Featured Courses: Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Theology & Culture
In order to meet requirements for your degree and have a beneficial learning experience, our Academics Department has suggested the following Spring courses for those entering the program in Fall 2020. If you are already enrolled in the Fall 2020 cohort, please schedule an advising appointment with our Associate Registrar, Robyn Sodders, to register for one or more of the following courses:
Love in Public
April 22—June 17, 2020, Wednesdays, 1:00-4:00pm (2 credits | BTI 521)
Taught by Dr. Ron Ruthruff, this course will explore the use of the Bible in relation to contemporary social issues. Participants will examine issues such as racism, poverty, sexism, gender violence, and sexual orientation in light of a Christocentric Theological Anthropology, and will identify how a biblical story of abundance, embodiment, and peacemaking can do justice in the world.
Toward a Spirituality of Contextual Listening Amidst COVID19
April 21—June 16, 2020, Tuesdays, 5:00-6:30pm (1 credit | TCE 575A)
Many of us are discovering new levels of fear and loneliness, finding ourselves navigating complex emotions, and profound changes to our living situations. Part of loving our neighbors is anticipating the changes that may affect them tomorrow. While we can’t know for sure how COVID19 will alter our world, we can listen deeply.
Taught by Dr. Dwight Friesen, this elective online course invites participants to develop a practical spirituality for following Christ by loving God through loving their neighbors amidst COVID19. Participants will engage in listening exercises, equipping them to understand how the relational ecosystem of their neighborhood is being transformed through the reality of the pandemic. Participants will also learn how to listen to their respective context using forecasting skills to anticipate how their neighborhood may be impacted, and design ways of bringing neighbors together to move toward becoming a more resilient community together.
C.S. Lewis: Theological Perspectives for Spiritual Formation
April 22 – June 17, 2020, Wednesdays, 9:00am-12:00pm (2 credits | SFD 522)
Taught by Dr. Chelle Stearns, this course will examine the literary legacy of one the twentieth century’s foremost Christian authors. More specifically, it will explore the theological perspectives of C. S. Lewis:perspectives that speak of God, humanity, nature, love, heaven, hell, prayer, pain and suffering, and ethics. Students will critically reflect on how these insights might inform, nourish, challenge and support their own relationship with God and God’s work in the world.
Leadership in Organizations I
May 12—June 19, 2020, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00am-3:00pm (3 credits | RLM 510)
June 2 and June 4, 10:00am-5:00pm
Taught by Rose Swetman, this course will examine the importance of Christian Leadership with regard to personal leadership in multiple contexts: primarily, the church, parachurch, and non-profit settings. It will explore the importance of character, discover different leadership styles, explore gender issues and give a theological framework for leadership. Recognizing that leadership exists in context, the student will learn to discern their place in leadership within specific environments.
Old Testament Genre
April 21—June 16, 2020, Tuesday, Thursday, 1:00-3:30pm (3 credits | BTI 503)
Taught by Dr. J.P. Kang, this course is an introduction to Old Testament scripture from the perspective of its literary genres. Students examine six major genres: theological history, law, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, and apocalyptic writing. The characteristics of these genres are discussed and students are exposed to extra-biblical examples of each type. Application of the insights from this approach to the study of the Old Testament, to contemporary life, ministry and mission will be included.
Christ & Hospitality
April 20—June 15, 2020, Mondays, 12:00-3:00pm (2 credits | TCE 542)
Taught by Dr. Darren Sumner, this course looks at the relationship between the Christian Church and Jesus Christ. At stake in this conversation is how our doctrines about the person and the work of Christ impacts how persons are formed in the practice of the Church and its liturgy. Doctrine, in this context, is not just an abstract exploration of proper belief about sin, atonement, soteriology, or ecclesiology, but, instead, the location of questioning, and sometimes reforming, how theory and practice are related to one another in the daily life of the body of Christ. The aim of this class is to show that all study of theology should lead to doxology (worship) and all doxology should lead to the fullness of life in Jesus Christ.