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Descriptions and Academic Forms for Seminary Courses 

The information included in this section of the website is official for the current academic year but is subject to revision at any time, and, therefore, is in no way binding upon Columbia Theological Seminary. 

Course descriptions by area of study are listed at the bottom of this page.

If you have any questions about this information, please contact the Office of Academic Affairs. 

Schedules for Seminary Courses 

The Office of Academic Affairs regularly updates course schedules. Links to these are listed below.

Please Note: 
1. Taking courses out of sequence may delay the semester in which you graduate. 
2. Numbers in parentheses indicate class enrollment limit. 

If you have questions about the course schedules, please contact the Registrar. 

Course Schedule Summer 2022 to Spring 2023 

Course Schedule Summer 2023 to Spring 2024

Ordering Books 

Book Lists are available by course about a month before the class begins. You may order books through Amazon and other retailers. 

Course Schedules by Area

The teaching program at Columbia is arranged in four areas: Biblical, History, Theology & Ethics, Practical Theology, and Supervised Ministry. Interdisciplinary courses, which combine studies in two or more of these areas, are also taught in the degree programs.

See the Academic Calendar

Biblical

Provides students with the necessary skills and tools to interpret the Bible with faithfulness, integrity, and imagination..

Provides intensive study of the essentials of Koine Greek grammar, syntax, and vocabulary preparatory to reading the Greek New Testament.
Introduces the essentials of Hebrew grammar, syntax, and vocabulary preparatory to study of the Hebrew Old Testament.
Introduces the essentials of Hebrew grammar, syntax, and vocabulary preparatory to study of the Hebrew Old Testament. Summer Term classes meet Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 6:00-9:00 pm from late May to early July.
This two-semester course (Parts I and II) studies the diverse literature of the Old Testament, considers the historical and cultural contexts of the ancient world that produced it, introduces critical methods of biblical interpretation, and highlights the significance of the Old Testament for Christian faith.
This two-semester course (Parts I and II) studies the diverse literature of the Old Testament, considers the historical and cultural contexts of the ancient world that produced it, introduces critical methods of biblical interpretation, and highlights the significance of the Old Testament for Christian faith.
This  course introduces the content, major forms, and contexts of the New Testament documents, the history and development of earliest Christianity, as well as methods of biblical interpretation.
Explores the Hebrew text of the short stories of Ruth, Jonah, and Esther, with particular attention to their ancient contexts, literary features and character development, depictions of life in the Diaspora and the “foreigner,” and theological perspectives. Considers a range of interpretive approaches to the stories, their reception in different communities, and how each is significant for Christian faith, life, and proclamation. (Prerequisite: B505 Introductory Biblical Hebrew)
Explores the book of Exodus with special attention to its near Eastern context and various literary genres (narrative, poetry, priestly material, law, etc.). Considers different critical approaches to the book, its lasting influence within Western culture, and its theological significance for contemporary communities of faith. (Prerequisite: B505 Introductory Biblical Hebrew)
Participants will explore a variety of methods and reading strategies, all the while sharpening their translation and exegetical skills. B505 Hebrew is a prerequisite.
This Hebrew-based exegesis course examines metaphors and other types of literary imagery in the Old Testament. Topics addressed include: the visual background of divine metaphors; the rhetorical function of imagery in prophetic discourse; the role of metaphors in biblical poetry; and the interplay between biblical metaphors and the theological imagination. Prerequisite B505 Hebrew or equivalent.
This Hebrew-based exegetical course guides participants through a variety of genres of the Old Testament, from narrative to poetry, covering portions of Genesis, Amos, and the Psalms.  Prerequisite B505 or equivalent.
Deuteronomy stands as the great “hinge” of the Old Testament, closing the door to Israel’s wilderness wanderings and opening the door to new possibilities of obedience in the land. This Hebrew-based exegetical course will guide participants through the various genres of its passionate rhetoric, including its narrative, legal, and poetic texts.  Prerequisite B505 Hebrew.
A Hebrew-based biblical exegesis course focusing on the Song of Songs. Prerequisite is B505 Introductory Biblical Hebrew.
This Hebrew-based exegesis course offers an in-depth analysis of the meaning, historical context, and theological significance of the Decalogue. Special attention will be given to their development in biblical theology, reception in popular culture, and on-going relevance to Christian faith and practice. Prerequisite: B505 Hebrew or equivalent. Online.
Students will translate and interpret various Hebrew texts that focus on creation in one way or another, from Genesis to Psalms and the Wisdom literature.
An introduction to interpreting the Hebrew text of Genesis, particularly chapters 1-12. Participants will develop further competence in Hebrew and exegetical skills, practice various interpretive methods, and consider Genesis as a theological resource for Christian faith, proclamation, and mission. Prerequisite: B505 Introductory Biblical Hebrew or equivalent.
This Hebrew-based exegesis course explores the books of Amos, Hosea, Micah, and First Isaiah by situating them in the historical and social contexts of eighth-century Israel and Judah. Compares the different prophetic understandings of YHWH as well as theological concepts such as faith, justice, and the role of the prophet. Prerequisite: B505 Hebrew or equivalent.
This course offers an in-depth exploration of critical literary, theological, and historical issues in the study of Joshua and Judges. Special attention will be given to the translation and interpretation of these texts in Hebrew. In addition, we will explore how these texts and the many difficult issues they raise concerning violence, holy war, the portrayal of outsiders, and the treatment of women can be read in light of the contextual concerns of the church today, including feminist/womanist, African-American, and postcolonial perspectives. In this sense, the course doubles as both an exercise in Hebrew exegesis and introduction to contextual hermeneutics. Prerequisite: B505 Hebrew.
This Hebrew-based course introduces exegetical methods through study of the book of Daniel and provides an overview of Biblical Aramaic grammar, syntax and vocabulary. Attention will be given to the ancient literary, historical, apocalyptic, and theological dimensions of Daniel, and to its place in traditional and recent eschatological interpretation. Prerequisite: B505 or equivalent.
One of the most cherished canonical gifts proffered by the Old Testament is its poetry. Whether expressing feelings of loss, love, or the very words of God, Hebrew poetry holds significant import for the life of faith and the church. This Hebrew-based exegetical course will discuss the inner workings of biblical poetry and will guide participants through many of the poetic gems gleaming in the prophets, wisdom literature, and other writings.  Prerequisite: B505 or equivalent.
This Hebrew-based exegesis course explores the origin and shape of the so-called Deuteronomistic History, the nature of prophecy in Israel and the ancient Near East, and the rise and fall of Israelite and Judean monarchies. Prerequisite: B505 Introductory Biblical Hebrew or equivalent.
This Hebrew-based exegetical course guides participants through the variety of genres featured in the book of Psalms, from lament to praise.  Participants will refine their translation skills as well as broaden their exegetical toolbox by exploring various methods of interpreting the Psalms.  Prerequisite B505 Introductory Biblical Hebrew or equivalent.

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 offers students an opportunity to explore the Greek texts of both a letter of Paul and one of the Gospels, with attention to their oral character, historical and cultural settings in early Christianity, genres, structures and rhetoric, as well as the theological perspectives they presume and questions they raise for contemporary proclamation and practice. Prerequisite B501 Greek or equivalent.
Designed to meet the M.Div. exegesis requirement, this course offers students an opportunity to engage in close readings of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans through the dual lenses of post-structuralism and postcolonialism. One of the central aims of this course is to help students think more critically about how we make meaning of scriptures and the impact our ideological assumptions have upon biblical interpretation for teaching and preaching. Prerequisite B501 or equivalent.
An introduction to the art and practice of exegesis through the study of Mark’s gospel. Students will engage in close reading of the text by means of a variety of critical methods, drawing from: historical, literary, social, and cultural criticisms. Prerequisite B501 Greek or equivalent.
An introduction to the art and practice of exegesis through the study of Luke’s gospel. Students will engage in close reading of the text by means of a variety of critical methods, drawing from: historical, literary, social, and cultural criticisms. Prerequisite: B501 or equivalent
This course provides an opportunity to tighten Greek reading skills and develop exegetical tools for interpretation of parables, including historical, socio-economic, political, rhetorical, and intertextual reading strategies. Students will translate and interpret a variety of parables from Matthew and Luke. Prerequisite B501 or equivalent.
This course will explicate linguistic, theological, historical and political aspects of select texts from Luke-Acts. It will offer tools for interpreting the texts in light of current socio-political contexts for the purposes of preaching and teaching in congregations. Prerequisite B501 Greek or equivalent.
This course will explicate linguistic, theological, political, and historical aspects of select texts from John’s gospel. It will offer tools for interpreting gospel texts in light of current socio-political contexts for the purposes of preaching and teaching in congregations. Prerequisite B501 Essentials of Greek or equivalent.
A Greek-based biblical exegesis course focusing on the books of Philippians and Luke.  Prerequisite is B501 Essentials of Greek.
In this course students will engage in close critical readings of Galatians and the Acts of the Apostles with consideration to literary and historical contexts, as well as the Greek texts. We will give particular attention to the proclamation or kerygma of the early ekklesia, theological constructions, revelation, community, violence, hierarchy, ‘othering,’ and the intersection of race or ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, and/or religion. Prerequisite B501 or equivalent.
In this course, students will review basic Greek grammar, learn some intermediate Greek grammar, and build Greek vocabulary while reading passages from the Greek text of the Gospel of Matthew. Students will become familiar with the content and historical context of Matthew. Students will also learn how to perform word studies of Greek words within the literary context of Matthew. This course requires that students write an ‘exegesis’ paper. Students will be expected to interpret the scripture passage/pericope on which they choose to write their ‘exegesis’ paper and to utilize their facility with Greek.  In writing the ‘exegesis’ paper students will engage a contemporary social justice issue.
First Corinthians is addressed to the ekklesia that the Apostle Paul founded in Corinth. In this course students will engage in close critical readings of Paul’s letter to the Corinthian believers. Our readings will consider historical and literary context, as well as the Greek text. We will discuss Paul’s reason for writing, his rhetorical responses to the problems in Corinth, ancient Roman slavery, the intersection of gender, authority, and hierarchy, as well as contemporary relevance. Prerequisite B501 or equivalent.
In this course, students will engage in close and critical readings of the Greek text of Revelation. Students will explore Revelation’s distinctive rhetoric, theological vision, socio-political context, and contemporary appropriation in communities of faith. Greek-based exegesis course. Prerequisite B501 Greek; 3 credits; Online.
In this course, students will engage in a close reading of the book of Hebrews using the Greek text. Prerequisite B501 Greek.
Engages in exegesis of the book of Proverbs, with particular attention to the book`s rhetorical strategies, worldview claims about the self, community, and theological perspectives. Considers ways in which the book may be read as a theological-ethical whole, and how it may inform faith communities today.
This course examines ethically and theologically difficult texts in the Bible, including those that deal with holy war, violence, ethnocentrism, sexism, and negative stereotypes of Jews. Emphasis will be placed on developing interpretive strategies for teaching these “texts of terror” to lay audiences in a responsible and critical manner. Online
Explores the Bible in light of post-structuralist thought, especially the concepts of difference, presence and repetition. Examines the work of Ferdinand de Saussure, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Catherine Malabou, Homi Bhabha, Henry Louis Gates, Hazel Carby, and Gilles Deleuze.
A study of the biblical figure of Eve that pays particular attention to her “maternal aspect” and what that entails. Examines interpretations of Eve throughout history, particularly those that emphasize her role in original sin or as significant for debates on gender equality, while ignoring her complex role as “mother of all the living” (Gen 3:20). Considers how these interpretations of Eve and maternity relate to the lived experience of women.
Explores the book of Genesis, paying particular attention to its ancient Near Eastern contexts, narrative and character development, and theological perspectives. Considers modern interpretive approaches to Genesis, the lasting influence of the book on Western art and literature, and interpretations and uses of the book in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Interprets Song of Songs, with particular attention to the book’s rhetorical strategies, theological significance, and roles in Jewish and Christian liturgies. Considers ways in which the poetry and passion of Song of Songs may inform faith communities today.
Considers how the book of Psalms engages God and the community dialogically, liturgically, and pastorally.
Traces the interpretation of the book of Ecclesiastes in Jewish and Christian communities in various modes (e.g. theology, liturgy, visual art, music, philosophy, film). Focuses on important questions raised by the book of Ecclesiastes as well as crucial interpretive problems as they feature in the reception history of this biblical text. English based.
This course aims at cultivating a sense of wonder in God’s Word and World. Participants will explore the multifaceted nature of wonder as a hermeneutical lens for (re)reading Scripture in the context of ministry.
In a time of polarizing division in American culture, the possibility of mutual dialogue and understanding might seem like an impossible dream.  Contrary to popular opinion, however, the Bible is itself a braided tapestry of differing perspectives preserved for critical dialogue and praxis.  Participants will explore the rich theological diversity of the Hebrew Scriptures dialogically from Genesis to the Psalms and the Wisdom literature.  In so doing, participants may discover ways to host genuine dialogue within their own communities in such a time as this.
Considers the various ways in which violence figures in Old Testament texts and images of the ancient Near East. Special attention is given to interpreting biblical poetry (e.g., Lamentations), and analyzing select images from ancient/modern contexts. Explores the problem of violence for theological interpretation of Scripture, as well as the ethical questions evoked by imaged suffering in contemporary image-saturated media.
Explores Lamentations and Second-Isaiah (Isa 40-55) using a variety of interpretative methods. Pays particular attention the texts’ ancient Near Eastern context, diverse literary genres, descriptions of trauma and suffering, attempts at comfort, and theological significance. Considers both as vital resources for Christian faith, proclamation, and mission.
This course explores the contours of Old Testament theology, including its sources, challenges, diverse articulations, and on-going relevance for Christian faith and practice. Class sessions will meet at First Presbyterian Church in Midtown and will include contextual learning components and opportunities for dialogue with church members and pastors. Hybrid.
Surveys the literature of the Old Testament, focusing on its diverse witnesses to the God of Israel who was incarnate in Jesus Christ. Examines topics such as the character and attributes of God, the presence of God, the knowledge of God, and the history of Israelite, Judahite and Jewish conceptions of God from various perspectives in biblical literature. Explores these matters in the context of the Old Testament as a whole, and in relation to Christian theology. Course fulfills the MAPT requirement for introductory Old Testament study.
Explores the book of Exodus using a variety of interpretative methods. Pays particular attention to the book’s ancient Near Eastern context, narrative development, diverse literary genres, and theological significance. Considers Exodus as a vital resource for Christian faith, proclamation, and mission.
This course examines the literary depictions of particular women characters in the Old Testament. The goal is to comprehend the complexity of biblical women and equip students as thoughtful, informed interpreters of their stories.
Participants will explore the ever shifting contours of “beauty” and “creativity” in the Old Testament by bringing various biblical texts into conversation with various artistic media, from ancient iconography to modern visual arts, music, poetry, etc. In so doing, participants will develop their own critical creativity in interpreting texts.

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. 

What resources (and problems) does the NT offer for Christians seeking to develop a theological framework for responding to our ecological crises? Does the NT view of salvation focus only on individual human souls, or also on the creation? This course explores especially the development of the Biblical stories of creation and fall (Genesis 1-4) in the New Testament and early Christianity, both in relation to the story of Jesus and the content of eschatological hope.
A study of the Lukan corpus utilizing critical exegetical methods. Special attention will be given to the themes of reversal, community, and salvation particularly as they relate to social justice issues. Greek is recommended but not required.
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 3) as they might be used in the life of the church today. We will focus especially on the possibilities and problems for preaching and teaching posed especially by those parables that occur in the Revised Common Lectionary, most of which come from Matthew and Luke. This course is open to all students, but may be adapted to meet the standards of a Greek language exegetical distribution elective.
Reads selected Gospel texts in their first century colonial contexts and examines how they have been used to justify oppressive agendas such as the colonial enterprise of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries as well as neocolonial structures in various contemporary domains. Explores interpretive strategies for reclaiming Gospel texts for liberative purposes.
In this course students will read the English text of Mark with an eye to questions about literary artistry, theological purpose, and exegetical method.
Examines the role of images within the Old and New Testaments, as well as the history of Christian and Jewish visual representations of biblical texts. Analyzes selected images that crystallize different theologies of images and modes of biblical interpretation. Considers various theological and hermeneutical frameworks that undergird these images. Students will learn how to interpret Jewish and Christian art and will develop a theological perspective on the use of visual art in the contemporary Church.
Will study important themes and practices in New Testament spirituality as these are expressed or implied in major texts, with a methodological introduction to the study of spirituality. Themes and practices may include the presence of God, prayer, the Lord’s Supper, and the relation of spirituality to social justice. The aim will be both to understand New Testament spirituality and to engage with it in ways that can be transformative for the spiritual lives and practices of contemporary Christian individuals and congregations.
Explores issues of ethnicity, race, gender, class, and sexuality and how they intersect in the biblical text and/or in the lived realities of interpreters and interpreting communities. Examines how womanists (nonwhite women scholars that self-identify as womanists and who prioritize nonwhite women’s experiences, traditions, and concerns) and feminists (white and nonwhite women and men scholars who self-identify as black/feminists) biblical scholars have addressed such intersectionalities when interpreting biblical texts. Focuses on issues of social (in)justice (e.g. violence against women, police brutality, poverty and so on) and interlocking oppressions (racism, classism, sexism, and heterosexism) and how we can foreground and/or address such concerns when doing biblical interpretation.
This course engages close readings of selected passages in the book of Revelation, with attention to literary genre, socio-historical context, and postcolonial theory. The course will deploy womanist and feminist critiques of its imagery while paying special attention to the theo-political implications of its ecclesiology.
The historical-political context in which Jesus lived and the biblical writers wrote was the Roman Empire, and Rome was an ancient slave society in which slavery was a pervasive reality. The course will explore slavery under the Roman Empire as a significant context for critically reading certain New Testament texts. How can Roman slavery help us understand certain NT texts? And what might the NT reveal about slavery and its authors?  Focused attention will be on Philemon, 1 Corinthians, Galatians and the Gospels. The course will compare ancient Roman slavery with slavery in the antebellum South, observing the similarities and differences. The continuities allow students to place NT texts in conversation with antebellum texts and to imaginatively fill gaps in the former. Spiritual slave narratives and other historical documents demonstrate how slave masters used the NT to support slavery and how enslaved and freed Africans interpreted NT scripture based on their own experiences.
This course develops a theological approach for dilemmas in race relations by exploring the relationship be­tween ethnoracial identity, gender, and Christian identity, with attention to  the writings in the New Testament. Lectures and discussions about NT texts and readings about ethnic and racial identity help students un­derstand the biblical world-view and modern and post-modern constructs regarding the intersectionality of ethnoracial identity. Students will be ex­posed to several biblical, theological, and theoretical approaches that will be used to help them construct a Christian posture about race issues in society affecting a variety of ethnoracial groups. Classes include lectures, small and large group discussions, online exercises, and student-lead seminars.
Considers the letters of Paul as examples and resources for local theology. Explores the nature of local theology as the intersection of cultural context, tradition, and the church. Applies theory and practice of local theology to reading Paul’s letters and thinking of him as a theologian. English based.
In this online intensive explorations course, we will critically read the Gospel of Luke from Africana and womanist perspectives with special attention to God’s visitation with the marginalized, the poor, people without homes, and/or masses ‘who stand daily with their backs against the wall,’ including women and people labeled as sinners. Reading Luke from Africana and womanist perspectives allows students to experience how people with a collective history and present existential experience with trauma based on the intersection race, gender, class, and sexuality read Luke to affirm God’s presence with them and to remain hopeful in, and faithful to, the God who is able to do all things and who visits with the most vulnerable. Particular attention will be given to Lukan material and how ‘Luke’/the author revised his sources for his purposes in the Gospel of Luke. Also, students will gain facility in reading Lukan texts within their literary contexts, with some attention to historical context. This course will also host a few guests who experienced homelessness, minister to persons who are homeless, and/or are activists.

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.

In this course we will first examine the concept of dissent. We will further explore readers of the NT from ancient and modern contexts who dissented or opposed, implicitly and explicitly. certain interpreters and interpretations of the NT, characterizations in the NT and/or the texts themselves as problematic, contrary to their experience with God, or as oppressive. We will also explore dissent motivated by justice.
Exegesis of the Hebrew text of Kings. Topics will include the origin and shape of the so-called Deuteronomistic History, the nature of prophecy in Israel and the ancient Near East, and the rise and fall of Israelite and Judean monarchies. Hebrew is a prerequisite.
Explores the books of Amos, Hosea, Micah, and First Isaiah by situating them in the historical and social contexts of eighth-century Israel and Judah. Compares the different prophetic understandings of YHWH as well as theological concepts such as faith, justice, and the role of the prophet. Surveys the reception histories of these various prophetic works. Prerequisite:B505 or equivalent.
“Idolatry” is a frequent sin in the Old Testament, but what exactly is it? What makes idolatry bad? This course traces the history of the concept of idolatry throughout the Old Testament canon with an eye toward discerning and responding to idolatry in our current contexts. Prerequisite Old Testament Interpretation I (B520) or II (B521).
What were the social, historical and ecclesial contexts of Paul’s letters? What are some theological and ethical issues the letters address? The course examines the ways in which the contexts of Paul’s communities shaped the content and rhetorical strategies of his letters and bring the letters into conversations with contemporary issues, especially in pastoral settings. We will note how Paul’s first interpreters’ the deutero-Pauline authors’ sought to shape his legacy.
The class will do a detailed interpretation of Paul’s letter to the Romans trying to understand something of the function of the letter for its original audience and its significance for Christian reflection and practice today. Prerequisite: Greek B501 or equivalent

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. 

The course will explore the various metaphors for the Church in the New Testament, how they function to envision life together for the first Christians, and how they contribute to the contemporary church’s reflection on its own life together. Prerequisite: A course in the New Testament
This course explores the ecology, nature, structures, and vocations of the church as an eschatological body in the New Testament, with a particular eye to possible connections between this ecology and the ecology of creation itself. How is the ecology of the church a response to imperial ecologies of the first century? How might the church today respond faithfully to situations of empire and environmental degradation? How might the eschatological imagination of the church be related to God’s intentions for creation? Recommended courses include B520 OT Interpretation I, B521 OT Interpretation II, and B530 NT Interpretation.
A critical reading of Paul’s first extant letter with an eye to his relationship with the Thessalonian Christians, their relationships with each other and with their neighbors, and what Paul thinks those relationships have to do with God’s relationship to the world in Christ. Prerequisite: B501 or equivalent
An exploration of the ways early Christians use kinship language and metaphors to talk about themselves, their relationships, and the God they worship in Jesus Christ. Includes examination of New Testament texts that employ family imagery and texts that discuss family life in the context of the contemporary culture wars about families and family values.  Prerequisite: A course in New Testament.
An independent study in Old or New Testament undertaken in the final semester of the MA(TS) program. Students do analytic, constructive work on a specific topic and produce original research in partial fulfillment of the degree requirements.
Students create the reading list with their adviser and meet to discuss the reading and their research.
This is the required independent study completed in conjunction with the required Thesis Reading and Research course. The purpose of this course is for the student to write a literature review of the sources read during the Thesis Reading & Research course. This course is supervised by the student’s primary advisor with the assistance of the instructor of the ThM Research Seminar.
How is (in)justice characterized in biblical texts? What are the different conceptions of justice in the Scriptures? In this course we will critically and contextually explore justice in the OT and NT. Further we will discuss how biblical perspectives of justice can inform and be placed in conversation with current social justice issues.
We will examine womanist and feminist interpretations’ engagement with contemporary issues of social justice in conversation with critical readings of biblical texts. Particular attention is given to biodiversity, environmental justice and medical ethics using intersectional analysis (gender, class, race, sexuality).
Proverbs invites us into an ancient and ongoing conversation about what is good and wise and true in life. This course explores the book using various interpretive methods, and pays particular attention to how Proverbs shapes the moral and theological imagination of its readers.
This course examines ethically and theologically difficult texts in the Bible, including those that deal with violence, holy war, the mistreatment of women, and the exclusion of outsiders. Emphasis will be placed on developing interpretive strategies and perspectives for teaching these “texts of terror” responsibly and critically to lay audiences. Online
Examines biblical views on and responses to poverty, including its various causes and dimensions (social, ethical, and theological). Emphasis will be placed on how church leaders can use biblical frameworks not only to diagnose traditional models of benevolence and outreach but also to develop more effective and just poverty solutions. The course includes site visits to several Atlanta-based organizations doing innovative work to address poverty, homelessness, and community development.
An exploration of love and desire in ancient Israel through the lens of the Song of Songs. Participants will consider the Song’s ancient Near Eastern and canonical contexts, key themes and rhetorical strategies, portraits of desire and longing, and ways in which the poetry and passion of Song of Songs may inform and enliven Christian faith, proclamation, and mission.
Explores the book of Genesis, paying particular attention to its ancient Near Eastern contexts, narrative and character development, and theological perspectives. Considers modern interpretive approaches to Genesis, the lasting influence of the book on Western art and literature, and interpretations and uses of the book in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
This course explores the book of Job within its ancient Near Eastern cultural setting, carefully examines the text with comparison to various biblical approaches to the problems of suffering and divine justice, traces its history of interpretation in Jewish and Christian communities, and contemplates the theological and ethical dimensions of human suffering in our contemporary world.
This course explores key themes in Old Testament theology, including the character of God, the gift of Sabbath, the compassion of the law, the love of neighbor/stranger, and the candor of lament. Emphasis will be placed on the on-going relevance of the OT in Christian faith and practice.
Explores key New Testament texts that address issues of economic (in)justice. Examines these texts within the socio-political contexts of first century Palestine and the Roman empire, as well as artwork from that era, to see how the economic vision offered might have been countercultural. Explores how each NT book builds upon earlier ones, offering its unique vision of justice and what faith communities can take from these texts as they seek to live faithfully amid unprecedented economic inequality in the United States.
This course explores the biblical story of creation (“heaven and earth”) from Genesis to Revelation, focusing especially on the relevant NT materials in Matthew, John, Paul, and Revelation. The primary goal of the course is to develop a framework for understanding the biblical narratives of creation, fall and curse, and redemption, especially as these relate to current environmental concerns.
The wisdom literature of the Old Testament is rich with insight about God’s relationship to the world and humanity’s place in it. The class will explore the many faces of wisdom in the Bible, focusing specifically on Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes, which together mark the journey of faith and wonder coram deo. Knowledge of Hebrew is recommended, but not required.
This seminar aims at cultivating a sense of wonder in God’s Word and World. Participants will explore the multifaceted nature of wonder as a hermeneutical lens for (re)reading Scripture in the context of ministry.

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.

This course engages close readings of selected passages in the book of Revelation, with attention to literary genre, socio-historical context, and postcolonial theory. The course will deploy womanist and feminist critiques of its imagery while paying special attention to the theo-political implications of its ecclesiology.
This course will study visions of spirituality in selected New Testament texts, such as the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ Farewell Discourse in the Fourth Gospel, and Paul’s final exhortations in Romans. We will be attentive to how these texts have shaped spirituality in various cultural and historical contexts. The aim will be to discover in these texts how the encounter with God can both affirm and transform the spiritual lives of individuals and congregations in different contexts today.
Explores Matthew’s story of Jesus and the restoration of “heaven and earth,” with an eye to themes of empire, violence, justice and forgiveness, and creation. This course provides resources especially for those who are preaching or teaching from the Gospel Lectionary next year (December 2016-November 2017).
Traces the interpretation of the book of Ecclesiastes in Jewish and Christian communities in various modes (e.g. theology, liturgy, visual art, music, philosophy, film). Focuses on important questions raised by the book of Ecclesiastes as well as crucial interpretive problems as they feature in the reception history of this biblical text.
Explores the social-historical and theological dynamics of the Israelite community in the Persian period (539-331 BCE) by consideration of postexilic biblical texts. Emphasis is placed on the rebuilding of the faith community in its colonized and pluralistic context, conceptions of leadership, the roles of the priesthood and temple, concerns about idolatry and purity, and understandings of God and God’s work in the world. Participants will reflect on how this period in Israel’s history challenges and informs Christian faith, proclamation, and mission in the contemporary Church.
This course explores the ecology—nature, structures, and vocations—of the church as an eschatological body in the New Testament. How is NT eschatology related to the biblical story of creation? How is the ecology of the church a response to imperial ecologies of the first century? How might the church today respond faithfully to situations of empire and environmental degradation? How might the eschatological imagination of the church be related to God’s intentions for creation?

Historical

Provides the tools students need to deal theologically with themselves and the world around them.

An extended reflection on The Apostles` Creed, The Lord`s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments that presupposes no prior knowledge of Christian theology. Case studies are used in order to discuss the practical significance of the theological reflections.
The course will look at Christianity in its different cultural, geographical and historical expressions from its rise as a movement from within the Jewish context, to its Hellenistic, Coptic, Western and now global manifestations. The serial, rather than progressive expansion of Christianity will be highlighted. Students will be introduced to the distinctive features of the different cultural expressions of the Christian faith. The rise and expansion of Islam and the ways it affected the trajectory of Christian history and thought will be examined. Similarly, the demographic shift of Christianity from the global north to the global south will be covered through a survey of the histories of Christian missions, with particular attention to indigenous agency in the translation and appropriation of Christianity in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
This course invites students on a journey through Christian history from the first century to the present. With emphases on the movements and turning points that shaped Christianity across the globe, the course engages primary sources and contemporary historical interpretations. Hybrid.
This course traces global movements of Christianities from the early church to CE1700, using historical-critical analyses of primary texts, the development of ideas and practices, their interactions with other religions, issues of gender and race, and outcomes of diverse traditions of today’s World Christianities.  Counts as History of Christianities distribution requirement.
The course traces global movements of Christianities from CE 1500 to present, using historical-critical analyses of primary texts, the development of ideas and practices, their interactions with other religions, issues of gender and race, and outcomes of diverse traditions of today’s World Christianities.
Introduces the basic doctrines of Christian faith. Studies classical theological paradigms, their contemporary reinterpretation, and the significance of theology for the life of the church.
Introduces the basic doctrines of Christian faith. Studies classical theological paradigms, their contemporary reinterpretation, and the significance of theology for the life of the church. Prerequisite: HD 550, or permission of the instructor.
This course explores how Christian ideas about love (principally agape) have intersected with the ways the church has talked about justice.  This online intensive course will build from a number of case-studies, including several related to the current Coronavirus pandemic, and will satisfy the MDiv Christian Ethics distributional requirement.
Students examine theories of leadership and ethics in light of current debates about the motives and actions of leaders in both church and society. Students also explore the relevance of such theories for understanding their roles as leaders and followers in various ministerial and institutional contexts. Hybrid or Online. Meets Ethics Distribution Requirement.
This course explores how the Black body materializes through theology and the cultural production of embodied Blackness and how it becomes a site for doing liberative ethical work. The project of Black liberation theologians and ethicists is to free the Black body from the constraints of colonized Christianity, yet few theorize the Black body and blackness as site of religion and site of morality through which our constructive ethics arise. We will study the literature, music, and theories of Black embodiment and ground our study in the normative concerns of Christian liberative theology and ethics. Our goal is to use the cultural production of Black embodiment as a moral source to craft a constructive ethical response that centers Black people’s resistance, healing, and liberation.
Does God act in the world? And why is there so much suffering? No two sets of questions seem more impervious to human thought or more important to life and ministry. They are also the guiding questions of the class.  Counts as a Christian Ethics distribution requirement course.
Students analyze current debates regading public policies in light of ethical theories of justice. Each student engages in small group work on a public policy, writes a position paper on a selected policy issue, and develops a program for educating a specific audience on the selected issue.  Meets Ethics Distribution Requirement
This course uses social and ethical interpretation of the church as a human community as a point of departure for exploring  barriers to and dynamics of moral discourse in communities of faith. Theories of racial, ethnic, gender, and cultural identity are used to examine demographics of communities of faith and students as religious leaders. Theories of conflict transformation, intercultural communication, and dialogue are used to develop models of moral discourse for application in congregations or other group settings in which students practice ministry. Meets Ethics Distribution Requirement.
Christian ethics involves multiple voices and varied perspectives expressed over time and in many contexts. This course traces the histories that have shaped Christian Ethics, giving special attention to the way they complicate and make possible the church’s moral witness.
Considers how we now understand the church`s early confession, “Jesus is Lord,” questions whether we should use the same language today and the political implications of doing so. A cross between Christology and political philosophy.
Explores the history and practice of nonviolence as movements in the United States and around the globe as well as the ways in which nonviolence is a practice of liberation ethics. Class time will also be used to learn the philosophy and strategies of nonviolent protest.
Explores how theologians try to make moral sense of life and death in relation to issues such as euthanasia, abortion, cloning, and healthcare reform.
Christian ethics is born out of conflict. This statement refers to both the history of Christian ethics as an academic discipline and the ongoing call to pursue a faithful Christian life. Christian ethics thus brings us face to face with the conflicts and crises that inform our very being. In this course, we will examine issues such as climate change, violence, capitalism, racism, and sexism with the belief that they present challenging opportunities for critical engagement and transformation. We will reflect on what it means to respond to these challenges faithfully as practicing Christian ethicists and how we might account for those responses.
This course examines Presbyterian history and polity from the colonial period to the present across diversities of age, ethnicity, gender, geography, and race through careful study of a myriad of source materials ranging from historical texts to the Book of Order.
This course focuses on the ways in which a diverse array of Christian individuals, congregations, and institutions across U.S. history understood race and privilege, perpetuated or opposed racial discrimination, and pursued reconciliation through careful study of primary sources, scholarly interpretations of American religion, and the work of critical race theorists.  Counts as the American Religious History distribution requirement.
Examines the histories of a diverse array of Christian individuals, groups, and traditions in colonial North America and the United States through close analysis of primary sources and secondary interpretations. Students will identify critical themes and explore various methods to study the past, apply historical lessons in the present, and move forward together toward a more faithful future.
This course will engage the writings of Black intellectuals who wrestled with the meaning of race, religion, and Black identity in the United States, spanning from the era of the antebellum south to the modern day. Our interlocutors will be a mix of religious practitioners, sociologists, theologians, ethicists, historians, and cultural critics, across gender, sexuality, and political, and denominational/religious persuasions. Students will learn the variety of African American Religious thought throughout the history of the United States and ground the contexts and backgrounds for which these Black intellectuals respond. Those contexts include chattel slavery, reconstruction, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, the rise of Mass Incarceration, the ascendancy of Barack Obama, the movement for Black Lives, and more.
This course is an examination of the development of Islamic religious thought and practice and its theological and cultural interactions with Christianity. It will undertake an historical survey of the rise of Islam and go on to examine its major dogmas and rituals. Particular attention will be paid to the five faces of Islam: missionary, mystical, political, militant and progressive faces. The historical, theological and political intersections with Christianity will be highlighted. Pressing theological questions on the nature of God and God’s revelation in the two religions will be addressed. Finally, the course will introduce students to different models of historical and contemporary Christian responses to Islam and engagement with Muslims.
Various terminologies are employed by scholars to describe World Christianity such as ‘Global Christianity’ (Philip Jenkins), or ‘World Christianity’ (Lamin Sanneh). Lamin Sanneh has argued that ‘Global Christianity’ perpetuates the idea of exportation and imposition of European cultural informed Christianity through the mechanisms of economic globalization and colonization. This course is an exploration of Christianity’s story  with a primary focus on the processes of cross-cultural transmission and the critical elements that have defined the experience and expression of the faith in successive heartlands.
This course will examine Christian constructive theological responses to the situation of religious pluralism, from the early church to the present, with an emphasis on contemporary voices, such as Jacques Dupuis, Mark Heim, and Paul Knitter. The class will enable students to see that religious pluralism is not a new situation, but one that Christians have been addressing since the writing of the New Testament. Students will read and engage a variety of perspectives on religious pluralism, with the goal of developing their own theological interpretations.
This course explores the nature of the movement of the Christian faith and the historical, theological, and missiological implications that this movement has on the life of Christian communities throughout the world. Through a focus on the current demographic transformation of Christianity, students are exposed to emerging theological and historical dynamics which are both in continuity and discontinuity with Western historical and theological Christian encyclopedia by giving voice to theological articulations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Investigates the unity and diversity of perspectives on Jesus Christ from a variety of social, political, and cultural contexts around the world. The challenges and opportunities of cross-cultural theological conversations are explored in light of the mixed legacy of colonial missions. Connections between Christological models and contextual religious practices are highlighted.  Fulfills the MDiv World Christianities distribution requirement.
Students will study the history of world Christianity as characterized by encounters, expressions, and conflicts that occur across the boundaries of culture, religion, and place. This course will primarily use historical approaches to investigate the ideas, communities, and people who actively generate these phenomena. The course is designed to help students make connections, generate comparisons, and examine the diversity and depth of world Christianity, as well as attend to its compromises with oppressive structures and powers.
Students will examine the intercultural and cross-cultural dimensions of African Christianity as a historically local and global religion. This course will examine popular conceptions of “Africa” in relation to religion, Christianity, and the world in order to investigate Africans as creators of their own Christian histories, theologies, and practices.
This course is a critical analysis of African women’s theologies through the works of African women from different contexts. The course explores how different women from their varied contexts use theology to articulate different forms of spiritualties and ethical issues and expose and challenge injustice in both church and society. Topics will include religion culture, and ecological concerns. The course finally brings to light ways in which African women have created space for theological discourse and are impacting the growth and development of theology church.
This course investigates the histories of Christian theology in American culture from colonial to recent times. Exploring the making of diverse theologies across U.S. history, the course will examine Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, and Mormon constructions as well as African American, Asian American, Latino/a American, Native American, feminist/womanist, and emerging church perspectives. Utilizing history as a source to better understand theology in America, the course entails careful analysis of theological texts and the cultural and historical contexts in which they were formed.
This course critically examines the development of Christianity in Asia between sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. The Treaty of Tordesillas (1493) set the stage for early modern Iberian conquest and Christianization of the globe. In the spirit of Catholic Reform, the Society of Jesus, founded by Ignatius of Loyola (1540), became the largest missionary order. Although some small Eastern Orthodox communities existed in enclaves, the Jesuits brought Christianity for the first time in most of Asia. The resulting stories are complex. Francis Xavier already reached Portuguese Goa in 1542. During the subsequent years, the interactions between the Jesuit missionaries and new converts in religiously diverse traditions and cultures in India, Japan, China, Indonesia, Philippines, and other parts of Asia birthed new churches and produced new expressions of Christianity. These “native” Christianities caused controversies in Europe. The local environment was often hostile and challenging. Soon the Protestants began to reach Asia.
An examination of representative women who helped shape the Reformation movements. Studies the range of women`s leadership in Lutheran, Reformed, Radical, English, and Catholic Reformations in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Addresses the critical issues in studying women in history.
New approaches to the period known as the age of discovery, expansion, and Reformations in Western Europe (14th-17th C) through a global perspective. Discussion topics include: redefinitions of the Christian gospel and diverse expressions of Reform ideas and practices, biblical textual humanism, the printing press and communication networks, the revival of martyrdom, Christian identity and race/ethnic identity, community and social discipline, mission, trade, slavery and colonialism, encounters with other religions, the birth of new churches in non-European lands, sexuality, vocation, and women in the Reformations.
This course explores the history of religion and culture in the United States from the nineteenth century to the present to analyze how Christianity has been represented in popular literature, art, music, and film. Looking beyond American pulpits and congregations, students will investigate how doctrines like redemption and sin and practices like lament and confession are formed and transformed in popular works such as Harriett Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Norman Rockwell’s paintings, the jazz music of the Harlem Renaissance, and The Hunger Games films.
An introduction to writings by women who found their “vocation” as monastic creative writers, abbesses, theologians, visionaries, mystic teachers, spiritual guides, humanist educators, city reformers, apologists, catechists, and leaders of sodalities. Explores the ways in which biblical, theological, anthropological and social arguments were used against women in officially ministering within the church. Women questioned the status quo and created venues to preach and engage in sacramental ministries.
An examination of Luther`s (1483-1546 C.E.) reformation in the context of late medieval and early modern Europe and beyond. Readings include Luther`s major biblical, theological and polemic works. Traces the development of his reform ideas and practices in interaction with other reform movements. Discusses issues of the Peasants’ War, Jews and Turks, national identity, witchcraft, and marriage and vocation for women and men.
Explore many Christian perspectives on the Holy Spirit through history and from a variety of contemporary contexts, exploring questions such as: in Christian faith and Scripture, who is the Holy Spirit? How does one discern the Spirit amidst the spirits? What is the relation between Jesus and the Spirit? What is Christian life lived in the power of the Spirit?
Surveys the development of baptismal and Eucharistic theologies through history and explores some of the various debates concerning baptism and Eucharist in churches around the world today.
Investigates social consequences of religious belief through resistance against Nazism (Dietrich Bonhoeffer), against racism through the U.S. Civil Rights Movement (Martin Luther King, Jr.), and against Rwandan genocide (Emmanuel Katongole) asking: How do ideas about God shape the way communities and individuals engage the social order?
This course explores the theologies that underlie Christian notions of embodiment, desire, and sexual activity and attempts to connect those theological notions to contemporary issues of sexuality that confront the Church.
We live in a time with many competing claims about what it means to be church.  Is “church” an intimate community of disciples with a common life? A global network of Christians with a common mission? A community of believers with a common set of beliefs? In the context of such debates, and drawing from both classical and contemporary theological materials, this class will wrestle with perennial theological questions, including: what is the relationship of Christ and the church? What is the relationship of the Holy Spirit and the church?  Is the church “necessary for salvation”?  How does the triune God work in and through—and in spite of—the church to accomplish God’s purposes?

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.

This course re-conceptualizes “margins” (marginalized social locations) as epistemological and moral vantage points at which the marginalized are able to reconstruct theological languages in moral response to social injustice. Students first explore the creative possibilities located at the margins by drawing on Victor Turner’s account of “liminality,” Nancy Fraser’s account of “subaltern counterpublic,” and Sang Hyun Lee’s Asian American Theology. Then, students examine the lived experiences of the communities at the margins and their creative reconstruction of languages of God, Christ, Holy Spirit, Humanity, and Church.
Explores the Black American religious experience in topics ranging from Black women and religion, to the civil rights movement, to leadership models in the tradition.
Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life and Min-Sun Kim’s Non-Western Perspective on Human Communication:  Implications for Theory and Practice are theoretical bases for this course.  Students learn theory and skills for communicating effectively and compassionately with persons of diverse race-ethnicities, cultures, and religious backgrounds.
John Paul Lederach’s theories of conflict transformation along with theories of transformative mediation and narrative mediation are studied.  These theories inform the practice of skills for sustaining relationships in contexts of conflict.  Students will practice conflict transformation skills and develop their own conflict transformation leadership style.
Theories regarding what constitutes dialogue (rather than conversation or debate) as well as the Democratic Dialogue—A Handbook for Practitioners provide theoretical and practical insights for this course.  Students will practice dialogue skills and develop dialogue models for discussing difficult topics in the varieties of contexts in which they practice ministry.
Students study insights from conflict transformation theory, organizational theory, and cognitive science on moral imagination as they complete the exercises in The Little Book of Contemplative Photography by Howard Zehr.
A seminar exploring how selected theological and social ethical questions are presented in cultural sources such as contemporary movies, novels, political cartoons, music, and visual art. Theories of cultural criticism and liberation theologies and ethics provide the analytical and dialogical frame for the course.
Examines the historical, sociological, and theological bases of feminist and womanist ethics to explore gender oppression, socio-religious ethics and the analysis of sexism, and the purpose of a movement against sexist oppression.
The sciences and the Christian tradition provide narratives about the end of the world. Yet how do these narratives relate? How do we evaluate them? And what are the implications of the narratives for the way we live and think today? This course, taught by a professor of astrophysics and a professor of religious ethics and offered jointly by Agnes Scott College and Columbia Theological Seminary, takes up those critical questions and provides students from both schools with opportunities to study widely, think critically, and learn respectfully in a cross-disciplinary setting.
Examines the ethical content of the writings of liberation theologians and ethicists and the ethical dimensions of topics relevant to struggles for liberation.
This course critically examines the development of contemporary virtue ethics and challenges its lack of proper attention to social justice. This course pays special attention to communities who suffer under a variety form of social injustice and then reconstructs virtue ethics for healing the suffering communities and addressing issues of social justice. In this course, student will (1) identify a case of an oppressed community, (2) thickly describe and analyze the community’s suffering, and (3) reconstitute the languages of virtues and human flourishing in response to social injustice by critically drawing on the works of moral philosophers and theologians such as Stanley Hauerwas, Alasdair Macintyre, Elizabeth Anscombe, Jonathan Lear, Lisa Tessman, Audre Lorde, and Katie Cannon.
The course will trace the development of interfaith dialogue in its organized and spontaneous forms. It will help students to appreciate the biblical and existential imperatives of dialogue with people of other faiths. The course will explore the theory and practice of interfaith dialogue and the different forms of dialogue, i.e. intellectual/theological, dialogue of life and spiritual dialogue. Different models of interfaith dialogue in different parts of the world will also be examined. Students will take part in some interfaith dialogue activities in the Atlanta area for observation and experience.
In the present global climate of terrorism with competing, conflicting and confusing views about Islam and Muslims in mainstream academic and popular discourses, the course seeks to help students understand and engage with Islam as a living tradition in all its multiplicity of expressions. The five faces the course seeks to address are: The Missionary Face of Islam; the Mystical Face of Islam; the Ideological Face of Islam; the Militant Face of Islam; and the Progressive Face of Islam. Students will be helped to see these different faces as overlapping circles rather than mutually exclusive compartmentalized boxes. The course adopts a pedagogical approach which aims at helping students attain a holistic understanding of the Muslim faith as it is lived out in different cultural and geopolitical contexts.
This seminar examines four recent attempts to reinterpret Christology in response to urgent issues facing the contemporary church. The four are: Marilyn McCord Adams, Christ and Horrors: The Coherence of Christology (2006); Gordon D. Kaufman, Jesus and Creativity (2006); Kathryn Tanner, Christ the Key (2010); and Graham Ward, Christ and Culture (2005). Students will be asked to write two 8-10 papers on two of these texts.
An examination of the roots of the feminist theological movement in earlier Christian history, the significant voices from the 1960`s and 1970`s, and contemporary theologians who are working in feminist theology today. In the final weeks of class, students work on projects on topics of particular interest. Prerequisite: HD550 or equivalent
This course will examine salient theologies that focus on the meaning of the cross of Jesus starting from selected passages from Apostle Paul’s letters to Luther’s theology of the cross to more contemporary theological expressions from Bonhoeffer, Moltmann, Douglas J. Hall, C.S. Song, Kosuke Koyama, James Cone, Mary Solberg, and others. Although the course will include atonement theologies it will go beyond them to include theologies of suffering from emergent nations as well as recent works on nonviolent interpretations of the cross. Prerequisite: HD550 or HD551.
Offers an overview of the theology of Karl Barth through close attention to his Church Dogmatics, Epistle to the Romans, and selected occasional writings. Barth’s understandings of revelation, the Word of God, election, reconciliation, and ecclesiology will be explored. Prerequisite: HD 550 or instructor’s permission.
Students study the topic of religion and violence from historical, psychological, sociological, theological, and ethical perspectives as they develop an analytical perspective regarding religion’s role in conflict and violence. Students develop their own theological-ethical perspective on the relationship between religion and violence as a component of their overall theology of ministry. Best if students have some background in church history, theology, and/or worship.
Explores how love (agape) and justice relate with emphasis on the role each plays in the church’s attempts to address social problems.
An independent study in Church History, Ethics, or Theology undertaken in the final semester of the MA(TS) program. Students do analytic, constructive work on a specific topic and produce original research in partial fulfillment of the degree requirements.
Students create the reading list with their adviser and meet to discuss the reading and their research.
This is the required independent study completed in conjunction with the required Thesis Reading and Research course. The purpose of this course is for the student to write a literature review of the sources read during the Thesis Reading & Research course. This course is supervised by the student’s primary advisor with the assistance of the instructor of the ThM Research Seminar.
In this seminar students study the lives and writings of women of color or other minoritized women (e.g. religious) from the nineteenth through the twenty-first centuries. The lives and writings of these women are explored as models and sources for faithful discipleship, social activism, and doing public theology (constructive ethical reflection) on issues of social justice.
This course uses a historical lens and theological frameworks to examine the relationship between religious leadership, shifting historical contexts and church and community transformation.
This course investigates the history of Christian migrants across diversities of race, culture, and ethnicity as they created new churches in the United States with particular attention to pastoral ministry and practical implications for Christian leaders moving forward. In addition to African American, Asian American, European American, and Latino/a American congregations, the course will engage Native American churches and the emergence of multicultural congregations.
What has it meant to be Presbyterian in the United States? This course examines the multifaceted history of the American Presbyterian experience from the colonial period to the present across diversities of age, ethnicity, gender, geography, and race. By looking at a myriad of source materials – sermons, theological treatises, congregational records, missionary publications, and archival findings – the course will cover the evolution of Presbyterianism in the United States and explore how church leaders may apply lessons from the past to contemporary local and global ministries.
This course examines the implications of Barth’s theology for the practice of ministry. Particular attention will be paid to his understanding of election, his Christology, and especially his ecclesiology. Both Western and non-Western ministry contexts will be considered.
In this course, students will explore antiracist theological positions and practices for their ministry contexts. The course will investigate the history of racism in general, the connection between colonialism and racial constructs, the role of Christian theology and churches in supporting racial divisions, and how Biblical and theological resources can be use to counter racism rather than perpetuate it. Students will reflect upon life experiences that have shaped their understanding of race, especially as connected to God and the Christian faith. The majority of readings will be from authors who are black, indigenous, and persons of color.
Investigates social consequences of religious belief through resistance against Nazism (Dietrich Bonhoeffer), against racism through the U.S. Civil Rights Movement (Martin Luther King, Jr.), and against Rwandan genocide (Emmanuel Katongole) asking: How do ideas about God shape the way communities and individuals engage the social order?
This class will explore the theology and practice of Christian praying. Drawing on classical and contemporary writings and the students’ own experiences, we will reflect on major questions such as: What is prayer? What happens when we pray? Does it affect God? Does it affect us? What is Christian prayer in particular? How do we pray?
Traces the central focus of spirituality in the Christian community throughout its existence, beginning with the early church that is largely in the East, and shifting to the West in the Medieval period. Gives attention to the renewal of spiritual life in the church, its sources, and its relationship to context in order to determine what sources are useful for the church today.
This course deals with seven books that have had great impact on the spiritual lives of Western Christians. They come from the monastic tradition as well as significant books of the English Protestant world. There will be an annotated reading list for those registering for the course. Reading the material and writing the brief responses outlined in the pre-assignment is expected. The final assignment of the course will involve creating material for the use of a congregation at the present time, based on elements from the different readings.
A close examination of the writings and works of the Society of Jesus from its inception by Ignatius of Loyola in the 1530s to the papal suppression of the Society in 1773. Seminar topics include: a) spirituality (especially Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises); b) evangelization (global mission, theory and practice); c) interreligious dialogue; d) ministry (active apostolate, priesthood and women; and e) martyr theology and martyrdom.
This travel seminar to Germany for CTS DMin/DEdMin students will take advantage of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation being celebrated all over Germany in 2017 and explore major themes in the historical and theological developments of the early Protestant Reformation and its relevance to the contemporary North American context.
A travel seminar course to South Africa for DMin and DEdMin students. Detailed information is in the application materials. Application and acceptance is required prior to registration.
This course will critically examine the emerging themes of Asian North American history and theology. The course will explore these themes from various sources including historical, theological, personal, literary, and cinematic narratives. The course is designed for DMin students in the Asian North American Ministry and Theology concentration but other qualified students are welcome to register for the course.
In this course students will study theories of leadership and ethics. Current issues and events are the backdrop for discussions about motives and actions of leaders in both church and society. Students will also explore the relevance of these theories for (a) developing an adequate concept of ethical leadership for the twenty-first century, (b) understanding the practices of leaders, and (c) assessing and developing their own leadership styles in their various ministry and institutional contexts.
Students examine theories of leadership and ethics in light of current debates about the motives and actions of leaders in both church and society. Students also explore the relevance of such theories for understanding their roles as leaders and followers in various ministerial and institutional contexts.
This course offers an overview of ethnographic approaches to studying religious communities, focusing on the practices and beliefs of Christian churches and ministries. Students will learn the basics of ethnographic research and be introduced to the challenges and opportunities of studying religious communities through our engagement with key and current literature. Throughout the course, we will consider the ethical implications of conducting ethnographic research, including issues of informed consent, participant observation, and confidentiality. We will also explore the challenges of maintaining objectivity and avoiding bias in the research process. By the end of the course, students will have a thorough understanding of ethnographic approaches to studying religious communities and be able to evaluate ethnographic research on Christian churches and ministries critically.
Considers how Christians should think theologically about politics and the public and how Christians might speak in, as, and toward that public. Students will develop their own theologies of public engagement through an examination of the work of several prominent “public” theologians, including Dorothy Day, Reinhold Niebuhr, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Stanley Hauerwas.
Black women have a rich history of prophetic religious thought and activism. In this seminar students read primary source documents written by black women from the nineteenth through the twenty-first centuries. These documents are engaged as sources for doing constructive ethical reflection on issues of social justice and public policy.
This course is an examination of the development of Islamic religious thought and practice and its theological and cultural interactions with Christianity. It will undertake an historical survey of the rise of Islam and go on to examine its major dogmas and rituals. Particular attention will be paid to the five faces of Islam: missionary, mystical, political, militant and progressive faces. The historical, theological and political intersections with Christianity will be highlighted. Pressing theological questions on the nature of God and God’s revelation in the two religions will be addressed. Finally, the course will introduce students to different models of historical and contemporary Christian responses to Islam and engagement with Muslims. This course will begin online on Monday, July 2, 2017 with work spread over the two weeks preceding the on-campus portion of the course, July 16-20, 2018. Final course assignments will be completed online during the week of July 23-27, following the on-campus portion of the course.
This course will explore Christian constructive theological responses to situations of religious diversity from the early church to the present, with an emphasis on contemporary voices. Inspired by the work of Diana Eck and the Pluralism Project, the approach to “pluralism” will emphasize appreciation for the variety of religious traditions, with attention to difference as well as commonality. The class will enable students to see that religious pluralism is not a new situation, but one that Christians have been addressing since the period of the New Testament. Students will engage several perspectives on religious pluralism, with the goal of developing their own theological interpretations, and with attention to navigating religious diversity in their specific ministry contexts.

Practical Theology

Centers on the functioning of the theologian as a minister with a concern to train students to be ministers and lead other persons in ministering

Examines the construction of race, the functions of white supremacy, and the impact of intersectional racism in modern society. Special attention is given to the role of Christianity in the history of US racism, the theology of racial reconciliation, and strategies for racial justice advocacy and activism in churches, denominations, and organizations.
Prepares students to be liturgists and oral interpreters of scripture by offering a performance and proclamation theology for Reformed worship. Required of MDiv students in the first semester as a prerequisite to P530.
This required course in the Master of Arts in Practical Theology (MAPT) degree program introduces the student to the basic vocabulary, understandings, and methods in the field of practical theology. Incorporating a wide variety of teaching methods, this course seeks to show the foundation upon which each of the four areas of concentration rests. This course meets as a one-week intensive course in August of each year with three follow-up sessions set by the course participants during the fall semester that directly follows it.
Examining understandings of God, mission, and education, students learn basic educational concepts, analyze contemporary theories and practices, and develop approaches to Christian education.
Surveys the field of human development and explores the developmental theories and methods that inform current education practice. Faith interviews with children, youth, and adults are used to analyze and critique developmental psychology. Fulfills the educator certification requirements in human development for PC(USA) students.
Focuses on the many facets of children`s ministry. The perception of children is explored theologically, developmentally, and educationally. Includes opportunity to refine skills in biblical storytelling and lesson planning, survey of resources for helping children to grow in faith, and field trips to sites that educate children.
Though Christianity historically “arrived” among different peoples and places through the auspices of mission and colonialism, it is the subsequent emergence of Christianity in its indigenized forms and alongside other religious traditions that is both exciting and challenging for the Church today. This course discusses how different forms of Christian spiritualties and practices are formed anchored, taught, and learned in different global communities, examining the different and unique themes that emerge from minoritized and indigenized Christianities. Satisfies the Christian Education distribution requirement.
The bible and biblical hermeneutics have shaped the lives of Christians everywhere and in every time. The bible has been harnessed to oppress and to liberate. It has been cited to exclude and include. It has been used to justify the isolation of some Christian communities and the expansion of others. This course will explore how the bible has been used for the formation of Christian and their communities, in different contexts. The course will explore how we might teach the study the bible through liberative pedagogy by utilizing creative educational tools and by incorporating the understanding of developmental theories.
This course is an introduction to the theories and practices of Christian leadership. The course will explore such topics as leadership development, systems theory and practice, financial administration, and missional church development examining how Christian leaders exercise legitimate authority by directing, influencing, coordinating, or otherwise guiding the thoughts and behaviors of persons and groups. The course seeks to create a space to discern and develop our unique qualities, characteristics, and expertise of Christian leadership with others through critical reflection and integration of course material.
Addresses time management in ministry, financial planning, spiritual development, organizational dynamics, power and authority, communication, problem-solving, conflict and negotiation, coordinating personnel and members in mission and ministry, and stewardship.
Many of us will be called to congregations that have witnessed a decline over the years or are in need of missional realignment. These congregations are referred to as “turnaround” churches. In this course we address what a turnaround church is and how one might lead a congregation in the process of missional realignment via evangelism and community engagement.
Recognizing that theological education must be seen in the context of the church and its mission in the world, this class helps students develop the art of reading congregations as “living human documents.” Multiple interpretive frames and methodologies for analyzing congregations are introduced as tools to enable practical theological reflections. Students learn to read the congregation and its history as context for the transformative praxis of pastoral leadership.
Building upon a theological basis for the work of the church in the public sphere, students will explore a continuum of approaches for leading a congregation in public ministry.
This course will create space for exploring questions related to the vocation, theology and practice of pastoral ministry. Various forms and contexts of pastoral ministry will be considered including associate, solo, bi-vocational ministry, co-pastor, and leader of a new worshipping community.
The integration of evangelism, spiritual formation, and community building are the central themes upon which this course is built. We explore the need to share the gospel in innovative ways and as growth occurs the task of building a strong faith community must be done simultaneously.  The whys and how to both share the gospel and build community are addressed in this course.
Students explore ways to pay attention to suffering and to identify resources within and outside of churches that contribute to pastoral support and care. In addition to skill building of listening and reading “living human documents,” students learn how different theologies of pastoral care inform and clarify the emerging care practices in wider communal, intercultural, and theological contexts.  While self-care to support the ministry leader is addressed, the class focuses on the pastoral care practices that the ministry leader practices in their ministry context.
This course prepares students to proclaim the good news of the gospel in and beyond the pulpit.  Students of every level of experience will learn and sharpen the skills necessary for the preparation and delivery of sermons that are faithful, creative, and transformative.  The course explores theories and practices of preaching with particular emphases on the interpretation of texts and contexts, theologies of proclamation, and listener engagement. Includes the preaching of sermons and the delivery of public addresses in small workshop groups. Prerequisite: P150 Scripture Reading Practicum. The A Section is designed for residential learners. The B Section is a hybrid section limited to 12 students that is intended to meet the needs of commuting students, who will be given priority in registration.
Christian worship has taken various forms from the earliest days of the church. This course will survey the diversity of liturgical expression in the Western church throughout the centuries and in our own time, while also considering the common elements that all Christian worshipers share. Special attention will be given to the theology and practice of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Students will also explore themes such as the Christian year, liturgical space, music and the arts.
This course will address the relationship between social justice, ethical Christian formation, liturgical spirituality, and worship. Worship can happen anytime, anywhere. This course will examine missional implications of Sunday morning worship, but it will also explore emergent worship, worship at the margins, and the creation of worship spaces that are spaces of “eruption” where God’s transformative spirit is invited to erupt in the midst of oppressive circumstances.
This course will consider the theological, liturgical, and homiletical aspects of occasional services in the life of the church: weddings, funerals, services of healing and wholeness, ordination, and other rites related to baptism. Students will explore cultural attitudes and sociological analyses regarding rites of passage in the church, consider those rites theologically, and examine liturgies associated with those rites.
While the Holy Spirit is never confined to the walls of a church building or a particular hour during the week, Christian worship assumes the possibility of a space and time set apart for the people of God to gather. In this course, we consider theologies of space and time that help to shape liturgical imagination. We discuss practical challenges and implications of leading Christian communities, where time is often experienced as scarce and spaces are contested. These questions are explored through texts, discussions, and ethnographic explorations of worshipping communities in the Atlanta area.
Christian Worship unifies human bodies in love and praise of the God who makes this worship possible. At the same time, God-given and culturally inscribed human differences contest the possibility of a unity of persons and communities gathered before God. In this course, we consider the hope and challenge of Christian worship through the work of scholars and theologians who analyze the marks of gender, ability, race, class, and nationality as these affect worshipping bodies of Christians. How can we understand divine justice in relationship to the human differences manifest and hidden in the church’s prayer and praise? How might churches and communities engage and desire human difference?
This course surveys the African American worship experience. Examining worship, students will develop awareness of worship content and meaning by engaging multiple African American traditions, preaching in class, and constructing a theological and practical analysis of African American worship practices.  Meets worship distribution requirement.
Explores the meanings of confirmation, critiques models and methods, and attempts to determine the best approach to confirmation in students’ future congregations.
What does it mean to live, teach, and minister in a world or a neighborhood that is both intercultural and inter-religious? How do we learn how foster interculturally and inter-religiously open postures in communities and in ministries that have yet to embrace diversity and difference? What are the skills and capacities needed to co-create understanding between people of different cultures and religious traditions? This course will explore these questions and more through readings, spiritual practices, group projects, site visits, guest speakers, media, and seminar style discussion. Students are encouraged to share their own experiences and interests in intercultural and inter-religious engagement as part of their course participation.
Focuses on the challenges and opportunities of Christian Education in the small membership church. Students examine and experience a variety of methodologies for engaging small membership churches in Christian education and Christian formation for children, youth, and adults.
This course looks historically at how the arts have been used in educational ministry within Christian faith communities. It also allows students the opportunity to learn these art forms through hands-on activities, culminating in a blessing of artistic gifts and a festival to share what has been produced for the larger community.
Explores youth subculture and its implications for ministry, including the developmental challenges of youth, ministry with young people in crisis, changing family patterns, and emerging strategies in ministry with youth and their families.
This course is aimed at equipping students with a working knowledge of the history, traditions, methods and current practices employed in mainline Protestant collegiate ministry in the USA, attending to both the recent theoretical research around young adult spirituality and the practical realities of leading campus ministry. Additionally, it will promote critical discernment around collegiate ministry as a vocation, playing particular attention to the contextual nature of the work.
Focuses on the many facets of children`s ministry.  The perception of children is explored theologically, developmentally, and educationally. Includes opportunity to refine skills in biblical storytelling and lesson planning, survey of resources for helping children to grow in faith, and field trips to sites that educate children.
This course will explore the many facets of camp, conference and retreat ministry. It will focus on the form and function of programming and how it relates to all aspects of site administration. Students will be introduced to the principles behind mission statements, program models, staffing and facility management, as well as trends and standards within this important field.
Introduces theories and practices of compassion and compassion practices and creates space for students to form their own understanding of compassion. Using ecclesial communities and non-profit organizations as texts, students will learn about engaged compassion through interviews, site visits, and participation.
An introduction to and analysis of instructional resources available from denominational and nondenominational publishers. Contexts of community, prayer, teaching, proclamation, and service provide the focus for curriculum analysis and formation.
Discover how technology can be a vital tool for educational ministry. Explore the potential benefits and burdens of tech tools including social media, videoconferencing, group collaboration platforms, presentation software, and a variety of media creation and administrative tools. Research and reflect on best practices and policies. A combination of one initial face to face and five weekly online meetings, readings, and projects will help the student increase the student’s comfort and expertise in using technology in ministry. Online format.
An introduction to and analysis of instructional resources available from denominational and nondenominational publishers. Students will also design a curriculum resource on a topic of interest to them within the field of Christian Faith Formation.
This class will explore the rationale for using children’s books and adolescent literature in Christian faith formation as well as the process and criteria for evaluating and selecting books to use. Students will have the opportunity to practice various storytelling techniques and to develop a bibliography of children’s or adolescents’ literature based on a topic or theme of interest to them. Special attention will be given to the genre of fantasy fiction as a means to have conversations of faith with these age groups.
This course will explore the use of recreation to address the developmental, educational, and spiritual needs of children, youth, and adults. Students will have hands-on opportunities to plan and lead recreational activities that could be used in a variety of ministry contexts.
Through a blending of religious art and group processing, this course probes various dynamics of the spirituality of creative education through the arts. Students will examine their spiritual grounding and imagination as educators and practitioners through the examination of art and the creation of art. Students will also create and present their artwork to one another as a way of practicing and sharing dialogically. Rev. Darci Jaret will be our guest art instructor for five sessions. The course requires students to purchase art supplies in lieu of books. Readings will be provided via Moodle.
In this course we study what makes media social and theologically enriching. It focuses on the culture of sharing photos as a means of evangelism. Students will be taught what makes visually strong images that are shared / liked and how to make visually strong images that effectively share the Gospel. Students will do projects that engage blogs, Instagram, Twitter, Flickr, Facebook (and other photo sharing platforms) that are conducive for sharing the Gospel over the web.
Church leaders in the future will have to be able to nurture their congregation while simultaneously being organically connected to the community that surrounds the church. This type of church is externally focused and sees its life as inextricably linked with the work of social justice in its community. This course explores the missional foundation and definition of what it looks like for a church to link evangelism, mission and social justice.

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.

In this course we engage the emergent church and the missional church models as dialogical partners with established congregational life. This course deals with the tension and integration of the old and the new as we seek to uncover what God is doing in God’s church as God leads us into the 21st Century. We ask and work at answering, what does the a 21st Century church look like as compared to a 20th Century church?
This course addresses the theological issues surrounding the virtual dimension of faith as negotiated in cyberspace. This course will also explore the phenomena of virtual faith expressions and what their creation imply for the future of the church.
In this course we study story structure and explore ways to share the Gospel via creative multi-media approaches. Students will do projects that engage the screen (computer, tablet and phone) by creating videos that effectively share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Students will be taught how to shoot and edit videos to be posted on Vimeo, Youtube, Flickr and Vine and or other appropriate platforms.
Many of our churches are using methods and practices to communicate the gospel that were fitted for a previous generation that was a church-going population. This course is designed to help us think about why and how we can effectively share the gospel with young adults in a media/digital age by using technology as a resource to build community and transform lives while also addressing the foundations of young adult ministry. Online.
Using Bowen Family Systems Theory (BFST) as applied to organizations as a theoretical framework, the student will explore ways to apply the theory to congregational leadership and other ministry contexts. The role of pastoral leadership in context is emphasized.
In this course, students will watch a full-length feature film weekly, and through accompanying readings and discussion, will reflect on the pastoral care implications to be gleaned from the individual, family, and societal dynamics depicted – including contextual pastoral assessment, countertransference, theological reflection, and appropriate pastoral responses.
Explores the relationship between vocational stress, mindfulness, and self-care among the helping professions, including pastors, chaplains, and therapists. Examines the causes and forms of stress that helping professionals experiences, with particular attention on trauma exposure response. Utilizes experiential exercises to explore self-care and mindfulness practices that sustain long-term careers and prevent burnout.
This course will help equip ministry leaders to hone practicing attention to and remaining present in the midst of death, dying, illness, loss, and grief. The course places these dynamics of communal life in a narrative frame that attends to both theological and psychological aspects in intergenerational and intercultural perspectives.
Introduces theory and practice of working with couples in congregational and ministry settings, focusing upon systems, life-cycle, and emotion-centered approaches. Special attention is given to the factors that contribute to relational health and disorder, and developing skills for premarital counseling and short-term intervention with distressed couples.
Explores the basics of family systems theories as a basis for understanding dynamics at work within families and congregations. Enhances understanding of the student’s own family system and the impact of this system upon formation for ministry. Addresses issues relating to personal and professional boundaries.  
Utilizes an intersectional and interdisciplinary framework to analyze how systemic oppression impacts the well-being of women and girls of African descent in the US, particularly health, relationships, education, and criminal justice involvement. Explores Black women’s coping strategies and models for culturally competent pastoral care and counseling practice.
Explores systems of family evaluation and counseling, emphasizing theorists and clinicians such as Bowen, Minuchin, Satir, Nagy, and Haley.
Explores evolutions in spiritual identities, beliefs, and practices among contemporary Black Americans. Examines how post-soul generations combine womanist and Black liberationist theologies, personal healing, social activism, sex and body-positive theologies, non-Christian spiritualities, and digital technologies to form alternative religious spaces.
The course introduces the range and complexity of the Bible’s approach(es) to sex and relationships, surveying key texts around issues such as the creation and reproduction of gender norms, sex work, sexual violence, and same sex relationships. The course examines the Bible’s approach to such issues within its original historical milieu and contemporary academic discourse on sexuality, enabling critical reflection on the Bible’s deployment in contemporary discussions. Each weekly class will focus on a particular theme related to human sexuality through multiple lenses, as well as discuss ways of congregational and communal care.
This listening practicum deepens skills of self-awareness and empathy through shared texts, whole class discussions, and three listening analysis practices: intersectional listening, collaborative listening mapping, and receiving and responding to generative feedback.  The final project invites students to identify goals for growing in intersectional listening, to practice each of the three listening analysis skills in the student’s own context(s), and to propose an individualized listening growth plan.
There is no question of the pervasive presence of violence in the world throughout human histories and into contemporary contexts.  In this class, students cultivate intersectional pastoral imagination and differentiate between three complex yet distinct Christian responses to violence: complicity, bystander, and resistance.
What’s the difference between healthy boundaries and harmful borders?  Students will probe this question from a pastoral theological perspective.  Drawing on narratives of border life and policies around responsible pastoral practice, students will evaluate and construct pastoral theologies of borders and boundaries in the mission and cultures of communities of faith.
This course will be designed for instruction into Narrative Therapy approaches, utilizing Portraiture Methodology to explore the ethical retelling for Story as case presentations for consultation. Students will go through the Institutional Review Board process for working with human subjects. Final presentations will utilize the narratives generated from collaborative ventures with identified community partners where thick descriptions and reflection about “self as therapist” (or as pastoral presence) will be included as an outcome of exploration.
Acquaints students with ways to think theoretically and theologically about the family, with the assumption that all Christian ministers have involvement with family dynamics and systems theory implications. Objectives are to develop appropriate pastoral/theological responses to family issues in congregational contexts; to gain familiarity with some major schools of family therapy; to be reminded of the importance of the pastor`s own family experience in his or her pastoral work; and to begin developing a theology of family life.

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.

Explores the theory, methodology, and practice of the appropriate scope of counseling in the parish context. This includes accountability and consultation, confidentiality and boundaries, networking and referral, principles of psychological and theological diagnosis, and the theological rationale of pastoral counseling in the congregation.
Explores phases of family development and their impact on those entering, living in, and leaving the family; also studies developmental, situation, and nodal (divorce, retirement, and geographical uprooting) crises and events faced by families.
This class will be of use for those whose “vocatio” calls upon and invites them to engage in theological reflection in a variety of settings—parish ministry, chaplaincy, and clinical venues-and in turn for those for whom they care, as this topic can then be taught in Adult Education and other education settings (CPE, confirmation classes, etc.) contexts. Matters of formation, spiritual discipline and human development will be considered. This class is open to MDiv, DMin, MA(TS), MAPT, and ThM students.
Examines how diversity and changing cultural conditions influence family life. Discusses shifting cultural norms regarding gender identity, sexuality and sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, and religion impact family formation and dynamics in contemporary US culture. Promotes reflection upon how personal and religious beliefs about relationships affect pastoral and clinical care to diverse marriages, families, and relationships.
Preachers are charged with an impossible task, argued Karl Barth. With only human words at our disposal we are charged, somehow, to preach God’s Word. This seminar engages foundational traditions and texts that have sought to respond to the impossible possibility of preaching with eyes to the horizon of our ever-shifting contemporary contexts.
Christianity no longer holds sway over the American imagination. This calls us to reexamine the reasons and methods for gospel proclamation. Drawing upon theological, philosophical, and sociological materials, this theory course examines new ways of thinking about homiletical and liturgical methods in light of the epistemological shifts taking place in the western world today.
This course will examine the public speech and performance of black religious leaders from the Civil Rights era to the present day. This course will explore their historical, social, and political contexts, as well as analysis of their sermons, speeches, and other public discourse. This course will examine various figures including (but not limited to): Ella Baker, Martin Luther King, Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer, Jesse Jackson, Pauli Murray, Al Sharpton, Susan Johnson Cook, and others. Students will engage primary sources, biographies, scholarly texts, and multimedia recordings in order to develop an understanding of how black religious leaders have sought to generate social and political change in multiple ways.
How do preachers speak into a time of disaster and crisis? How do we find the words, strength, resources, wisdom, creativity, and support to preach sermons that will address the suffering of the people? What old and new imaginations do we need, to engage Scripture and its power to bring healing and hope? Through readings, sermon recordings, interviews, and art, students will explore these questions—particularly as they relate to preachers’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic—and create a plan for their own growth and preparation, for the future. Includes the preaching of sermons.
Our recent experiences with remote worship have taught us: preaching in front of a camera instead of a live congregation calls for a different set of skills and sensitivities. This practicum gives students the opportunity to explore the pastoral dynamics, theological issues, and performative elements of remote preaching, and to prepare and record their own sermons for workshop discussion. Students will consider a wide range of resources and tools, including homiletical readings, drama class videos, interviews with pastors, and exercises actors use when making the transition from stage to screen.
This hybrid course introduces students to the motif of curation as a way of thinking critically and creatively about church leadership — particularly in regard to preaching, worship, and discipleship. Herein, students will learn to nurture spaces to connect with cultures in and beyond the church; preserve what is best in ecclesial cultures; and transform church and societal cultures under the power of the gospel.

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 aims to analyze the challenges to preaching for justice vis-à-vis politics in contemporary American contexts. Students will study how preachers have pursued proclamatory justice in light of these challenges in the past, consider some contemporary proposals for continuing that work, and then extend the practice with sermons of their own. The course moves, then, from sociopolitical analysis to a history of practice to practical counsel to the practice of preaching. That movement—a kind of practical theological reflection—is itself one of the main things this course hopes to teach. The P530 Preaching course is recommended but not required as a prerequisite.
Postmodernism — along with its methodological cousin, deconstruction — has shaped the last fifty years of Western thought. As both a philosophical and cultural phenomenon, postmodernism calls for careful attention by any who would proclaim the gospel with theological awareness and contextual relevance. This intensive course will interrogate the central themes and theorists associated with postmodernism and discuss postmodernism’s implications for contemporary Christian preaching.
This online course provides students with a deep dive into the essential aspects of effective preaching through critical engagement with stand-up comedy. Together we examine the many points of overlap between a successful stand-up routine and an effective sermon. These include voice and embodiment, pacing, use of personal experience, storytelling, and engagement with politics.
This course aims to empower preachers to address issues of global injustice and oppression through their preaching ministries with the hope of mobilizing congregational engagement thereby. To that end, this course will equip students with critical tools to prepare congregations for ethical engagement in an age of globalization through their preaching ministry. This course will model a certain kind of social analysis, theological/ethical reflection, and prophetic preaching — one that is globally aware and locally mobilized. Students will select one topic of injustice in Atlanta for close social analysis, which will serve as a catalyst for ethical, theological, and homiletical reflection.
This course is a communal exercise in getting “back to the text” by reading and performing together an entire book of Scripture – in this case, the stories in 1 and 2 Kings. Students will read widely in biblical studies pertaining to 1 and 2 Kings, see how artists have interpreted its themes and characters in art, literature, film, and poetry, experiment with various ways of reading and rehearsing and improvising a Scriptural narrative, and finally create a group performance, which we will then offer to the community. This course happens annually in the spring with a different biblical text each year and is open to students in all degree programs.
In every social sphere, human beings are shaped by enacted, patterned activity often known as ritual.  This course is designed to introduce students to ritual studies through an examination of human behavior, symbol, language, music, space, art, and time. Attention will also be given to anthropological and theological approaches to the study of ritual in order to analyze the meaning and importance of Christian ritual practices.
Good worship planning is an art form as well as a spiritual practice. Through a course focused on planning chapel services for the Columbia seminary community, students engage in collaborative worship planning and theological reflection. Using knowledge gained through worship and preaching courses as well as gaining new skills in ecumenical and intercultural worship planning, students learn practices for empowering churches and communities to plan worship together.
Words and images for worship have the power to give life or to harm, to facilitate or to hinder the prayer and praise of the people of God. In this course students compose and create words and images for worship for different services and occasions. Students develop a portfolio for use in a congregational or other context.
Disability is an important part of every Christian community, yet few churches are equipped to address ableism and thus transform their understandings of God, the human body, worship, ministry, and religious leadership. This course provides students with theological and practical tools to support congregations and communities in the work of disability justice.
How can the words we speak in worship be accessible, lively, and evocative? This course will study the way language is used in worship, provide tools for analyzing and critiquing liturgical resources that have been published in recent years, and offer a vision for how to write and speak liturgy for today’s church. In addition to exploring how language works and considering the work of contemporary authors who write about liturgical language, students will create new liturgical texts and engage in collaborative methods of writing and editing.
This course will explore the relationship between worship and culture with the practical goal of learning how to craft liturgies and worship experiences that are sensitive to and appreciative of diverse Christian practices.  From Black Gospel Music to Tongsung Kido (Korean corporate prayer), this course will consider how place and space, race, gender, sexuality, and globalism impact Christian worship.
A short drive through the city and you will see a number of churches with Black Lives Matter signs posted on their properties or O&A decals with rainbow flags. How do such “charged” statements find their landing among worshiping communities and how are worship and liturgy informed by and informing such proclamations? How might we think about worship itself as a sight of political formation and mobilization?  What are the assumptions undergirding such an orientation? Is it possible and or necessary for worship and liturgy to be apolitical or  beyond political discourse?  This course will explore worship and liturgy as political theology.
Every week, people throughout the world gather to worship God in their respective churches. They also gather in places beyond the walls of the church: in hospitals, prisons, juvenile detention centers, care facilities, retirement homes, camps, conference centers, and more. This course will explore particular issues relating to worship and chaplaincy in these contexts. Students will learn about the particularities of various parachurch contexts (people, facilities, resources, etc.), evaluate worship in these settings, and plan a worship service for three different settings.

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 explores key relationships between Christian public worship and liturgical arts, with special attention to poetry and music. Our focus is on developing pastoral, biblical and theological imagination in basic patterns of Word, prayer and sacramental actions.
Disability is an essential part of what it means to be human, yet few Christian communities have the theological tools to engage disability rights and disability justice. This course analyzes Christian understandings of the disabled body as well as ableist theologies and practices that harm the church’s witness. Investigating ability and disability through theories, narratives, metaphors, images, and encounters, this course asks critical questions about the importance of the human body for the Christian church.
This class will explore experiences of crisis and trauma, and considerations of pastoral theological responses needed to assist in the care of mind, body and spirit.  Emphasis will be given to widening the circle of care in response to these experiences, and to the extant resources available. We will sample a range of crisis experiences through readings, video and podcasts, and homiletic and other texts. We will explore ways of deepening our understanding of crisis and trauma, some of the theological anthropolog(ies) available, and our pastoral theological resources. A sub-text in the narrative is resilience—bouncing back and flourishing in the new normal—and the concomitant strategies for cultivating resilience. Drawing upon a variety of resources, and one another, we will engage the experiences of crisis and trauma from a broad range of clinical, pastoral, psychological and theological perspectives.
Psychopathology is the scientific study of mental disorders, including efforts to understand their genetic, biological, psychological, and social-cultural etiology; effective classification schemes; across all stages of development; manifestations; and treatment. Special attention will be given to the theological hermeneutics of the human condition as appropriate to the topic and goals of the course, such as the existential nature of anxiety, and so on. The word psychopathology has a Greek origin: ‘psyche’ meaning “soul”, ‘pathos’ is defined as “suffering”, and ‘-ology’ is “the study of”. Wholly, Psychopathology is defined as the origin of mental disorders, how they develop, and the symptoms they might produce in a person. The religious, cultural, and theoretical assumptions of “normalcy” will also be addressed. This course is among the clinical course options required for Associate Licensure in Georgia. Please refer to the Georgia Composite Board for full requirement details. Prerequisite: P520 Introduction to Pastoral Care.
Considers the poet’s art-language, imagination, experience, and form as a resource for preaching. Includes a workshop with a working poet and the preaching of two sermons. Prerequisite P530
Imagination “empowered by the Spirit” is the lifeblood of prophetic preaching. Drawing upon traditional and contemporary approaches to preaching, this course will lead students to innovate upon said styles and to incorporate preaching styles across cultures and denominations. Particular attention will be paid to inductive, narrative, performative, and poetic preaching styles. Prerequisite: P 530.
This course presupposes that the rhythms of God’s creative work can and should inform the preaching life. Drawing upon the work of cultural creatives (e.g., slam-poets, comedians, actors, and novelists), students will explore ways of expanding creativity in sermon development and delivery. In-class exercises and peer feedback will invite life-long participation in God’s redemptive rhythms in service of the church and the world God loves. Prerequisite P530.
Worship is an embodied experience that utilizes all of one’s senses, even though most people are unaware of this fact. This course focuses on the “non-speaking” elements of worship: music, art, and architecture. Students will be introduced to different genres of each and how to think about them theologically. Some class sessions will be held at churches and museums. Prerequisite P540 Introduction to Christian Worship.
The Christian year enables the church to mark time in a profound way. In this course, students will study the theological themes and dominant metaphors inherent in the days and seasons of the liturgical year. Building on these insights, they will then explore the liturgical and homiletical possibilities therein. Participants will study liturgies and sermons as well as engage in creating their own. Attention will be given to the use of language and the role of music and other lively arts. Prerequisites: P540 Worship Intro and P530 Preaching Intro.
This class will focus on the relationship of music to the church’s liturgy and life together. What are the theological, poetic, and imaginative dimensions of making music, hearing music, and choosing music for the church’s worship? We will cast the net wide in looking at styles, genres, and practices, with attention to practical and pastoral issues.(Prerequisite P540/P131 Worship Intro or permission of Dr. Long)
Students create the reading list with their adviser and meet to discuss the reading and their research.
God-given and culturally inscribed human differences contest the possibility of a unity of persons and communities gathered before God in worship. Attending to embodied marks of gender, sexuality, ability, race, class, and nationality, this course investigates understandings of divine justice in relationship to human differences and desires in Christian worship.
An exploration of the definitions and dynamics of leadership and how to attend to them in the third millenia. Topics include, but are not limited to, the nature of change, the catalysts of change, the impact of change, and the pastorally and psycho-emotionally healthy responses to stewarding change in self, others, and institutions.

Liturgy (corporate worship) is the central activity of the Christian church. Liturgy is also a

vehicle that forms, informs, and transforms its participants. Students will learn how Christian

liturgy functions both as the locus of corporate worship of God and as a tool for teaching,

discipleship, and pastoral care. Attention will be given to several aspects of Christian worship

(words, music, actions, elements, environment, accessibility, cultural relevance).

This course is the introductory seminar for those persons beginning the doctor of educational ministry degree program and therefore provides an overview of the program, a survey of the various disciplines to be studied in the program, and enables the student to relate their study to their context for educational ministry. The course is framed by the tasks of practical theology as they lead to Christian formation in congregational settings.
Provides for advanced study in teaching and learning as Christian formation. Particular attention is given to various teaching theories with an emphasis on faith formation. Various teaching methods will be explored with a practicum component in the course enabling students to practice, evaluate, and hone their skills as a teacher and a teacher of teachers.
A core course in the DEdMin degree. This course provides advanced study in teaching and learning theory with the goal of students honing their teaching skills for their ministry context. In addition, students will think beyond curriculum as lesson plan or resource and explore contextual curriculum theory for the church and world. The end goal of this exploration is for students to prepare a formal curriculum project proposal that will meet the requirements of the DEdMin curriculum project design requirement.
A core course for the DEdMin degree. Students think beyond curriculum as a lesson plan or resource and explore the history of curriculum theory in the church and world. Special emphasis is placed on obtaining a multicultural and interfaith perspective on this issue as well as comparing the course of public education in the U.S. to Christian education. Hybrid.
This course is a seminar-style class that aims to help DEdMin students develop educational care resources for communities with histories of conflict, trauma, and pain. Discussions and explorations in assessment, self-care, dialogical exercises, and understanding minoritized communities will undergird the course. Students are invited to bring their own contexts and ministries to bear in the course.
In consultation with the student’s adviser and the instructor for the Advanced Study in Curriculum Theory course, the student will create and implement an original curriculum design on a topic most often related to their project.
Required of all DEdMin students.
Though Christianity historically “arrived” among different peoples and places through the auspices of mission and colonialism, it is the subsequent emergence of Christianity in its indigenized forms and alongside other religious traditions that is both exciting and challenging for the Church today. This course discusses how different forms of Christian spiritualties and practices are formed anchored, taught, and learned in different global communities, examining the different and unique themes that emerge from minoritized and indigenized Christianities.
Using Bowen Family Systems Theory (BFST) as applied to organizations as a theoretical framework, the student will explore ways to apply the theory to congregational leadership and other ministry contexts. The role of pastoral leadership in context is emphasized. This seminar satisfies the following DMin program goals: (1) To provide programs of study that facilitate critical reflection on pastoral vocation and practice; (2) To provide opportunities for students to develop pastoral skills and competencies, including methods of pastoral research and writing, that are necessary for mature pastoral leadership.
How are we to be church in a networked world? The triple revolution of the internet, social networking and mobile devices will serve as the center pieces of conversation around which this course revolves as we ask how does the church integrate this new reality into the life of it’s ministry?  In the midst of this revolution how is the church to reinvent itself while also being faithful to the past ways we have been church?  Participants will be invited to see the future now as we seek to be the church in the present age.
In this course students will develop a theology and practice for doing digital ministry. Digital ministry includes everything from streaming, to the use of social media, the use of hashtags, video and still images to build community, do congregational formation and stimulate church growth.
There is no question of the pervasive presence of violence in the world throughout human histories and into contemporary contexts.  Building on a basic framework of moral discernment, students practice pastoral responses in the face of violence in a variety of intercultural contexts.  Students focus pastoral imagination around three complex yet distinct Christian responses to violence: complicity, bystander, and resistance. Hybrid.
This course introduces students to the motif of curation as a way of thinking critically and creatively about church leadership—particularly in regard to preaching, worship, discipleship, and new church development. Herein, students will learn to nurture spaces to connect with cultures in and beyond the church; preserve what is best in ecclesial cultures; and transform church and societal cultures under the power of the gospel. Online
Asians are one of the fastest growing populations in the United States and are diverse, representing over 60 different nationalities.  Using the theoretical lenses of critical race theory and family systems theory, this course will provide an overview of the experiences of East and South East Asian immigrant families in the United States.  Participants will learn how to recognize cultural dynamics that may be unique to Asian families.  In addition, their ministry context will be explored through their own personal experiences as well as case discussions in order to effectively work with Asian and Asian American families.
Creativity, empowered by the Spirit, is the lifeblood of strong preaching. Drawing upon techniques employed by fiction writers and other cultural creatives, this course will immerse students in the creative writing process for sermon development. Particular attention will be paid to narrative, prophetic, and oral/aural styles of writing. This course will operate like a writing or sermon development group, wherein students will read one another’s original work and offer constructive and critical feedback.
This class will be an exploration into the human experience of crisis and trauma along with a consideration of the particular ministerial skill sets needed to provide an adequate pastoral response capable of assisting in the healing of mind, body and spirit in the wake of the crisis event. Emphasis will be given to understanding these experiences from a pastoral theological frame of reference. We will sample a range of crisis experiences through readings and video segments, focusing beyond intervention actions to consider the place of resiliency and community in finding one’s way from victim to survivor to becoming one who thrives and is able to rediscover and share the active presence of grace in life.
A short drive through the city and you will see a number of churches with Black Lives Matter signs posted on their properties or O&A decals with rainbow flags. How do such “charged” statements find their landing among worshiping communities and how are worship and liturgy informed by and informing such proclamations? How might we think about worship itself as a sight of political formation and mobilization?  What are the assumptions undergirding such an orientation? Is it possible and or necessary for worship and liturgy to be a political or beyond political discourse?  This course will explore worship and liturgy as political theology.  This course will begin online on Monday, July 9, 2018, with two weeks of online class, one week of face-to-face instruction July 23 – 27, concluding a last week online, July 27 – August 3.
Considers the poet’s art-language, imagination, experience, and form as a resource for preaching. Includes a workshop with a working poet and the preaching of two sermons.
This course engages students in exploring a contextual approach to theological reflection and ministry by examining the interface between the practice of adaptive leadership, culture and change. The course interfaces issues of congregational culture, understanding sociocultural location, change theory, and the possibilities and limits of understanding ministry setting.
Provides for advanced study in teaching and learning as Christian formation. Particular attention is given to various teaching theories with an emphasis on faith formation. Various teaching methods will be explored with a practicum component in the course enabling students to practice, evaluate, and hone their skills as a teacher and a teacher of teachers.
Imagination “empowered by the Spirit” is the lifeblood of prophetic preaching. Drawing upon traditional and contemporary approaches to preaching, this course will lead students to innovate upon said styles and to incorporate preaching styles across cultures and denominations. Particular attention will be paid to inductive, narrative, performative, and poetic preaching styles.
An internship that engages the student in ministry within an academic, medical (non-CPE), denominational, ecumenical, etc. institution. The student gains experience in a particular area of ministry or service, and also develops the skills, insights and knowledge needed to relate this work to the larger institutional structures and mission. Supervision provided by a theologically trained leader within the institutional site. This course may be taken for 400 hours, 6 credits (Summer, or fall/spring semester concurrently); or for 200 hours, 3 credits.
Designed by the D.Min. student and approved supervisor. The student engages in a ministry of the church, often outside the student`s normal setting for ministry, and utilizes an action-reflection learning process with a peer group and approved supervisor.

Supervised Ministry

Through experiential, relational, and inductive learning, students explore the forms, styles, contents, and concepts of ministry and put into practice what they have learned.

The Contextual Education required course for the Master of Arts in Practical Theology. In this 400-hour, 6 credit course of Supervised Ministry, the student is engaged in an action-reflection model of ministry with a Supervisor and a Supervised Ministry Team. The course may be an internship, allowing the student to gain experience in a particular area of practical theology. For students already working professionally in ministry, the course is a Practicum, designed to challenge the student to grow in their chosen area of practical theology.
For at least ten weeks, the student engages in a ministry of a teaching congregation serving in a broad range of pastoral functions, and engaging in a structured process of theological reflection with a supervising pastor and lay committee. Prerequisites: P151 & P530.  Summer full-time, 6 credits or Fall & Spring, part-time, 3 credits per semester.
An internship that helps students gain experience for ministry and work in a specialized setting in a congregation or agency. The student will work with a Supervisor to develop skills, insights, and knowledge needed for effectiveness in the particular form of ministry/work to be engaged. Specialized ministries include: youth ministry, public ministry, non-profit agency, criminal justice, campus ministry, camp and conference ministry, educational institution, etc. This course may be taken for 400 hours, 6 credits (Summer, or fall/spring semester concurrently); or for 200 hours, 3 credits.
The student engages in ministry in a new or emerging faith community to gain experience in evangelism, organizational development, entrepreneurial leadership skills, and other pastoral skills. The student will engage in a structured process of theological reflection with a supervising pastor or other practitioner. (6 credits, Summer, or Fall & Spring Terms concurrently)
Brings students into supervised encounters with people in order to develop pastoral identity and skills, interpersonal competence, and enhanced abilities for theological reflection. Clinically trained supervisors provide educational leadership. Placement limited to hospitals, congregations, prisons, and other institutions accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. Fulfills the D.Min. requirement for Supervised Ministry. Full-time 6 credits; or part-time, 3 credits per semester
Additional units of CPE build upon the teachings of the final unit and provide pastoral education over a full year. Prerequisite: Basic unit of CPE. Note: The maximum number of credits one may apply to the M.Div. degree is twelve. Additional credits earned may be applied to another degree program. Credit listed is for full year.
An internship providing students with the opportunity to gain congregational experience beyond the required SM510. Interns may concentrate on a specialization, e.g., Christian education, pastoral care, social ministry, or seek a broad range of experience. Designed to further develop the participant`s identity and competence in ministry. Prerequisites: SM510 and completion of at least 60 credits.
A full-time internship that provides an in-depth experience in the life and ministry of a teaching congregation. Duration:9-12 months (full-time), plus option of 3 additional credits for Extended Spring elective.
A full-year internship in one or more ministry/work settings. Students engage in a specific context of ministry or work to develop the skills, insights, and knowledge needed for effective ministry and leadership. An action-reflection model under supervision is required. Specialized ministries include: youth ministry, public ministry, non-profit agency, criminal justice, campus ministry, camp and conference ministry, international mission, etc. Prerequisite: completion of at least 60 credits. 9-12 months, full-time, 6 credits.
A 400 hour (minimum) internship for students who seek to gain experience of ministry under supervision in specialized areas not designated in other internships. Summer (full time) 6 credits. Fall and/or Spring (part-time), 3 credits per semester
DMin students work with a peer group and an approved supervisor to evaluate their own preaching, learn from the preaching of others, and utilize a variety of preaching resources.
Recommended for DMin students in the Christian Spirituality specialization. Involves engagement in a ministry of the church related to spiritual formation and sharing issues and concerns in a peer group with an action-reflection process. Supervision by an approved instructor.
Designed by the DEdMin student and approved supervisor. The student engages in a ministry of the church, often outside the student`s normal setting for ministry, and utilizes an action-reflection learning process with a peer group and approved supervisor.

Interdisciplinary

Assists entering MA(TS) students in focusing on vocational or personal goals. Required for entering, full-time MA(TS) students. Part-time students are expected to enroll after taking at least two courses, but before completing five.
Designed specifically for first-year MDiv students, this course explores “imagination and resilience” by engaging in a variety of Christian practices such as study, listening, prayer, dialogue, and hospitality. Students will grow personally and as members of the seminary and greater Atlanta community, while nurturing essential marks of ministerial presence in God’s changing church and world.
The purpose of this course is to experience and understand the Church among other faith communities in diverse socio-cultural contexts in different parts of the United States and the world, and consequently to gain clearer insight into the mission of the Church in our own contexts. The course provides opportunities for engagement with different social contexts, intercultural and theological reflection, and a deepening of faith commitments. International contexts have included Brazil, Central Europe, China, Cuba, Ghana, India, Jamaica, South Africa, and South Korea. National contexts have included Appalachia, Atlanta, the Mexico-U.S. border, and indigenous nations in the southwest.
Imaginative and resilient communities need imaginative and resilient leaders. Relying on in class discussions, common readings, outside speakers and drawing upon students’ life experiences and seminary studies with special attention to theologically acute contextual analysis, this course explores ways leaders develop such communities. A capstone course for graduating MDiv students that is graded S/U = Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.
Theological anthropology has typically been understood as doctrine about the nature of the human or what it is to be a person created in the image of God. Through the exploration of related themes such as health/wholeness, finitude, sin, blessing, and salvation, as variously understood in pastoral theology, secular (e.g., medical model) understandings, personality theory, and theology, students will explore this rich set of practical pastoral and theological topics. Pedagogical methods will include primary and secondary readings in theology and personality theory, film, literature, and class discussions. Students will be asked to write one substantial paper, present a verbatim of a pastoral experience, and contribute to class discussions, in an upper level graduate seminar format. Prerequisite: P520.
In this course students will read selected passages in classic Christian literature in spirituality. Through guided online discussion students will engage in critical and reflective study of the historical contexts out of which Christian spirituality has developed and will interpret their own personal spiritual formation in light of historical Christian thought. This course meets program goals 2 and 5 of the MDiv and program goal 1 of the MA(TS). This is an online course.
This course explores the relationship between biblical/theological perspectives concerning the origin, character, and destiny of the universe in relation to contemporary scientific theory. No knowledge of science is required (co-taught with Dr. Paul Wallace).
This seminar explores the history, theology, and polity of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The denomination will be traced from its origins in the early 1800s to the present. Some attention will also be given to the church’s main theological themes, as well as to current polity and mission.
Introduces and critically engages aspects of the current justice system in the U.S., especially the “Prison-Industrial Complex” and state-sponsored executions, in light of biblical and theological traditions regarding bondage, imprisonment, and crucifixion. Includes readings, discussion, and field trips.
Explores the relationship between physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being in men and the ways in which men care for themselves, even as they care for others. Focuses on personal theological narrative, spirituality, ethics, systems theory, and pastoral care, as well as readings, film, and fiction. Participants engage in the construction of a religious autobiography and attend an overnight mountain retreat.
The word “wellness” implies a range of meanings centered about a core concept of optimum functioning and a balanced integration of the emotional, spiritual and physical dimensions of life. Wellness in the course understanding moves beyond the concept of “self improvement” to embrace abundance, connection and fullness of living while also acknowledging the reality of boundaries and limits. Readings will deal with multiple considerations of wellness and with the stress inherent in the vocation of ministry as well as factors that detract from the goal of wholeness and interfere with our human need for relationship. Students will be invited to become more intentional in constructing a faithful life in ministry that is mindful and reflective, along with determining necessary practices for maintaining it.
This course offers students an opportunity to engage in close readings of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans through the dual lenses of post-structuralism and postcolonialism. One of the central aims of this course is to help students think more critically about how we make meaning of scriptures and the impact our ideological assumptions have upon biblical interpretation for teaching and preaching.
This class will explicate biblical perspectives on the issues of wealth, poverty and economic justice, trace the histories of economic systems and the church’s engagement with them, and explore a variety of contemporary economic issues.
Surveys the history of the southern Levant from the Bronze age to the present day, examining scriptural texts, archaeology, inscriptions, historical memories and lived experiences. Covers aspects of geography, culture, religious histories, political, economic and civil transformations, and prospects for peace. Prerequisite for JA-24 I520 Contextual Immersions Israel/Palestine.
Intensive one-week introductory seminar required for all entering ThM students.
Final capstone course required of all ThM students. This class focuses on the development and presentation of a publishable piece of work based on the ThM thesis.
The Doctor of Ministry Introductory Seminar in Church and Ministry creates a safe space for conversation about the nature of the church and the complex challenges and opportunities encountered in the practice of ministry. Skills and competencies for mature pastoral leadership are developed by selection of one critical pastoral issue in ministry for practical theological research, diagnosis, and action.
The Gospel and Culture Introductory Seminar encourages participants to develop a new paradigm for their ministry, aimed at supporting the local congregation of Christian people to understand their call to mission in a post-Christian, globalizing culture. Developing theological approaches to cultural analysis, participants, in readings, reflection with teachers and conversations with colleagues, describe their own setting in ministry and develop faithful ways of bearing witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ for the sake of witness, service, and transforming mission.
The seminar discusses critical issues of spirituality in biblical, historical, theological, ethical and practical fields of study. It guides participants to build academic resources for their personal, congregational, and communal ministries in spirituality.
I730 DMin Introduction to Research Methodologies Seminar: Students will be introduced to qualitative research methodologies to utilize for ministry as well as for extensive research in their final projects.  In depth  library research methods will also be introduced to enhance information literacy. Online
Toward the end of the program coursework, each student participates in a project development and design seminar to clearly articulate the topic and design of the student’s final DMin project.  This seminar, together with the Introduction to Research Methodologies (for DMin students) offered near the beginning of the students’ program, is offered to prepare the students to articulate well-designed project proposals before writing their final projects.   Required for DMin/DEdMin students.    
After students successfully complete their project proposals, they will critically review relevant literature for their projects with the careful guidance of their first readers.  The culmination of the literature review may be the completion of the chapter outlining the theoretical and theological framework of the student’s project.  The student must receive satisfactory evaluation from the first and second readers in order to pass the course.
Elements of the degree converge in the Doctor of Ministry Project. The student must complete a DMin project, comprised of a detailed, expanded research and a shorter summary article of the research. In order that the project can be an integrating focus for the entire course of study, students should start thinking about the proposal for the project early in the program. Ordinarily, the student’s ministry setting is the context of the DMin research project.
Explores the mandate of “creation care” in the Bible within the ecological context of greater Atlanta, with a particular focus on issues of sustainability and renewal.  Participants will gain greater awareness of their ecological contexts, both global and local, and explore ways of addressing them theologically and pastorally.  Two critical questions will be addressed throughout the course:  1) Who are we in relation to creation?  2) As leaders, what can we do to encourage sustainable forms of “beloved community” for the sake of the biotic community?  
Americans are asking questions around the nature of sexuality, debating who has the right to marry, and wondering what the church has to do with it all. Students in this course will seek to articulate a biblical theology of relationship that considers sexual, marital, familial, ecclesial and communal ties while taking seriously the lives and experiences of 21st century Americans. Special attention will be given to marriage: the history of marriage in the church, the power of the wedding industry, the pastor’s legal and ecclesial roles, contemporary expectations of marriage, and wedding liturgies.
The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations in New York City, the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.’s Office of Public Witness in Washington D.C., and Columbia Theological Seminary regularly offer a Doctor of Ministry course on a topic of importance for the world and faith communities. This year’s course will examine “Faith in a Time of Climate Change.” The first week of the course, we will meet at the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations and the second week of the course will be held at the Office of Public Witness. In the 21st Century, the environment will increasingly take a central role not only as a set of concerns that human beings throughout the world will have to address, but as a lens through which the global society will have to apply all other concerns. How will this lens develop? What priorities will it reveal? How might the Christian faith be seen through the lens? What resources might Christianity contribute to its development? And what might be the implications of this new way of thinking and being for ministry? This course will explore these and similar questions, developing theological and moral resources for engaging the concerns, especially, of climate change and environmental justice. Along the way, students will have the opportunity to meet with United Nations staff, diplomats, NGO personnel, and their own congressional representatives.
Recommended for DMin students in the Gospel and Culture specialization. Designed to meet the major challenges of this specialization; involves students in a ministry of the church with particular aspects of modern culture. Includes work with peer groups and approved supervisor in an action-reflection process.

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