This course aims to present an overview of the background and contents of the books that make up the Old Testament, and to offer some reflection on the question of how they are best read together as part of the Christian canon of Scripture, and how they should shape both the Christian life and the …
View course details “Old Testament Foundations”
Through the centuries, women—nuns, mothers, mystics, preachers, teachers, suffragists, and household managers—interpreted Scripture through their writings, art, and music. Their forgotten or neglected interpretations of the Bible deserve our attention. Examine how women have read and interpreted the Bible, beginning with the period of the early church. Encounter the writings of medieval visionaries, Renaissance exegetes, …
View course details “Silent No More: Women Interpreters of the Bible”
Mark, believed to be the earliest of the gospels, is known primarily for its brevity and simplicity–a reputation that has occasionally led to scholarly neglect. Recent scholarship, however, has come to appreciate that Mark’s deceptively straightforward approach veils a work of power and rich subtlety. Scholarly rehabilitation of Jesus’s long-ignored Jewishness and careful exploration of …
View course details “The Gospel of Mark”
This course offers a sweeping survey of Christian history, with special attention to the first thousand years. It explores the many and varied ways Christians both embodied and betrayed the way of Jesus Christ. While heavily informed by the relevant primary sources and historical best-practice, the unit seeks to draw out tentative lessons for contemporary …
View course details “Bullies and Saints: Lessons from Church History”
The books of Ruth and Esther reveal God’s hidden work in the face of apparent divine absence. Explore the significance and narrative artistry of these books, uncovering their subtle portrayal of God’s intervention in desperate situations. Examine the complex female protagonists and consider their illumination of the character and presence of a God who shields, …
View course details “Ruth and Esther: God’s Care in Times of Chaos”
Christian salvation is a gift, but what is the nature of that gift? The doctrine of theosis suggests that God’s best gift in salvation is, quite simply, God’s self. Theosis––also called “divinization” or “deification”––teaches that God the Father sends the Son and the Spirit so that the saints may partake of the Trinity’s own divine …
View course details “Partaking of the Divine Nature: Salvation, Holiness and the Doctrine of God”
The purpose of this class is to engage at the level of the imagination with the details of the life of Jesus; His world, life, heart and mind. This will involve a thorough examination of the primary sources (i.e. the gospels) as well as a reliance upon the secondary sources. It is not enough to …
View course details “The Galilean: Details of the Heart of Jesus”
Christian practices constitute the Christian life. Communal practices facilitate the integration of personal, spiritual, academic, and global formation into coherent Christian discipleship through reflection, relationships, and practices. This is an integrative course that explores the identity and practices of Christian community as a people called, gathered, and sent by God. Together, professor and students will …
View course details “Spiritual Disciplines in the Company of Others”
If conflicts in your community, family or organization, concern you – this program can provide you with new skills to transform conflicts. “Participants who had said they would never work together were reconciled to working together for the good of the community. Old perceptions, rivalries, barriers, prejudices and even the sense of hopelessness were set …
View course details “Dialogue for Peaceful Change”
Five days focused on faith, heart, mind, and skills for the art of intercultural ministry Engage Difference! Deepening Understanding for Intercultural Ministry (DUIM) is a 5-day interactive and engaging program with practical ideas for implementation in your own context. DUIM is for ministry leaders and community members nurturing cultural relevance, understanding, and awareness in their …
View course details “Deepening Understanding for Intercultural Ministry (DUIM)”