We often read fragments of the Bible—in search of inspirational quotes, moral lessons, and defense for our doctrines. We dissect the Bible, and in the process lose the living breathing story. But, this is not the only way to read the Bible. You can develop the tools necessary to see the Biblical narrative as a whole. In this class, by carefully studying seven mountaintop encounters with God, we will weave together the entire scriptural narrative—from Genesis to Revelation. The result is a narrative that is more complicated and challenging, but also more beautiful and transformative. Through seven mountaintop encounters, you will find yourself in the unfolding adventure of the Bible.

What happens to us when we die? The popular Christian imagination might think of, for example, the massa damnata, the masses of humanity destined for a fiery eternal damnation, versus the select few who float off to a heavenly home, where they will play the harp in the clouds. Which direction a person goes, in the popular Christian imagination, might depending on believing the right stuff, saying the right prayers, or acting in the right way. But if almost everyone goes to hell, how could the Bible be good news? In this class we’ll explore the surprising ways that the Bible talks about death and what comes after. These ancient stories and myths tell of something compelling, subversive, and beautiful, a “good news” that turns the popular heaven/hell dichotomy on its head.

What is the Biblical view of marriage? What is the Biblical view of sex? What is the Biblical view of gender? These questions often serve to end conversations, rather than start them. But contrary to what is often suggested, the “Biblical view” on these questions is far from simple or clear. In fact, close scrutiny of the the Bible debunks the simple and naive answers that are often given to these challenging questions. Rather, the text reveals a rich tapestry of complex and multifaceted views on these issues. In this class, we will return to the text and attempt to remove our blinders, in order to reveal what the texts actually say about gender and sexuality, and to unearth the debates and arguments that are happening within the scriptures.

The story at the heart of Christianity is one of an angry God sentencing his son to die a cruel and gruesome death to somehow appease his wrath against all humanity. Or at least that’s how it’s been told. How can we come to grips with a God like that? How could a God who stands for justice and love abandon his child to such a fate? This course will introduce you to a broad array of ways that Christians throughout the centuries have understood the meaning of Jesus’ death. We’ll explore these ideas carefully and fearlessly so that you can develop an understanding of the cross that coheres with your sense of justice and nourishes your spirituality.

In the middle of the last century sociologists predicted the end of organized religion and the arrival of an age of secularity. This position was epitomized in the April, 1966 TIME magazine, a stark black cover with the simple red words: “IS GOD DEAD?” The last fifty years have definitively proven the secularity hypothesis false, religion isn’t going anywhere. But, does that mean that secularity has nothing to teach us? This class seeks to answer this question by tracing some of the most exciting theological ideas from the 1960s to today.

Our encounters with the divine shatter the boundaries of the stale constricting language we use to talk and to think about God. We’re constantly in need of new images, metaphors, and symbols that help us grow over time, especially as insights from other fields challenge and correct old ideas of God. This course explores the contemporary trends in theology, imaging God as the expanding and evolving processes of the cosmos, the liberating arc of history, the queer God of transition, and much more. You’ll learn fresh expressions that give voice to your experience.

For two millennia the story of Jesus has captivated people the world over. It’s been told and retold in innumerable ways from myriad contexts. Unfortunately, convinced that they own the story rights, those in positions of ecclesial power have censored the manifold witness to Jesus. In this course we’ll hear the Jesus story as it was told in his own first-century Jewish context and the Hellenistic context of the early church. We’ll hear the story as it was told by sub-Saharan Africans who heard it first from white men coming to cart them off to the slave trade but who then recast it as a story of liberation. We’ll hear the story as it was told by black freedom riders, feminists, queer folk, Native American medicine men, and Asian Buddhists.

Christianity is often portrayed as fearful of the body, as standing on the “wrong side of history” on issues of sexuality, and as ill equipped for the debates and controversies of the 21st century. This class aims to dispel these ideas, by opening up some of the most exciting work in Christian sexual ethics. Beyond a simple appeal to “abstinence only” sex education and a naive “wait until you’re married” dismissal of serious discussion, this course will take contemporary questions of gender and sexual diversity, sexual violence, seriously by filtering them through the Christian notions of justice and charity. What does the Bible teach about sex and marriage? What can Christians learn from queer folk? What might a robust Christian sexual education look like? These are just a few of the questions that this class will aim to think through.

The Bible frequently describes God as an artisan and the people of God as makers and artisans—God is the potter and the one who knit us together in our mother’s womb; Jesus was a carpenter; and Paul was a tent-maker. This class examines the theological connection between faith and handicrafts, with an emphasis on craft as an offering of prayer to God. Bring your knitting, quilt piecing, whittling, crochet, or whatever project you have on hand for a time of experiential learning and reflection.

We all regret having let ourselves forget the important details of our loved ones who have passed, like their turns of phrase or their signature potluck dishes. In this workshop-style class, each student will spend time researching their home area, searching their own memories, talking to loved ones, and gathering primary heritage data like handwritten recipes and old photos. These materials will be pulled together to show the way a family has been knit into the life of God over a long period of time. The result will be a work that can become a family heirloom. While this class is called “writing” a theology, it can also easily accommodate scrapbooking, video documentation, or other formats. The goal is to be creative and true to the forms that speak to the student. (Prerequisite: SCTH 100)

Christianity contains a rich tradition of prayer practices that help a person participate in the life of God in the silence of their heart and in community with others. The Christian mystical path, broadly speaking, treats a life with God as a journey, with perceivable signposts along the way. This class invites students to learn about the mystical path through the life and works of mystics who have gone before us, including the author of The Cloud of Unknowing, Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, and others.

Have you ever heard someone say they were stuck in a dark night of the soul? How about thinking of their heart and mind as full of rooms? Respectively, these ideas can be traced back to John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, two mystics who were friends and close confidants in the 1500s. Their works are classics of Christian literature because they express aspects of the mystical life that all individuals who devote themselves to prayer experience at certain points. In this class, we will read The Dark Night of the Soul and The Interior Castle closely.

Although theology, when examined over the course of two thousand years, has been largely a man’s game, the feminine mystical tradition has made important contributions to our collective awareness of God. This is especially true of the Beguine movement of the 1100s to the 1300s, whose adherents were known for their intense and intimate mystical experiences. Their voice is unparalleled. These were not your regular pew-sitting medieval ladies! This class examines their lives and works and draws out principles for mystical engagement with God in the twenty-first century. While the class focuses on the writings of women, persons of all genders are invited and encouraged to attend.

This course applies the principles learned in SPIR 101. Because a disciplined prayer life is highly specific to each person, students will learn about and experiment with several types of prayer practices with the guidance of the teacher, including centering prayer, lectio divina, breathing meditation, and contemplation of icons. Students will also learn about the relationship between mysticism and self-discipline in other areas of their lives. (Prerequisites: SPIR 100 and either SPIR 200 or SPIR 230)

The church is one of the only spaces left in our culture where people of every generation come together for a single purpose. It’s one of great and beautiful gifts the church can offer the world. But what do we do? As soon as folks walk through the door, we send babies to the nursery, elementary-aged kids to Sunday school, teenagers to youth group, and adults into the sanctuary. In this seminar you’ll learn how to develop intergenerational spiritual formation programming where children see models of mature spirituality, adults experience the wonder of childlike faith once again, and families see a model of what it means to practice spirituality around the dinner table.

Young people are leaving the church in droves. Research suggests that nearly 50% of kids who grew up in church and youth group will leave their faith behind when they head off to college or career. Rightly concerned about this trend, parents and youth ministries try everything they can think of to stop the hemorrhaging. But what if instead we learned to trust our young people and honor their journeys? What if, instead of trying to keep them in our care, we gave our kids their inheritance and encouraged them to wander off into the far country with the confidence that all they will encounter is part of God’s good creation and the assurance that we will be waiting with open arms and a big party should their path ever lead them back. This workshop trains pastors and other church leaders to help families navigate the unique challenges and opportunities of adolescent faith.