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Theology and Biblical Studies E-Tutorials
E-Tutorials are available at both the graduate and undergraduate level.
E-Tutorials by Subject / Language
Theology and Biblical Studies
- Biblical and Theological Examination of the Role of Women in Ministry
- Biblical Myth and Pastoral Theology
- A Biblical Theology for Biotechnology
- Christian Initiation of Adults in the Catholic Church
- Communicating the Gospel to a Post-Literate, Digital Culture
- Encountering the Resurrection Narratives
- Ethical Systems In The Modern World
- Existentialism And Personal Responsibility
- Fundamental Christology
- God And The Individual In Jewish Thought
- Human Behavior And Moral Development
- The Humanity Of God In Modern Christian Thought
- The Modern Search For Personal Meaning
- Myth, Theology, and Pastoral Ministry
- Paleolithic Origins of Religious Consciousness
- Religious Humanism In Modern Thought
- Reverence And The Universal Principle Of Life
- The Sacrament of the Eucharist
- The Sacred In Modern Society
- Science And Faith In Cosmic Perspective
- Theological Anthropology: Creation and Sin
- Theology of Grace
- The Theology of Karl Rahner
Biblical and Theological Examination of the Role of Women in Ministry
Instructor: Dr. James O. Wolfe III (Profile)
Description: This course will explore the biblical and theological bases for the exercise of ministry by women in the Church. An investigation will be made of biblical texts which intimate women in ministry and a full range of theological traditions will be considered including the historical sweep of the subject as a theological issue in historical theology.
Required Reading:
- Wolfe III, James. American Baptist Women in Pastoral Ministry:
A Contemporary Survey. South Bend: Cloverdale Books, 2007.
- Cunningham, L., Hamilton, D. Why Not Women? Seattle: YWAM
Publishing, 2000.
The American Baptist Churches of the Great Rivers Region has produced an online version of Wolfe’s research and findings. The online course includes video interviews with the author as well as women serving in denominational leadership positions. Dr. J. Dwight Stinnett, Regional Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches of the Great Rivers Region is also featured. The online course may be viewed at: http://www.abcgrr2.org/abwim/start.htm. It is strongly suggested that this course be viewed as a supplement to the assigned readings.
Biblical Myth and Pastoral Theology
Faculty: Timothy Allen, Ph.D. (Profile)
Description: The focus of this class is to look closely at categories of Bible stories--creation; journey; hero; wisdom; history; apocalyptic and others-- and how they might inform a better pastoral theology in the context of ministry.
Required Reading:
A Biblical Theology for Biotechnology
Faculty: Dr. Paul J. Kirbas (Profile)
Description: This course will consider a biblical ethic for nature itself, as well as the human manipulation of nature that is at the center of many aspects of current biotechnology. Building upon a core understanding of this biblical ethic, the course will invite participants to evaluate a chosen area of biotechnology by utilizing a tool that is offered by the course. While the first several sections of response papers should be focused on the core material, the final sections should reflect the student’s own choice of a particular biotechnological issue to be addressed.
Required Reading:
- Navigating Through A Stipulated Freedom, by Paul J. Kirbas
Christian Initiation of Adults in the Catholic Church
Faculty: Dr. Anthony O. Nwachukwu (Profile)
Description: The Rite of Initiation or Passage is fundamental in most religions of the world. It is an incorporation of religious beliefs and practice, born out of the former. Thus, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults [RCIA] is central to the Liturgical Life of the Catholic Church. It is a process by which an adult fully gets initiated in the Catholic faith, based on theological principles.
Required Reading:
Communicating the Gospel to a Post-Literate, Digital Culture
Faculty: Dr. D. Jonathan Watts (Profile)
Description: The church has always faced the challenge of presenting the Word of God in a way which relates to its contemporary culture. The church of the twenty-first century, defined as a Post-Literate or Digital Culture, is no exception. This tutorial, using the text The Forensic Reconstruction of a Good Story: Gospeltelling to a Digital Culture, explores the patterns and models for the exegetical investigation of a biblical text and to provide a method for preaching/proclamation within a multisensory environment.
The first unit reviews the historical background of worship followed by a historical understanding of the role of preaching/proclamation in the expansion and development of the church. The third unit examines the differing methods of sermon/proclamation creation. The fourth unit explores an approach labeled Gospeltelling: a biblically based, exegetical, narrative style of preaching designed to relate to the Digital Culture. Unit five is a model for bridging the ancient text to the current culture through thorough exegetical examination and cultural connection. The final unit concludes with a presentation of the development and application of that method using the parable of The Prodigal Son found in Luke 15.
Required Reading:
- Watts, D. Jonathan. Gospeltelling to a Digital Culture: The Forensic Reconstruction of a Good Story. Cloverdale Books. ISBN-13: 978-1-929569-21-2
- Troeger, Ehomas H. Imagining a Sermon. Abingdon Press. ISBN 0-687-18694-3
Encountering the Resurrection Narratives
Faculty: The Rev. Dr. Donald E. Blumenfeld (Profile)
Description: This E–Tutorial examines the resurrection accounts and post-resurrection appearance narratives in the canonical Gospels. The cultural, historical and theological antecedents of resurrection belief will be considered. An exegetical study of the passages will be undertaken, emphasizing the historical-critical approach to Biblical theology.
Required Reading:
- Brown, Raymond E. The Virginal Conception and Bodily Resurrection of Jesus. New York: Paulist, 1973. pages 1-20, 69-134
- Wright, N.T. The Resurrection of the Son of God. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2003. Pages 85-206, 585-738
Ethical Systems In The Modern World
Faculty: Dr. John H. Morgan (Profile)
Description: This course will explore the three major ethical systems operative in the modern world today, namely, Ethical Theism, Ethical Humanism, and Ethical Naturalism. Ethical theism is built upon the foundation of a divinely revealed code of ethics. Ethical humanism assumes the primacy of the human community’s own needs in the development of an ethical system. Ethical Naturalism presumes the primacy of the cosmos and builds an ethic which places the importance of the universe over both divine revelation and human primacy. We will explore all three options. No faith position is required or expected as a prerequisite for the course but rather a ready willingness to engage a wide spectrum of ethical considerations with openness and understanding.
Required Reading:
Existentialism and Personal Responsibility
Faculty: Dr. John H. Morgan (Profile)
Description: The father of modern existentialism, Sartre is heralded as the philosopher of responsibility. He denies the existence of a guiding ethical principle outside of human experience and, therefore, every individual “is condemned to freedom.” His highly acclaimed book on human emotion is complimented by Morgan’s chapter which carefully explains Sartre’s system of thought which has so profoundly influenced western culture.
Readings:
- Existentialism and Human Emotions by Jean-Paul Sartre
- Naturally Good: A Behavioral History of Moral Development by John Morgan (Chapter V: Jean-Paul Sartre and Human Possibility)
Fundamental Christology
Faculty: RP Jorge R. Colón, C.Ss.R., S.T.D., Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies (Profile)
Description: A study of the Christological doctrine of the Church, beginning with Scriptural data, the theological reflection of the Fathers of the Church, the teaching of the Christological councils and a reflection on the mystery of Christ down to our own day. We will follow the different stages of heresies and Christological errors of the past. The student will know how to express the official doctrine of the Church.
Required textbook for the graduate and undergraduate level:
- Gerald O’Collins. Christology: A Biblical, Historical and Systematic Study of Jesus. Oxford University Press, NY 1995.
Additional Graduate Level Texts and Recommendations (pick one additional text for this course)
- Longenecker, Richard N., editor. Contours of Christology in the New Testament. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan 2005.
- McDermott, Brian O. Word Become Flesh. Dimensions of Christology. The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota 1993.
- Tucket, Christopher. Christology and the New Testament. Jesus and His Earliest Followers. Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky 2001.
- Chestnust, G. Images of Christ. An Introduction to Christology. Minneapolis: Seabury Press 1984.
- Fitzmyer, J. A Christological Catechism. New Testament Answers. N.Y.: Paulist Press 1991.
God and the Individual in Jewish Thought
Faculty: Dr. John H. Morgan (Profile)
Description: Considered by Christian Theologians of the twentieth century as one of the most important spokespersons for the reality of God in the world, Heschel offers an explanation of the meaning and nature of the God-Person relationship as understood within the Jewish tradition. Heschel is the most quoted rabbi by Christian theologians today and Morgan’s chapter offers a summary of his overall system of theology and faith.
Readings:
- Man is Not Alone: A Philosophy of Religion by Abraham Joshua Heschel
- Naturally Good: A Behavioral History of Moral Development by John Morgan (Chapter VIII: Abraham Joshua Heschel and Being Human)
Human Behavior and Moral Development
Faculty: Dr. John H. Morgan (Profile)
Description: This E-Tutorial explores the relationship between human behavior and moral development as an evolving philosophical and historical question beginning with 19th and early 20th century thought and concluding with the late 20th and early 2lst century thinkers. The emphasis will be upon the natural history of moral behavior as explored through the work of leading thinkers over the past 150 years with special attention to theological implications.
Required Reading:
- NATURALLY GOOD: A Behavioral History of Moral Development by John H. Morgan
- Select one classic text from three of the six selected thinkers from the bibliographies following each chapter.
The Humanity of God in Modern Christian Thought
Faculty: Dr. John H. Morgan (Profile)
Description: The father of Christian Neo-Orthodoxy, Barth’s evangelical proclamation of the humanity of God is a welcome affirmation of the human condition and hopeful reconciliation with God and the world. Morgan’s essay is a synopsis of this system of thought in light of the secularization of the modern world.
Readings:
- The Humanity of God by Karl Barth
- From Freud to Frankl: Our Modern Search for Personal Meaning by John Morgan (Chapter VI: The Joyful Proclamation: Karl Barth)
The Modern Search for Personal Meaning
Faculty: Dr. John H. Morgan (Profile)
Description: A medical psychiatrist and survivor of the Holocaust, Viktor Frankl is the creator of a counseling method called “logotherapy,” or “meaning therapy.” In contrast to Freud who concentrated on the deeply represented dark side of human personality, Frankl was extremely optimistic about healing the wounded person by concentrating on his “will to meaning” in a world in which the search for the purpose and direction of life was available to all who would seek it. His classic book is complimented by an introductory commentary on his system of thought in Morgan’s book.
Readings:
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
- Naturally Good: A Behavioral History of Moral Development by John Morgan (Viktor Frankl and the Will to Meaning)
Myth, Theology, and Pastoral Ministry
Faculty: Dr. Timothy Allen (Profile)
Description: The Church as seen today in its ministerial functions relies too much on rational, scientific theologies for its explanations of pastoral phenomena. A specific example is the use of God-talk. Whereas many caregivers and theologians dismiss such language as theologically unsound, when examined in the categories of myth it can be seen to have a meaningful pastoral purpose. Myth helps explain the unexplainable and provides support in times when current "acceptable" theologies fail to adequately explain the event. This course demonstrates the importance and use of myth as a meaningful interpretive tool for pastoral ministry and theological explanations of religious phenomena.
Required readings:
- Eliade, Mircea (trans. by Willard R. Trask). Myth and Reality. New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1963.
- Allen, J. Timothy. A Theology of God-talk: The Language of the Heart. New York: Haworth Press, 2002.
Paleolithic Origins of Religious Consciousness
Faculty: Dr. John H. Morgan (Profile)
Description: This study explores the origins of religious consciousness by means of a systematic analysis of the ritualized burial of the dead and cave art as evidenced in Paleolithic remains. It is suggested here that religion is a natural manifestation of emerging human consciousness demonstrated by empirical archeological artifacts as an integral component to cultural evolution. Religion and culture converge in the behavioral matrix of politics thereby demonstrating what it means to be human. The book argues that religion, culture, and politics are interlocking symbol systems embodied in human experience and their prehistoric origins can be traced from our earliest Paleolithic records of social behavior beginning with Neanderthal burial rituals and Cro-Magnon cave art. This study is an extension of the author's continuing work on the natural history of moral behavior and its relevance to secular humanism as a spiritual journey.
Readings:
- IN THE BEGINNING: Paleolithic Origins of Religious Consciousness by John H. Morgan
- BEING HUMAN: Perspectives on Meaning and Interpretation (Essays in Religion, Society, and Culture) by John H. Morgan
Religious Humanism In Modern Thought
Faculty: Dr. John H. Morgan (Profile)
Description: Humanism is the strongest competitor of the Christian religion in the modern world and Sir Julian Huxley is the undisputed spokesperson for that system of thought. Just because a person is not religious, argues Huxley, does not mean they are not spiritual. Any religious person interested in coming to a deeper understanding of their own faith cannot do better than to confront the challenges offered by Huxley which are explained in careful detail in Morgan’s book which discusses religious humanism as a spiritual journey.
Readings:
- Evolutionary Humanism by Sir Julian Huxley
- In the Absence of God: Religious Humanism as Spiritual Journey by John Morgan
Reverence and the Universal Principle of Life
Faculty: Dr. John H. Morgan (Profile)
Description: Pastor, professor, and musician turned jungle doctor, Albert Schweitzer is one of the most important figures of modern times. His call for a universal acknowledgment of the centrality of the “reverence for life” as the guiding principle of the universe and human behavior has long been considered the most poignant statement about the human condition. Morgan’s chapter offers a summary of his system of thought.
Readings:
- The Reverence for Life by Albert Schweitzer
- Naturally Good: A Behavioral History of Moral Development by John Morgan (Chapter VII: Albert Schweitzer and the Reverence for Life)
The Sacrament of the Eucharist
Faculty: RP Jorge R. Colón, C.Ss.R., S.T.D., Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies (Profile)
Description: To guide the student to the knowledge of the theological meaning of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. To examine the validity of theological reflection on the sacraments in the light of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.
Required textbook for the graduate and undergraduate level:
-
James T. O'Connor. The Hidden Manna. A Theology of the Eucharist. Ignatius Press, San Francisco 2005. Second edition.
Additional Graduate Level Texts and Recommendations (pick one additional text for this course)
- O’Carroll, Michael. Corpus Christi. A Theological Encyclopedia of the Eucharist. Wilmington, Del. Michael Glazier 1988.
- Walsh, L.G. The Sacraments of initiation. Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist. London: Geoffrey Chapman Theology Library 7, 1988.
The Sacred in Modern Society
Faculty: Dr. John H. Morgan
Description: The erosion of the idea of the sacred in modern society is evident to everyone. Peter Berger, the modern prophet of rediscovering the Sacred in secular society today, explores the fundamental problems of secularization and argues that rediscovering the sacred in a commercialized world is possible if we truly understand that the “secular” means simply “the practice of the absence of God,” whereas the “sacred” means “the practice of the presence of God.” Reversing the trend will be our focus.
Readings:
- The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion by Peter L. Berger
- A Rumor of Angels: Modern Society and the Rediscovery of the Sacred by Peter L. Berger
Science and Faith in Cosmic Perspective
Faculty: Dr. John H. Morgan (Profile)
Description: A priest and archaeologist, Teilhard de Chardin is considered today the most scientifically responsible spokesperson for the Christian faith in this century. Edward O. Wilson, the father of the concepts of sociobiology and consilience, is considered the most outstanding secular scientist today who has expressed an interest in dialogue with the religious community. Teilhard’s brief classic on the infusion of the reality of God in every molecule in the universe is further developed in Morgan’s chapter on Teilhard’s faith in the future of the world and humankind. Wilson’s little classic, The Creation, is a series of letter from a scientist to a Baptist minister. Both little classics summarize the options regarding the relationship between religion and science. Morgan’s two chapters constitute a brief summary of both their working theories about the world.
Readings:
- The Divine Milieu by Teilhard de Chardin
- The Creation by Edward O. Wilson
- From Freud to Frankl: Our Modern Search for Personal Meaning by John Morgan (Chapter VIII: Faith in the Future)
- Naturally Good: A Behavioral History of Moral Development by John Morgan (Chapter XI: E. O. Wilson)
Theological Anthropology: Creation and Sin
Faculty: RP Jorge R. Colón, C.Ss.R., S.T.D., Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies (Profile)
Description: Objectives: To guide the student to the knowledge of the theological meaning of fundamental Theological Anthropology regarding creation and sin. To research the biblical doctrines related to the doctrine of creation, sin in general, and original sin according to Sacred Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church, such as the biblical notion of creation, the fall, sin in the Old and New Testament, the origin of the universality of sin. To present a brief history of the doctrine of creation and original sin before St. Augustine and after him. The Protestant Reformation and Trent. To qualify the meaning of originating original sin and of originated original sin.
Required textbook for the graduate and undergraduate level:
- John E. Sachs. The Christian Vision of Humanity. Basic Christian Anthropology. Liturgical Press 1991.
Additional Graduate Level Texts and Recommendations (pick one additional text for this course)
- Childs, Brian H., Waanders, David W., and Lapsley, James N. The Treasure in Earthen Vessels: Explorations in Theological Anthropology. Westminster John Knox Press; 1994.
- Pannenberg, W. Anthropology in Theological Perspective. T. and T. Clark Publishers 2004.
- Patout, J. Burns, translator and editor. Theological Anthropology (Sources of Early Christian Thought). Ausburg Fortress Publishers 1981.
- Von Balthasar, H. A Theological Anthropology. Sheed and Ward 1967.
Theology of Grace
Faculty: RP Jorge R. Colón, C.Ss.R., S.T.D., Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies (Profile)
Description: To help the student to know the ontological reality of grace. To research the controversies and doctrinal errors that have occurred in the history of dogma. To appreciate the lived experience of grace and of the filial relationship with God that springs from it. To see the supernatural order of human and temporal realities. To examine the present ecumenical dialogue on justification.
Required textbook for the graduate and undergraduate level:
-
Hardon, John, History and Theology of Grace. Sapientia Press, Ann Arbor MI, 2002.
Additional Graduate Level Texts and Recommendations (pick one additional text for this course)
- Bonner, G. Augustine and Modern Research on Pelagianism. Villanova 1972.
- De Lubac, H. The Mystery of the Supernatural. Herder 1998.
- Journet, Charles. The Meaning of Grace. Scepter Publishers, Princeton, New Jersey 1960.
- Kenneth J. Collins. The Theology of John Wesley: Holy Love and the Shape of Grace. Abingdon 2007
- Liderbach, Dan. The Theology of Grace and the American Mind : A Representation of Catholic Doctrine. Edwin Mellen 1984.
- Lutheran World Federation and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity. Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. October 31, 1999.
- Morley, Georgina. John Macquarries’ Natural Theology: The Grace of Being. Ashgate Pub. Co. 2003.
The Theology of Karl Rahner
Faculty: The Rev. Dennis Billy, C.Ss.R., Th.D., S.T.D., D.Min. (Profile)
Description: This tutorial examines the thought of Jesuit theologian, Karl Rahner (1904-1984), one of the great Catholic thinkers of the 20th century. It will explore Rahner's spiritual, philosophical and theological roots, his theological investigations, conversations with his thought, Rahner's experience as a theologian, and the prospects of his theology for the future. The goal is to give the student the opportunity to read and reflect on some of the key themes of Rahner's thought.
Required Reading:
- The Cambridge Companion to Karl Rahner. Edited by Declan Marmion and Mary E. Hines.
- TA Rahner Reader. Edited by Gerald A. McCool. New York: The Seabury Press, 1975.