Theology and Biblical Studies

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.

Online registration form

++Return to top

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:

Online registration form

++Return to top

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

Online registration form

++Return to top

Chaos and Order: A Biblical, Liturgical and Pastoral Approach

Faculty: Timothy Allen, Ph.D. (Profile)

Description: All too often it seems that Chaos trumps Order in our world today. This is especially true in the realm of pastoral care. Which rules the world, God or Satan, Good or Evil, Weal or Woe?

This is not a class on the problem of evil. Instead, this class examines the idea of creation (order) in the Old Testament and its relation to chaos. The basic thought is that God has not defeated chaos in the creation but instead is in constant battle with chaos. People in the pews should be comforted that God, like them, is in constant battle to keep the world in order.

In pastoral situations the patient/victim wonders why the omnipotent God has not defeated the evil that brought about her situation. Why has God allowed this to happen?

For the answer we will discuss the following texts.

Required Reading:

Online registration form

++Return to top

Christian Implications of Globalization

Faculty: Dr. Joanne Neal (Profile)

Description:

  • What is the imperative for the worldwide Christian community to be aware of the processes of globalization in order to take action that is informed, intelligent, and intentional?
  • What ethical responsibilities do Christians - both clergy and laity - have to bring their faith values to bear as consumers in a globalized market economy?

Using a combination of readings and the viewing of licensed copies of two films (Flow and Food Inc.), participants reflect on globalization as a reality of our contemporary world and of our global culture. On one hand, it has created many opportunities for business in local, national, and international markets, effectively allowing them to operate in countries where laws and cultural norms may be less stringent and wages lower than in Western nations. It has also created opportunities for positive change in the area of social justice. On the other hand, globalization poses challenges to business in relation to the ethical and nonexploitive uses of the natural environment, the Earth’s resources, working conditions, and the distribution of wealth. Unfortunately, these challenges have not always been met and the results for the environment and for human beings have at times been very negative, even disastrous. Thus, from a Christian standpoint, we are left to question the ethical legitimacy of some of the processes of globalization and our individual and collective responsibilities as consumers in a globalized market economy.

Required Reading:

Online registration form

++Return to top

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:

Online registration form

++Return to top

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:

Online registration form

++Return to top

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:

Online registration form

++Return to top

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:

Online registration form

++Return to top

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.

Required Reading:

Online registration form

++Return to top

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:

Additional Graduate Level Texts and Recommendations (pick one additional text for this course)

Online registration form

++Return to top

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.

Required Reading:

Online registration form

++Return to top

God, Nature, and Us: An Interdisciplinary Approach to a new Paradigm for the Human Place in Nature

Faculty: Dr. Paul J. Kirbas (Profile)

Description: This course explores the basic and important question of whether nature is sacred in and of its own right, and if so, what is a proper understanding of our human place within it. The study offers insightful perspectives from an interdisciplinary panel including leading scientists, theologians, and philosophers. The authors also represent diverse religious perspectives, including Evangelical Christian, Roman Catholic, Jewish and Muslim. Beginning with a brief tour of the universe led by NASA astronomer Jennifer Wiseman, the course proceeds to lay important foundations of building bridges between science and religion. Once this bridge is provided, theologians step in to reflect on the meaning of the sanctity of nature, and of what it means to be human. The current model of seeing humans as the stewards of nature, with all its good intentions, is seriously questioned. New models are proposed, leading students to fresh considerations of our use of, and care for nature.

Required Reading:

  • This Sacred Earth. Scientific and Religious Perspectives on Nature and Humanity’s Place Within It. Paul J. Kirbas, editor. Lima, Ohio: Wyndham Hall Press, 2011. Available for purchase at the online store of The Kirbas Institute, www.kirbasinstitute.org

Online registration form

++Return to top 

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:

Online registration form

++Return to top

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.

Required Reading:

Online registration form

++Return to top

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.

Required Reading:

Online registration form

++Return to top

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 Reading:

Online registration form

++Return to top

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.

Required Reading:

Online registration form

++Return to top

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.

Required Reading:

Online registration form

++Return to top

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.

Required Reading:

Online registration form

++Return to top

“Right” Worship in the Post-Modern World

Faculty: Dr. D. Jonathan Watts (Profile)

Description: There is much tension in the Christian community over the definition of “right” worship. This tension has risen to the point where persons and congregations find themselves arguing and accusing the other of not doing worship correctly. How does one arrive at a definition of “right” worship? One way is to trace the history and formation of Christian worship from its earliest development and follow it through to this Post-Modern era. This course begins exploring worship before it was organized. Starting with the concepts of worship in Genesis, this course will follow the development of worship from its earliest roots as it progresses through the Tabernacle, Temple, Synagogue, and on through its change and diversity in the Christian Community.

Required Reading:

Online registration form

++Return to top

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:

Additional Graduate Level Texts and Recommendations (pick one additional text for this course)

Online registration form

++Return to top

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.

Required Reading:

Online registration form

++Return to top

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.

Required Reading:

Online registration form

++Return to top

Social Entrepreneurship as a “Gospel Compatible” Business Model

Faculty: The Reverend Dr. Joanne Neal (Profile)

Description: This e-tutorial focuses on two essential questions:

  • To what extent might social entrepreneurship be a constructive model for the integration of ethical business and management practices and Christian faith values?
  • How might social enterprise allow the Church and business to partner in the resolution of intractable social problems with which social entrepreneurship is concerned?

The processes of globalization have resulted in both positive and negative outcomes for human beings and for the environment. Social entrepreneurship, as a constructive outcome of globalization, has its own particular niche within the global market economy. Social entrepreneurship is a phenomenon that has been steadily gaining ground in the past two decades. It is a dimension of entrepreneurial activity aimed at generating social value and creating sustainable change rather than focusing on producing monetary profit as its primary goal. Social entrepreneurship, at its heart, is highly compatible with the values, beliefs, and goals of the Christian Church in its mission to achieve social, economic, and environmental justice. It has tremendous potential to be an inspiring exemplar of what it means to live out the Gospels.

Required Reading:

Online registration form

++Return to top

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:

Additional Graduate Level Texts and Recommendations (pick one additional text for this course)

Online registration form

++Return to top

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:

Additional Graduate Level Texts and Recommendations (pick one additional text for this course)

Online registration form

++Return to top

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:

Online registration form

++Return to top

Women in American Church History

Faculty: Dr. Ore Lee Spragin, Jr (Profile)

Description: Women have played a vital role in the birth and development of Christianity since, and even before, the birth narratives of the Gospels. However, many church histories poorly or hardly acknowledge this fact. At least one aspect of feminist theology is its struggle to correct this oversight by attempting to prove and/or validate the essentiality of women in church history, particularly by pointing out the ways in which women have been oppressed by the church throughout its history. By contrast this course seeks primarily to examine the importance of women and the roles women have played in the development of the Church, particularly in the United States, from the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries.

Required Reading:

Additional Graduate level Texts:

Online registration form

++Return to top