CoursesSpring 2013

Old Testament Foundations

This course aims to present an overview of the background and contents of the books that make up the Old Testament, and to offer some reflection on the question of how they are best read together as part of the Christian canon of Scripture. It is most profitably taken in conjunction with INDS 501 Christian Thought and Culture I, which further explores in an extended manner how the Bible functions as an intrinsic part of the Scriptural rule of faith and life for the Christian.

NOTE:

The Distance Education offering of this course follows the new format. You will work through the audio lectures by Professor Provan with an online instructor, and with a cohort of other students on a week-by-week basis. This new format will facilitate increased interaction between you, other students, and your online instructor. For more information on these changes, see the Distance Education webpage.

Book of Psalms

After an introduction to the Psalter in respect of its literary shape, contents, and history of interpretation, this course proceeds to examine various Psalms in detail, both in their own terms and in terms of their position and function in the Psalter as a whole. A particular focus of the course will be upon the Psalter not only as a collection of worship songs, but also as a spiritual guide to the pilgrim on his/her journey through life and as an expression of eschatological hope in the kingdom of God and the Messiah.

Systematic Theology C: The Holy Spirit, the Church, and Last Things

This course is a reflection in faith on the realities of Christian doctrine. By exploring three major foci of dogmatic theology—the doctrines of the Holy Spirit (pneumatology), the Church (ecclesiology), and last things (eschatology)—in the light of Scripture, the broad theological heritage of the church, and the contemporary context, this course seeks to develop your insight in these areas of doctrine for the sake of your growth into the life of God and so for service in the kingdom of God.

Note: Students who need this class to fulfill a requirement for their degree must take this class for 3 credit hours.

History of Christian Doctrine

In an age suspicious of the past, it is all the more important for the church to be aware of her tradition. It is through a loving connection with the church of all times and places that today also God provides us with an identity in Christ through the Holy Spirit. This course, therefore, explores the history of the doctrine of the church as it has taken shape both in the thoughts of individual theologians and through the creeds, confessions, and decisions of councils and synods. The course not only presents an overview of the history of Christian doctrine, but also examines some of the most seminal theological writings that have shaped the church throughout her history.

The Theology of Paul

The Apostle Paul’s thirteen letters provide some of the most important material that Christians have wrestled with over the years as they seek to formulate an appropriate view of what it means to be “Christian.” Explore the contemporary issues in the interpretation of Paul, the theological teaching of his letters, and a provisional synthesis of his main lines of teaching.

Spinning Gold from Straw: The Epistle of James

Through dialogue between text, theology, and application, the epistle of James can shape our vision of God and his call on the life of his people. We will examine, through careful exegesis of the text, James’s teaching on questions of salvation, economics, worship, speech, and community, speaking to the life of every Christian.

Prayer and the Spiritual Life

Spend a week focusing your attention on Christian prayer in its biblical, psychological, practical, social, and spiritual dimensions. You will learn to better understand, engage in, and teach this way of being known by God, as individuals and members of the body of Christ. The theoretical foundations of the course will enable you to engage the subject in ways that serve personal growth, reflective learning, and the formation and enhancement of ministry.

Sample a free audio lecture by Susan Phillips.

How Do I Help a Hurting Friend?

While the professional side of people-helping is necessary and important, many of us are called to speak into the lives of friends and family members who are hurting. We often engage in this ministry with fear and anxiety and with a sense of ignorance about why people hurt, what they can do about their pain, and how they can embrace their pain while believing in a God who loves and cares for them. In this course, we will focus on how to better understand hurting people, how to speak into their lives, and how to live a life that provides shalom to those around us.

The Book of Job: Encountering God in the Extremities of Life

With all its literary grandeur and theological profundity, the story of Job encountering God in the severest of life’s trials does not make for “easy reading.” Examine the whole of the book of Job, in all its parts and perplexities, to discover its vital importance not only for its ancient hearers but for twenty-first-century Christians still seeking to live genuinely and faithfully in a God-created world.

Food: Communion, Community, and Creation

Eating is one of the most profound ways we are related to each other, to the created world, and to God. In this course we will explore, within the framework of Christian theology, some of the biological, ecological, psychological, aesthetic, spiritual, agricultural, and economic aspects of what, why, and how we eat. The core of the course will be reading, lecture, and discussion of the considerable literature dealing with food, and that will normally take place in morning class sessions. But the setting—two weeks together on Galiano Island—will also provide a living context of cooking, feasting, fasting, and gardening together, which will add good spices to the academic victuals (from victus “food”; related to vivere “to live”). In addition to some daily work, we will see some movies (in the evening) and take a couple of trips to island farms and gardens.

Maximum enrollment: 20 credit students, no auditors.

Additional course fee: $500

Location: This course takes place off-site on Galiano Island.

Promoting the Gospel to Contemporary Culture: A Biblical Framework for Post-Christian Mission

At a time when people increasingly believe that Christianity “poisons everything,” how can we recover the logic and beauty of the original mission that captured the Roman world without method or might? Through the historical and exegetical study of “mission” in the New Testament and its times, learn lessons from the evangelization of the pre-Christian world and apply these to our witness in a post-Christian world.

Christianity and the Political Economy of Capitalism

This course aims to explore the relationship between Christianity and capitalism, which we distinguish from relationships between Christianity and economics. It will consider capitalism both as an economic system and as arguably the dominant ideology of our age. The course is designed to meet four major objectives for students: (a) to develop a deeper understanding of capitalist economic thought and its historical and ideological origins in both the Enlightenment and the Christian faith; (b) to appreciate how compelling the logic of capitalism is even in the face of the widespread criticism that has been directed at it in recent times; (c) to explore the ways in which capitalism functions ideologically in modern culture and as such seeks to colonize and influence all areas of culture, beyond the commercial realm, including the church, the family, and the polity; and (d) to consider and develop what a transformative engagement of the gospel with modern capitalism might be.

Sample a free audio lecture by Paul Williams.

Christianity and Modern Technology

Modern technology is clearly something for which we should be profoundly grateful, as we are the beneficiaries of a series of technological revolutions that began in the eighteenth century and have continued with increasing frequency into the present. Yet modern technology also appears to be substantially changing the quality of our culture. This course will provide you with a framework for reflecting upon—and perhaps resisting—this change.

Holistic Disciple-making for the Third Millennium

With Christendom crumbling and a discipleship deficit that is crippling the church, we need models of discipleship that equip the church for the whole of life, not just the Christian subculture. Discover theological and practical models for making disciples who are biblically literate, evangelistically confident, culturally sensitive, globally connected, and missionally integrated.

Sample a free audio lecture by Krish Kandiah.

The Book of Acts: Witnesses to Him to the Ends of the Earth

The Book of Acts tells the exciting story of how the pre-eminent reality of all history—the coming and mission of Jesus Christ—was communicated during the first generation of the church. Through detailed exegesis of the text, we will attempt to relate Luke’s account to present missional realities and rekindle a sense of commitment to the church’s worldwide calling.

Designing Entrepreneurship: Integrating Faith and Innovation

How should Christian entrepreneurs express their faith? Explore issues connected with the design of a commercial or social enterprise, or of a non-governmental organization, in light of the teaching of the Scriptures. We will pay special attention to the various relationships that need to be considered in the design process. This course is for those thinking of starting or developing such an enterprise, and those who wish to think intentionally about enterprise from a theological foundation.

Maximum Enrollment: 24 students.

Designing Entrepreneurship: Integrating Faith and Innovation

How should Christian entrepreneurs express their faith? Explore issues connected with the design of a commercial or social enterprise, or of a non-governmental organization, in light of the teaching of the Scriptures. We will pay special attention to the various relationships that need to be considered in the design process. This course is for those thinking of starting or developing such an enterprise, and those who wish to think intentionally about enterprise from a theological foundation. 

Maximum Enrollment: 24 students.

Spiritual Discernment

The art of spiritual discernment enables you to recognize and respond to the prompting or inner witness of the Spirit. Discover a model for effective decision-making that seeks the wisdom of God for critical choices and decisions, while incorporating the wisdom of the Christian heritage, corporate discernment, and spiritual direction.