Course Descriptions
— Christian Heritage
Courses
are for 3 credits unless otherwise noted.
CH111 Access
to Biblical Hebrew
Carolyn Pressler
Familiarity with biblical Hebrew can give a student new access to the text
and its interpretation. In this course, students are introduced to basic Hebrew
grammar and vocabulary and to an array of Hebrew-based exegetical tools.
No prerequisites
CH119 The
Book of Jeremiah
Richard Weis
An exegetical study of the book of Jeremiah. This course adopts the approach
of reading the book as an intentional literary composition that re-uses the
speeches of Jeremiah to address communal destruction, domination, and Diaspora
in the Babylonian and Persian periods. Students will be asked individually
and collaboratively to engage in analysis of how selected passages address
such conditions and to probe the problems and prospects in using these texts
as a resource for contemporary theological reflection.
Prerequisites: CH161
CH121 The
City and the Hebrew Bible
Richard Weis
In this course students engage a selection of resources from the Hebrew Bible
and the life of ancient Israel that may contribute to theological reflection
on modern urban life. These include: the socio-historical reality of cities
in ancient Canaan and Israel; the portrayal of cities in the Hebrew Bible;
the theology within the Hebrew Bible in which the city is a central symbol
— Zion theology; those theological understandings of land, society, and economy
that speak to modern urban realities.
No prerequisites
CH122 In
the Wilderness with God: Teaching and Preaching the Book
of Numbers
Carolyn Pressler
This course is designed to bridge the gap between
critical biblical exegesis and parish ministry. Students will
engage in collaborative study of Numbers. They will be expected
to use what they have learned by teaching and preaching in
local congregations. Attention will be given to both interpretative
methods and pedagogy. The book of Numbers, though given little
attention in Christian circles, proves to be surprisingly relevant
for our times. It raises such questions as: What does it mean
to live in the presence of the holy; How does a pluralistic
community negotiate identity; how does one live —
and lead — faithfully in dangerous times?
No prerequisites
CH125 Love
Song to Lament: Poetry in the Hebrew Bible
Carolyn Pressler
The study of biblical poetry as art has received a great deal of scholarly
attention during recent years. This course examines a range of poetry in the
Hebrew Bible, including texts from Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Job, and
the Psalms. Students work at understanding and appreciating the biblical texts
as literature and will be encouraged to incorporate art into their interpretive
work. The course may satisfy a requirement in the Master of Arts in Theology
and the Arts degree program.
No prerequisites
CH126 Suffering
and Hope in the Old Testament
Carolyn Pressler
The Hebrew Bible can be an important resource for grief ministry. Misinterpretations
of biblical texts can aggravate suffering. This course examines a range of
theological and liturgical responses to the problem of suffering found in the
Hebrew Bible. Attention is given to ways in which the biblical responses can
serve as a resource for contemporary churches.
No prerequisites
CH128 Social
and Political Ideals of Ancient Israel
Carolyn Pressler
Biblical legal collections provide important insights into
the values and ideals of ancient Israel. This course examines
the political values and assumptions
encoded in the Pentateuchal law, especially as those relate to gender, sexuality
and sexual orientation, family life, and treatment of the “other.”
Prerequisites: CH161
CH130 The
Liberating Word
Carolyn Pressler
If we assume that the Bible continues to wield social, political, and ecclesial
influence, then biblical interpretation has political ramifications. This course
examines ways in which biblical interpretation reinforces or confronts contemporary
understandings of race, gender, and/or class. Emphasis will be on teaching
and preaching the Bible as a liberating word.
No prerequisites
CH140 Feminist
Approaches to Biblical Interpretation
Carolyn Pressler
During the past few decades, feminist, womanist, and mujerista approaches to
the Scriptures have had an astonishing impact on the field of biblical studies.
In the first half of the semester, students are challenged to re-examine their
understanding of the Bible, biblical authority, and interpretive methods in
light of biblical interpretation from African American, European American,
Asian American, Native American, and Hispanic women’s communities. The
second half of the term focuses on a number of issues, including female imagery
for
God in the Bible, sexuality and the Scriptures, the Bible and domestic violence,
and biblical models of women’s friendships.
No prerequisites
CH161 Orientation
to the Older Testament: Pentateuch and Former Prophets
Carolyn Pressler
This course orients students to critical study of the Older
Testament and introduces students to the history, literature,
and theologies of the Pentateuch and selected books from the
Former Prophets (Joshua-Kings). Emphasis is on a dialogical
model of interpretation, which takes seriously both the biblical
texts in their contexts and the experience of the interpreter
in her or his social and religious contexts.
No prerequisites
CH162 The
Older Testament in the Life of the Church: Selected Prophets
and Writings
Carolyn Pressler
Students in this course examine books from the Prophets,
the Psalms, Wisdom literature, and other selected writings,
with a focus on how to interpret the texts in a congregational
setting. Attention is also given to the role of the trained
biblical student in empowering laity to interpret the Older
Testament texts.
Prerequisites: CH161, CH261
CH210 New
Testament Greek
Marilyn Salmon
A basic knowledge of the original language of the New Testament is a valuable
tool for study and interpretation. In addition to acquiring a basic vocabulary
and grammar, students will become acquainted with the fundamentals of text
criticism and practice using Greek for exegesis.
No prerequisites
CH221
Reading Acts for the Church
Today
Marilyn
Salmon
The
Acts of the Apostles
tells the story of the origin of the church in the first
century. In this course we will consider
how the Acts narrative might relate to church communities
of the twenty-first century. We will read Acts as
a source
for considering such issues as conflict resolution,
identity formation, stewardship, models for leadership,
and essentials
for community life. Critical historical and literary
methods
and current scholarship will inform our interpretation
of Acts.
Prerequisite: CH261 or permission
of the instructor
CH231 Justice,
Liberation, and Hope in the Theology of Paul
Faculty
We will examine developments in recent scholarship that
challenge the traditional picture of the apostle Paul.
Specific topics include Paul’s critical
engagement with Roman slavery, the patronage system, and Roman imperial ideology;
the problem of theology and praxis in Paul; Paul’s relationships with
emancipated persons in the assemblies, especially women prophets; the presence
of subordinationist or “kyriarchal” themes in Paul’s letters;
and the challenge of interpreting Pauline texts rightly in the contemporary
global context.
No prerequisites
CH233 Interpreting
the Bible after the Holocaust
Marilyn Salmon
More than a half-century has passed since the Holocaust, but the implications
for the interpretation of the Bible continue to engage both Jewish and Christian
biblical interpreters. Some of the critical questions we ask are: How do Christian
scriptures contribute to anti-Semitism? How do Christians and Jews read the
same texts? Is the New Testament anti-Jewish? What is the Christian responsibility
in reinterpreting Christian texts and theology after the Holocaust?
No prerequisites
CH250 Hope
and Justice: Early Christian Visions of the Future
Faculty
From the 1970 classic Late Great Planet Earth to the current “Left
Behind” series, apocalyptic thinking has been a powerful influence in
contemporary American culture. But what are the roles of hope and fear in visions
of God’s future? How important for meaningful human life is a sense
that “the
end is near”? We will examine the historical impulses that generated
early Jewish and Christian apocalypticism, focusing on a comparison of selected
early
Christian texts, to ask in what ways they might promote or distort efforts
at more just and compassionate human dwelling today.
No prerequisites
CH261 New
Testament Texts in Context
Marilyn Salmon
Students in this course study the historical, social, literary,
and religious contexts in which the New Testament was written
as well as different methods for interpreting these ancient
texts for the Church today.
No prerequisites
CH262 Synoptic
Gospels
Marilyn Salmon
This course focuses on one of the three Synoptic Gospels each year on a rotating
cycle keyed to the revised Common Lectionary. The gospel in focus in a given
year is studied in relation to the other canonical gospels and relevant first
century contexts. The course places particular emphasis on learning methods for
interpreting the gospel for contemporary situations, especially emphasizing passages
in the revised Common Lectionary.
Prerequisites:
CH161, CH261
CH263 Preaching
the Gospels
Marilyn Salmon
In this course we will practice hearing the gospel stories with “first
century ears.” We will give particular attention to the problem of
anti-Judaism and Christian supersessionism in reading and preaching from
the gospels. We
will explore different ways of moving from text to sermon and different models
for constructing sermons.
No prerequisites
CH310 United
Church of Christ History and Theology
Faculty
The formation of the United Church of Christ has been characterized
as “a
special development in church history.” This course identifies the nature
of that special development through an exploration of the four streams of traditions
that united in 1957 to become the UCC and the development of the denomination
since 1957. This exploration will involve both an historical and theological
probing of UCC development in its historic and current modes. This course is
a prerequisite to the UCC polity course and meets half of the history, theology,
and polity requirements for ordination in the United Church of Christ.
Prerequisites: CH461, CH462
CH311 The
Polity of the United Church of Christ
Faculty
The United Church of Christ represents a special development
in church history as a new mode of church organization that moves beyond
the traditional forms of polity in response to the influence of modern
ecumenism. Polity-in-process-of-development is the UCC story in the
context of American denominational history. This course will explore
the ecclesiology and implications of these developments in relation
to the ministry and mission of the various settings of the church —
national, conference, association, and local congregation — as
well as the role of the minister within those settings. The course
completes
the history, theology, and polity requirements for ordination in the
United Church of Christ.
Prerequisite: CH310
CH320 United
Methodist History and Polity
Faculty
This course and CH413, Theology of John Wesley and the Wesleyan Tradition,
together provide the six credits of instruction in United Methodist theology,
history, and polity that are part of the UMC ordination requirements. This
course examines the emergence of the Methodist movement in England and the
development of Methodism in the United States, leading to the creation of the
United Methodist Church. It then explores the nature and functioning of the
UMC as the institutional expression of its theological history with an emphasis
on its unique form of connectionalism. The four spheres of church organization
— local church, annual conference, jurisdictional conference, and general
conference — are covered so that students are enabled to use the Book
of Discipline effectively in their ministry.
No prerequisites
CH330 Presbyterian
History, Worship, and Polity
Faculty
This course is designed to equip students to become effective presbyters as
ordained ministers of Word and Sacrament. It addresses Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) history, worship, polity, and contemporary issues affecting the life
of the Church. Students are expected to enroll during the year prior to taking
ordination examinations.
No prerequisites
CH340 Unitarian
Universalist History and Polity
Faculty
Traces the history of Universalists and Unitarians down to the present and
explores polity structures and issues of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
No prerequisites
CH341 Unitarian
Universalist History and Polity II
Faculty
Traces the history of Universalists and Unitarians down to the present and explores
polity structures and issues of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Prerequisites: CH340
CH365 American
Baptist Churches Today
Faculty
The history of Baptists from early beginnings to the present will be surveyed.
Religious and theological concepts that mark the distinctive identity and concern
of American Baptists will be highlighted. An overview will be given of the
present polity, practices, and denominational structure of the American Baptist
Churches (U.S.A.).
No prerequisites
CH404 Homosexuality
in Historical and Theological Perspective
Paul Capetz
This seminar examines the foundational Western understandings of homosexuality
found in both the Bible and Graeco-Roman philosophy and considers the ethical
positions of representative Catholic and Protestant theologians (e.g., Thomas
Aquinas and Karl Barth). The intent is to understand the historical background
of contemporary debates regarding homosexuality and the Christian life.
No prerequisites
CH405 History
of Protestant Biblical Hermeneutics
Paul Capetz
This course examines the shifts in the hermeneutical principles governing Protestant
interpretation of the Bible from the time of the Reformers (Luther and Calvin)
to the present day. Attention will be given to the development of the modern
historical-critical method and its consequences for a theological and ethical
use of Scripture, as well as to recent postmodern hermeneutical discussions.
The central question to be addressed concerns the character of biblical authority
in contemporary Protestantism.
No prerequisites
CH411 Religion,
Culture, and Society in the Western Middle Ages
Paul Capetz
From the collapse of the Roman Empire in 476 to the Reformation
of the sixteenth century, the course of Western civilization
was determined by the Christianization
of the “barbarian” tribes undertaken by the Roman church, just
as the development of Catholicism was shaped by the development of European
society and culture. This seminar seeks to investigate the relations between
religion and cultural, social, political, and economic factors in the medieval
world.
No prerequisites
CH413 Theology
of John Wesley and Wesleyan Traditions
Faculty
This course, which meets United Methodist ordination requirements, deals with
the theology of John Wesley, the historical context in which it emerged, and
its influence on British and American culture. Specific attention is given
to the Wesleyan theological tradition in the United States from the eighteenth
century to the present day, with a particular focus on points of continuity
and change
in that tradition.
Prerequisites: IS151
CH414 John
Calvin and the Reformed Tradition
Paul Capetz
John Calvin (1509-1564) is the most important disciple of Martin
Luther in the sixteenth century, even though he is regarded
as the principal theologian in
the Reformed tradition that is distinguished from Lutheranism. Through reading
and discussion of primary texts, this seminar explores the relation of Calvin’s
theology to Luther’s and asks what it means to speak of a “Reformed” tradition
in Protestantism.
No prerequisites
CH415 Martin
Luther and the Protestant Reformation
Paul Capetz
Martin Luther (1483-1546) undertook a thorough reshaping of the theological
tradition of Augustine that eventuated in the Protestant alternative to Catholicism.
Through reading and discussion of primary texts, this seminar investigates
the new understanding of Christian faith that found expression in the Lutheran
Reformation.
No prerequisites
CH416/TR316 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
CH423 Theology
of Schleiermacher
Paul Capetz
Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834) is the most important Protestant
theologian since the Reformation. He has been called “the
father of modern theology” since
he is the first liberal Protestant. In this seminar we shall engage in a close
reading of his masterpiece The Christian Faith, with attention to
its systematic structure and revision of inherited doctrines.
No prerequisites
CH425 Ancient
Christianity in its Graeco-Roman Milieu
Paul Capetz
Christianity emerged as a sect within Judaism during the Hellenistic period
and eventually became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Through reading
and discussion of primary texts, this seminar investigates the processes by
which Christianity distinguished itself from the other forms of Judaism out
of which it emerged, as well as from the other religions and philosophies of
the Graeco-Roman world with which it competed.
No prerequisites
CH427 Theology
and Ethics of Jonathan Edwards
Paul Capetz
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) has the reputation of being “America’s
greatest theologian.” One of the last great Puritans, Edwards
has influenced some of America’s foremost theological ethicists
in the twentieth century such as H. Richard Niebuhr and James
M. Gustafson. This seminar will study selected
writings
by Edwards in the context of his biography as well as engage in evaluative
discussion of his importance for contemporary theological ethics.
No prerequisites
CH435/TR551 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. Upcoming offerings will focus on Thomas Aquinas, Karl Barth,
and Ernst Troeltsch.
No prerequisites
CH440 The
Reformed Confessional Tradition
Paul Capetz
A reading course that may be taken during any regular semester by Presbyterian
students seeking to master the contents of The Book of Confessions in
preparation for their ordination exams.
No prerequisites
CH450 Theology
and the Historical Study of Religion
Paul Capetz
The modern historical-critical study of religion has required Christian theologians
to address a new set of questions and challenges unlike any posed before. What
does it mean to examine the origins and development of Christianity just as
one would those of any other religious tradition? This seminar examines the
history of research into biblical and post-biblical traditions with special
attention to the work of Ernst Troeltsch (1865-1923) concerning the relation
between theology and historical method.
Prerequisite: CH461
CH461 Introduction
to Historical Theology
Paul Capetz
In the two millennia of Christianity’s history, conflicting
theological interpretations of Christian faith have resulted in a multiplicity
of churches and denominations. Nonetheless, all of these various proposals
for construing the meaning of the gospel claim to be rooted in exegesis
of the Bible. In this introduction to the history of Christian theology,
four classic texts representative of larger movements within the ecumenical
church will be analyzed in-depth with respect to their scriptural foundations:
Athanasius (Eastern Orthodoxy), Augustine (Roman Catholicism), Luther
(the Protestant Reformation), and Harnack (liberal Protestantism).
Attention will be given to the basic methods of the historical-critical
study of theology as well as to the hermeneutical questions of biblical
interpretation in relation to shifting cultural and social contexts.
No prerequisites
CH462 Introduction
to American Religious Histories
Paul Capetz
The United States has become the most religiously pluralistic nation
in the history of the world. Nevertheless, conflicts abound as to just
what exactly the “disestablishment of religion” means today.
This introductory course will examine the remarkable history of this
nation’s diverse religious groups through reading of short selections
of primary texts as well as wrestling with the implications of religious
pluralism in the context of contemporary American society and culture.
No prerequisites
CH475 Introduction
to Reformed Theology
Paul Capetz
Through reading and discussion of classical and modern texts by Calvin, Edwards,
Schleiermacher, Barth, H. Richard Niebuhr, and James M. Gustafson, this seminar
focuses upon the differing understandings of what it means to be a Protestant
in the Reformed tradition, including the significance of divergent theological
methods.
Prerequisite: CH461
CH533/TR533 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
CH536 Theology
and Ethics of Reinhold Niebuhr
Paul Capetz
Reinhold Niebuhr was perhaps the most influential figure in
American theology and ethics during the middle of the twentieth century.
His perspective, called “Christian realism,” was
a response to the breakdown of liberal optimism as represented by the “social
gospel” movement
that had called for the transformation of society through the implementation
of Christian values. In its place, Niebuhr drew upon Augustine, Luther,
and Kierkegaard to forge a more realistic assessment of human nature
that could inform Christian efforts to participate responsibly in the
great economic, political, and social issues of modern civilization.
The seminar will focus on his major work, The Nature and
Destiny of Man, as well as draw upon other writings by
Niebuhr. This elective meets the requirement for a course in a system
or systems of theological thought.
No prerequisites
CH683 The
Ascent toward Equality – One Hundred Years
Faculty
From mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth century, women in the
United States focused on gaining the ballot in their communities and
the pulpit in their churches. They also opened schools and orphanages,
addressed racial inequities, and wrote treatises on the Bible. This
course will study movements such as abolition, suffrage, the social
gospel, home and foreign missions, and labor through the leadership
of the women of faith who spoke, demonstrated, and wrote. Use of biography
and primary texts will give glimpses into the faith motivations and
the struggles women have faced.
No prerequisites
CH990 Directed
and Independent Studies in the Church’s Heritage
Faculty
Designed for the student who wishes to more intensively pursue a special topic
in Christian Heritage. Approval of the topic for research must precede registration.
No prerequisites |
