week: Monday 20 – Saturday 25 September 2021
NT001-512i/712i
Being a Christian involves ‘following’ the Lord Jesus, not around Galilee and Judea, but in the course of our daily lives. The four Gospels provide four different records of what Jesus said and did. They are the foundation for knowing and understanding what he has done for us, as well as what he said about God and his will. If we really want to ‘follow’ Jesus, if we really want to be salt and light in our world, then the Gospels need to be our regular reading matter...
AQF: 9 onlineMICS
Postgraduate Unit
EM033-912
This unit will provide participants with an understanding of anthropological concepts and insights as tools for contemporary ministry, especially cross-cultural ministry. In light of this understanding, it will enable participants to exegete the cultural context in which they are serving...
AQF: 9 onlineMICS
Postgraduate Unit
EM049-912
This unit will enable participants to investigate the principles of healthy multicultural teamwork, to reflect on their own and others’ experiences of serving in multicultural teams, and to more effectively work as part of a team composed of people from diverse cultural backgrounds...
AQF: 9 onlineONLINE
Postgraduate Unit
EM039-912
This unit will enable participants to understand the patterns and principles of disciple making and mentoring in the Scriptures and the ways these principles are expressed in various cultures. Building on this understanding, participants will be helped to develop contextually appropriate ways of discipling people in their particular ministry setting...
AQF: 8 onlineMICS
Postgraduate Unit
EM012-812
This unit will enable participants to discover a framework of biblical principles that can help guide the practice of church planting in any cultural context. A variety of models of and approaches to church planting will be evaluated for their appropriateness to specific contexts and cultural settings. Stages of pioneer church planting in cross-cultural contexts and ways to address challenges arising in each stage will be explored...
AQF: 8 onlineMICS
Postgraduate Unit
EM038-812
This unit will enable participants who are engaged in cross-cultural ministry to understand, reflect on, and think through the personal issues and challenges involved in this ministry. Building on these insights, it will explore principles and resources for responding to these issues and challenges in ways that nurture spiritual, emotional, psychological, and physical wellbeing in themselves, their families and their co-workers...
AQF: 8 onlineMICS
Postgraduate Unit
EM036-812
This unit will enable participants to enhance their ability to relate well to Muslims, to communicate the gospel and to help the church grow among them in ways that are biblically faithful and culturally relevant. It will do this by deepening participants’ understanding of key themes in Islam, Islamic attitudes towards Christianity, and approaches to evangelism, discipling and church planting among Muslims.
AQF: 9 onlineMICS
Postgraduate Unit
EM043-912
This unit explores the Bible’s teaching on the nature of poverty and the way that God’s people are called to love the poor. We will consider models of engagement and assess their appropriateness for a range of contexts...
AQF: 9 onlineMICS
Postgraduate Unit
EM052-912
This unit will enable participants to understand the principles of contextualisation in order to construct a framework for approaching contextualisation in any specific cultural context. It will help participants to develop contextualised ways to communicate the gospel in their context as well as contribute to the development of the church...
AQF: 8 onlineMICS
Postgraduate Unit
EM020-812
This unit will help participants investigate the theological, philosophical, anthropological, educational and developmental foundations of leadership and leadership development in order to enable participants to engage in the practical challenge of developing leaders in cultures that have different assumptions and worldviews. Models of education and curriculum design for leadership development will also be explored...
AQF: 8 onlineMICS
Postgraduate Unit
EM034-812
This unit will enable participants to research local cultural values and approaches to learning, plan responses, and develop curriculum to empathically serve the educational needs of various receptor cultures in which they are situated. The unit introduces postgraduate students to the current approaches to education across boundaries of culture and worldview difference. Students will critically reflect on various approaches and devise strategies that are appropriate to the design and delivery of educational materials allied to their ministry specialisation in cross-cultural contexts...
AQF: 9 onlineMICS
Postgraduate Unit
EM069-912
This unit enables students to develop a specialist understanding of the intercultural dynamics that are at play when people from multiple cultures interact and work with each other, wherever they are in the world. Theoretical viewpoints will be evaluated in the light of the authentic voice of interviewees and other data gathered from multicultural contexts. An integrative framework for multicultural engagement that creatively engages with the challenges of intercultural dynamics will be crafted as a guideline for future multicultural ministry...
AQF: 9 onlineMICS
Postgraduate Unit
EM205-912 Capstone
As part of the assessments in this unit, participants will work together to construct an integrative conceptual map of what they have learned about cross-cultural ministry throughout the SMBC Master of Intercultural Studies course. They will develop a personal professional development plan and prepare an item that communicates missiological ideas to others in practical ways...
AQF: 9 onlineMICS
Postgraduate Unit
AS001-912
This unit prepares participants to do a research project. Assessments are focused preparatory steps towards a research project...
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