Courses

Explores the short diaspora story of Esther, primarily in its Hebrew form, but with recourse to its two extant Greek versions. Attention will be given to the story’s historical and cultural contexts, literary development and characterization, as well as its uneasy place in scriptural canons. Considers a range of interpretative approaches including those of feminist, postcolonial, and trauma studies. Prerequisite: B505 Introductory Biblical Hebrew or equivalent.

This course takes up humor as a critical lens for interpreting the Bible, with a view towards appreciating its ongoing relevance for theological reflection and ministry. Emphasis will be placed on primary reading of biblical texts and class discussion. Students will learn how to read the Bible with an appreciation for different categories of humor present and develop their own opinions about its interpretation. Further, students will be invited to critically consider the use of humor in ministry contexts today, whether from the pulpit or casual conversation. 

Situates Paul within his wider Hellenistic and Roman context(s), drawing on the Pauline corpus (authentic and deutero-Pauline epistles) as well as depictions of Paul in Acts of the Apostles. Examines characteristics of Paul’s world such as travel, letter-writing, rhetoric, religion, and slavery in order to enhance our understanding of his ministry and the responses it engendered.

This course explores the parables of Jesus a) within their settings in the Gospels, b) as the vehicles for Jesus’ evocation and depiction of the empire of God, and c) as they might be used in the life of the church today. This course will focus especially on the problems and possibilities for preaching and teaching posed by the parables that occur in the Revised Common Lectionary, most of which come from Matthew and Luke. We will also give attention to related Jewish and Greco-Roman story forms. 

This online course will critically engage womanist and feminist biblical interpretation with a focus on contemporary justice issues. The pandemic has highlighted and aggravated existing racialized and gendered disparities, injustices, and violence. Biblical texts and contexts will be analyzed in dialogue with scholarship on medical apartheid, history of black transexuals, and sexual violence. Conversations around gendered sexual violence will include sustained discussion of the crucifixion of Jesus and #MeToo.

Explores historical and theological perspectives on equity, diversity, and inclusion and their practical applications to form communities where people are truly valued and included. More now than ever faith communities need skills and strategies, resources and tools, to live together in ways that are authentically equitable, culturally diverse, racially just, and radically hospitable. This course will focus on the development of “best practices” for creating and leading communities of just practice that have the capacity to engage in difficult conversations on race, privilege and power.

Jesus’ ministry in the city was one of justice and inclusion and as result his following grew. What does it look like for a church in the city to be a justice minded church that takes into consideration the stratification and inequity in the city as a call to stand with the most marginalized.  This class looks at the why, how and what of being a faith community committed to actively seeking social justice as the key ingredient for evangelism in the city.

How does one prepare for responsible spiritual care when disasters interrupt the patterns of everyday life? What is a faithful response when a disaster arrives for which there was no precedent or preparation?  Using theories and practices of disaster spiritual care and reviewing interfaith disaster spiritual care resources created in various historical settings including resources created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, students will develop a collaborative disaster spiritual care toolkit to use and share with other faith leaders.

The Christian year enables the church to mark time in a profound way. In this course, students will walk through the seasons of the liturgical year—from Advent to Epiphany to Lent to Pentecost to Ordinary Time—to see how theological themes and metaphors of these seasons unfold and build layers of meaning for Christian communities. Drawing on these insights, students will then explore the possibilities for preaching and worship, creating their own sermons and liturgies. Attention will be given to the use of language, the role of music and other lively arts, and the well of resources, both ancient and contemporary, that is available to worship planners. No prerequisites.

This course will explore notions of belonging through the lenses of birth and baptism in colonial America and the “irreconcilable differences” between being a baptized member of the body of Christ while being enslaved in the new nation.  Particular attention will be given to the institution of slavery and the theological arguments for and against it within the church.

This course offers theological reflection and praxis for persons who plan and lead worship. Emphasis is placed on the role and character of the worship leader and corporate worship as a vehicle for spiritual formation and catalyst for social change. Possible models of leadership, planning, and evaluation are explored.