Catalog of Courses

Introduction to Black Church Studies

This course will examine the enduring institution and changing dynamics of the Black Church from its inception in America to present. It will explore its changing history, theology, interpretation of the Bible, culture, education, ethics, nurture and ministry. It will examine the importance of the Black Church in the life of the community and its people.

Prerequisites

History of the Black Church

An examination and interpretation of the history of the black church, including the seven historic American black denominations: the African Methodist Episcopal Church; the African Methodist Episcopal Church; the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church; the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church; the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Incorporated; the National Baptist Convention of America, Unincorporated; the Progressive National Baptist Convention; and the Church of God in Christ. The role of the black church in the black community will be emphasized along with the contributions to and distinctives within American Protestantism which the black church offers.

Black Theology

This course examines the development of the discipline of Black theology in America since 1960. Focus will highlight the works of the founder of Black Theology, James Cone, the early voices such as J. Deotis Roberts and Gayraud Wilmore, as well as other evolving contemporary voices, such as Dwight Hopkins, Jacquelyn Grant, Kelly Brown Douglas, and Delores Williams. A historical perspective of the richness of the Black theological tradition will also be offered with references to the works of W.E.B. DuBois, Benjamin E. Mays, Howard Thurman and Martin Luther King, Jr.

African American Biblical Interpretation

This course will examine the historical roots of hermeneutical ideologies and methodologies that have ignored and/or denied the influence of people of African descent in the Bible and upon the Bible. More basically, the course will examine the de-Africanization of the Bible, address this phenomenon by re-Africanizing the Bible and illustrate how the peculiar perspective and development of an African American hermeneutic contributes a fresh and needed insight for the Christian church as regards biblical interpretation.

Dynamics of Black Church, Black Family and Black Minister

This course will present an overview of issues, concepts, events, heritage, as well as customs that have evolved to comprise a general African American world view. The course will outline and explore the elements of Black culture that are expressed in the social institutions of Church and Family. The unifying cultural themes will be discussed as functional and central to personal identity and emotional equilibrium. Implications for pastoral care and worship will be discussed.

Womanist Hermeneutics and Literature

This course is an introduction to the historical, methodological, ideological, interdisciplinary, multidimensional, global scholarship of womanist scholars. It builds upon the work of first generation scholarship that was primarily a challenge to feminist and African American male theologies, as well as the evolving work of second and subsequent generations. It engages the interlocking, independent and interdependent systemic issues of race, gender, class and sexual orientation as central to liberation for all humanity, as well as the universe.

Spiritual Formation in the Black Tradition (1): Readings

This course explores primary and secondary sources in the African American religious experience in an effort to uncover indigenous material that reflects a distinctively Black spiritual formation tradition. Students will explore different genres - slave narratives, conversion narratives, call narratives, prayers, sermons, art - as well as the life and works of selected personalities. This course will alternate with BCS 5521, which explores the same concerns using different resources.

Spiritual Formation in the Black Tradition (2): Retreat 2

This course explores primary and secondary sources in the African American religious experience in an effort to uncover indigenous material that reflects a distinctively Black spiritual formation tradition. Students will explore different genres - slave narratives, conversion narratives, call narratives, prayers, sermons, art - as well as the life and works of selected personalities. This course will alternate with BCS 5520, which explores the same concerns using different resources.

Race, Gender, Class, Sexuality and the Bible

A graduate seminar that focuses specifically on the intersection surrounding race, gender, sexuality and the Bible. It is part of a substitution theory of post-colonial biblical interpretation that takes seriously the hermeneutical shift from centering to decentering the politics of interpretation. A great deal of emphasis is placed on reading, reflection and dialogue.

Ethical Leadership and the Black Church

The Black Church has historically been the center of black communal life in America as well as serving as an instrument for positive social change. This class will focus on the religious and ethical teachings of the Black Church. Various ethical stances will be discussed: nonviolent resistance, gradualism, social protest and liberation. Various ethicists will be examined: Martin Luther King, Jr., James Cone, W.E.B. DuBois and Malcolm X.

Pedagogies of Liberation

This course will explore the role of education ministry within the Black Church context. Emphasis will be placed upon the synthesis of African heritage, biblical faith, and educational approaches that are relevant to the needs and conditions of African American people. This course will examine the tasks and purposes of Christian Education, the unique challenges that confront Christian educators in the Black Church as well as Afro-centric models for Christian Education.

Preaching in the Black Tradition

This course is intended to introduce students to the history of the black preaching tradition in the United States, and to the various forms of preaching that are presently employed by black preachers throughout the country. The primary emphasis will be on the rich diversity of form and content that falls under the term “Black Preaching.” This is not a how-to course that promises students that they will be able to preach in a certain way. Preaching is an art form and a system of work and study habits that each person must develop and refine over time. This course is meant to offer wide exposure to the concepts and definitions of Black Preaching.

Call to Ministry in the Black Church Tradition

This course is a general introduction to call to ministry from an African American perspective. The call phenomenon has been a central tenet in the Black Church experience. The call to ministry has focused the church's ministry on the existential plight of African Americans. The course will examine the biblical, theological and historical basis of call to ministry from a Black perspective, especially the changing dynamics that the church faces in the post Civil Rights era.

Pastoral Care in the Black Church

The primary objective of this course is to acquaint students with the reality of the uniqueness of pastoral care in the African American Christian church experience. In conveying this perspective we will address the issues of 1) the range or scope of pastoral care; 2) special concerns of pastoral care; and 3) the practice of pastoral care in the African American Christian experience.

Models of Youth Ministry

This course is a general introduction to youth ministry from a Black perspective that will acquaint students to the historical landscape of youth ministry in the Black Church, as well as look at various models of youth ministry. This course will also explore challenges that face the various models of youth ministry in the Black Church. A primary goal of the course is to explore the theoretical concept of “hope” that runs through the various models of youth ministry in the Black Church. This course will engage the diverse needs and challenges of youth in the Black Church in the 21st century and engage intentional, practical strategies and models in which the Black Church can inform and equip itself to minister in meaningful and transformative ways.

Life and Works of Martin Luther King, Jr.

This course examines in detail the enormous contribution of one of the greatest religious leaders of the 20th century. King's life and contribution to the Black church and the Civil Rights Movement will be addressed. His work as a theologian and an ethicist will be studied with reference to his primary works, such as his speeches, sermons, essays and books. The course will discern the major themes of King's works, such as his doctrine of life and his ethic of non-violent resistance.

Life and Works of Howard Thurman

This course is an examination of the life, works, and contributions of Howard Thurman.

Post-Colonial Approaches to Biblical Study

One of the defining characteristics of postcolonial biblical interpretation is distinguishing between the biblical reading strategies of dominant cultures and dominated cultures. Drawing especially upon cultural criticism, cultural studies, social location ideology, and cross disciplinary study, this approach seeks to unmask the power dynamics involved in biblical reading strategies in order to examine, critique, confront and challenge the effects upon both the individual and the culture. Moreover, this approach seeks to broaden the student’s exposure as well as engage the student in a genuine global dialogue with voices from the marginalized, colonized, disenfranchised, and dispossessed with the goal of uncovering and using reading strategies that liberate and empower the powerless.

Internship in Black Church Studies 1

This course engages students in an Internship in Black Church Studies under the supervision of a mentor. The primary goal of the Internship is to connect the student holistically and intimately with the life of the institution so that the student is identified as “one of them.” The internship also mentors, guides and assists students in their efforts to secure employment in ministries suited to their calling.

Internship in Black Church Studies 2

This course engages students in an Internship in Black Church Studies under the supervision of a mentor. The primary goal of the Internship is to connect the student holistically and intimately with the life of the institution so that the student is identified as "one of them." The internship also mentors, guides and assists students in their efforts to secure employment in ministries suited to their calling.

Independent Study in Black Church Studies

Independent Studies are designed to cover specialized material not usually included in a course offering listed in the catalog.

African American Biblical Interpretation

This course will examine the historical roots of hermeneutical ideologies and methodologies that have ignored and/or denied the influence of people of African descent in the Bible and upon the Bible. More basically, the course will examine the de-Africanization of the Bible, address this phenomenon by re-Africanizing the Bible and illustrate how the peculiar perspective and development of an African American hermeneutic contributes a fresh and needed insight for the Christian church as regards biblical interpretation

Womanist Hermeneutics and Literature

This course is an introduction to the historical, methodological, ideological, interdisciplinary, multidimensional, global scholarship of womanist scholars. It builds upon the work of first generation scholarship that was primarily a challenge to feminist and African American male theologies, as well as the evolving work of second and subsequent generations. It engages the interlocking, independent and interdependent systemic issues of race, gender, class and sexual orientation as central to liberation for all humanity, as well as the universe.

Race, Gender, Class, Sexuality and the Bible

A graduate seminar that focuses specifically on the intersection surrounding race, gender, sexuality and the Bible. It is part of a substitution theory of post-colonial biblical interpretation that takes seriously the hermeneutical shift from centering to decentering the politics of interpretation. A great deal of emphasis is placed on reading, reflection and dialogue.

Post-Colonial Approaches to Biblical Study

One of the defining characteristics of postcolonial biblical interpretation is distinguishing between the biblical reading strategies of dominant cultures and dominated cultures. Drawing especially upon cultural criticism, cultural studies, social location ideology, and cross disciplinary study, this approach seeks to unmask the power dynamics involved in biblical reading strategies in order to examine, critique, confront and challenge the effects upon both the individual and the culture. Moreover, this approach seeks to broaden the student’s expo-sure as well as engage the student in a genuine global dialogue with voices from the marginalized, colonized, disenfranchised, and dispossessed with the goal of uncovering and using reading strategies that liberate and empower the powerless.

History of the Black Church

An examination and interpretation of the history of the Black Church, including the seven historic American Black denominations: the African Methodist Episcopal Church; the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church; the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church; the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Incorporated; the National Baptist Convention; and the Church of God in Christ. The role of the Black Church in the Black community will be emphasized along with the contributions to and distinctives within American Protestantism which the Black Church offers.

Dynamics of Black Church, Black Family and Black Minister

This course will present an overview of issues, concepts, events, heritage, as well as customs that have evolved to comprise a general African American world view. The course will outline and explore the elements of Black culture that are expressed in the social institutions of Church and Family. The unifying cultural themes will be discussed as functional and central to personal identity and emotional equilibrium. Implications for pastoral care and worship will be discussed.

Black Theology

This course examines the development of the discipline of Black theology in America since 1960. Focus will highlight the works of the founder of Black Theology, James Cone, the early voices such as J. Deotis Roberts and Gayraud Wilmore, as well as other evolving contemporary voices, such as Dwight Hopkins, Jacquelyn Grant, Kelly Brown Douglas, and Delores Williams. A historical perspective of the richness of the Black theological tradition will also be offered with references to the works of W.E.B. DuBois, Benjamin E. Mays, Howard Thurman and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Preaching in the Black Tradition

This course is intended to introduce students to the history of the black preaching tradition in the United States, and to the various forms of preaching that are presently employed by black preachers throughout the country. The primary emphasis will be on the rich diversity of form and content that falls under the term “Black Preaching.” This is not a how-to course that promises students that they will be able to preach in a certain way. Preaching is an art form and a system of work and study habits that each person must develop and refine over time. This course is meant to offer wide exposure to the concepts and definitions of black preaching.

Engaging Texts & Contexts

This course introduces students to a three-fold framework for biblical interpretation involving the investigation of the "world in front of the text" (between the text's composition and us as readers), the "world within the text" (the close reading of the text itself), and the "world behind the text" (the environment and situation that contributes to the occasion and shaping of the text, and therefore its contextual interpretation). The applicability of this model also to the literature and contexts of other curricular areas will also be demonstrated.

Encountering Scripture beyond Translations

The goal of this course is to enable students to enrich their grasp of a given Scripture passage by researching its meaning in the original-language. Students will learn about the theory and practice of translation, the evaluation of translations, how to recognize when investigation of the original-language text is warranted, and how to pursue such investigation responsibly.

Prerequisites

BSG 5501

Literature of the Biblical World

An Old Testament background course surveying the literatures of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Anatolia and Canaan in English translation, and their role in illuminating Old Testament literary genres, with special emphasis on the relevance of Canaanite literature for specific biblical passages.

Fundamentals of Biblical Interpretation

(FOR CLINICAL COUNSELING STUDENTS ONLY) Mental health professionals will often encounter clients operating from within a Christian world view. This course seeks to provide these professionals with a framework for examining how an individual's interpretations of discrete Scriptures position him or her for greater or diminished mental and relational health. In particular, the course seeks to equip future counselors to help disentangle interpretations of Scripture that perpetuate dysfunction and to help construct interpretations that are both sound and healthful.

African American Biblical Interpretation

This course will examine the historical roots of hermeneutical ideologies and methodologies that have ignored and/or denied the influence of people of African descent in the Bible and upon the Bible. More basically, the course will examine the de-Africanization of the Bible, address this phenomenon by re-Africanizing the Bible and illustrate how the peculiar perspective and development of an African American hermeneutic contributes a fresh and needed insight for the Christian church as regards biblical interpretation.

Womanist Hermeneutics

This course is an introduction to the historical, methodological, ideological, interdisciplinary, multidimensional, global scholarship of womanist scholars. It builds upon the work of first generation scholarship that was primarily a challenge to feminist and African American male theologies, as well as the evolving work of second and subsequent generations. It engages the interlocking, independent and interdependent systemic issues of race, gender, class and sexual orientation as central to liberation for all humanity, as well as the universe.

Race, Gender, Class, Sexuality and the Bible

A graduate seminar that focuses specifically on the intersection surrounding race, gender, sexuality and the Bible. It is part of a substitution theory of post-colonial biblical interpretation that takes seriously the hermeneutical shift from centering to decentering the politics of interpretation. A great deal of emphasis is placed on reading, reflection and dialogue.

Social-Scientific and Rhetorical Approaches to Biblical Study

This course continues the introduction to modern techniques of biblical criticism, extending the foundation to include social-scientific, cultural-anthropological, rhetorical, and ideological modes of analysis. Special emphasis will be given to discerning the kinds of questions each mode of analysis brings to a text, what theoretical resources each mode draws upon outside the discipline of biblical studies, and what fruits the student can expect from pursuing these lines of inquiry.

Critical Approaches to Biblical Interpretation

A survey of the methods and approaches that constitute contemporary biblical scholarship, with special attention given to the historical-critical method, social-scientific approaches, and literary and postmodern reading stances. Students are introduced to the assumptions, objectives, and operations of each approach.

Apocrypha and the Christian Church

Cross-listed with CHS 6607 and CTH 6607 The Apocrypha contains Jewish texts from the Hellenistic and Roman period but exists as a collection because of the reading practices of the early Christian Church. This course will introduce students both to the contents of this collection as windows into the history, social context, faith, and practice of Jewish groups in the Second Temple Period and to the impact of these texts upon, and formation as a collection within, the early church.

The Intertestamental Period

This course introduces students to the history, culture, and developments of thought in Judaism during the Hellenistic and Greco-Roman periods, chiefly through the windows provided by the major documents written during this period. Students will read the Apocrypha, selected Dead Sea Scrolls, and other texts which throw important light on the world into which the church and its theology and piety were born.

Post-Colonial Approaches to Biblical Study

One of the defining characteristics of postcolonial biblical interpretation is distinguishing between the biblical reading strategies of dominant cultures and dominated cultures. Drawing especially upon cultural criticism, cultural studies, social location ideology, and cross disciplinary study, this approach seeks to unmask the power dynamics involved in biblical reading strategies in order to examine, critique, confront and challenge the effects upon both the individual and the culture. Moreover, this approach seeks to broaden the student’s expo-sure as well as engage the student in a genuine global dialogue with voices from the marginalized, colonized, disenfranchised, and dispossessed with the goal of uncovering and using reading strategies that liberate and empower the powerless.

Introduction to Chaplaincy

This course orients students to chaplaincy and prepares them to do cooperative ministry in an extension setting as an endorsed representative of a faith community. It introduces students to the history, theology, and practice of chaplaincy ministries and exposes them to hospital, prison, hospice, military, police, industry, and sports chaplaincy settings.This course MUST be taken within the first semester or first year before continuing on in the chaplaincy program.

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Basic Unit

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is a professional, process-oriented, action-reflection educational experience that helps students develop a new awareness of themselves as persons and professionals. In the CPE Basic Unit, students work ordinarily in a hospital or other institutional setting, gain 400 hours of intensive experience in chaplaincy, and engage in supervised theological reflection on the practice of ministry. This course may be taken in an intensive (10 week) or extended (20 week) format depending on the CPE site.

Prerequisites

CHP 5501

Advanced Ethics for Ministry Practitioners

This advanced course provides an in-depth and focused study on ethical is-sues and Christian moral responses pertinent for a variety of ministry con-texts. This course may be taught in conjunction with ETH 6650, for this 2 hours course only.

Prerequisites

CHP 5501

Navigating the Multi-Faith Context

This course explores religion and how various faith traditions practice it. Students will learn numerous ways to study and define religion. The course will help students effectively engage practitioners of other faiths in terms of a given ministry setting. The course gives attention to major world religions, Atheism, and New Religious Movements like the Latter Day Saints and Jehovah Witnesses. Additionally, the course examines the impact of religion on American life.

Prerequisites

CHP 5501

Capstone Experience for Chaplaincy

Graduating chaplaincy students will synthesize the subject-matter knowledge they have acquired, integrate cross-disciplinary knowledge, and connect theory with application in preparation for entry into professional ministry by offering a comprehensive report on a chaplaincy setting to which they feel called. The final project will include reflection on artifacts from courses in the chaplaincy core.

Prerequisites

CHP 5501

Advanced Ethics for Ministry Practitioners

This advanced course provides an in-depth and focused study on ethical issues and Christian moral responses pertinent for a variety of ministry contexts.

Prerequisites

CHP 5501

Navigating the Multi-Faith Context

This course explores religion and how various faith traditions practice it. Students will learn numerous ways to study and define religion. The course will help students effectively engage practitioners of other faiths in terms of a given ministry setting. The course gives attention to major world religions, Atheism, and New Religious Movements like the Latter Day Saints and Jehovah Witnesses. Additionally, the course examines the impact of religion on American life.

Prerequisites

CHP 5501

The Story of the Christian Faith

This course enables students to understand the development of the church in historical context, with special emphasis on the theological, cultural, philosophical, and political factors that shaped the church.

History of the Black Church

An examination and interpretation of the history of the black church, including the seven historic American black denominations: the African Methodist Episcopal Church; the African Methodist Episcopal Church; the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church; the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church; the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Incorporated; the National Baptist Convention of America, Unincorporated; the Progressive National Baptist Convention; and the Church of God in Christ. The role of the black church in the black community will be emphasized along with the contributions to and distinctives within American Protestantism which the black church offers.

Global Christianity

An introductory history of Christianity in Africa, Asia and South America.

Apocrypha and the Christian Church

Cross-listed with CHS 6607 and CTH 6607 The Apocrypha contains Jewish texts from the Hellenistic and Roman period but exists as a collection because of the reading practices of the early Christian Church. This course will introduce students both to the contents of this collection as windows into the history, social context, faith, and practice of Jewish groups in the Second Temple Period and to the impact of these texts upon, and formation as a collection within, the early church.

History and Literature of Christian Spirituality

This course is a chronological survey of outstanding devotional writings from the apostolic age to the present. The focus will be on the breadth of this literature as well as acquaintance with major authors and their works.

History of Women in the Church

A study of women's lives, service and contribution to the church beginning with the Bible and early Christian writings. Women's roles and contributions will be surveyed in the apostolic period, the ascetic movement, the medieval period and the Reformation. The post-Reformation period will focus on women in America and the quest for ordination.

History of Christian Ethical Thought

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the history and development of Christian ethical thought and practices from the early church to today.

Varieties of Early Christian Thought

This course is a survey of extant literature produced by the church in the patristic period (ca. AD 95-750). Its goal is a working knowledge of early Christian thought in its unity and diversity, continuity and development. Students will be encouraged to draw upon the wisdom of patristic writers for their own lives and ministries.

Prerequisites

CHS 5500

Christian Monasticism

An introduction to the history, practices, and ideals of Christian monasticism from its origins to the "new monasticism" of contemporary North America, with special attention to the Benedictine tradition. The seminar includes immersion in a monastic community.

History and Thought of the Reformation

This course focuses on the historical and theological developments of the Reformation period. It will explore important people, ideas, and events in the major Protestant streams—Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Anabaptist—as well as in the Catholic Church. Students will read selected primary sources from these traditions to gain insight into the period and to reflect on their significance for Christians today.

Christianity in America

This is a study of Christianity in the American environment from the seventeenth century to the present. The transplanting of the European churches, the development of unique expressions in Christianity in America and the nature of Christianity will be examined.

Contemporary Theological Perspectives

This course is a chronological survey of major theologians and theological movements of the 20th and 21st centuries. Through engagement with both primary and secondary sources, students will gain an understanding of the diversity of voices within contemporary theology and will be challenged to consider their significance for the church today.

Prerequisites

CHS 5500

Women Spiritual Writers

This course offers an in-depth study of the primary writings of prominent women in the field of spirituality throughout Christian history.   Particular writers to be studies are: Perpetua, Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila, Susanna Wesley, Phoebe Palmer, Amanda Berry Smith, and Everyn Underhill

Prerequisites

Biographical Studies in Christian Leadership

An examination of the lives of representative figures in the history of Christianity, specifically analyzing the essential features of their message and mission as Christian leaders in response to the challenges of their age.

Life and Works of Martin Luther King, Jr.

This course examines in detail the enormous contribution of one of the greatest religious leaders of the 20th century. King's life and contribution to the Black church and the Civil Rights Movement will be addressed. His work as a theologian and an ethicist will be studied with reference to his primary works, such as his speeches, sermons, essays and books. The course will discern the major themes of King's works, such as his doctrine of life and his ethic of non-violent resistance.

History of the Brethren Church

This course considers the historical development of the Brethren movement from its origins in Anabaptism and Pietism to the present day. Special attention is given to the Brethren Church since the 1880s.

History of the United Methodist Church

This course surveys the history of United Methodism from its rise in England in the 18th century to the present, with attention to the forces that have shaped the movement and its impact on the various contexts in which it has developed. Approximately half of the course is devoted to Methodist origins in the period of the Wesleys. (Fulfills the United Methodist History requirement stated in the UM Discipline [2012], Par. 324.4).

History of the (____) Church

This is a course to satisfy various denominational standards in history, doctrine, and polity and can be arranged through the Academic Dean's office.

History and Thought of the Christian Peace Position

This course focuses on those individuals and groups, especially Anabaptist, who have contributed to the peace position in the Christian church. Consideration will be given both to the history of and a biblical and theological rationale for the Christian peace witness.

Conference/Seminar in Church History

Credit is available for those who attend approved conferences and seminars. Students should check with the department chairperson for reading and writing requirements associated with attendance at approved conferences and seminars.

Independent Study in Church History

Independent Studies are designed to cover specialized material not usually included in a course offering listed in the catalog.

Senior Seminar in Church History

This course provides the capstone experience for students enrolled in the Master of Arts (Historical and Theological Studies) program. Students will write a seminar paper presenting the results of their investigation of a particular historical or theological problem. If there are not enough students to populate a regular class, students will write their papers in the context of either an advanced-level elective course or an independent study project. In either case, students will also be expected to present and discuss their projects at a gathering of other MA (HTS) students and faculty during the late Spring.

Prerequisites

Thesis

This course represents the credit awarded for the successful completion of a master's thesis. Students will consult regularly with their thesis advisors through the drafting and revising process until the thesis advisor determines that the thesis is acceptable. Students will then present the results of their research to fellow students and members of the department during May of the year they graduate.

Biographical Studies in Leadership

An examination of the lives of representative figures in the history of Christianity, specifically analyzing the essential features of their message and mission as Christian leaders in response to the challenges of their age.

History of Women in the Church

A study of women's lives, service and contribution to the church beginning with the Bible and early Christian writings. Women's roles and contributions will be surveyed in the apostolic period, the ascetic movement, the medieval period and the Reformation. The post-Reformation period will focus on women in America and the quest for ordination.

Prerequisites

Varieties of Early Christian Thought

This course is a survey of extant literature produced by the church in the patristic period (ca. AD 95-750). Its goal is a working knowledge of early Christian thought in its unity and diversity, continuity and development. Students will be encouraged to draw upon the wisdom of patristic writers for their own lives and ministries.

History and Thought of the Reformation

This course focuses upon the historical and theological developments of the Reformation period. It will explore important people, ideas, and events in the major Protestant streams - Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Anabaptist - as well as in the Catholic Church. Students will read selected primary sources from these traditions to gain insight into the period and to reflect on their significance for Christians today.

Contemporary Theological Perspectives

This course is a chronological survey of major theologians and theological movements of the 20th and 21st centuries. Through engagement with both primary and secondary sources, students will gain an understanding of the diversity of voices within contemporary theology and will be challenged to consider their significance for the church today.

Life and Works of Martin Luther King, Jr.

This course examines in detail the enormous contribution of one of the greatest religious leaders of the 20th century. King's life and contribution to the Black church and the Civil Rights Movement will be addressed. His work as a theologian and an ethicist will be studied with reference to his primary works, such as his speeches, sermons, essays and books. The course will discern the major themes of King's works, such as his doctrine of life and his ethic of non-violent resistance.

History and Thought of the Christian Peace Position

This course focuses on those individuals and groups, especially Anabaptist, who have contributed to the peace position in the Christian church. Consideration will be given both to the history of and a biblical and theological rationale for the Christian peace witness.

Senior Seminar

This course provides the capstone experience for students enrolled in the Master of Arts (Historical and Theological Studies) program. Students will write a seminar paper presenting the results of their investigation of a particular historical or theological problem. If there are not enough students to populate a regular class, students will write their papers in the context of either an advanced-level elective course or an independent study project. In either case, students will also be expected to present and discuss their projects at a gathering of other MA (HTS) students and faculty during the late Spring.

Thesis

This course represents the credit awarded for the successful completion of a master's thesis. Students will consult regularly with their thesis advisors through the drafting and revising process until the thesis advisor determines that the thesis is acceptable. Students will then present the results of their research to fellow students and members of the department during May of the year they graduate.

History of the Brethren Church

This course considers the historical development of the Brethren movement from its origins in Anabaptism and Pietism to the present day. Special attention is given to the Brethren Church since the 1880s.

History of the United Methodist Church

This course surveys the history of United Methodism from its rise in England in the 18th century to the present, with attention to the forces that have shaped the movement and its impact on the various contexts in which it has developed. Approximately half of the course is devoted to Methodist origins in the period of the Wesleys. (Fulfills the United Methodist History requirement stated in the UM Discipline [2012], Par. 324.4).

Spiritual Themes in Clinical Counseling

This course provides the clinical counselor an overview of components of the client's identity, focus, and direction from a spiritual perspective. Special attention is given to the self-concept, forgiveness, and suffering in clinical work. Attention will be given to the impact of spirituality on the healing process.

Prerequisites

Introduction to Mental Health Counseling

This course introduces the student to the history and trends within the counseling profession and information on professional counseling organizations. Students will obtain an understanding of the roles and functions as well as the professional, legal, and ethical responsibilities of licensed counselors. Preparation standards for licensure as Professional Counselors (PC) and Professional Clinical Counselors (PCC) will be discussed.

Prerequisites

Counseling Techniques

This course is designed to equip the student with a knowledge of the essential counseling skills such as attending, listening, probing, focusing, goal setting and challenging.

Prerequisites

Counseling Theories

Surveys major concepts and practices of contemporary therapeutic systems. Attention is also given to the integration of biblical principles with sound behavioral science.

Prerequisites

Human Growth and Development

This course is an overview of the normal developmental processes and life crises through which a person generally moves from conception to death. Some attention will be given to the technique and teaching tools which a Christian counselor might use to assist the client who is struggling to pass productively through life's stages.

Prerequisites

Social and Cultural Issues in Counseling

This course examines cultural and ethnic uniqueness and differences as significant issues for counselors and counselees. Emphasis is given to designing culturally and socially sensitive counseling interventions.

Prerequisites

Lifestyle and Career Counseling

Designed to equip the counselor with the concepts and skills necessary to do lifestyle and career assessment and to implement career goals in a plan of action from a Christian viewpoint.

Group Dynamics 1

Designed to help group members discover their interpersonal styles and improve their interpersonal skills such as self-disclosure, listening and responding. Students learn how to set and move toward individual personal growth goals. Process awareness skills are sharpened.

Prerequisites

Group Dynamics 2

Continues the learning of interpersonal skills with additional attention to advanced empathy, constructive confrontation and immediacy. Personal growth goals are set and pursued and process awareness skills are sharpened.

Prerequisites

Practicum in Counseling

This practicum focuses on the basic counseling skills, providing opportunities for observation and active practice of these behaviors. Constructive feedback is provided by the practicum supervisor through the use of role-playing and structured exercises.

Practicum/Practicum 2

This practicum focuses on the basic counseling skills, providing opportunities for observation and active practice of these behaviors. Constructive feedback is provided by the practicum supervisor through the use of role-playing and structured exercises.; Practicum 2 continues to build on the basic listening and speaking skills required for effective counseling. Sessions focus on practical role-plays. Feedback from practicum supervisor and peers is used to help in skill development.

Prerequisites

Practicum in Counseling 2

This course continues to build on the basic listening and speaking skills required for effective counseling. Sessions focus on practical role-plays. Feedback from practicum supervisor and peers is used to help in skill development.

Introduction to Research Methods and Design

Provides the student with a review of the basic concepts and methods of social/behavioral research. Material to be covered includes: questionnaire construction, interview techniques, observational methods and statistical analysis.

Assessment

Acquaints the student with the history and theory of psychological testing. Covers the most popular psychological tests, helpful interpretive concepts and application of psychological tests most available to pastoral counselors.

Prerequisites

Crisis Counseling (III)

This course is designed to acquaint the student with the special models, theories, and techniques of crisis intervention. Crisis management resources are identified and special crisis situations are explored.

Differential Diagnosis (III)

Advanced concepts are presented for the proper assessment of different categories of abnormal behavior. Special attention is given to the principles underlying the multiaxial approach of the DSM system. Includes material on conducting the diagnostic interview and the mental status exam.

Prerequisites

Special Issues in Abnormal-Personality Disorders (I)

This course is designed to give the student a deeper understanding of personality disorders. Attention is given to recognizing and addressing the dynamics the various personality disorders create in the therapeutic process and to adapting treatment plans to address Axis II diagnosis.

Special Issues in Counseling Adolescents (I)

This course will present the dynamics of adolescent conflicts within the family system. Attention will be given to etiology, assessment, and treatment. The course will consist of both didactic and experiential learning.

Dynamics of Eating Disorders (IV)

This course is designed to give the student an understanding of the dynamics and treatment of eating disorders. Attention is given to understanding the etiology, differential diagnosis, and special treatment factors.

Special Issues in Counseling Older Adults (I)

Older adults comprise one of the fastest growing segments of the American population. This course examines normal and abnormal aging with special emphases upon assessment, differential diagnosis, treatment planning, and treatment implementation. Ethical issues in working with older adults will also be explored. (Prerequisites; CLC 5511 and CLC 7729)

Introduction to Substance Abuse (Category I)

This course will provide students with an introductory overview of Substance Abuse and Dependence. Emphasis will be given to the origin, diagnosis and treatment (including self-help programs) of substance related disorders, as well as their impact on the family of the addicted individual. This course will serve as a prerequisite for the other advanced courses for those students having no prior coursework in Substance Abuse and Dependence.

Psychopharmacology for Counselors

This course will explore the varied biological mechanisms commonly associated with the expression of psychological disorders and their relationship to pharmacological treatments. Students will be introduced to general principles of neurobiology, normative brain function, pathophysiological processes, and the major categories of psychotropic medications. Consideration will be given to professional and ethical boundaries when integrating psychopharmacology knowledge into counseling practice.Prerequisites: CLC 5511 Human Growth and Development, CLC 7729 Differential Diagnosis

Prerequisites

Personality Assessment (II)

Advanced concepts are presented for the assessment of personality using objective (i.e. non-projective) assessment instruments. Special attention will be given to the development, nature (structure), administration, and interpretation of objective personality instruments. Both scientific and practical aspects of these inventories will be addressed.

Prerequisites

CLC 6692

Professional Ethics and Responsibilities

Students will receive an overview of significant professional, legal and ethical considerations applicable to the counseling process. Attention is also give to issues of licensure.

Prerequisites

Diagnosis of Children (III)

This course is for anyone who may encounter children in their clinical practice. It offers clinical descriptions of childhood disorders commonly seen by mental health professionals including complete discussion of assessment, diagnoses, and treatment options from a Christian worldview. This course will cover the diagnostic consideration issues related to making a diagnosis. These issues include a broad description of childhood disorders, difficult differential diagnoses, prevalence of the disorder, course, and subtypes of the diagnosis. Broad assessment strategies will be covered that are useful in the assessment of more than one disorder. These tests tap broad psychological, behavioral, and social characteristics of the child, which may pertain to multiple disorders.

Prerequisites

CLC 7729

Counseling the Dying and Grieving (IV)

Issues of death, dying, loss, and grief impact lives on a regular basis. This course will provide counseling students with foundational biblical, historical, and theological "end of life" principles. The course will provide an overview of current conceptualizations of grief and mourning. Interventions will be presented for supporting the dying, as well as individuals going through bereavement. Additional strategies will be presented for identifying and intervening with those who have clinically significant complicated grief. Throughout the course, the students will be encouraged to explore their own grief reactions, as well as to consider the meaning of life and death from a Christian worldview.

Advanced Marriage Counseling (IV)

This class is to help the students gain a deeper understanding of theory, as it applies to clinical application. Specific techniques will be learned to help the student intervene in difficult patterns and situations.

Prerequisites

Advanced Family Counseling (IV)

This course is designed to broaden the student's theoretical understanding of family therapy. The course will also help the student assess dysfunctional family behavioral patterns and strategize intervention techniques that will disrupt rigid behavioral patterns among family members.

Prerequisites

Marriage and Family Counseling

An introduction to marriage counseling and special issues in family counseling. Attention will be given to history-taking, problem assessment, and therapeutic interventions.

Counseling Survivors of Sexual Abuse (IV)

This course investigates major issues pertinent to counseling adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Major theoretical approaches, stages of treatment, therapeutic interventions, and professional issues are explored.

Human Sexuality (IV)

This course focuses on issues of sexuality in counseling. Students explore sexual development, sexual orientation and the fundamentals of sexual biology. Strategies will be presented for intervening and monitoring client change in commonly occurring sexual disorders, clinically significant sexual problems and paraphiliac conditions. Throughout the course, students will be challenged to develop and refine a Biblically-based theology of sex and theology of healthy sexuality.

Treatment of Mood and Anxiety Disorders (Category IV)

This course focuses on the theory, research, and counseling interventions related to the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders (and related conditions). Special attention is given to the DSM-IV classifications and cognitive-behavioral interventions.

Prerequisites

CLC 7729

Introduction to Trauma Informed Care

This course will focus upon both the historic, and rapidly changing, relationship between medical and mental health. The integration of medical, cognitive behavioral (CBT), and spiritual approaches in counseling will be explored to assist both counselor and client in understanding the comprehensive nature of client difficulties and their treatment. Trauma informed care will be highlighted in the course and attention given to "What happened to us?" (versus "What is wrong with you?"), how this affects the choices clients make in their lives, and the "costs" of such choices.

Prerequisites

Supervision in Counseling (IV)

The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the supervisory processes and procedures in the field of clinical counseling. Students will gain an understanding of various models of supervision, the supervisor-supervisee relationship, supervisory contracts, evaluation procedures, legal and ethical issues in supervision, documentation, and individual and cultural differences in supervision.

Prerequisites

Narrative Approaches to Counseling (IV)

This course provides an understanding of the ideas, assumptions, goals, and methods of narrative therapy as they apply to the practice of clinical counseling. Conceptualization of client concerns from a narrative worldview, treatment planning, and the strategies and techniques for attaining treatment goals will be explored. Emphasis will be given to the varied needs of individuals, couples, and families seeking help.

Treatment Planning Practices and Principles (V)

This course will examine the value of treatment planning within the therapeutic endeavor, general guiding principles for treatment planning, and well-researched, effective treatment protocols for dealing with specific DSM-IV diagnoses. (A basic understanding of DSM-IV diagnostics, counseling theory, and mental health treatment is required for this course.)

Prerequisites

CLC 7729

Internship in Counseling I

An internship is a post-practicum, on-the-job experience in professional counseling which enables the student to refine and enhance basic counseling skills and to integrate professional knowledge and skills. The internship involves work with bona fide clients and is under the tutelage of an on-site supervisor who is an independently licensed mental health professional, acceptable to the Ohio Counselor and Social Worker Board.

Prerequisites

CLC 6636

Internship in Counseling I-III

An internship is a post-practicum, on-the-job experience in professional counseling which enables the student to refine and enhance basic counseling skills and to integrate professional knowledge and skills. The internship involves work with bona fide clients and is under the tutelage of an on-site supervisor who is an independently licensed mental health professional, acceptable to the Ohio Counselor and Social Worker B

Prerequisites

Internship in Counseling II

This course continues the experience of CLC 7796 in an on-the-job experience in professional counseling under the tutelage of an on-site supervisor.

Internship II-III

An internship is a post-practicum, on-the-job experience in professional counseling which enables the student to refine and enhance basic counseling skills and to integrate professional knowledge and skills. The internship involves work with bona fide clients and is under the tutelage of an on-site supervisor who is an independently licensed mental health professional, acceptable to the Ohio Counselor and Social Worker B

Prerequisites

CLC 6636, CLC 7796

Internship in Counseling III

This course continues the experience of CLC 7797 in an on-the-job experience in professional counseling under the tutelage of an on-site supervisor.

Leading the People of God

This course equips students to develop a philosophy of leadership, based upon a biblical, theological, and Christian tradition. This will include both character and competency issues that leaders must know, develop and apply within their context of ministry. This course will also orient the students to healthy congregational structures, administration, and stewardship with a particular emphasis on essential financial processes. (Ministry Cohort Course)

Communication and Conflict in the Church

This course will provide an overall view of communication and the process of conflict resolution in the administration of the local congregation including committees, boards and staff.

Independent Study in Christian Leadership

Independent Studies are designed to cover specialized material not usually included in a course offering listed in the catalog.

Prerequisites

Spiritual Themes in Counseling

This course provides the counselor with an overview of components of the client's identity, focus, and direction from a spiritual perspective. Special attention is given to the self-concept, forgiveness, and suffering in clinical work. Attention will also be given to the impact of spirituality on the healing process.

Introduction to Professional Counseling

This course introduces the student to the history and trends within the counseling profession and information on professional counseling organizations. Students will obtain an overview of the roles and functions, as well as the professional, legal, and ethical responsibilities of licensed counselors. Preparation standard for licensure as Professional Counselors (LPC) will be discussed.

Prerequisites

Counseling Techniques

   This course is designed to equip the student with a knowledge of essential counseling skills such as attending, listening, probing, focusing, goal setting and challenging. 

Prerequisites

Counseling Theories

This course surveys major concepts, theories, and practices of contemporary and historical therapeutic systems. Attention is also given to the integration of biblical principles with sound behavioral science.

Prerequisites

Human Growth and Development

This course is an overview of the normal developmental processes and life crises through which a person generally moves from conception to death. Some attention will be given to the technique and teaching tools which a Christian counselor might use to assist the client who is struggling to pass productively through life's stages.

Social and Cultural Issues in Counseling

This course examines cultural and ethnic uniqueness and differences as significant issues for counselors and counselees. Emphasis is given to designing culturally and socially sensitive counseling interventions.

Crisis Counseling

Designed to familiarize the counselor with the special models, theories and techniques of crisis intervention. Crisis management resources are identified and special crisis situations are explored.

Dimensions of Healing

This course is designed to provide an understanding of some of the holistic approaches to healing, with a major focus on the role of the Spirit in healing. As such, it complements both Biblical Themes in Pastoral Counseling (CNS 5501) and Counseling Theories (CNS 5508) by providing the student with an overview of the pastoral counseling process. Within this course, the theoretical and didactic will be wedded to the practical and experiential through the use of both large group presentations and small group interactions. Emphasis will be placed upon the student's personal and spiritual growth.

Group Dynamics 1

Designed to help group members discover their interpersonal styles and improve their interpersonal skills such as self-disclosure, listening and responding. Students learn how to set and move toward individual personal growth goals. Process awareness skills are sharpened.

Group Dynamics 2

Continues the learning of interpersonal skills with additional attention to advanced empathy, constructive confrontation and immediacy. Personal growth goals are set and pursued and process awareness skills are sharpened.

Counseling Theories and Techniques

This course is designed to equip the student with a knowledge of essential counseling skills such as attending, listening, probing, focusing, goal setting and challenging.

Professional Ethics and Responsibilities

Students will receive an overview of significant professional, legal and ethical considerations applicable to the counseling process. Attention is also give to issues of licensure.

Lifestyle and Career Counseling

Designed to equip the counselor with the concepts and skills necessary to do lifestyle and career assessment and to implement career goals in a plan of action from a Christian viewpoint.

Practicum in Counseling

Provides students with practice in helping skills via activities such as written exercises, structured exercises, role-playing, verbatims and field exercises. Includes constructive feedback on student's practice of helping skills.

Prerequisites

Practicum in Counseling 1

This practicum focuses on the basic counseling skills, providing opportunities for observation and active practice of these behaviors. Constructive feedback is provided by the practicum supervisor through the use of role-playing and structured exercises.

Practicum in Counseling 2

This course continues to build on the basic listening and speaking skills required for effective counseling. Sessions focus on practical role-plays. Feedback from practicum supervisor and peers is used to help in skill development.

Counseling and Consulting Services

This course deals with consultation theory and process as related to agencies and post-secondary educational institutions. Explores roles and functions of counselors and student personnel specialists in program and proposal development, conflict management, organization, administration, evaluation of services, public relations, and knowledge of community resources and referral process. Students will be helped to respond to the cultural context of each group, agency, or organization.

Group Counseling 1

Promotes interpersonal skill development and personal growth through the group counseling experience. Covers basic skills in facilitating group development and promoting individual wholeness through group modalities.

Group Counseling 2

Continues to provide opportunity for personal growth through group counseling. It also acquaints the student with a variety of group therapy models and techniques. Students explore their own leadership interventions.

Introduction to Research Methods and Design

Provides the student with a review of the basic concepts and methods of social/behavioral research. Material to be covered includes: questionnaire construction, interview techniques, observational methods and statistical analysis.

Assessment

Acquaints the student with the history and theory of psychological testing. Covers the most popular psychological tests, helpful interpretive concepts and application of psychological tests most available to pastoral counselors.

Formational Prayer

Students will explore the qualifications and preparation necessary to embrace a ministry of inner healing prayer. The course will focus upon the relationship between past woundings, false beliefs, emotional upheaval, and dysfunctional behaviors in the lives of broken people. Special emphasis will be given to the Spirit-directed process of helping hurting people find healing and freedom in Christ, balancing insights from both counseling and pastoral theology.

Prerequisites

Differential Diagnosis

Advanced concepts are presented for the proper assessment of different categories of abnormal behavior. Special attention is given to the principles underlying the multiaxial approach of the DSM system. Includes material on conducting the diagnostic interview and the mental status exam.

Marriage and Family Counseling

An introduction to marriage counseling and special issues in family counseling. Attention will be given to history-taking, problem assessment, and therapeutic interventions.

Counseling the Dying and Grieving

This course will assist students in developing an understanding of death and grief based on biblical and historical perspectives which will help facilitate students' endeavors to embrace their own mortality, examine its implications for the way they live their lives, as well as provide practical skills for counseling the terminally ill and those who suffer from grief and loss.

Prerequisites

Scenario Role Playing

This course provides theory, experience and training in the Blees Scenario (Group) Role Playing methodology. Using this method, the student will experience simulated life situations providing practice in interpersonal behavioral techniques compatible with Christian principles which focus on replacing dysfunctional behaviors.

Prerequisites

Addictions

Provides a basic introduction and overview of alcoholism and other chemical dependencies and their treatment. The pathology of addiction is explored while examining the signs, symptoms and stages involved.

Prerequisites

Treatment Planning Practices and Principles

This course will examine the value of treatment planning within the therapeutic endeavor, general guiding principles for treatment planning, and well-researched, effective treatment protocols for dealing with specific DSM-IV diagnoses. (A basic understanding of DSM-IV diagnostics, counseling theory, and mental health treatment is required for this course.)

Prerequisites

Internship in Counseling 1

An internship is a post-practicum, on-the-job experience in professional counseling which enables the student to refine and enhance basic counseling skills and to integrate professional knowledge and skills. The internship involves work with bona fide clients and is under the tutelage of an on-site supervisor who is an independently licensed mental health professional.

Internship in Counseling 1-3

An internship is a post-practicum, on-the-job experience in professional counseling which enables the student to refine and enhance basic counseling skills and to integrate professional knowledge and skills. The internship involves work with bona fide clients and is under the tutelage of an on-site supervisor who is an independently licensed mental health professional.

Prerequisites

Internship in Counseling 2

This course continues the experience of CNS 7796 in an on-the-job experience in professional counseling under the tutelage of an on-site supervisor.

Prerequisites

Internship in Counseling 3

This course continues the experience of CNS 7797 in an on-the-job experience in professional counseling under the tutelage of an on-site supervisor.

Formational Prayer/Care of the Soul & Formational Prayer

CNS 7728 - Students will explore the qualifications and preparation necessary to embrace a ministry of inner healing prayer. The course will focus upon the relationship between past woundings, false beliefs, emotional upheaval, and dysfunctional behaviors in the lives of broken people. Special emphasis will be given to the Spirit-directed process of helping hurting people find healing and freedom in Christ, balancing insights from both counseling and pastoral theology.PCC 7728 - This course is designed to equip students with the understanding and competency necessary to provide Christian nurture and counsel that leads to healthy Christian formation. Attention will be given to the place of spiritual direction, pastoral care, and basic counseling skills as each relates to soul care. Special attention will be given to the ministry of formational prayer, and as such students will explore the qualifications and preparation necessary to embrace a ministry of inner healing prayer.

Forming the People of God

This course explores the biblical and theological principles and processes for making disciples in the local church. Attention will be given to how the Christian leader can be a forming and transforming agent for discipleship in the community of faith. Skills related to teaching and leading a small group Bible study will be addressed. Educational and developmental theory will be consulted in pursuit of course aims.

Ministry of Teaching

This course seeks to assist the student in becoming an effective teaching force in the learning space by exploring and utilizing principles, methods, and resources for impactful communication and instruction in the ministry context. Special attention will be given to teaching the Bible in the Church.

Adult Discipleship and Small Group Ministry

Adult ministry is complex due in part to the evolving, changing nature of the lifespan and its inherent challenges. This course will introduce the foundational concerns of adulthood, and then consider ministry approaches to meet the needs of adults. Special attention will be given to the use of small groups.

Dynamics of Black Church, Black Family and Black Minister

This course will present an overview of issues, concepts, events, heritage, as well as customs that have evolved to comprise a general African American world view. The course will outline and explore the elements of Black culture that are expressed in the social institutions of Church and Family. The unifying cultural themes will be discussed as functional and central to personal identity and emotional equilibrium. Implications for pastoral care and worship will be discussed.

Pedagogies of Liberation

This course will explore the role of education ministry within the Black Church context. Emphasis will be placed upon the synthesis of African heritage, biblical faith, and educational approaches that are relevant to the needs and conditions of African American people. This course will examine the tasks and purposes of Christian Education, the unique challenges that confront Christian educators in the Black Church as well as Afro-centric models for Christian Education.

Independent Study in Christian Education

Independent studies are designed to cover specialized material not usually included in a course offering listed in the catalog.

Prerequisites

Adult Discipleship and Small Group Ministry

CRE 5512 - Adult ministry is complex due in part to the evolving, changing nature of the lifespan and its inherent challenges. This course will introduce the foundational concerns of adulthood, and then consider ministry approaches to meet the needs of adults. Special attention will be given to the use of small groups.PCC 7761 - This course seeks to equip students in the competencies necessary to developing and leading effective small groups that are specifically designed for care and counsel. Attention will be given to the unique challenges and opportunities present in developing and leading such groups, as well as providing guidance in group dynamics and group development. An additional component of the class will be equipping students to mobilize, train, and supervise lay leaders for this specific form of ministry within the local church.

Fundamentals of Christian Theology

(FOR CLINICAL COUNSELING STUDENTS ONLY) This course is a survey of Christian theology for students in professional counseling. Building upon key themes in biblical theology, the course gives students an overview of Christian doctrines, with special attention to issues important in counseling. The course is designed to expose students to a variety of theological perspectives so that they can develop a coherent theological framework for themselves as Christian professionals and so that they can engage the religious views of Christian clients with integrity and respect.

Black Theology

This course examines the development of the discipline of black theology in America since 1960. Focus will highlight the works of the founder of Black Theology, James Cone, the early voices such as J. Deotis Roberts and Gayraud Wilmore, as well as other evolving contemporary voices, such as Dwight Hopkins, Jacquelyn Grant, Kelly Brown Douglas, and Delores Williams. A historical perspective of the richness of the black theological tradition will also be offered with references to the works of W.E.B. DuBois, Benjamin E. Mays, Howard Thurman and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Christian Theology for the Kingdom of God

This course addresses the traditional topics of systematic theology as a narrative of salvation history. It is designed to equip students with a comprehensive and coherent theological framework for engaging in life and ministry in light of the present and future reign of God.

New Testament Theology

This course is a survey of the content of the New Testament revelation historically understood together with an orientation to the major schools of New Testament theology in current scholarship.

Prerequisites

CTH 5520

Pauline Theology

This course is a detailed exegetical survey of the major topics of Pauline theology set in the context of his eschatological world view. The implications of his theological thought for ethics will also be addressed without focusing primarily on the ethical material in the Pauline corpus.

Apocrypha and the Christian Church

Cross-listed with CHS 6607 and CTH 6607 The Apocrypha contains Jewish texts from the Hellenistic and Roman period but exists as a collection because of the reading practices of the early Christian Church. This course will introduce students both to the contents of this collection as windows into the history, social context, faith, and practice of Jewish groups in the Second Temple Period and to the impact of these texts upon, and formation as a collection within, the early church.

History of Christian Ethical Thought

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the history and development of Christian ethical thought and practices from the early church to today.

Varieties of Early Christian Thought

This course is a survey of extant literature produced by the church in the patristic period (ca. AD 95-750). Its goal is a working knowledge of early Christian thought in its unity and diversity, continuity and development. Students will be encouraged to draw upon the wisdom of patristic writers for their own lives and ministries.

Prerequisites

CTH 5520

History and Thought of the Reformation

This course focuses on the historical and theological developments of the Reformation period. It will explore important people, ideas, and events in the major Protestant streams—Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Anabaptist—as well as in the Catholic Church. Students will read selected primary sources from these traditions to gain insight into the period and to reflect on their significance for Christians today.

Anabaptist Theology

This course explores the theology of the Anabaptist tradition from its beginnings in the 16th century until today. It will examine the distinctive beliefs of Anabaptism as well as the relationship between Anabaptism and other Christian traditions. Students will be encouraged to consider how Anabaptist views and practices might shape their own lives.

Contemporary Theological Perspectives

This course is a chronological survey of major theologians and theological movements of the 20th and 21st centuries. Through engagement with both primary and secondary sources, students will gain an understanding of the diversity of voices within contemporary theology and will be challenged to consider their significance for the church today.

Prerequisites

CTH 5520

The Holy Spirit

This course deals with the person and work of the Holy Spirit biblically, historically, and experientially. Students will have opportunity to reflect on the role of the Spirit in their own lives as well as in the church and world today.

Person and Message of Jesus

This course focuses on the identity, life, and teachings of Jesus as understood in biblical, historical, and contemporary contexts. Students will be challenged to engage with Christ as the center of Christian faith and practice.

Christ and Salvation

This course focuses on the cross and salvation in Scripture, Christian history, and the church today. It examines both the provision of salvation (atonement) and the reception of salvation (conversion, justification, sanctification, etc.). Students will be encouraged to consider the implications of soteriology for Christian life and ministry.

Kingdom, Church and World

This course examines the church in Scripture, Christian history, and contemporary contexts. It explores the identity, mission, and practices of the church within the narrative of God’s coming kingdom and in the context of the world God loves.

Old Testament Theology

A chronological analysis of the theological content of progressive revelation in the Old Testament. After a synchronic description of the theological content of each biblical covenant and epoch, the diachronic progression and unity will be noted in preparation for a future study of the loci of Systematic Theology.

Prerequisites

Women Theologians of the Church

This seminar is a collaborative examination of selected women in the history of Christianity who have contributed to the life of the church as theologians. This exploration of women theologians includes a study of women's faith development, the unique features of the women's theological vision, and a consideration of their continuing legacy in the life of the church. Beginning with the witness of Hildegard and concluding with contemporary global theological perspectives of women, particular attention is given to the holistic understanding of theology manifest in their lives and writings.

Life and Works of Martin Luther King, Jr.

This course examines in detail the enormous contribution of one of the greatest religious leaders of the 20th century. King's life and contribution to the Black church and the Civil Rights Movement will be addressed. His work as a theologian and an ethicist will be studied with reference to his primary works, such as his speeches, sermons, essays and books. The course will discern the major themes of King's works, such as his doctrine of life and his ethic of non-violent resistance.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm

This course is a comparison and contrast, as well as an examination of the life, works, and contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X in America.

Doctrine of the Brethren Church

This course considers the background and development of Brethren doctrine in the Brethren movement generally and The Brethren Church specifically. Attention is given to the beginnings in Anabaptism and Pietism and to how Brethren doctrine has developed from the eighteenth century to the present.

Polity and Ordinances of the Brethren Church

This course examines the doctrine of the church from a Brethren and a Believers' Church perspective. It provides an overview of the organizational structure of the Brethren Church at the local, district and national levels. Consideration is given to both the doctrine and practice of the ordinances.

Doctrine of the United Methodist Church

This course surveys doctrine within the United Methodist heritage, beginning with the Wesleys to the present, with attention to the major doctrinal concerns that have characterized Methodism historically. Approximately half of the course is devoted to foundational aspects of Wesleyan theology. (Fulfills the United Methodist Doctrine requirement stated in the UM Discipline [2012], Par. 324.4).

Polity of the United Methodist Church

This course explores United Methodist polity as a connectional system which frames the mission, ministry and structure of the denomination.  (Fulfills the United Methodist Doctrine requirement stated in the UM Discipline [2012], Par. 324.4).

Prerequisites

Doctrine of the (_____) Church

This is a course to satisfy various denominational standards in history, doctrine, and polity and can be arranged through the Academic Dean's office.

Theology of a Selected Writer

The person, works and topics to be studied will be announced. This course will focus on the life, thought, perspective and contribution of the particular thinker chosen.

History and Thought of the Christian Peace Position

This course focuses on those individuals and groups, especially Anabaptist, who have contributed to the peace position in the Christian church. Consideration will be given both to the history of and a biblical and theological rationale for the Christian peace witness.

Theology of Suffering, Reconciliation and Forgiveness

A study of the theology of suffering and pain together with the Christian response of grace and hope. Examination of biblical and theological sources such as the book of Job, Karl Barth, C.S. Lewis and Jurgen Moltmann.

Pilot Course in Christian Theology

Uncatalogued courses are offered occasionally to enrich the offerings of the major and to tap the resources of department faculty and visiting scholars. Specific course titles and descriptions are available when the course is scheduled.

Conf/Seminar in Christian Theology: Kingdom of God in Christian Practice

Credit is available for those who attend approved conferences and seminars. Students should check with the department chairperson for reading and writing requirements associated with attendance at approved conferences and seminars.

Independent Study in Christian Theology

Independent Studies are designed to cover specialized material not usually in-cluded in a course offering listed in the catalog.

Thesis

This course represents the credit awarded for the successful completion of a master's thesis. Students will consult regularly with their thesis advisors through the drafting and revising process until the thesis advisor determines that the thesis is acceptable. Students will then present the results of their research to fellow students and members of the department during May of the year they graduate.

Contemporary Theological Perspectives

This course is a chronological survey of major theologians and theological movements of the 20th and 21st centuries. Through engagement with both primary and secondary sources, students will gain an understanding of the diversity of voices within contemporary theology and will be challenged to consider their significance for the church today.

Conf/Seminar in Christian Theology: Kingdom of God in Christian Practice

Credit is available for those who attend approved conferences and seminars. Students should check with the department chairperson for reading and writing requirements associated with attendance at approved conferences and seminars.

Doctrine of the Brethren Church

This course considers the background and development of Brethren doctrine in the Brethren movement generally and The Brethren Church specifically. Attention is given to the beginnings in Anabaptism and Pietism and to how Brethren doctrine has developed from the eighteenth century to the present.

Polity and Ordinances of the Brethren Church

This course examines the doctrine of the church from a Brethren and a Believers’ Church perspective. It provides an overview of the organizational structure of the Brethren Church at the local, district and national levels. Consideration is given to both the doctrine and practice of the ordinances. (Required of all Brethren M.Div. Students)

History of the United Methodist Church

This course surveys the history of United Methodism from its rise in England in the 18th century to the present, with attention to the forces that have shaped the movement and its impact on the various contexts in which it has developed. Approximately half of the course is devoted to Methodist origins in the period of the Wesleys. (Fulfills the United Methodist History requirement stated in the UM Discipline [2012], Par. 324.4).

Prerequisites

Doctrine of the United Methodist Church

This course surveys doctrine within the United Methodist heritage, beginning with the Wesleys to the present, with attention to the major doctrinal concerns that have characterized Methodism historically. Approximately half of the course is devoted to foundational aspects of Wesleyan theology. (Fulfills the United Methodist Doctrine requirement stated in the UM Discipline [2012], Par. 324.4).

Doctrine of the ___Church

This is a course to satisfy various denominational standards in history, doctrine, and polity and can be arranged through the Academic Dean's office.

The Holy Spirit

This course deals with the person and work of the Holy Spirit biblically, historically, and experientially. Students will have opportunity to reflect on the role of the Spirit in their own lives as well as in the church and world today.

Prerequisites

Theology of Suffering, Reconciliation and Forgiveness

A study of the theology of suffering and pain together with the Christian response of grace and hope. Examination of biblical and theological sources such as the book of Job, Karl Barth, C.S. Lewis and Jurgen Moltmann.

Worship and the Community of God

This course is an introduction to the liturgical life of the Christian faith. Building upon the foundations of the Bible, Christian tradition, and theology, the course provides the necessary information for a robust understanding of Christian corporate worship. In addition, this course examines the ways in which worship plays a fundamental role in forming and sustaining the community of faith. It also presents students the opportunity to acquire and practice the skills that are necessary to plan and lead meaningful corporate worship. (Ministry Cohort Course)

Worship and the Community of God/Preaching in Contemporary Context

Prerequisites

What Is Black Church Studies?

This course will examine the enduring institution and changing dynamics of the Black Church from its inception in America to present. Particular focus is given to its changing history, theology and interpretation of the Bible. It further examines the importance of the Black Church in the life of the community and its people.

Primary and Secondary Readings in African American Religious History

This course will focus on the reading of primary documents in the African American religious tradition in the 19th and early 20th Century. The texts reflects a sampling of writing that reflect what Vincent Harding has called in his book, There is a River, the radical stream within the African American religious tradition, there have been ebbs and tides of this tradition. Lectures, readings, presentations and discussions will focus on various topics including: the rise of independent black Protestant churches; gender relationships within African-American religion; the relationship of religion and culture; nationalism versus integration; race relations in American church life; and religion and politics in black American churches.

Black Church and the Call to Ministry

Wealth, Poverty and Black Church Alignments

This course is designed to expose participants to social distortions and inequalities stemming from America’s economic structures and systems, and to interrogate African American church responses to the American socio-economic context. In exploring this, the course will assess Black Church relational and programmatic alignments with the poor at neighborhood levels; Black Church socio-cultural perspectives pertaining to normative social lifestyles, attitudes toward work, and family structures; and Black Church political and public policy alignments bearing on their relationship with the poor.

Ethical Leadership and Black Church Traditions

This course is designed to acquaint students with major figures, movements, and issues in African American theological and ethical traditions with particular emphasis on leadership. The course explores theoretical concerns within respective traditions and offers a forum for practical engagement with contemporary problems associated with African American church life and culture.

Formational Hermeneutics

This course explores the interpretation of Scripture for the purpose of personal and ministry formation. Students will be challenged to develop a self-aware, consistent hermeneutic that integrates responsible interpretation with personal transformation. They will apply this hermeneutic to their own ministry contexts to enrich their use of Scripture in preaching, teaching, and spiritual formation.

People in Relationship to God

This course will acquaint the student with the biblical, theological, historical, and contemporary dimensions of the church. The focus is on the leadership and spiritual formation aspects of the church's life. The student will come to a deeper understanding of the nature and mission of the church and experience unique elements that make the church community of Christ.

Leading the Church in the 21st Century

This course will focus on selected issues facing Christian leaders in an ever-changing world. Particular attention will be given to understanding the context in which the student lives and serves and how to develop effective forms of ministry that remain faithful to biblical principles, while being relevant, incarnational in approach, and culturally sensitive in presentation. The relationship between spiritual formation and leadership development will be included.

Formational Guidance

This course will expose the student to the disciplines that enhance an intimate pursuit of God's embrace, including the history and practice of spiritual direction, formative prayer, and formational reading of God's Word. The practice of direction will be included as part of the class experience.

Special Topics/Spiritual Formation

This seminar examines special topics of interest in the area of spiritual formation.

Spirituality of Henri Nouwen

This course will expose the student to the writings of the great contemporary spiritual writer and master, Henri Nouwen. The class will foster a depth of understanding of themes of the spiritual life from Nouwen's works. Topics such as God, Christ, prayer, silence, community, ministry, church, and world will be addressed. Students will integrate Nouwen's spiritual themes into some aspect of their ministry context.

Chaplaincy Leadership and Administration

This course will equip students to define leadership as it resonates with who they are and their specific call to chaplaincy. Competency in understanding and articulating the chaplain’s scope of practice, standards of practice, evidence-based chaplaincy, and administrative responsibilities will also be addressed.

Chaplaincy Systems

This course will engage students with concepts about family systems, team systems, and organizational systems as they pertain to the role of Chaplaincy. The dynamic complexities will be discussed.

Chaplaincy Ethics

This course will orient learners to the ethical principles and practices chaplains engage as those often believed to be the moral compass of the institution they serve. Christian ethics, professional ethics, and clinical ethics, will all be part of the conversation.

Personal Leadership: Character, Self-Awareness, and Power

This course will equip students to discern and develop personal leadership character. The course instructs students to understand how to lead one's self, not only lead others in ministry. The course will deal with the use and misuse of power in leadership. The course will also address integrity, along with biblical roles and models of leadership. Transformation of the leader will be the focus of the course. (F 16, ASH)

Personal Leadership/Chaplaincy Systems

This course will equip students to discern and develop personal leadership character. The course instructs students to understand how to lead one's self, not only lead others in ministry. The course will deal with the use and misuse of power in leadership. The course will also address integrity, along with biblical roles and models of leadership. Transformation of the leader will be the focus of the course.

This course will engage students with concepts about family systems, team systems, and organizational systems as they pertain to the role of Chaplaincy. The dynamic complexities will be discussed.

Prerequisites

Relational Leadership: Mentoring, Coaching, and Empowering for the Future

This class will orient the student to the roles of Instructor, Spiritual Guide, Mentor, and Coach as they relate to the development of leaders. It will equip the student with the competencies necessary for each of these roles. The student will understand the contexts where differing roles serve the leadership development process best and will be given opportunity to practice the skill sets necessary for each. (S 18, ASH)

Cultural Leadership: Embracing Personal Ministry Context

This course will explore the nature of post-Christian Western culture and the way that churches decline, the media, social justice issues and the digital age pose challenges and opportunities for Christian leadership both in growing local churches and in public communication of the gospel. (SU 18, ASH)

Research Proposal Seminar

The purpose of this class is to prepare the student to write an acceptable proposal for a Doctor of Ministry project. The student will conceive and design a ministry project. The proposal is a document with the precise form that outlines the strategic planning and rationale of the ministry project. The class will include instruction in project design, assessment, and academic research.

Dissertation Writing Seminar

The purpose of this class is to prepare the student to write an acceptable final paper for the Doctor of Ministry degree. The student will learn the expectations and design of each chapter in the final doctoral paper. The final paper is an academic report of the student's ministry project. The class will include instruction in academic writing and research.

Christian Ethics

This course assists students to reflect on moral issues through the perspective of Christian faith and discipleship, by developing responses and practices of justice that bear witness to the full scope of the kingdom of God when applied to a variety of ethical concerns.

Prerequisites

CTH 5520

History of Christian Ethical Thought

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the history and development of Christian ethical thought and practices from the early church to today.

Advanced Ethics

This course provides an in depth and focused study of contemporary ethical issues and Christian moral responses. This course may be taught in conjunction with CHP 6650, in which case chaplaincy students complete the normal requirements for that 2 hour course.

Prerequisites

Spiritual Formation and Social Activism

This course is designed to integrate theology and ethics with spiritual and moral formation. By looking at select writers, concepts, processes and aims of spiritual formation, and by exploring and participating in social activism as both a means and expression of spiritual formation, we will attempt to move toward a more holistic spirituality and morality that takes seriously the call to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8).

Pilot Course in Leadership Ethics

This course explores the nature and necessity of moral leadership in church and society. In conversation with Scripture and theology, we will explore various ethical theories and their relevance to the goals and practices of leadership as understood in the context of Christian faith. A significant component of this course will be applied ethics in leadership, addressing such areas as the importance of character, the use of power, truthtelling, inclusive decision making, sexuality, functioning with integrity in organizational and institutional contexts, the use of resources, and contributing to the formation of a just community.

Prerequisites

Conf/Seminar in Ethics

Credit is available for those who attend approved conferences and seminars. Students should check with the department chairperson of the respective department for reading and writing requirements associated with attendance at approved conferences and seminars.

Prerequisites

Independent Study in Ethics

Independent Studies are designed to cover specialized material not usually included in a course offering listed in the catalog.

Advanced Ethics

This course provides an in depth and focused study of contemporary ethical issues and Christian moral responses. This course may be taught in conjunction with CHP 6650, in which case chaplaincy students complete the normal requirements for that 2 hour course.

Prerequisites

ETH 5530

History of Christian Ethical Thought

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the history and development of Christian ethical thought and practices from the early church to today.

Evangelistic Practices

This course explores the praxis of evangelism from the context of the individual faith-sharer and the local church. The course examines the biblical, theological, and historical foundations for evangelism, church growth, and church planting to include various concepts, models, techniques, and methods used by disciple-making congregations. Students will also explore how the local church partners in world evangelization.

Power Encounter in Ministry and Missions

Explores the biblical concepts of spiritual power as they relate to God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, angels, Satan and demons, clarifying the influence of world views which accept or reject the concepts of the presence of spiritual power. It deals with spiritual warfare as it affects the personal lives of Christians and as it is encountered cross-culturally in bringing people from the control of Satan to commitment to God.

Navigating the Multi-Faith Context

This course explores religion and how various faith traditions practice it. Students will learn numerous ways to study and define religion. The course will help students effectively engage practitioners of other faiths in terms of a given ministry setting. The course gives attention to major world religions, Atheism, and New Religious Movements like the Latter Day Saints and Jehovah Witnesses. Additionally, the course examines the impact of religion on American life.

Field Study Introduction

This course introduces students to the Field Study program and helps them launch into their Field Study at a Field Site with a Field Mentor. Class includes one face-to-face Orientation Seminar to prepare students for online learning and the rigors of self-directed field education. 50 hours of field ministry required.

Field Study 2

This course continues the work begun in FLD 6601 Field Study Introduction. Students will continue to broaden and deepen their experience in ministry as they work at their Field Site and meet with their Field Mentor. 75 hours of field ministry required.

Prerequisites

FLD 6601

Field Study 3

Students will continue to develop in their chosen ministry as they work at their Field Site with their Field Mentor. After completing FLD 6603, MAPT, MAPCC, and MASF students may register for FLD 6610 Field Study Capstone. 75 hours of field ministry required.

Prerequisites

FLD 6602

Field Study 4

This course allows M.Div. students to delve deeper into ministry practice. Students will continue in their Field Study with their Field Mentor as they maximize their strengths and develop their growth areas. 75 hours of field ministry required.

Prerequisites

FLD 6603

Field Study 5

This course allows MDIV students to delve deeper into ministry practice. Students will continue in their Field Study with their Field Mentor as they maximize their strengths and develop their growth areas. A portion of the field hours in this class will be used to complete an advanced ministry project in the context of their Field Study. 75 hours of field ministry required.

Prerequisites

FLD 6604

Field Study Capstone

Students conclude their Field Study through final evaluation and reflection upon their entire seminary experience. The Capstone experience for Field Study includes writing a Case Study, compiling a Capstone Portfolio, and arranging a Graduation Interview with a team of ministerial, personal, and academic mentors. Graduation interviews must be completed by November 15th for December graduation and by April 15th for May graduation. 50 hours of field ministry required.

Prerequisites

FLD 6603 OR FLD 6605

Field Study Introduction

This course introduces students to the Field Study program and helps them launch into their Field Study at a Field Site with a Field Mentor. Class includes one synchronous Zoom Orientation Seminar to prepare students for online learning and the rigors of self-directed field education. 100 hours of field ministry required.

Prerequisites

Field Study 2

This course continues the work begun in FLD 6611 Field Study Introduction. Students will continue to broaden and deepen their experience in ministry as they work at their Field Site and meet with their Field Mentor. 100 hours of field ministry required. 
After completing FLD 6612 Field Study 2, MACM students may register for FLD 6614 Field Study Capstone

Prerequisites

FLD 6611

Field Study 3

This course allows MDiv students to delve deeper into ministry practice. Students will continue in their Field Study with their Field Mentor as they maximize their strengths and develop their growth areas. A portion of the field hours in this class will be used to complete an advanced ministry project in the context of their Field Study. 100 hours of field ministry required.

Prerequisites

FLD 6612

Field Study Capstone

Prerequisite: FLD 6612 for MACM and FLD 6613 for MDiv

Students conclude their Field Study through final evaluation and reflection upon their entire seminary experience. The Capstone experience for Field Study includes writing a Case Study, compiling a capstone Portfolio, and arranging a Graduation Interview with a team of ministerial, personal, and academic mentors. Graduation interviews must be completed by November 15th for December graduation and by April 15th for May graduation. It is recommended that students enroll in FLD 6614 Field Study Capstone in their final semester in seminary. 100 hours of field ministry required

Prerequisites

FLD 6612 OR FLD 6613

Internship Credit

Extended learning experiences are offered in churches and other institutions. Supervision should be arranged by the Director of Field Education.

Proclaiming the Word of God

This is the foundational course on preaching. It is concerned with both the construction and delivery of sermons. It involves the important relationship that preaching has with exegesis, theology, and hermeneutics. Special attention is given to the practice of expository preaching as well as the formation of a spiritual life necessary to vitalize and sustain preaching throughout one's ministry. The creative dimensions of sermon-making such as rhetorical device and illustration will receive attention. Each student will preach in this course.

Preaching in Contemporary Context

This course is concerned with the task in assisting students in understanding contemporary North American cultural milieu and then to assist students to preach skillfully under the anointing of the Holy Spirit in that milieu. The course will give attention to understanding the contours of postmodern thought, implications of technological revolution, alternative expressions of preaching such as found in the Emerging Church movement, and preaching in a free society with its political dimensions. Each student will preach in this course.

Preaching in the Black Tradition

This course is intended to introduce students to the history of the black preaching tradition in the United States, and to the various forms of preaching that are presently employed by black preachers throughout the country. The primary emphasis will be on the rich diversity of form and content that falls under the term “Black Preaching.” This is not a how-to course that promises students that they will be able to preach in a certain way. Preaching is an art form and a system of work and study habits that each person must develop and refine over time. This course is meant to offer wide exposure to the concepts and definitions of Black Preaching.

Preaching Practicum

This follow-up course to HOM 5511 assumes all of the skills and readings that were presented there. The focus in the practicum is to build upon the exegetical, sermon delivery and other skills that students encountered in HOM 5511.

Independent Study in Homiletics

Independent Studies are designed to cover specialized material not usually included in a course offering listed in the catalog.

Prerequisites

Senior Seminar/Capstone

The Senior Seminar is meant to be an interdisciplinary experience in which students conduct research in either a field of their special interest or a general topic selected by faculty leading the seminar. Students will be encouraged to critically reflect upon a topic from a biblical, historical or theological perspective. Students will share the results of their research in a paper presentation in a seminar format.

Prerequisites

Kingdom Mission in a Global Community

This course presents the mission of God (mission Dei) and lays biblical, theological, and practical foundations for its conceptualization. It also exposes students to the worldwide context as it explores issues related to Christian missions, the intersection of Christianity and world religions, and the global church.

Cultural Competencies

This course emphasizes the idea of culture as it uses the disciplines of cultural anthropology, cross-cultural communication, and sociology to help students develop cultural competencies that will inform how they practice ministry in the multi-cultural context of a given ministry setting. The course emphasizes cultural knowledge, cultural awareness, and cultural encounters. The course utilizes case studies, self-assessment, and participant observation.

Global Church (Study Abroad)

This course entails a cross-cultural immersion experience to observe and ana-lyze the church in a specific global context. Aspects of culture, mission/church relations, and ministry issues will be studied. The course will include both a study of the specific country or subculture in preparation for the immersion experience and a debriefing afterward. All students must be approved for par-ticipation in this course based upon criteria related to the context as deter-mined by the professor of record in consultation with the Academic Dean.

Navigating the Multi-Faith Context

This course explores religion and how various faith traditions practice it. Students will learn numerous ways to study and define religion. The course will help students effectively engage practitioners of other faiths in terms of a given ministry setting. The course gives attention to major world religions, Atheism, and New Religious Movements like the Latter Day Saints and Jehovah Witnesses. Additionally, the course examines the impact of religion on American life.

Independent Study in Missions

Prerequisites

Cultural Competencies

This course emphasizes the idea of culture as it uses the disciplines of cultural anthropology, cross-cultural communication, and sociology to help students develop cultural competencies that will inform how they practice ministry in the multi-cultural context of a given ministry setting. The course emphasizes cultural knowledge, cultural awareness, and cultural encounters. The course utilizes case studies, self-assessment, and participant observation.

Prerequisites

Biblical Greek 1

This is the first of a two-course sequence that trains students to use the original language of the New Testament competently for preaching, teaching, and study. Emphasis is placed on how the language works. Students are taught the principles of Greek grammar, a basic vocabulary, how to read the Greek New Testament, translation strategies, and the basic exegetical skills appropriate to the stages of their facility in the language.

Biblical Greek 2

This is the second of a two-course sequence that trains students to use the original language of the New Testament competently for preaching, teaching, and study. Emphasis is placed on how the language works. Students are taught the principles of Greek grammar, a basic vocabulary, how to read the Greek New Testament, translation strategies, and the basic exegetical skills appropriate to the stages of their facility in the language.

Prerequisites

NTS 5501

Introduction to the New Testament

This course introduces students to the critical study and interpretation of the New Testament. The course focuses student on hearing the New Testament writings as pastoral responses shaped by and addressing first-century socio-historical settings. It includes exploration of their theological and narrative content, exposure to diverse interpretive approaches, and examination of literary, historical and cultural issues relevant to their interpretation.

Prerequisites

BSG 5501

Gospel of Matthew

(English Text) An introduction to the Gospel, the background and the purpose of the author will be investigated. An analysis, theological context and didactic values of the Gospel will receive emphasis.

Gospel of Matthew/Exegesis of Matthew

(English Text) An introduction to the Gospel, the background and the purpose of the author will be investigated. An analysis, theological context and didactic values of the Gospel will receive emphasis.Exegesis - The student is given the opportunity to engage in the exegetical and interpretive study of the Gospels of the New Testament. The course is built around the exegesis of the Greek text and involves the grammatical, historical and linguistic tools of exegetical procedure. Special attention is given to the translation of selected passages related to twentieth century idiom.

Gospel of Mark

(English Text) An introduction to the Gospel, the background and the purpose of the author will be investigated. An analysis, theological context and didactic values of the Gospel will receive emphasis.

Gospel of Luke

(English Text) An introduction to the Gospel, the background and the purpose of the author will be investigated. An analysis, theological context and didactic values of the Gospel will receive emphasis.

Gospel of John

(English Text) An introduction to the Gospel, the background and the purpose of the author will be investigated. An analysis, theological context and didactic values of the Gospel will receive emphasis.

Acts of the Apostles

As an introduction to the study of this New Testament book, attention will be given to literary and historical problems associated with it. The content will be studied as an integrated whole and an authentic report of the early history of the church.

Romans

A careful and detailed study of the organization of the epistle, with attention to the development of Paul's thought. The relation of the book to the whole of Pauline theology will be noted. The importance of the book in the life of the church will be pointed out.

Corinthian Correspondence

This course is a careful and detailed study of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians with attention to the development of Paul’s thought. The relation of the books+ to the whole of Pauline theology will be noted along with an emphasis on the formational importance of the letters for modern Christian discipleship and community.

Corinthian Correspondence/Exegesis of

This course is a careful and detailed study of Paul's letters to the Corinthians with attention to the development of Paul's thought. The relation of the book to the whole of Pauline theology will be noted along with an emphasis on the formational importance of the letters for modern Christian discipleship and community.

Galatians

(English Text) An introduction to Galatians, the background and the purpose of the author will be investigated. An analysis, theological context and didactic values of Galatians will receive emphasis.

Galatians

Together with Romans, Paul’s Letter to the Galatians has stood at the heart of discussions of Christian theology from Augustine through the Reformation to the present day.  It is possibly Paul’s earliest formulation (in writing) of his teachings about justification attained by trusting Jesus, the opposition between faith and “works of the Law,” the role of Torah in God’s plan for humanity, salvation history, and life in the Spirit.  This course invites students into a close reading of the text as the basis for analysis of its theological and ethical contributions to Christian formation, both as individual disciples and as communities of faith.  Students will seek out Paul’s meaning and purposes in writing as a basis for their critical engagement with the interpretation and application of Paul throughout the Christian era and their vision for Christian formation.  Students taking the course to fulfill curricular requirements in different areas will have readings and assignments tailored to those curricular objectives.

Prerequisites

Hebrews

Hebrews stands as a monument to early Christian reelection on the significance of the work of Jesus, his benefits, and the response to faith. Students will learn rhetorical analysis and cultural-anthropological analysis and apply these to a close reading of the Epistle to the Hebrews.

Johannine Literature

The authorship, background, purpose, intended readers, methodology and theology will be studied for the Gospel and the Epistles of John. Special attention will be given to style and such key words as Messiah, Son of Man, Son of God, Logos, Paraclete, life, truth, faith, love, etc.

Book of Revelation

This course explores the Book of Revelation as an attempt by the Jewish Christian prophet John to open his congregations' eyes to what Roman imperial politics, economy, and ideology look like in the light of God's claim upon all human beings and God's vision for human community, and thus to guide these congregations into a more faithful response to God and a clearer witness to the world. This reading becomes the basis for our application of John's model and challenge to twenty-first century Christians and congregations.

Revelation/Exegesis of Revelation

This course explores the Book of Revelation as an attempt by the Jewish Christian prophet John to open his congregations' eyes to what Roman imperial politics, economy, and ideology look like in the light of God's claim upon all human beings and God's vision for human community, and thus to guide these congregations into a more faithful response to God and a clearer witness to the world. This reading becomes the basis for our application of John's model and challenge to twenty-first century Christians and congregations.

Prerequisites

Luke-Acts

This course will focus on Luke's two volume work, the Gospel of Luke and its sequel, The Acts of the Apostles. Attention will be given to literary and historical background of the two works as well as external, historical and internal literary evidence that supports the linking of the two books. This course will also engage the narrative, thematic, and theological content of each book.

Luke-Acts/Exegesis

This course will focus on Luke's two volume work, the Gospel of Luke and its sequel, The Acts of the Apostles. Attention will be given to literary and historical background of the two works as well as external, historical and internal literary evidence that supports the linking of the two books. This course will also engage the narrative, thematic, and theological content of each book.This course will focus on Luke's two volume work, the Gospel of Luke and its sequel, The Acts of the Apostles. The course is built around the exegesis of the Greek text and involves the grammatical, historical and linguistic tools of exegetical procedure. Special attention is given to the translation of selected passages related to twentieth century idiom.

Pauline Theology

This course is a detailed exegetical survey of the major topics of Pauline theology set in the context of his eschatological world view. The implications of his theological thought for ethics will also be addressed without focusing primarily on the ethical material in the Pauline corpus.

New Testament Backgrounds

This course provides an overview of the social, economic, political, and religious arenas of the Greco-Roman world through a variety of primary and secondary resources coupled with evidence from archaeology. Selected passages from the New Testament whose perspective and content reflect or are illuminated by the thought world of the first century will also be examined.

New Testament Theology

This course is a survey of the content of the New Testament revelation historically understood together with an orientation to the major schools of New Testament theology in current scholarship.

Prerequisites

CTH 5520

New Testament Archaeology

This course will deal with the findings of archaeology as they bear upon the interpretation and understanding of the New Testament and its original language. It will include examination of the literary, historical and cultural background of the New Testament.

The Parables of Jesus

This course examines the nature and use of parables in the Gospels and early Jewish literature. It will include a survey of interpretive approaches as well as historical, cultural and geographical issues. Students will be given the opportunity to consider the usage and repackaging of parables in the modern media. Special attention will be given to the exegetical examination of parables and their usage in ministry settings.

Exegesis of _______________

The student is given the opportunity to engage in the exegetical and interpretive study of any of the four Gospels. This course is built around the exegesis of the Greek texts and involves the grammatical, historical and linguistic tools of exegetical procedure. Special attention is given to the translation of selected passages related to twentieth century idiom.

Prerequisites

Greek Exegesis of Luke

The student is given the opportunity to engage inthe exegetical and interpretive study of theGospels of the New Testament. The course is builtaround the exegesis of the Greek text andinvolves the grammatical, historical andlinguistic tools of exegetical procedure. Specialattention is given to the translation of selectedpassages related to twentieth century idiom.

Prerequisites

Greek Exegesis of Acts

Prerequisites

Greek Exegesis of Romans

Prerequisites

Greek Exegesis of 1 and 2 Corinthians

This course is a careful and detailed study of Paul's letters to the Corinthians with attention to the development of Paul's thought. The relation of the books to the whole of Pauline theology will be noted along with an emphasis on the formational importance of the letters for modern Christian discipleship and community.

Prerequisites

Greek Exegesis of Galatians

Selected epistles are studied upon the basis of the Greek text. The perspective of the course will be to gain a grasp of the letter as a whole, as well as its parts. Emphasis will be placed
upon the basic content of the letter in relation to the Christian faith and the church.

Prerequisites

Greek Exegesis of the Book of Hebrews

Selected epistles are studied upon the basis of the Greek text. The perspective of the course will be to gain a grasp of the letter as a whole, as well as its parts. Emphasis will be placed upon the basic content of the letter in relation to the Christian faith and the church.

Prerequisites

Greek Exegesis of Johannine Literature

Selected epistles are studied upon the basis of the Greek text. The perspective of the course will be to gain a grasp of the Gospel and the Epistles of John as a whole, as well as their parts. Emphasis will be placed upon the basic content of the letter in relation to the Christian faith and the church.

Prerequisites

Greek Exegesis of Revelation

This course explores the Book of Revelation as an attempt by the Jewish Christian prophet John to open his congregations' eyes to what Roman imperial politics, economy, and ideology look like in the light of God's claim upon all human beings and God's vision for human community, and thus to guide these congregations into a more faithful response to God and a clearer witness to the world. This reading becomes the basis for our application of John's model and challenge to twenty-first century Christians and congregations.

Prerequisites

Greek Exegesis of Luke-Acts

This course will focus on Luke's two volume work, the Gospel of Luke and its sequel, The Acts of the Apostles. The course is built around the exegesis of the Greek text and involves the grammatical, historical and linguistic tools of exegetical procedure. Special attention is given to the translation of selected passages related to twentieth century idiom.

Prerequisites

Greek Exegesis of the Parables of Jesus

This course examines the nature and use of parables in the Gospels and early Jewish literature. It will include a survey of interpretive approaches as well as historical, cultural and geographical issues. Students will be given the opportunity to consider the usage and repackaging of parables in the modern media. Special attention will be given to the exegetical examination of parables and their usage in
ministry settings.

Prerequisites

Conference/Seminar in New Testament

Credit is available for those who attend approved conferences and seminars. Students should check with the department chairperson for reading and writing requirements associated with attendance at approved conferences and seminars.

Israel Study Tour

Credit is available for those who take an approved tour of Israel and the Holy Land. Students should check with the chairperson of the Biblical Studies department for reading and writing requirements associated with receiving credit for the trip.

The Bible, Media, and the Cinematic Jesus

This course explores how the Bible and the person of Jesus are portrayed and reinterpreted in a variety of media. We will consider various presentations of the Bible/Jesus - they tells us about Bible/Jesus, about those who created the presentation, and about those who engage it. Students will reflect on how media can both help and hinder Christianity’s perception of the Bible/Jesus as well as how that perception is communicated to those outside of the Church.    

Prerequisites

Pilot Course in New Testament

Uncatalogued courses are offered occasionally to enrich the offerings of the major and to tap the resources of department faculty and visiting scholars. Specific course titles and descriptions are available when the course is scheduled.

Independent Study in New Testament

Independent Studies are designed to cover specialized material not usually included in a course offering listed in the catalog.

Senior Seminar in Biblical Studies

This course provides the summative experience for students enrolled in the Master of Arts (Biblical Studies) program. Within the context of an elective course in Biblical Studies, students will write a substantial research paper exceeding by approximately 30% a typical term paper for such a course.  This will address a particular exegetical or hermeneutical problem in the interpretation of a text, or another appropriate research topic.  If a suitable elective course is not available, students may opt to complete this requirement through a directed study course.  In either case, (a) the course is to be completed in the final or penultimate term prior to graduation, and (b) in addition to the written paper, the student's findings are to be presented orally for the corresponding elective course, or to a gathering of departmental faculty and other MA(BS) students.

Prerequisites

Thesis in New Testament

This course represents the credit awarded for the successful completion of a master's thesis. Students will consult regularly with their thesis advisors through the drafting and revising process until the thesis advisor determines that the thesis is acceptable. Students will then present the results of their research to fellow students and members of the department during May of the year they graduate.

Biblical Hebrew 1

Here the learner will begin to experience first-hand the message of scripture, as expressed in the language and culture of ancient Israel. This course will lay a foundation of linguistic and exegetical skills.

Biblical Hebrew 2

This course builds on the linguistic and exegetical skills learned in the first semester of Biblical Hebrew as we read more extended segments of scripture and explore pivotal nuances of expression often bypassed in translations.

Prerequisites

OTS 5501

Introduction to the Old Testament (Part 1)

This study focuses on the content, interpretation, and theology of the books of the Old Testament canon from Genesis through 2 Kings. Besides concerted study in the biblical text, the course explores aspects of the history, societies, and literature of the ancient Near East relevant to the interpretation of these books and their reception in the New Testament.

Prerequisites

BSG 5501

Introduction to the Old Testament (Part 2)

This study focuses on the content, interpretation, and theology of the books of the Old Testament canon from Chronicles through Malachi. It will also explore the ancient Near Eastern context for these books and their relevance for the New Testament.

Prerequisites

OTS 5511

Genesis

A comprehensive consideration of the literary structure, content, and theological perspective of the book of Genesis. Special attention will be given to the many issues of Genesis 1-11.

Genesis/Hebrew Exegesis

Prerequisites

Joshua and Judges

A comprehensive consideration of the literary structure, content, and theological perspective of the book.

Prerequisites

Ruth and Other Outsiders

A comprehensive consideration of the literary structure, content, and theological perspective of the book.

Prerequisites

1 and 2 Samuel

A comprehensive introduction that focuses on the theological tensions rendered in the books' account of the rise of the Israelite monarchy, joining narrative analysis with an analysis of the books' composition and rendering of history. The course will focus on the books' employment of metaphor to work through issues of power, leadership, and social transition.

1 & 2 Samuel/Hebrew Exegesis

The books of Samuel tell one of the most complex, beautiful, and significant stories in the Old Testament. The course will explore the many facets of this scriptural gemstone: its literary artistry, location in history, political vision, and impact on Christian faith and life.

Prerequisites

Psalms

Celebration and consternation, anger and adoration—these and more unfold among the poetic expressions of prayer and reflection collected in the Book of Psalms. In this course we will critically explore both the variety of psalms as well as the cogent and powerful messages they preserve for the Church today.

Isaiah

A canonical approach to the book that explores the circumstances of its composition and the development of the major theological themes expressed within it, with particular attention to affirmations about Zion and Jerusalem's interaction with the nations.

Dead Sea Scrolls

The texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls will be read in the latest English editions. The foundation, history, rites and theology of the sect will be discussed and thought parallels in the Old and New Testaments and Intertestamental Literature evaluated.

Social World of the Old Testament

Through study of textual and archaeological evidence from Israel and its neighbors, this course will place the Israelites in their anthropological, cultural, and religious world. The course will use computers to assist in instruction and interaction, so the face-to-face class contact time will be less than in a regular course.

Old Testament Theology

 A chronological analysis of the theological content of progressive revelation in the Old Testament. After a synchronic description of the theological content of each biblical covenant and epoch, the diachronic progression and unity will be noted in preparation for a future study of the loci of Systematic Theology.

Prerequisites

BSG 5501

Wisdom Literature

Instruction for growing wise and wrestling with thorny issues dominate the pages of Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament. The theological and practical messages found within Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, selected Psalms, and Song of Songs will be explored in their literary context during this course. Wisdom in surrounding cultures of the Ancient Near East will also be explored.

Wisdom Literature/Exegesis of Wisdom Literature

Instruction for growing wise and wrestling with thorny issues dominate the pages of Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament. The theological and practical messages found within Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, selected Psalms, and Song of Songs will be explored in their literary context during this course. Wisdom in surrounding cultures of the Ancient Near East will also be explored.

Hebrew Exegesis of Genesis

An exegetical and theological study of selected books of the Old Testament. These will be offered in response to the demands and requirements of individual students.

Prerequisites

Hebrew Exegesis of Joshua and Judges

An exegetical and theological study of selected books of the Old Testament. These will be offered in response to the demands and requirements of individual students.

Prerequisites

Hebrew Exegesis of Ruth

An exegetical and theological study of selected books of the Old Testament. These will be offered in response to the demands and requirements of individual students.

Prerequisites

Hebrew Exegesis of I & II Samuel

An exegetical and theological study of selected books of the Old Testament. These will be offered in response to the demands and requirements of individual students.

Prerequisites

Hebrew Exegesis of Psalms

An exegetical and theological study of selected books of the Old Testament. These will be offered in response to the demands and requirements of individual students.

Prerequisites

Hebrew Exegesis of Isaiah

An exegetical and theological study of selected books of the Old Testament. These will be offered in response to the demands and requirements of individual students.

Prerequisites

Hebrew Exegesis of OT Wisdom Literature

A literary and theological study of the wisdom books of Job, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes as well as selected Psalms and the Song of Songs. Wisdom in the ancient Near East will also be explored.

Prerequisites

Conference/Seminar in Old Testament

Credit is available for those who attend approved conferences and seminars. Students should check with the department chairperson for reading and writing requirements associated with attendance at approved conferences and seminars.

Israel Study Tour

Credit is available for those who take an approved tour of Israel and the Holy Land. Students should check with the chairperson of the Biblical Studies department for reading and writing requirements associated with receiving credit for the trip.

Pilot Course in Old Testament

Uncataloged courses are offered occasionally to enrich the offerings of a major and to tap the resources of department faculty and visiting scholars. Specific course titles and descriptions are available when the course is scheduled.

A Sage’s Counsel for Knowing God and Caring for People

Through this course we will learn to listen to the advice of the Hebrew sages, with particular attention to (a) how they understood God and their relationship with him, and (b) how they approached the care of fellow human beings.  In a post-modern culture which is at once hesitant to ascribe authority to any but self, yet yearning for mystery and wonder, the sage’s supra-covenantal perspective of the divine offers timely insights.  And in a post-modern church that hesitates to reuse cookie-cutter templates for reaching and training new followers of Christ, the sage offers time-tested topics and approaches adaptable for our current season.  Biblical revelation in Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, and selected Psalms will serve as primary source material for this course, although it will not proceed as a book-study per se. 

Prerequisites

Women in the Old Testament and Its World

Women play an important but often overlooked role in ancient Near Eastern life. This course will explore aspects of the story of women in the Old Testament and other ancient Near Eastern primary texts, particularly from Mesopotamia and Anatolia.

Prerequisites

Independent Study in Old Testament

Independent Studies are designed to cover specialized material not usually included in a course offering listed in the catalog.

Thesis in Old Testament

This course represents the credit awarded for the successful completion of a master's thesis. Students will consult regularly with their thesis advisors through the drafting and revising process until the thesis advisor determines that the thesis is acceptable. Students will then present the results of their research to fellow students and members of the department during May of the year they graduate.

Old Testament Theology

A chronological analysis of the theological content of progressive revelation in the Old Testament. After a synchronic description of the theological content of each biblical covenant and epoch, the diachronic progression and unity will be noted in preparation for a future study of the loci of Systematic Theology.

Prerequisites

Person in Ministry

This course equips students to experience ongoing personal development and growth necessary for well-being in ministry. Attention will be given to core identity, character, calling, and competency, identified within the course as the upward, inward, outward, and forward journeys. The course will detail the challenges of Christian ministry and their impact on personal and professional well-being, highlighting essential commitments clergy must make in prayer, spiritual formation, inner transformation, and supportive community within the context of ministry. (Ministry Cohort Course)

Pastoral Counseling & Care

This course is designed to introduce students to the historic practices of pastoral care and counseling as set forth both in scripture and in church history. Pastoral care will be viewed as involving interactions with individuals and groups of people needing pastoral care; equipping the people of Christ to care for one another; and helping the local church embrace its responsibility to the surrounding community and the wider world. This course will also explore preliminary intervention in pastoral counseling, helping students to practice basic counseling skills and mobilize lay people in the local church to engage in a broad range of care giving ministries. (Ministry Cohort Course)

Chronic Illness, Dying and Grieving

This course will provide students with the understanding and competency necessary to effectively minister to individuals experiencing health related crises. Students will be assisted in developing an understanding of death and grief based on biblical and historical perspectives which will help facilitate endeavors to embrace their own mortality and examine its implications for the way they live their lives, as well as provide practical skills for counseling the terminally ill and those who suffer from grief and loss.

Counseling Marriage, Family and Relational Issues

This course will assist caregivers in addressing the issues that arise within the church relative to marriage, family, and relational dynamics. Included will be understanding and skill development in pre-marital counseling, basic marriage counseling from a pastoral perspective, and counseling family dynamics. This course will also provide essential understanding and competency that equips the pastoral counselor to be an effective servant of reconciliation and relational well-being.

Care of the Soul and Formational Prayer

This course is designed to equip students with the understanding and competency necessary to provide Christian nurture and counsel that leads to healthy Christian formation. Attention will be given to the place of spiritual direction, pastoral care, and basic counseling skills as each relates to soul care. Special attention will be given to the ministry of formational prayer, and as such students will explore the qualifications and preparation necessary to embrace a ministry of inner healing prayer.

Small Groups as the Context for Pastoral Counseling & Care

This course seeks to equip students in the competencies necessary to developing and leading effective small groups that are specifically designed for care and counsel. Attention will be given to the unique challenges and opportunities present in developing and leading such groups, as well as providing guidance in group dynamics and group development. An additional component of the class will be equipping students to mobilize, train, and supervise lay leaders for this specific form of ministry within the local church.

Seminar in Pastoral Care - Spiritual Warfare

Credit is available for those who attend approved conferences and seminars. Students should check with the department chairperson for reading and writing requirements associated with attendance at approved conferences and seminars.

Prerequisites

Seminar in Pastoral Care - Spiritual Warfare; Power Encounter in Ministry and Missions

7770: This course exposes students to a broad range of special issues relative to pastoral care/pastoral counseling. Topics will be developed in seminar format and addressed by members of the faculty and practitioners with expertise in the chosen topics. Topics may include: the person of pastoral care/pastoral counseling ministries, conflict resolution, ministry to the grieving, spiritual warfare, formational counseling, group process, spiritual direction, basic marriage and family counseling skills, crisis counseling, pastoral ethics, childhood sexual abuse, etc. The focus of this particular class will be to explore the basic understanding of spiritual warfare and the implications for pastoral care.

7710: Explores the biblical concepts of spiritual power as they relate to God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, angels, Satan and demons, clarifying the influence of world views which accept or reject the concepts of the presence of spiritual power.  It deals with spiritual warfare as it affects the personal lives of Christians and as it is encountered cross-culturally in bringing people from the control of Satan to  commitment to God.

Prerequisites

Independent Study in Pastoral Counseling and Care

Independent Studies are designed to cover specialized material not usually included in a course offering listed in the catalog.

Prerequisites

History of the Brethren Church

This course considers the historical development of the Brethren movement from its origins in Anabaptism and Pietism to the present day. Special attention is given to the Brethren Church since the 1880s.

Doctrine of the Brethren Church

This course considers the background and development of Brethren doctrine in the Brethren movement generally and The Brethren Church specifically. Attention is given to the beginnings in Anabaptism and Pietism and to how Brethren doctrine has developed from the eighteenth century to the present.

Polity and Ordinances of the Brethren Church

This course examines the doctrine of the church from a Brethren and a Believers' Church perspective. It provides an overview of the organizational structure of the Brethren Church at the local, district and national levels. Consideration is given to both the doctrine and practice of the ordinances.

History of the United Methodist Church

This course surveys the history of United Methodism from its rise in England in the 18th century to the present, with attention to the forces that have shaped the movement and its impact on the various contexts in which it has developed. Approximately half of the course is devoted to Methodist origins in the period of the Wesleys. (Fulfills the United Methodist History requirement stated in the UM Discipline [2012], Par. 324.4).

Doctrine of the United Methodist Church

This course surveys doctrine within the United Methodist heritage, beginning with the Wesleys to the present, with attention to the major doctrinal concerns that have characterized Methodism historically. Approximately half of the course is devoted to foundational aspects of Wesleyan theology. (Fulfills the United Methodist Doctrine requirement stated in the UM Discipline [2012], Par. 324.4).

Polity of the United Methodist Church

This course explores United Methodist polity as a connectional system which frames the mission, ministry and structure of the denomination. (Fulfills the United Methodist Doctrine requirement stated in the UM Discipline [2012], Par. 324.4).

HISTORY OF THE (___) CHURCH

This is a course to satisfy various denominational standards in history, doctrine, and polity and can be arranged through the Academic Dean's office.

Doctrine of the (_____) Church

This is a course to satisfy various denominational standards in history, doctrine, and polity and can be arranged through the Academic Dean's office.

Polity of the (_____) Church

This is a course to satisfy various denominational standards in history, doctrine, and polity and can be arranged through the Academic Dean's office.

Independent Study in Pastoral Ministry

This course permits students to explore academic, professional, and personal issues related to pastoral ministry. The course requires critical reflection and theological integration. It assumes that the student engages the independent study from the perspective of doing ministry. It may be taken in conjunction with Clinical Pastoral Education.

Introduction to Ecclesiastical Latin

This course is designed for students desiring a knowledge of basic Latin for biblical research. Through an inductive approach using portions of the Vulgate, students will be introduced to the Latin texts of the early church.

Readings in Ecclesiastical Latin

Students will be introduced to the grammatic and stylistic characteristics of Ecclesiastical Latin. Selected readings will include Church Fathers, the Vulgate and Latin manuscripts of the New Testament.

Theological German 1

This course is designed for students desiring knowledge of German for theological research. Essential grammar will be reviewed and selected readings from German theological writings will be featured.

Theological German 2

This course is a continuation of course RLS 5515 Theological German 1 and is designed to expose students to religious works penned in the German language from various time periods and authors throughout church history. An emphasis will be on the translation of materials in order to prepare the student for working with German language materials.

Independent Study in Research Languages

Independent Studies are designed to cover specialized material not usually included in a course offering listed in the catalog.

Spiritual Formation

This course introduces students to the nature and processes of spiritual formation and its goal of the formation of believers in the image of Christ for the sake of the church and the world. Students will practice a variety of individual and corporate spiritual disciplines, with an in-depth focus on prayer, for growth in personal and social holiness.

Prerequisites

History and Literature ot Christian Spirituality

This course is a chronological survey of outstanding devotional writings from the apostolic age to the present. The focus will be on the breadth of this literature as well as acquaintance with major authors and their works.

The Holy Spirit

This course deals with the person and work of the Holy Spirit biblically, historically, and experientially. Students will have the opportunity to reflect on the role of the Spirit in their own lives as well as in the church and world today.

Prerequisites

Women Spiritual Writers

This course offers an in-depth study of the primary writings of prominent women in the field of spirituality throughout Christian history. Particular writers to be studied are Perpetua, Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila, Susanna Wesley, Phoebe Palmer, Amanda Berry Smith, and Evelyn Underhill.

Biographical Studies in Christian Leadership

An examination of the lives of representative figures in the history of Christianity, specifically analyzing the essential features of their message and mission as Christian leaders in response to the challenges of their age.

Prerequisites

Practices of Prayer

This course is an in-depth examination of the practices of prayer throughout the great masters of prayer in the story and tradition of the church. Biblical examples and models of prayer as well as the variety of the different Christian traditions of prayer throughout church history will be addressed. Students are encouraged to apply the practice of prayer to a particular ministry context for their ministry formation and training. Growth in individual practices and corporate ministry leadership for the local and global church are emphasized.

Spiritual Formation and Social Activism

This course is designed to integrate theology and ethics with spiritual and moral formation. By looking at select writers, concepts, processes and aims of spiritual formation, and by exploring and participating in social activism as both a means and expression of spiritual formation, we will attempt to move toward a more holistic spirituality and morality that takes seriously the call to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8).

Theology of Suffering, Reconciliation and Forgiveness

A study of the theology of suffering and pain together with the Christian response of grace and hope. Examination of biblical and theological sources such as the book of Job, Karl Barth, C.S. Lewis and Jurgen Moltmann.

Spiritual Guidance

This course will expose students to the history and practice of spiritual direction in the Christian tradition. It will address biblical, classical and contemporary models of spiritual direction. Students will develop skills as spiritual guides to mentor and lead others by the power of the Holy Spirit. These skills will enhance students' own development and growth as leaders in spiritual direction for the formation of others in the church and world.

Spiritual Guidance

This course will expose students to the history and practice of spiritual direction in the Christian tradition. It will address biblical, classical and contemporary models of spiritual direction. Students will develop skills as spiritual guides to mentor and lead others by the power of the Holy Spirit. These skills will enhance students' own development and growth as leaders in spiritual direction for the formation of others in the church and world.

Prerequisites

Pilot Course in Spiritual Formation

Uncatalogued courses are offered occasionally to enrich the offerings of the major and to tap the resources of department faculty and visiting scholars. Specific course titles and descriptions are available when the course is scheduled.

Conference/Seminar in Spiritual Formation

Credit is available for those who attend approved conferences and seminars. Students should check with the department chairperson for reading and writing requirements associated with attendance at approved conferences and seminars.

Independent Study in Spiritual Formation

Independent studies are designed to cover specialized material not usually included in a course offering listed in the catalog.

History and Literature of Christian Spirituality

This course is a chronological survey of outstanding devotional writings from the apostolic age to the present. The focus will be on the breadth of this literature as well as acquaintance with major authors and their works.

Women Spiritual Writers

Spiritual Formation and Social Activism

This course is designed to integrate theology and ethics with spiritual and moral formation. By looking at select writers, concepts, processes and aims of spiritual formation, and by exploring and participating in social activism as both a means and expression of spiritual formation, we will attempt to move toward a more holistic spirituality and morality that takes seriously the call to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8).