Biblical Studies

This course explores the prophetic tradition in biblical and contemporary times. Selected texts are read in context of present day global realities to discover how culture shapes these texts and how these texts continue to shape cultures and world views. Topics include the God, gender, power, justice, empire, ecology, hope what it means to be prophetic today, among others. 

This course explores and critiques the wisdom writings of the Bible and other texts, and the cultures that shaped these texts. Focus is on the wisdom needed for wise decision-making practices for the work of justice and transformation of life in a globalized world. Attention is also given to two main wisdom themes: creation and the presence of the Divine in the midst of all life.

This course focuses on the comparative study of religions. It will investigate the definition of “religion” and then analyze several traditions in the context of this definition. Finally, it will compare these traditions to one another with regard to certain topics, such as worship, the soul, and the place of women. 

This course includes reading and discussion of selections from both the Old and New Testaments. We will discuss elements of race and class, as well as gender and sexuality, as we take historical, cultural, and political contexts into consideration with the goal of applying the realities of biblical cannon and applying them to our societies and cultures today.

As a first century missionary, theologian and letter writer, Paul of Tarsus (St. Paul) articulated many of Christianity's basic beliefs and presided over some of Christianity's earliest controversies. This course examines his letters as a way of gaining access to the concerns, the theology, and the growing pains of some of the very first Christians on record.

Our most important information on Jesus comes from the Gospels. This course examines the theology and history contained in the gospels in order to gain an understanding of who Jesus was and how his message was received and developed by the early church. In alternating semesters, the course will focus on John, or on Matthew, Mark and Luke.

This course explores the theme of gender in the Bible, the cultures that shaped the texts, and how the biblical culture and stories continue to have an impact on life today as we struggle for gender justice in a globalized world, The course explores such topics as power, politics, kyriarchy, the intersectionality of gender discrimination with other forms of discrimination. Emphasis is on liberation, transformation, and ethical praxis.

What does it mean to be holy? Who are the saints and sinners in the Bible? How does God relate to them? What is meant by the sacredness of all creation? This course explores such themes as the spirit, the heart, prayer, sacred space, etc. in the context of a biblical-based contemplative and mystical understanding of life.