Although spiritual formation and spiritual direction programs have taken hold in many academic and parachurch settings, the expectations, structures, and habits of local churches are often resistant to a deep focus on Christian formation. This course will offer a biblical-theological argument that a Christ-minded pastor and church will be a formation-minded pastor and church. To …
View course details “Cultivating Formation-Minded Pastors & Churches”
In this course, we will work through several examples of early Christian dialogues from writers such as Justin Martyr, Origen of Alexandria, Gregory of Nyssa, and Augustine of Hippo, and consider what difference a dialogical reorientation of theological method might make. There are rich resources available to us in early Christianity that can inform our …
View course details “Theology as Dialogue in Early Christianity”
Paul’s Letter to the Galatians has stood alongside Romans at the heart of Christian theological discussions from the time of Augustine, through the Reformation, and to the present day. It is perhaps the earliest written formulation of Paul’s teachings about justification attained by trusting Jesus, the opposition between faith and “works of the law,” the …
View course details “The Letter to the Galatians”
How are the choices we make about how to teach connected to the faith that frames our actions? It’s easy to focus mainly on whether we say true things in our teaching. Yet the New Testament speaks of truth as embodied—as residing in actions and not just in words. We will therefore explore how Christian …
View course details “Everyday Christian Teaching: How Faith Shapes Pedagogy”
This course explores theologies of creation, sometimes called “ecotheology,” via the now sizable body of literature concerned with the growing crises of human-induced climate destruction. As we ask how early twenty-first-century fiction can give us new eyes for both humanity and other creatures, we’ll sample the emotional and spiritual issues raised by these enormous, seemingly …
View course details “Climate Theology & Storytelling”
This course will trace major historical shifts in cultural understandings of gender, sexuality, marriage, and the family from the time of the early church to the present day. Together, we will explore how Christian belief and practice have shaped these categories over time, and how Christians have engaged with culture over these issues at different …
View course details “Marriage, Sex, & Family in Historical Perspective”
Genesis presents God’s purpose for humans to rule over his creation in a way that reflects his character—then describes how humans chose to rule by their own wisdom, filling the world with violence. But Genesis also reveals that God’s purposes cannot be thwarted, showing how God chose to work through the dysfunctional family of Abraham …
View course details “Genesis: The Foundations of the Biblical Story”
“He has saved us and called us to a holy life,” Paul writes to Timothy (2 Tim 1:9), but all too often we find ourselves living a reactionary life rather than a called one. Throughout the history of the church, the people of God have addressed this concern through the practice of a Rule of …
View course details “A Rule of Life for a Way of Life”
In a postmodern age marked by a suspicion of truth, it is all the more important for Christians to be rooted in the essential teachings of the Christian faith. Designed for those who wish to deepen their faith and understanding, this course provides a systematic survey of the Christian doctrine as set forth in the …
View course details “Theology Overview”
As contentious conversations about sex and gender show no signs of abating, effective witness to our neighbours requires thoughtful answers and wise actions. This course aims to help Christians think about and respond to some of the gendered aspects of theology, anthropology, and ecclesiology that arise in the New Testament. In particular, we’ll look at …
View course details “Gender in the New Testament”
