Previous Years' Course Catalogues

Inspiring and profound are terms often attributed to the theology of von Balthasar. Benedict XVI said of his work, "His theological reflection maintains intact, to this day, a profound timeliness and leads many to penetrate ever more into the profundity of the mystery of faith". This course begins an exploration of his work. There is consideration of the Trilogy: Herrlichkeit, Theo-Drama and Theo-Logic; the influence of Ignatius Loyola and Adrienne von Speyr; and the place of Mary. Not a course for the faint-hearted, von Balthasar's work is at times dense and complex but the rewards are beyond price.

Inspiring and profound are terms often attributed to the theology of von Balthasar. Benedict XVI said of his work, "His theological reflection maintains intact, to this day, a profound timeliness and leads many to penetrate ever more into the profundity of the mystery of faith". This course begins an exploration of his work. There is consideration of the Trilogy: Herrlichkeit, Theo-Drama and Theo-Logic; the influence of Ignatius Loyola and Adrienne von Speyr; and the place of Mary. Not a course for the faint-hearted, von Balthasar's work is at times dense and complex but the rewards are beyond price.

The concept of Mission is prominent and ever-present in the contemporary church, but there remains considerable confusion surrounding the theology and practice of Christian witness. Painful awareness of the legacy of colonialism leaves many mainline churches uncomfortable with the concept of mission, for fear of €˜imposing' their worldview on others. The course examines contemporary models and movements of mission €“ from €œplanting,€ €œFresh Expressions,€ and "Liquid Church," to €œsocial outreach€ and €œfaith-based community organizing.€ Attention will be give to theologies of mission, missional literature, and to particular local mission projects in their ecclesial contexts. Students will be equipped to formulate their own theology of mission and to become familiar with distinct practical models of mission. These discussions will all be with a view to working to understand and shape the future course of the church.

The concept of Mission is prominent and ever-present in the contemporary church, but there remains considerable confusion surrounding the theology and practice of Christian witness. Painful awareness of the legacy of colonialism leaves many mainline churches uncomfortable with the concept of mission, for fear of ‘imposing’ their worldview on others. The course examines contemporary models and movements of mission – from “planting,” “Fresh Expressions,” and “Liquid Church,” to “social outreach” and “faith-based community organizing.” Attention will be given to theologies of mission, missional literature, and to particular local mission projects in their ecclesial contexts. Students will be equipped to formulate their own theology of mission and to become familiar with distinct practical models of mission. These discussions will all be with a view to working to understand and shape the future course of the church.

The concept of Mission is prominent and ever-present in the contemporary church, but there remains considerable confusion surrounding the theology and practice of Christian witness. Painful awareness of the legacy of colonialism leaves many mainline churches uncomfortable with the concept of mission, for fear of ‘imposing’ their worldview on others. The course examines contemporary models and movements of mission – from “planting,” “Fresh Expressions,” and “Liquid Church,” to “social outreach” and “faith-based community organizing.” Attention will be given to theologies of mission, missional literature, and to particular local mission projects in their ecclesial contexts. Students will be equipped to formulate their own theology of mission and to become familiar with distinct practical models of mission. These discussions will all be with a view to working to understand and shape the future course of the church.

The concept of Mission is prominent and ever-present in the contemporary church, but there remains considerable confusion surrounding the theology and practice of Christian witness. Painful awareness of the legacy of colonialism leaves many mainline churches uncomfortable with the concept of mission, for fear of ‘imposing’ their worldview on others. The course examines contemporary models and movements of mission – from “planting,” “Fresh Expressions,” and "Liquid Church," to “social outreach” and “faith-based community organizing.” Attention will be give to theologies of mission, missional literature, and to particular local mission projects in their ecclesial contexts. Students will be equipped to formulate their own theology of mission and to become familiar with distinct practical models of mission. These discussions will all be with a view to working to understand and shape the future course of the church.

The concept of Mission is prominent and ever-present in the contemporary church, but there remains considerable confusion surrounding the theology and practice of Christian witness. Painful awareness of the legacy of colonialism leaves many mainline churches uncomfortable with the concept of mission, for fear of €˜imposing' their worldview on others. The course examines contemporary models and movements of mission €“ from €œplanting,€ €œFresh Expressions,€ and "Liquid Church," to €œsocial outreach€ and €œfaith-based community organizing.€ Attention will be give to theologies of mission, missional literature, and to particular local mission projects in their ecclesial contexts. Students will be equipped to formulate their own theology of mission and to become familiar with distinct practical models of mission. These discussions will all be with a view to working to understand and shape the future course of the church.

The concept of Mission is prominent and ever-present in the contemporary church, but there remains considerable confusion surrounding the theology and practice of Christian witness. Painful awareness of the legacy of colonialism leaves many mainline churches uncomfortable with the concept of mission, for fear of imposing their worldview on others. The course examines contemporary models and movements of mission from planting, Fresh Expressions, and Liquid Church, to social outreach and faith-based community organizing. Attention will be give to theologies of mission, missional literature, and to particular local mission projects in their ecclesial contexts. Students will be equipped to formulate their own theology of mission and to become familiar with distinct practical models of mission. These discussions will all be with a view to working to understand and shape the future course of the church.

This course will engage the questions of interreligious dialogue and comparative theology on the theology on the theological issues of redemption and salvation by comparing the work of some key Christian thinkers with themes in Buddhism. We will also engage comparative questions such as desire, imitation, prayer, mediation and responses to suffering and violence. 

This course will engage the questions of interreligious dialogue and comparative theology on the theology on the theological issues of redemption and salvation by comparing the work of some key Christian thinkers with themes in Buddhism. We will also engage comparative questions such as desire, imitation, prayer, mediation and responses to suffering and violence. 

The course is an inquiry into a range of questions concerning spatiality that arise in Christian dogmatics. Is the triune God spatial? What is meant by “omnipresence”? How do divine space and created spaces differ, and how might they be said to interact? What are the spatial dimensions of the incarnation? Students will be introduced to methodological issues concerning the use of spatial theory in theology, as well as how to best think about land and sacred places. Readings will include relevant parts of Scripture as well as theologians who addressed the topic, including Aquinas, Barth, Jenson, Gorringe, and Cavanaugh. Other resources may include authors in such ancillary fields as architecture (Richard Kieckhefer), anthropology (James C. Scott), and human geography (Yi-Fu Tuan). The course will conclude by examining concrete test cases of spatiality, e.g. Chartres Cathedral and modern storefront churches.

This is a historical and topical survey of the origins and development of Islam. The course is primarily concerned with the life and career of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, the teachings of the Qur'an, the development of the Muslim community and its principal institutions, schools of thought, law, theology, cultural life and mystical tradition, to about 1300 A.D.