Course Descriptions — Theological and Religious Interpretation
Courses are for 3 credits unless otherwise noted.

TR105 Constructive Theology
Eleazar Fernandez
Introduces students to the nature and task of Christian theological construction, the basic issues related to theological method, and the classical and contemporary interpretations on major doctrines, with the expectation that students will acquire the necessary hermeneutical tools for constructing their theological views.
Prerequisites: IS151

TR107 Christian Ethics
Sharon Tan
This is an introduction to ethical theory and ethical reflection that includes a critical study of various approaches to Christian ethics as they are expressed in biblical, classical, and contemporary sources. It includes systematic analysis of moral reasoning and Christian responsibility and explores some contemporary ethical issues.
Prerequisites: IS151, CH161, CH261, CH461

TR223 Poetry in Search of the Holy
Faculty
Religion and poetry shape the soul. In this course, students will enter the world of poetry within the context of faith with attention to intersections of sacred and secular poetry. We will consider how poets use their work to articulate an understanding of God, and why the language of poetry is particularly appropriate for this purpose. In addition, we will examine diverse poetic voices, aesthetics in poetry, and the techniques of established poets. This class is appropriate for students of any writing level and is open to first-time students.
No prerequisites

TR224 Paul Tillich and Contemporary Challenges
Eleazar Fernandez
This course explores the main themes and thrusts of Paul Tillich’s theology, examines his theological system, and critiques his ideas in relation to the challenges that the church and society are facing in our contemporary times. This course fulfills the ‘systems of thought’ requirement of the curriculum.
No prerequisites

TR235 The Church, Spirituality, and the Arts
Wilson Yates
Thursday, 6:00-9:15 PM
Focusing on the visual arts, including painting, sculpture, the liturgical arts, architecture, and other selected art forms, this course will examine their role in the life of the church and Christian spirituality. Historical considerations begin with the early church and move down through major historical periods. The three major Christian traditions of Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and Protestantism will be examined with a consideration of current forms of “spiritual art” that are present outside of, or on the margins of, the church, including outsider folk art from both the Black and Hispanic worlds. The final focus will be on where we are today and the primary rationales for engaging the arts as a contemporary religious community.
No prerequisites

TR241 Visual Arts and the Spiritual Life
Wilson Yates
Weekday afternoons, 1:00-4:15 PM
This course will engage the class in discovering how the visual arts can inform and deepen our spiritual life. We will develop an approach to the interpretation of art in which we take into account its formal elements, iconography, and levels of content and meaning with a focus on how art engages our spirituality. We will draw on selected works that both shape and express Christian spirituality, including Andrei Rublev’s Russian Orthodox icon “The Holy Trinity;” Duccio’s late Medieval “Maesta;” Michelangelo’s four pietas; and Rembrandt’s images of Christ, as well as works by van Gogh, Kaethe Kollwitz, Marc Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky, Barbara Hepworth, and Marc Chagall. We will use the internet for access to most of the images we treat, as well as slides and PowerPoint in class. We will make field trips to the Minneapolis Institute of Art and other museums and galleries.
No prerequisites
Register now as a non-degree student

TR242 Theater and Social Change
Faculty
This course uses biblical, theoretical, and theological studies to examine drama as a means of prophetic judgment. Included are readings from the classical prophets (Jeremiah, Amos, Isaiah); theorists such as Augusto Boal and Peter Brook; and theologians such as Nelle Morton, James Cone, and Leonardo Boff. The course will study dramatists and theatre groups such as Luis Valdez, Vaclav Havel, Anna Deavere Smith, Bread and Puppet Theater, San Francisco Mime Troupe, and Tony Kushner. The majority of the course is devoted to careful reading and analysis of the texts. It will also involve some practical exercises and games from the “Theater of the Oppressed” as a model for community conflict resolution. The course will address practical ways drama can be utilized in the church for study groups, as a resource for preaching, teaching, and producing significant drama in the church.
No prerequisites

TR243 Theology, Spirituality, and the Visual Arts
Faculty
This course will engage students in theological reflection and spiritual encounter with pivotal works from major artists. It is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing on theoretical and methodological insights from art history, aesthetics, church history, spirituality, and theology. And it is existentially focused, asking that you enter into a deep and personal conversation with the artists, their works, and your own spiritual sensibilities. The course is concerned, therefore, with how art can inform both your theology and spirituality. Works treated include the Eastern Orthodox icon, early church art forms, Duccio and Giotto, Fra Angelico, Rembrandt, van Gogh, Francis Bacon, Kathae Kollwitz, Marc Chagall, and Barbara Hepworth, along with selected works from The Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
No prerequisites

TR244 Theological Focus on Photography
Jann Cather Weaver
This class will study up to 50 of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts’ most salient photographs in its holdings. Each of these photographs and their artists are essential to everyone’s “visual repertoire.” The class will examine these photographs at the MIA and in class with photographic and theological methods of reflection: analysis of technique as artistic expression; the artistic drive of photographers as a spiritual force; and how photographs serve as religious arts, revealing the human condition, people’s relationship to God, and the immanent/transcendent presence of the Divine spirit. The class will focus theologically on art photography, digital photography, documentary photography, photojournalism, and street photography, stemming back to 1845, through the Great Depression, and up to 2002.
No prerequisites.

TR246 Theological Reflection and Spiritual Encounter in 20th Century Art and Architecture
Wilson Yates
(Course description TBA)

TR247 Theology and Music
Phil Stoltzfus
How does the experience of music influence and shape our theological thinking? This course will go beyond the traditional field of church music to investigate how ideas derived from reflection on music (musical aesthetics) have been used by theologians to construct novel understandings of God and the life of faith from a variety of theological perspectives. Students will critically engage with the insights of figures such as Augustine, Hildegard, Schleiermacher, Barth, Küng, Ann Pederson, Heidi Epstein, and Jeremy Begbie. Alongside these, we will explore in a non-technical manner both sacred and secular musical works (medieval, classical, jazz, popular) as avenues for opening us up to listen, feel, and think in new and creative ways.
No prerequisites

TR248 Theological Reflection and Spiritual Encounter in 20th Century Art and Architecture
Wilson Yates
This course will focus on how we spiritually encounter and theologically interpret works of art. We will draw on theologians of the 20th and 21st centuries who developed specific approaches for interpreting the arts including Paul Tillich, Jacques Maritain, James Luther Adams, the Dillenbergers, Margaret Miles, Frank Burch Brown, Robin Jensen, Kim Vrudny and other aesthetic theologians.  These approaches will be used as the basis for shaping our own particular framework for interpreting art and architecture. We will draw on major artists of the 20th century including Picasso, Beckman, Kollwitz, Rouault, Kandinsky, and abstract expressionists; modern sculptors such as Moore, Hepworth, and Gabo; and modern church architectural works including the chapel of Notre-Dame-du-Haut in Ronchamp, France, the Oakland Cathedral, St. Peter’s Chapel in New York, the Bigelow chapel, St. John’s Abbey Church (Collegeville), and the Russian Orthodox Church  (Roseville).
No prerequisites

TR271 Theological Interpretation of the Arts
Jann Cather Weaver
This course introduces students to the history of religion, theology, and the arts as used in theological study, theological education, and the life and worship of the church. Students will study the major theoretical approaches to theology and the arts. Stemming from this study, students will begin an initial development of their own theoretical approach to the arts, using ideas from theology, arts criticism, and experiential learning.
No prerequisites

TR272 Arts Practicum
Jann Cather Weaver
In this experientially-based course, students focus on their art forms and/or a particular art concern and its interpretation. Students will demonstrate ability through performing, exhibiting, and/or interpreting the arts through a project. Through course discussions and comments, students will develop and put into practice project plans. Examples might include the creation of an art exhibit, a recital performance of music or dance, a poetry reading, a presentation integrating the arts in worship, or a series of lectures for a selected audience on the arts in the life of faith and worship. The practicum assumes class participation, reading, critical reflection, project design, practice, and a performance/presentation as appropriate before a group at the seminary or other designated settings.
Prerequisites: Equivalent of one full-time year of study (27 credits)

TR316/CH416 Topics in Black Christianity: Traditions of Worship, Culture, and Theology
Faculty
In many ways, the African-American Sunday morning experience is still the “invisible church” that existed in the slave era. Many of these traditions, rituals, and spiritual disciplines are unknown to mainstream White religious traditions in America. We will address this history of the Black Christian church and discuss its present status through the study of church organization, worship, Christian Education, and the use of scripture. We will also examine the roles of women, African spirituality, the emergence of Black Theology, and the distinctiveness of their view of social justice. Finally we will be in discussion on the prevailing African American view of Jesus Christ.
No prerequisites

TR331 Antiracism Dialogue: Theory and Practice
Faculty
Antiracism theory and practice from a relational theology perspective. The course employs a circle approach to antiracism dialogue, study, and community formation. Explores the interpersonal dynamics of racism, focusing on institutional and systemic racism. Examines the notion of racism as violation, causing spiritual woundedness and material harm and, from the perspective of the sinned-against, raises questions about traditional understandings of forgiveness.
No prerequisites

TR339 Restoring the Table of Trinitarian Community in Ecojustice Perspective
Nancy Victorin-Vangerud
The re-emergence of Trinitarian thinking in contemporary theology draws inspiration from relational, communitarian, and ecological values. Evangelical, feminist, Orthodox, liberation, and Roman Catholic theologians celebrate the playful image of the “divine dance,” inviting the participation of human community and the inclusion of all creation. But what are the ecotheological and ecojustice implications of inviting all creation, particularly when it comes to food? With the gospel writers, we still wonder (along with Michael Pollan), “What will we eat? What will we drink?” Or, as feminist theologian Elizabeth Johnson reflects, “How are we nourished at the table of divine love?” This course begins with environmentalist Terry Tempest Williams, whose memoir Leap takes us on a spiritual journey to restore the communion table in the midst of “the garden of earthly delights.” Then we will turn to developments in Trinitarian theology through the work of Denis Edwards, Elizabeth Johnson, Stanley Grenz, and Karen Baker-Fletcher. Theologians, activists, and ethicists such as Sara Miles, L. Shannon Jung, Rita Nakashima Brock, Vandana Shiva, Richard Alan Young, Letty Russell, Andrew Linzey, Winona LaDuke, Raj Patel, and Carol Adams will extend and deepen our reflections. Issues to be explored include seeds and soil, animal rights, industrial agriculture, sustainability, vegetarianism, urban farming, farm workers, food pantries, health and wellness, and food as indigenous “medicine.” Students will develop constructive theological projects with liturgical, artistic, and missional implications.

TR341 Land: Ecology, Politics, Economics, and Spirituality
Faculty
The land will be examined as a root metaphor informing cultural understandings of ecological, economic, and political life for both rural and urban people. It will also be analyzed as a perennial — though frequently neglected — theme in theology and Christian conceptualizations of the spiritual life. In addition to biblical and theological materials, the course will attend to theories of political economy and to changing economic and ecological realities for help in charting cultural understandings of the land in North American context. Cross-cultural perspectives will further be examined to provide alternative points of reference. The course will move through the tasks of describing and analyzing the multivalent reality and symbolism of land in order to engage in the constructive task of articulating a theological and ethical position that is grounded in the land.
No prerequisites

TR342 Reading the World as Sacred Text: Some Questions in Science and Theology
Faculty
This course will explore selected aspects of the contemporary dialogue between science and theology. Beginning with Barbour’s classification of four ways in which science and theology can relate to each other, the course will argue that the best way to conceive our universe is as a “nested hierarchy” of levels of organization, with new characteristics and new behaviors emerging at each new level. Science and theology are both model-making activities that seek to give accounts of characteristics and behaviors at different levels of organization in the universe. Within this framework, the course will then explore some specific topics in science and theology, such as God’s action in the physical world, evolution in matter and spirit, biology and being human, and the effect of contemporary cosmology on Christian teaching about the Beginning and the End. We will conclude with reflections on the universe as itself a sacramental sign of communion in God.
No prerequisites

TR360 Film as Theological Text: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexualities
Jann Cather Weaver
This course examines the cultural medium of film as theological text. Theological inquiries are made into the meanings of grace, redemption, repentance, truth, and the vocation of ministry by critically focusing on the re-presentation and re-production of race, class, sexualities, and gender in film. A critical method rooted in theological, biblical, and visual fundamentals, expanded by literary, cultural, and theological social analysis, guides this study of film as theological text. Tentative films are Slumdog Millionaire, Sweet Land, Birth of a Nation, Malcolm X, Daughters of the Dust, Transamerica, Paris is Burning, Milk, Raise the Red Lantern, Snow Falling on Cedars, Broken Rainbow, Rabbit-Proof Fence, and The Soloist. Students will see each film outside of class.
Prerequisites: IS151

TR370 Politics and Religion in the World
Sharon Tan
Religion, and religious worldviews, both form and inform the context and content of a nation’s domestic and foreign politics. This course explores the relationships between religion and the structure, institutions, and content of a nation’s political processes. We will look at these processes with theological, sociological, and ethical lenses. Specifically, we will look at the influence of Christianity, Islam, and Marxism on geo-political areas such as North America, the Middle East, and Africa and/or communist countries.
No prerequisites

TR401 Foundations for Women’s Studies
Christine Smith
Women’s voices and perspectives are changing the way Christian people understand religion, theology, and ministry. The breadth of literature arising from women’s lives in the past three decades is great, and the issues that literature generates for women’s and men’s critical and constructive theological work is challenging and exciting. We will look at aspects of the historical development of the women’s movement in the United States; gender as a socially constructed reality; various disciplines in religion, theology, and ministry from the perspective of women’s lives; and selected issues related to race, class, sexual orientation/sexual preference, ability, and age as dimensions of women’s analysis.
No prerequisites

TR408 Introduction to Feminist Theologies
Nancy Victorin-Vangerud
What is feminist theology? What have feminist theologies contributed to the theological community and, perhaps more importantly, to women and men seeking for alternative ways of seeing the sacred? We will explore works of feminist theologians in the period from the 1960s to the present. We will identify and discuss some characteristics of feminist theologies and reflect on how these theologies resonate with our own experience. There will be some lecture, and reading, writing, conversation, and reflection will be main components of our time together.
No prerequisites

TR414 Pilgrimages Inner and Outer: Letting the Body Mentor the Soul
Martha Stortz
Feminists have reintroduced theology to the body, not as a lesser partner to the soul, but as a site of wisdom and insight. They tap experience as a source for theology, inviting the body to mentor the soul. Practices tap the body's wisdom and experience's insights. This course explores the history of such a practice: pilgrimage, which signaled both a physical path and an interior journey. We will look at the sites of pilgrimage and the stories of pilgrims, including Egeria and Teresa of Avila, concluding with sites of post-modern pilgrimage (e.g., Emily Dickinson's home, Jane Austen's home), and listening to stories of post-modern pilgrims along the way. The course treats students as themselves pilgrims, the course itself as a pilgrimage, and assignments as the chronicle of a journey.

TR415 Gay/Lesbian/Bi-sexual/Transgender Cultural and Theological Voices
Christine Smith
The primary focus of this course is a critical examination of lesbian/gay/bi-sexual/transgendered religious and theological voices. The course invites and requires constructive reflection and theologizing. Selected cultural literature will deepen an understanding of how G/L/B/T philosophy, social analysis, and community life influence our social and ecclesiastical lives. Particular attention will be given to the intersection of ethnicity, class, and gender and the transformational vision and reality of G/L/B/T lives. Even though this course may have particular relevance for G/L/B/T people, the cultural and theological insights explored in this course are critical and important for the spiritual and vocational lives of all religious leaders.
No prerequisites

TR418 Global Re-Presentations of Women through Film
Jann Cather Weaver
Using film as theological text, this course focuses on diverse, global re-production and re-presentation of women and gender. Films and documentaries from Asia, Europe, and Latino cultures, as well as from sub-cultures of North America, will be seen out of class. Students will learn to engage film through a theological, visual method rooted in global liberation theologies, a hermeneutics of suspicion, literary, and film theory. Does not meet the ‘global justice’ requirement.
No prerequisites

TR419 Religious Lives of Girls
Joyce Ann Mercer
This course in practical theology is a study in the intersections of gender, spirituality, and faith, focusing particularly on the religous lives of adolescent girls. It is also a course in the uses of ethnography both as a method for studying such intersections, and as a pastoral practice. We will consider recent works in feminist theory and feminist theology on girlhood, the construction of identity, female adolescent spirituality, and faith. Participants in the course will learn about and utilize interviews, participant-observation, and other ethnographic methods for studying faith adn gender in the lives of young women, and explore the pastoral uses of these practices in various ministry contexts.
No prerequisites.

TR427 Womanist Art, Literature, Media, Music, and Musings
Alika Galloway
This course will explore womanist biblical, theological, and ethical interpretations of womanist artistic expressions, including art, literature, media, music, and musings (folklore). We will examine works by Renita Weems, Delores Williams, Caroline McCray, and Howard Thurman.
No prerequisites

TR428 Biblical Women in Art and Literature
Faculty
A picture is worth a thousand words, and for every 10 words of the Bible that tell a female character’s story, there are thousands of images: paintings, sculptures, drawings, films, and more, as well as depictions in poetry and fiction. In terms of depictions of biblical women, the images are not only numerous, but often very different from one another. What might these artistic depictions have to offer us in terms of both the context of their creators as well as insights into the biblical narratives? In what ways can art be a vehicle of insight, meaning, and sacrality? This course will serve as an overview not only of female figures in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, but of the ways those figures have been interpreted in visual and literary art, and how we can engage with those interpretations to find new insights into scripture, art, and religious tradition.

TR501 Environmental Ethics
Faculty
This course focuses on two fundamental questions: What is the theological significance of the natural world? How can Christian ethics address the question of our role in, and responsibility for, the natural environment? These questions will be considered in the context of scientific and practical knowledge of the natural world.
No prerequisites

TR509 Comparative Religious Ethics
Sharon Tan
This course introduces students to ethical systems in the major, non-Christian world religions and includes some additional in-depth reading on one or more of those systems. There will be discussion of case studies and specific ethical issues, comparing the different ethical approaches in the different religions.
No prerequisites

TR514 New Encounters: Hospitality, Security, and Peace in a Mobile World
Eleazar Fernandez
The increasing mobility of people is one of the main tenets of our globalized world. While this may be cause for celebration, there is another side to the flow of people that is alarming: the massive movement of people due to global market forces, political and religious conflicts, ecological crisis, etc. This has led to shifting demographics, new encounters of various sorts, and exciting possibilities of forming more colorful communities, as well as pressing challenges. This course takes account of the flow of people and the challenges it brings: its impact on the countries of emigration and the countries of immigration policies, national security, ecology, health, cultural and religious encounters, and human rights. Moreover, this course takes a theological reading of the issues and explores ways of helping faith communities and civil society respond creatively to the challenges.

TR515 Making Peace, Transforming Conflict
Faculty
The vision of shalom permeates the Christian scriptures, but what does it mean to make peace? In this course, we will weave together the theology, theory, and practice of peacemaking and conflict transformation as we consider how people of faith can work to create peace in their lives, their congregations, their communities, and in the world.
No prerequisites

TR520 Christian Ethical Discourse on Politics
Eleazar Fernandez
Introduces students to the discourse of ethics as it relates to our political life. In this course, students will be exposed to the classical and contemporary themes of political ethics, as well as to some of the methods of making adequate ethical discernment vis-à-vis political issues. Moreover, students will have the opportunity to explore alternative constructs of being, dwelling, and doing that have emerged from the experience and struggle of counter-hegemonic movements.
No prerequisites

TR521 War, Peace, and Ethics
Faculty
Is it always, sometimes, or never right to make war? Do ethical standards change? How did the major ethical positions arise, and what do they recommend to us? Reading and discussion will focus on holy war, just war, “realism,” pacifism, and nonviolent resistance. The main emphasis will be on Western traditions (including feminism), but we will also look at views from the Jain, Buddhist, Taoist, and Islamic traditions. In addition, we will have a chance to converse with guest presenters. There will be brief written responses to the readings and a final paper titled, “A Statement of My Ethics with Regard to War and Peace.”
No prerequisites

TR533/CH533 Theological Ethics of H. Richard Niebuhr
Paul Capetz and Faculty
H. Richard Niebuhr (1894-1962) is one of the most important figures in American theology in the twentieth century. Through reading and discussion of primary texts, the seminar examines Niebuhr’s theological and ethical thought, as well as his use of historical and sociological categories for the interpretation of human life in its religious and moral dimensions.
No prerequisites

TR536 Ethics of Reconciliation
Sharon Tan
We will explore the theological and social ethics of reconciliation, specifically the notions of forgiveness, repentance, justice, and community. In the first two-thirds or so of the course, we will focus on theory in readings, writing, lecture, and discussion. In the last portion of the course, we will apply this to specific issues in reconciliation, e.g., domestic violence, racial justice, political conflict.
No prerequisites

TR537 Justice: Social, Legal, Economic
Sharon Tan
In this seminar, we will explore different conceptions of social justice and how law and economics — dominant expressions of justice in today’s society — might reflect these different conceptions. We will read and discuss liberal theories of justice and their critiques and discuss how positive and natural law theories and economic systems relate to concepts of justice and morality.
No prerequisites

TR545 Process Thought and Christian Faith: The Theology of John B. Cobb Jr.
Jeanyne Slettom
An in-depth study of the works of preeminent Christian process theologian John B. Cobb Jr. from his early theoretical works to his ethical writings on ecology, economy, evolution, and religious pluralism. Cobb spent his early career focusing on the interpretation of Christian faith through the lens of philosopher Alfred North Whitehead, then increasingly turned his attention to writing for laypersons on socio-economic issues relating to the common good. Dr. Cobb has agreed to some interactive participation with students of this course.
No prerequisites

TR551/CH435 A History of Theological Ethics
Paul Capetz
Through reading and discussion of primary texts, this seminar investigates the ethical method of influential representatives of various approaches in Christian theological ethics. Differing figures are examined each time the seminar is offered, such as Thomas Aquinas, Karl Barth, and Ernst Troeltsch.
No prerequisites

TR552 Major Twentieth Century Moral Thinkers
Faculty
Major figures who influence the substance and shape of contemporary Christian moral thought are examined. This seminar is a close reading of selected works by specific writers. Figures studied may include Karl Barth, Reinhold Niebuhr, Paul Ramsey, James M. Gustafson, John H. Yoder, Karl Rahner, Stanley Hauerwas, Cornel West, Margaret Farley, Beverly Harrison, Katie Cannon, and others.
No prerequisites

TR572 Good Work
Sharon Tan
This course brings together themes in moral agency, institutionalism, virtue, and vocation in examining the role and identity of a “professional” in today’s workplace. We will explore the generally common constraints and freedoms that individuals in different professions experience in the workplace in their pursuit of their ideals and goals. In addition, we will examine the work place as an arena in which to develop virtue and live our vocation and citizenships.
No prerequisites

TR573 Ethical Themes in Literature
Sharon Tan
It is in stories that most of a society’s morality and understanding of ethics is conveyed, described, and understood. This course will explore how literature conveys morality and thus is a way of doing ethics. We will also explore and analyze ethical themes in narrative fiction.
No prerequisites

TR608 Christology
Faculty
Christology is arguably the most critical topic of theological discourse for Christian faith since it treats of the decisive significance attributed to Jesus by the church. Historically, however, the shape of the christological question has undergone development from ancient to modern times. Whereas the classical formulation of the christological question concerned the relation between divinity and humanity in Jesus, the modern formulation of the question has revolved around the relation between the so-called “Jesus of history” and the “Christ of faith.” In this seminar, we will examine this historical shift in the formulation of the christological question and study certain influential constructive proposals for understanding how Christians today should understand their central christological confession that “Jesus is the Christ.”
No prerequisites

TR610 Theology of Religions
Eleazar Fernandez
Brings to the students’ attention the evermore pressing reality that we are living in a religiously plural world — a world whose very survival demands that communities must learn to live with each other — and invites them to take a critical account of the basic theological premises of the Christian faith vis-à-vis the claims of other religions. It is the hope of this course that students will be able to articulate a theology of religions that is adequate to our pluralistic context while remaining faithful to their respective religious heritage.
No prerequisites

TR612 Theology and Postmodern Thought
Eleazar Fernandez
Major intellectual currents always pose a challenge to theology that cannot be taken for granted. This is certainly the case with postmodern thought. This elective theology course introduces students to the main strands of postmodern ideas, critically examines them, and explores their bearings on our interpretations of major theological doctrines and how we do theology for our so-called postmodern world.
No prerequisites

TR613 Ecofeminist Theologies: Water, Women, and Wisdom in an Ecological Cosmos
Faculty
Environmental crises in our world today bring new challenges for constructive theology — to take our longing for Earth’s flourishing as seriously as we take our longing for God. Thus, the sustainable liberation and transformation of God’s “beloved community” incorporates not only social justice, but the larger horizon of ecojustice, in which humans are embedded. This means seeing anew our place with Earth, as well as restoring our relation to place. Constructive theology (and thealogy) is enriched by engaging with ecofeminism, as well as practices, movements, and analyses that explore the connections between the exploitation of women and the exploitation of nature. Ecofeminist theologians extend the critical work of reimagining relations of gender, sexuality, race, and class to include the embodied relations of human beings within a complex, diverse, and sacred ecology of life.
No prerequisites

TR622 Seminar on Liberal Theologies
Eleazar Fernandez
This course engages the writings of some prominent liberal theologians, both of the Unitarian Universalist and Christian traditions, and examines the significance of their ideas for theology, ethics, and ministry. Through the seminary approach, students will have the opportunity to both gain knowledge of a wide body of theological writings as well as focus on a particular theological figure of their choice.
No prerequisites

TR625 Liberal and Evangelical Conversation
with Bethel Seminary Faculty
Throughout our lives, especially in leadership roles in congregations, we deal with Christians who consider themselves Evangelical. Readings from each theological perspective provide the basis for dialogue with students from Bethel Seminary.
No prerequisites

TR626 Process and Liberation Theologies in Dialogue
Eleazar Fernandez
A course that introduces students to the basic tenets of two major contemporary theological movements: process and liberation theologies. It also explores theological areas where fruitful conversation is possible. To accomplish these concerns, representative works on process and liberation theologies will be explored and engaged critically.
No prerequisites

TR637 Theology of Rudolf Bultmann
Capetz & Ogden
Rudolf Bultmann (1884-1976) was not only the 20th –century’s most influential New Testament scholar but also one of its most important systematic theologians. Bultmann’s proposal for demythologizing the New Testament evoked a storm of controversy among pastors and theologians regarding what it means to proclaim the gospel in the modern world. His synthesis of historical-critical exegesis of the New Testament, existentialist philosophy, and Protestant theology is an achievement with which every serious student of Christian theology must come to terms. This seminar will examine the historical, philosophical-hermeneutical, and systematic aspects of Bultmann’s theology through a careful reading of some of his major primary texts.
No prerequisites

TR650 Theology in Contemporary Film
Jann Cather Weaver
Discerning theological dimensions in contemporary film requires learning to read a film theologically, not imposing one’s theological views upon a film. This course will introduce students to seeing the theology/theologies of contemporary films and enable students to grapple with different theological perspectives. We will examine the films as the films will, in turn, examine our lives of faith and ministry. Tentative films include Billy Elliot, Chocolat, Waking Ned Devine, Tender Mercies, The Apostle, Manny and Lo, Finding Graceland, Smoke, Antonia’s Line, Fire, and Eat, Drink, Man, Woman. Students will see each film outside of class.
No prerequisites

TR661 Introduction to Black Theology and Ethics
Faculty
Exploring some classical statements from African American Christianity and several more recent statements and analyses, this is a study of the literature that generally has become identified as Black Theology. The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the breadth of documents and analyses of African American Christianity and of normative moral perspectives presented in these texts.
No prerequisites

TR675 Seminar on Unitarian Universalist Theology
Carol Hepokoski
In this course, we will explore historical and contemporary theological themes within Unitarian Universalist thought and practice. Throughout the course there will be structured opportunities for theological reflection, conversation, and analysis of selected topics. Special attention will be given to theological resources from historically under-recognized groups within Unitarian Universalism.
No prerequisites

TR709 Jewish-Christian Art and Iconography in Cultural Contexts
Jann Cather Weaver
Religious art serves as a medium in which people connect current, cultural realities with the grand narrative events of tradition. This course looks at a cross-cultural, Jewish-Christian body of religious art, examining how culturally distinct religious symbols and realities express theological meaning. Juxtaposition of culturally linked images will enhance the theological understanding of Jewish-Christian faith. The purpose of this course is to widen each student’s spiritual and theological imagination through the rich cultural interplay of Jewish-Christian artistic expressions. Students with prior experience in theological reflection and biblical study will benefit the most. This course does not fulfill the global justice requirement.
No prerequisites

TR714 World Religions
Faculty
Understanding that other faiths may offer insight into our own, this course provides an overview of major world religions. Judaism, Islam, West African practices, Hinduism, and Buddhism receive specific focus, with students examining the relationship between culture and religion in these traditions. Special attention will be given to how people live out their beliefs through ritual, artistic expression, and social conduct. Field research in the growing local multifaith community will be included.
No prerequisites

TR718 Hinduism
Faculty
Hinduism is now a growing religion in America. With its understanding of the multiple faces of God, connections to yoga, and rich art traditions, the oldest major world religion has much to teach us about dynamic theology, spirituality, and sensuality as part of religion. This course will explore Hindu history, practices, scripture, and beliefs through readings, discussion, and experiential learning. Visiting a temple, meditation, yoga, and music and dance concerts will be a part of class learning. Comparison to your own religious tradition will be an active part of our conversation.
No prerequisites

TR719 Native American Theologies
Faculty
This course draws on readings, guest presentations, and occasions for participation in the ceremonial life of native faith communities to introduce students to American Indian Theologies, spirituality, and religious traditions.
No prerequisites

TR720 Zen Buddhism
Faculty
A special transmission outside scriptures — no dependence on words and letters, direct pointing to the human heart and mind, seeing into one’s true nature, and the attainment of Buddha hood. With these brave words attributed to Bodhidharma, Buddhism entered China. We will follow the course of this lively stream of Buddhism as it flows through China, Japan, and North America. We will give careful, sustained attention to selected primary texts as well as landmark secondary interpretations. Complementing our textual study will be an engagement with some of the spiritual practices of Zen Buddhism: concentration and mindfulness, koan study and ink painting, tea ceremony, and poetry.
No prerequisites
Register now as a non-degree student

TR721 Buddhism and the Arts
Faculty
The core teachings of Buddhism are illuminated by its arts. Trace the evolution of the “Dharma” from the sculpture and empty cushions of early Buddhism, through the spacious poetry and painting of China and Japan, to the practical arts of tea ceremony, flower arranging, and jazz. As the images of the Buddha migrate across the generations, why did he open his eyes and smile?
No prerequisites

TR722 Theological Voices from a Global Perspective
Eleazar Fernandez
Our era has witnessed the emergence of various theological voices, especially theological voices long muted and buried, that need to be taken seriously by the church and the theological community. Students in this course will be exposed to various theological voices around the world as to their context, method, and content and encouraged to engage critically with them, with the hope that these voices enrich and widen their theological views.
No prerequisites

TR725 Theological Voices of Minorities in the United States
Eleazar Fernandez
The time for silence is over; the long time “absents” in the history of the United States are now raising their voices. A challenge is before us to respond to these voices and take account of how we do theology and ministry. This course accepts the challenge by exposing students to the history, struggles, hopes, and theological voices of racial minorities in the United States.
No prerequisites

TR726 Judaism and Islam
Faculty
The mother and sister religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam have both a rich history and relationship. Study of the history, theology, and culture of these traditions may provide deeper insight into their impact on our world. This course will do so, with attention to both traditional interpretations, but also mystic Kabbalah and Sufi understandings, and modern feminist views. Attention to the arts will provide important insights into how these religions existed and affected their communities.
No prerequisites

TR741 World Religions: Dance and Music
Faculty
This course is based on an understanding that culture often expresses religious values, with the arts encoding myth, belief, and values. Dance in particular may embody a people’s spirituality, serving as a crossing point between ritual behavior and how we act in the everyday world. Students will explore how and why movement is vital to understanding religious life, with world dance and music serving as a means of examining constructs of ordering the world. Lectures, readings, videos, field trips, and in-class movement sessions will serve as material for discussion. No dance or music background is required. Traditions explored include Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and West African practices.
No prerequisites

TR744 Theology of Urban Ministry
Faculty
(jointly offered by United, Luther Seminary, and Bethel Seminary)
This course invites theological reflection on our diverse experiences of life and ministry in the city. The course is contextually structured so students will be exposed to models of urban ministry and engaged in theological conversation with urban ministers (clergy and lay). The “city” will be discovered not only as a topic for theology, but also as a powerful shaper of theology. “Ministry” will be discussed both as the vocation of religious organizations and as related to wider civic responsibility in society.
No prerequisites

TR747 Guatemala Global Justice Trip
Faculty
Since the mid 1950s Guatemala has been a militarized country, and during the 1970s and 1980s it had one of the worst records for human rights violations in the western hemisphere. Also, it is a country in which the indigenous Mayan population has remained culturally vibrant and strong in the midst of grinding poverty and racist genocide. During the trip, we will focus on Mayan culture and spirituality, human rights issues and violations, and issues of global economics that continue to be so oppressive to the people of Guatemala. We will travel to several villages in the northern highlands of Guatemala, speaking with World Bank representatives and human rights advocates in Guatemala City and visiting grass-roots cooperatives that help sustain the social and economic life of the Mayan Indian people of Guatemala. This trip is organized by the Center for Global Education. Indigenous Mayan Fidel Xinico will be our leader in Guatemala.
No prerequisites

TR748 Taoism
Faculty
Among the world religions, Taoism occupies an unusual place: it spans the gap from primordial shamanism to twenty-first century systems theory; it fosters both scientific rigor and mystical rapture. This investigation of the “Nature Religion” of China will explore its many transformations. The last two units will consider how three friends (Alan Watts, Ken Cohen, and Al Huang) transplanted Taoism to America. Learning methods include primary and secondary texts, small group discussion, lectures, discussion, calligraphy, guest speakers, and field trips. Students will learn Taoist spiritual practices including breathing, standing meditation, T’ai Chi, and Chi Gong.
No prerequisites

TR771 Approaches to the Study of Religion and Religious Communities
Faculty
This course introduces students to major approaches to the study of religion as a human phenomenon and to research methods for studying actual religious communities.
Prerequisite: IS151

TR811 Body, Movement, and Spirituality: Experiencing the Luminous Body
Faculty
Between the moments of birth and death we are embodied beings. What does it mean to be a body? What does it mean to live in the world as physical beings? How does embodiment and experience relate to spirituality? What are ways to express and share spiritual experiences through our bodies and movement? This course begins to address these questions and to challenge cultural assumptions about the separation between body and spirit. We will begin by exploring personal, cultural, and social views of physicality. Then, we will use the lived experience of our bodies as a starting point for altering our understanding of the experience of embodiment. Finally, we will also explore ways to integrate physical experience and spiritual expression to create embodied experiences for others. The course includes experiential exercises and discussion as a means to develop new understandings of what it means to be embodied souls.
No prerequisites

TR820 Reimagining the Church: Ecclesiology, Mission, and Ministry for Our Contemporary Time
Eleazar Fernandez
This course introduces students to the classical as well as the various contemporary models of the church or ecclesiologies. Then these ecclesiologies will be critiqued in light of the tradition and contemporary challenges the church is facing. Furthermore, students will engage in reconstructing or re-imagining an ecclesiology that is not only faithful to the Christian heritage, but also responsive to the current context, both globally and locally.
No prerequisites

TR843 Writing: The Sacred Journey
Faculty
The practice of writing creatively (be it memoir, fiction, poetry, drama, or any contemporary, genre-bending form) is both a personal exploration and an art. In this course, we will explore the intersection between literary craft and spiritual growth. Using contemporary authors as our guides, we will focus on the creation of our own work, from inspiration, pre-writing, and the formation of a writing practice, through revision, toward engagement with an audience. Together we will explore the spiritual and theological implications of what Margaret Atwood calls “reverse incarnation” – the flesh becoming word. Pass/no credit.
No prerequisites

TR990 Directed and Independent Studies in Theological and Religious Interpretation
TR Faculty
Designed for the student who wishes to pursue more intensively a special topic in Theological and Religious Interpretation. Approval of the topic for research must precede registration.
No prerequisites