Amid political polarization in the U.S., Christians who believe and advocate on each side of the Red-Blue divide tend to cite scripture as if God’s voice is simply and very unambiguously on their side. However, inconveniently for these Right- and Left-wing advocates, the Bible is politically and theologically multi-vocal. One strand of tradition craves a …
View course details “The Red- (and Blue-) Letter Bible: Reading the Book Together in a Divided Land”

Some scholars have argued that the letter to the Romans is so unclear that it must be a pastiche of letters or the product of a confused, contradictory writer. We will together make sense of the letter in its historical context as a Jewish Paul articulates (not entirely clearly) how it is that God’s justice …
View course details “The Letter to the Romans: Justice and Race in Antiquity and Today”

This course combines engaging study of the Bible with some of Yale’s greatest treasures, delivered to you virtually!  Each class is divided into two sections.  The first part of class we will engage biblical texts around the theme of wonder.  The second part enriches our learning with a related online tour of one of Yale’s stunning collections, guided …
View course details “The Bible through Art and Artifact III : The Bible and Wonder”

The Psalter is the hymn book of the Bible. The 150 psalms have been an integral part of both Jewish and Christian musical traditions, and over the centuries they have inspired countless composers to create important works. The course will explore the richness and power of the Psalter through an examination of the relationship between …
View course details “The Psalter – A Journey through 1,500 Years of Music”

Theological education for everyone. Explore issues that matter to your faith and community with leading scholars and experienced practitioners. A variety of short courses, most or all available online.

Eschatology is defined as the study of the last things. Traditionally, these “last things” have been defined as death, judgement, heaven, and hell; in truth, though, they include all that we imagine the “end” of our life and of history to be. In the Christian church, our eschatological expectation is our blessed hope: the resurrection …
View course details “Not Yet in the Now: Waiting for the Apocalypse”

In this course we’ll explore the church fathers’ understanding of the Trinity and how and why they thought this model of God represented the biblical teaching of God faithfully and beautifully. Students will learn to read the Bible through patristic eyes and discern with the church fathers the problems presented by the relational complexity in …
View course details “The Trinity and the Church Fathers”

Learn to see the Gospels and Acts in a new light. Engage with the full narrative scope of these books from beginning to end, exploring the ways in which the biblical authors told the stories of Jesus and the early church. Discover their narrative contours through an examination of literary elements such as plotting, characterization, …
View course details “A Narrative Approach to the Gospels and Acts”

No portion of Scripture has been more thoroughly studied, preached upon, or written about than the Sermon on the Mount. This famous and influential passage from the Gospel of Matthew has a bearing on many fundamental questions of Christian life: What is the nature of God’s kingdom? What does godliness look like? What ethical considerations …
View course details “The Sermon on the Mount”

The Book of Joshua recounts Yahweh’s fulfilment of a centuries-old promise to Abraham–the promise that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan. Historically understood as a testimony to the faithfulness and power of God, Joshua has become controversial in recent years. Is this a story about God’s gracious provision, or a record of genocide? …
View course details “The Book of Joshua”