Previous Years' Course Catalogues

The Hebrews and the General Epistles, and the reception thereof, have contributed significantly to the development of Christian thought and practice. Due to the emphasis placed upon Paul in recent centuries however, there has been a tendency to neglect these works. This course will consider these works, situating them within their time and place, and also consider what significance they might hold for Christian thought and practice in the contemporary world.

The Hebrews and the General Epistles, and the reception thereof, have contributed significantly to the development of Christian thought and practice. Due to the emphasis placed upon Paul in recent centuries however, there has been a tendency to neglect these
works. This course will consider these works, situating them within their time and place, and also consider what significance they might hold for Christian thought and practice in the contemporary world.

This course explores issues in the philosophy of religion, with special reference to The Brothers Karamazov. Major themes include: the existence and nature of God, religious language, religious experience, faith and reason, the problem of evil, religion and morality, and afterlife beliefs. Readings include Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov and selections from theologians and philosophers of religion.

This course explores issues in the philosophy of religion, with special reference to The Brothers Karamazov. Major themes include: the existence and nature of God, religious language, religious experience, faith and reason, the problem of evil, religion and morality, and afterlife beliefs. Readings include Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov and selections from theologians and philosophers of religion.

The last book of the Christian biblical canon, the Book of Revelation is often talked about but less often read. It has inspired and continues to inspire a range of persons and groups, from fringe religious movements through to artistic and intellectual titans. This course will consider the Book of Revelation in its own rights, situating it within its time and place, and also consider what it might mean for Christian thought and practice in the contemporary world.

The last book of the Christian biblical canon, the Book of Revelation is often talked about but less often read. It has inspired and continues to inspire a range of persons and groups, from fringe religious movements through to artistic and intellectual titans. This course will consider the Book of Revelation in its own rights, situating it within its time and place, and also consider what it might mean for Christian thought and practice in the contemporary world.

The last book of the Christian biblical canon, the Book of Revelation is often talked about but less often read. It has inspired and continues to inspire a range of persons and groups, from fringe religious movements through to artistic and intellectual titans. This course will consider the Book of Revelation in its own rights, situating it within its time and place, and also consider what it might mean for Christian thought and practice in the contemporary world.

For much of the Western art tradition, the concept of grace has been an Important critical concept for Its ability to capture the often elusive quality of artistic affect. Often referred to as the "je ne sals quoi" of art- that something extra that cannot be explained -grace even supplanted beauty for many wrtters (from Giorgio Vasari to Friedrich Schiller) as the highest artistic Ideal. Often missing from modem analyses of the concept, however, are its theological foundations. This seminar style course will exam the concept of grace within Its theological, philosophical, literary, and art theoretical contexts in an effort to understand both its historical significance and its potential usefulness for the philosophy of art today. We will look at a variety of texts (e.g. from Plato, Cicero, the Pseudo-Dionyslus, Dante, John Calvin, Alexander Pope, Friedrich Schiller, Martin Heldegger) as well as works of art for which grace is an important and defining aesthetic concept.

How does pragmatism's central tenet that the meaning and worth of ideas lies in their practical consequences comport with religious forms of life and the understandings of morality they fund? Does pragmatism's suspicion regarding traditional "supernaturalist" theologies leave any space to think alternatively about God and the human relationsip with God? What role do pragmatists see for religion in a democratic society, if any?  In addressing these questions, this seminar will focus on the work of John Dewey, Richard Rorty, and Jeffrey Stout.

How does pragmatism's central tenet that the meaning and worth of ideas lies in their practical consequences comport with religious forms of life and the understandings of morality they fund? Does pragmatism's suspicion regarding traditional "supernaturalist" theologies leave any space to think alternatively about God and the human relationsip with God? What role do pragmatists see for religion in a democratic society, if any? In addressing these questions, this seminar will focus on the work of John Dewey, Richard Rorty, and Jeffrey Stout.

How does pragmatism's central tenet that the meaning and worth of ideas lies in their practical consequences comport with religious forms of life and the understandings of morality they fund? Does pragmatism's suspicion regarding traditional "supernaturalist" theologies leave any space to think alternatively about God and the human relationsip with God? What role do pragmatists see for religion in a democratic society, if any?  In addressing these questions, this seminar will focus on the work of John Dewey, Richard Rorty, and Jeffrey Stout.