Winter/Spring 2012

Roman Catholicism is the largest Christian denomination in the world. In this course, we examine the history, theology, tradition, ecclesiology, and ethics of the Roman Catholic Church. The course will stress the attitude of the Roman Catholic Church to ecumenical and interfaith relations, in particular Catholic-Muslim dialogue. Students will have a good grasp of the rationale behind the worldview of Roman Catholics including the ability to consider and locate some of the contentious debates within Catholicism and to understand the impact of Catholicism on contemporary America.

The purpose of the two-year Colleague Seminar is to explore the reflective practice of ministry in an atmosphere of personal and professional sharing, eventually producing a set of analytical and theological papers as background for the Ministry Project. Within that general framework, this particular course seeks to ground the practice of ministry in an understanding of organizational theory and leadership strategies, as well as the theological implications of each. Building upon the previous semester, students will also be introduced to additional field research tools, including their interpretation and theological potential.

What makes Muslims an American religious minority? How have they shaped American religious history together with other groups? How have religious minorities participated in the American republic? And what can they learn from each other’s experiences? This course is an exploration into the history and contemporary life of a particular religious minority in conversation with parallel stories of other groups. Spanning the period from the late 18th to the early 21st century, we will examine Muslim engagements with quintessential themes of American life, such as race, freedom, gender and politics. We will approach each of these themes from a comparative standpoint, reflecting specifically on African-American, Jewish, Catholic and Buddhist experiences.

Setting the context for on-line discussion of women in the future of USA congregations and denominations, the course will begin with a brief overview of women in world religions. Attention will be focused on the history of women’s participation and leadership in American Christian churches over the last two centuries, to stimulate a discussion of what themes and trends might be predicted for the 21st century. The differences among and between women and men in the membership and leadership of Catholic, mainline liberal Protestant, and evangelical conservative Protestant denominations will be explored to better understand the present reality and possible future of churches in the USA. At the same time, students are welcomed to make comparisons in their on-line writing and papers between women’s experiences in USA churches and those of women in other religions in the USA or in other countries.