Classes
Week One
D01 Our Anguish and God’s Power
People who have loved ones who are going through a time of extreme suffering, in their attempt to comfort, are often heard to say to the sufferer: “If God were really loving, God wouldn’t let this happen.” Such a well-intentioned “pastoral” remark, along with: “God has a plan” or “God has a purpose in your suffering,” can spark a reaction of intense anger at God – why would God let this happen?
D02 Trauma-Informed Pastoral Care
This course invites participants into the study of trauma-informed pastoral care through three distinct but overlapping forms of human suffering: trauma, moral injury, and crisis.
D03 Christianity and Sexuality
This course will explore a range of Christian teachings on attitudes toward, and technologies of, sex and sexuality. We will read medieval and modern theologies of sexuality, as well as contemporary historical, sociological, and cultural studies. Points of foc
D04 Paul and the Christians at the Crossroads: 1 and 2 Corinthians
“Paul at the Crossroads” will engage in a reading of Paul’s correspondence with the Christian community he founded at Corinth, i.e., 1 and 2 Corinthians.
D05 The Bible in Art and Artifact I
This course combines the riches of the Bible with some of Yale’s greatest treasures. Each day will have a different theme that we will explore through academic study and lively conversation about a biblical text.
D06 Mozart’s Sacred Music
This course will explore different representations of the sacred in Mozart’s oeuvre and will draw connections between his liturgical music and his “secular” music, created for a world that was striving for a re-sacralization in its way of listening to music. The course will also ask how we listen to Mozart’s music.
D07 Henri Nouwen at Yale
This course will explore the essential themes that radiate through Nouwen’s work and life, and his historical legacy. As we read from the writings published during his tenure at Yale, we will join Nouwen in deep reflection about the role of love, doubt, sexuality, prayer, and silence in the spiritual life.
D08 Chinese Christianity
This course is canceled due to low enrollment. – updated April 5, 2019