January Intensive Courses
Opportunities Too Good To Pass UP!
BIBM 640 Pastoral Care for the Grieving, taught by Dr. Virgil Fry, Executive Director of Lifeline Chaplaincy
Major life losses are transformative events. Bereavement is a word based on the original meaning “to be robbed,” and losing anything precious does generate a sensation of feeling robbed. Faith communities desire to be supportive to those in grief; yet, they often offer inappropriate or inadequate caring interventions. Ministers and church leaders feel overwhelmed at the task of providing pastoral support to the bereaved. This course will address the spiritual, emotional, and psychological realms of grief support, utilizing the narratives from Scripture, current research, cultural influences, and the personal stories of guest presenters, helping us learn to sojourn effectively with each other through the harshness of bereavement.
BIBL 640 Monarch to Messiah, taught by Dr. J.M.M. Roberts, Professor Emeritus, Princeton University.
This course will trace the development of the idea of the kingship of God from Israel’s earliest period, through the rise of the human monarchy, and down to the time of full-blown messianic expectations, exploring the factors that influenced and shaped that development. It will also address the issue of the continuing relevance of this theological strand in contemporary Christian theological reflection.
BMIS 675 Theology of Missions, taught by Dr. Chris Flanders, Director of the Halbert Institute for Missions and Associate Professor in the GST.
This course will investigate the centrality of mission for the life of God’s people. In particular, it will cover the relationship between mission and theology, examine various ecclesiological expressions of mission (both ancient and modern), explore possibilities for missional renewal in the contemporary church, and develop capacities to think critically about the notion of missional. This course arises out of the need to reflect intentionally on mission and view all of theology and the Christian life from the vantage point of being God’s sent people.
BIBD 640 Theological Perspectives on Church and State, taught by Dr. Royce Money, Director of the Siburt Institute for Christian Ministry, Professor of Church History, and Dr. Matt Tapie, Visiting Assistant Professor, The School of Theology and Religious Studies, Catholic University of America.
This course examines contemporary conceptions of church and state in light of their theological and historical background. The course surveys theological perspectives on the relationship between the church and civil power in the first century, patristic era, Middle Ages, reformations, and into the modern period. The course then introduces students to competing narratives about the reemergence of the concept of political theology in the twentieth-century, and the thought of select theologians in the West, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Authors include Carl Schmitt, Reinhold Niebuhr, John Yoder, James Cone, Oliver O’Donovan, Rosemary Reuther, John Milbank, Arvind Nirmal, William Cavanaugh, Kwok Pui-Lan, and Charles Mathewes, and among others. The course also examines the attempts of faith-based organizations in the United States and Europe to engage local, national, and global civil powers as faithful disciples of Christ.
AND in the Spring Semester the Duncan Center for Conflict Resolution is offering:
CONR 640 Managing Conflict in Churches, taught by Joe L. Cope, J.D., Executive Director and Associate Professor, Duncum Center for Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution in the Church is a weekend intensive course focusing on the unique challenges of dealing with conflict and change in the local church. Based on solid principles of biblical conflict resolution, the course examines the causes and dynamics of disputes and offers theological and practical answers. Drawing on current literature and both the experience of the instructor and the students, Conflict Resolution in the Church is a great resource for ministers, church leaders, and church members. CRN # 15121
January 23-25, 2014 & February 6-8, 2014
Thursdays-1pm to 9pm
Fridays-8am to 5pm
Saturday-8am to noon
Duncum Center for Conflict Resolution-Strader classroom 119