Spring 2022 Courses
Earlham School of Religion is the primary Quaker seminary for the Religious Society of Friends. We provide a Christian theological education to all who wish to participate in a spiritual and academic journey for good. Earlham School of Religion seeks to help you discern your unique talents and develop your own forms of ministry for today’s world. From social work to creative writing, entrepreneurship to healthcare, our graduates work to heal the world both from behind the pulpit and beyond it.
Search our courses
| wdt_ID | Course Prefix | Course Number | Course title | Timing | Course type | Year | Institution | Course description | Teaching Faculty | Class Day(s) | Class Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M | 211 | Ritual and Reflection in the Life of Faith | January 2022 | Two-week Intensive | 2.022 | Bethany | Students will study the biblical, theological, and anthropological bases for various rituals and ordinances of the church. Focusing on such practices as child and parent dedication, baptism, Love Feast, communion, anointing, the laying on of hands, weddin | Ottoni-Wilhelm | Jan 3-15 | 8:30 a.m. - Noon |
| 2 | B | 242 | Interpreting Romans as a Resource for Peacemaking | January 2022 | Two-week Intensive | 2.022 | Bethany | Peacemaking is both a central theme and a purpose of Paul’s letter to the Romans. In the late 50s CE, the letter laid a theological foundation for peace among ethnically diverse communities of Christ-followers. Today it continues to guide and inspire read | Gava/Ulrich | Jan 3-15 | 8:30 a.m. - Noon |
| 3 | M | 355 | Place of Refuge in an Urban Context | January 2022 | Two-week Intensive | 2.022 | Bethany | This course represents an educational partnership with Pastor Bruce Deel and City of Refuge Ministries©. However, other faith-based ministries of the city will also be explored, which will expose students to a variety of styles, strategies, and ministry n | Poole | Jan 3-15 | Full day |
| 4 | T | 268 | 1968: A Case in Public Theology | January 2022 | Two-week Intensive | 2.022 | Bethany | In 1968, as many barricades went up around the world, more religious, cultural, and political borders and boundaries were freely transgressed. This course will use the music, movies, art, literature, and political discourses of 1968 as a window into the c | Holland | Jan 3-15 | 1:30 - 5 p.m. |
| 5 | QS | 340 | Quaker Beliefs | January 2022 | Two-week Intensive | 2.022 | Earlham | This course seeks to provide: working definitions of some of the particular terms used in Quaker discourse, such as “light,” “testimony,” “distinctives”; an understanding of the reasoning behind Quaker doctrines and practices; and an assessment of how Qua | Angell | Jan 3-15 | 8:30 a.m. - Noon |
| 6 | SP | 350 | New Frontiers in Spirituality | January 2022 | Two-week Intensive | 2.022 | Earlham | This course will explore the expanding frontiers of contemporary spirituality beyond conventional religious boundaries. It will consider the phenomenon of spiritual independence or “spiritual but not religious”. The course will look at the spiritual pract | Birkel | Jan 3-15 | 8:30 a.m. - Noon |
| 7 | TS | 360 | Interfaith Dialog | January 2022 | Two-week Intensive | 2.022 | Earlham | This is an introduction to the vision and theology of faith traditions, as well as the Christian theological responses to other religious traditions. Students will finish the course with some basic understanding of other traditions as well as developing t | Valentine | Jan 3-15 | 8:30 a.m. - Noon |
| 8 | PC | 258 | Anger, Guilt, and Shame | January 2022 | Two-week Intensive | 2.022 | Earlham | This course is a holistic investigation of three of the most powerful and misunderstood human experiences. The psychological and sociological dynamics as well as theological and Biblical perspectives of these feelings are explored. The class also examines | Higginbotham | Jan 3-15 | 1:30 - 5 p.m. |
| 9 | WR | 230 | Creative Non-Fiction | January 2022 | Two-week Intensive | 2.022 | Earlham | This course will give you an opportunity to explore the rich possibilities of creative non-fiction, one of the most popular and quickest growing forms of literary writing practiced today. It will introduce you to some of the subgenres of creative nonficti | Brazil | Jan 3-15 | 1:30 - 5 p.m. |
| 10 | B | 242 | Interpreting Romans as a Resource for Peacemaking | January 2022 | Blended | 2.022 | Bethany | Peacemaking is both a central theme and a purpose of Paul’s letter to the Romans. In the late 50s CE, the letter laid a theological foundation for peace among ethnically diverse communities of Christ-followers. Today it continues to guide and inspire read | Gava/Ulrich | Jan 3-15 | 8:30 a.m. - Noon |
| 11 | I | 203 | Travel Seminar | May 2022 | Two-week Intensive | 2.022 | Bethany | The May 2022 Travel Seminar will take place in Iona, Scotland. | Ottoni-Wilhelm | May 16-27 | Full day |
| 12 | P | 273 | Mediation as Social and Spiritual Practice | May 2022 | Two-week Intensive | 2.022 | Bethany | This course is designed to provide mediation instruction and practice—grounded in spiritual, social and ethical dimensions— for seminary students interested in applying mediation skills to interpersonal, community, and vocational conflicts. We begin the c | Roberts | M-F | 1:30 - 5 p.m. |
| 13 | P, T | 259 | Art, Justice, and Peace | May 2022 | Two-week Intensive | 2.022 | Bethany | Can you write poetry after Auschwitz? Confront apartheid with visual art? Create beauty after the Rwandan Genocide? Resist white supremacy with music? This class will consider various ways in which the arts—particularly visual arts and music—have been mob | Hathaway | M-F | 1:30 - 5 p.m. |
| 14 | QS | 390 | Individual Quaker Thinkers | May 2022 | Two-week Intensive | 2.022 | Earlham | Quaker Spirituality will explore spiritual practices of Friends, past and present. Topics will include letters of spiritual nurture, worship and ministry, journals, contemplative prayer, discernment, the apophatic way, and recent directions, such as Quake | Angell | M-F | 8:30 a.m. - Noon |
| 15 | FC | 339 | Discernment of Call and Gifts | May 2022 | Two-week Intensive | 2.022 | Earlham | In this course students explore ministry, vocation, and Quaker methods of discernment, listen for God’s leadings, learn and apply various ways to understand, discern, name, and nurture gifts and callings of others, identify their own and class members’ gi | Baisley | M-F | 1:30 - 5 p.m. |
| 16 | TS | 290 | Korea | May 2022 | Residential | 2.022 | Earlham | This course introduces students to the role of context and culture in theology and in the practice of ministry through a first hand cross-cultural experience and careful reflection upon it. Selected readings and discussions will raise questions such as ot | Ji-Sun Kim | May 16-27 | Full day |
| 17 | B | 116 | New Testament Greek | Online | Online | 2.022 | Bethany | As the sequel to New Testament Greek I, this course continues to introduce the basic elements of the language, including vocabulary and the grammar of participles and other nonindicative verb forms. By the end of this course, students are able to translat | Boersma | ||
| 18 | B | 102 | Reading the New Testament Contextually | Online | Online | 2.022 | Bethany | This survey course is an invitation to deeper, contextual understandings of the 27 diverse writings that make up the second part of the Christian canon. It is designed for both new and experienced readers of the Bible. We will practice thoughtful and imag | Ulrich | ||
| 19 | WR | 250 | Contemporary Spiritual Writing | Online | Online | 2.022 | Earlham | How may writing become prayer? How is prayer a kind of writing? This course explores the intersections of prayer and writing. We will study and practice different sorts of prayer, as well as read writers who put language to their lives in the spirit. In p | Brazil | ||
| 20 | TS | 390 | Eco-Theology | Online | Online | 2.022 | Earlham | We are living in a climate crisis. The earth is being destroyed by carbon emissions, garbage, chemical wastes, and unsustainable ways of living. We are at a breaking point and as people of faith, it is important that we combat this climate crisis so that | Ji-Sun Kim | ||
| 21 | T | 101 | Intro to Theological Reflection | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Bethany | This course introduces theology as a practice of creative and critical reflection on humanity, the world, God, and Jesus from a faith perspective. In this class we will put perennial theological themes in dialogue with insights from the natural sciences a | Hathaway | W | 1:20 - 4 p.m. |
| 22 | H | 102 | History of Christianity II | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Bethany | The course continues the overview of the history of Christianity from the Reformation to the present. Topics of study include the Magisterial Reformation, the Radical Reformation, Roman Catholic reform, Protestant Orthodoxy, Pietism, and the Evangelical A | Kettering-Lane | R | 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. |
| 23 | FC | 103 | Diversity, Community, and Conflict | Spring 2022 | Residential | 2.022 | Earlham | Although conflict is inevitable where diversity thrives, conflict does not necessarily have to devolve into violence. This course will equip students with the theory and tools to assess their own conflict response style, to map conflict, and to develop st | Johnson/Ledgister | W | 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. |
| 24 | HS | 103 | American Religious History | Spring 2022 | Residential | 2.022 | Earlham | This introductory course studies American religions generally, including Native American, African American, and European American religions and the ways that these religions have influenced each other; the roles of major churches in the development of Ame | Angell | R | 1:20 - 4 p.m. |
| 25 | FC | 110 | ECC of Ministry | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Earlham | ECC provides a formational context in which to process seminary life and discern readiness to participate in Ministry Formation (F 301). Participants in this course explore the various aspects of Christian ministry with particular attention to pastoral/co | Poole | T | 6 - 7:30 p.m. |
| 26 | M | 120 | Preaching, Theopoetics, and Society | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Bethany | This course introduces students to the art and practice of preaching and public discourse at the intersection of theology, poetics, Bible, sociocultural interests, and spiritual wisdom. Amid current social needs and crises, students in this course will ex | Ottoni-Wilhelm | T | 1:20 - 4 p.m. |
| 27 | T | 208 | Theatre, Theology, and Public Performance | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Bethany | Throughout history, humankind has employed public performance to explore, to imagine, and to communicate understanding of human existence and the Divine. The earliest known plays of the Greeks and Romans provide examples of humanity’s search for life’s m | Davis | R | 1:20 - 4 p.m. |
| 28 | PM | 250 | Work of the Pastor | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Earlham | This course emphasizes the day-to-day activities of pastoral ministers. Students will become familiar with the pastoral candidating process and getting acquainted with a new congregation. They will study and practice principles of pastoral visitation, wed | Baisley | T | 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. |
| 29 | PJ | 276 | Community Organizing | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Bethany | Community organizers empower constituents to act collectively on their own behalf. Community organizing skills and methods are useful in a variety of contexts, from personal, professional, to public relationships; within church, religious/spiritual, nonpr | Higginbotham | T | 1:20 - 4 p.m. |
| 30 | F | 301 | Ministry Formation | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Bethany | Participants engage in critical and constructive reflection concurrent with their fi eld education ministry placement in this year-long course (400 hours in the placement over the course of two semesters.) Students consider a variety of ministry topics, w | Poole | R | 6:10 - 9 p.m. |
| 31 | T | 304 | Theological and Artistic Understandings of Jesus | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Bethany | This course will study the paradigms of Christology in biblical and theological literature, film, and visual images. It will survey various historical and contemporary portrayals of Jesus as the Christ, giving attention to the way these Christologies are | Hathaway | T | 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. |
| 32 | T | 315 | Theopoetics | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Bethany | In recent years several theologians and scholars of religion have contended that “theology, after all, is a kind of writing.” Moving beyond older models that present theology as a metaphysics or systematics, those influenced by both the postmodern turn in | Holland | R | 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. |
| 33 | B | 320 | Philippians | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Bethany | The course will focus on the letter of Philippians in its first-century context, including the background of Philippi itself and Paul’s activities in the city. Each chapter of Philippians will be examined using exegetical principles to aid in understandin | Gava/Bethany Adjunct | F | 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. |
| 34 | TS | 336 | Christian Ethics | Spring 2022 | Residential | 2.022 | Bethany | Combining Christian theology with case studies, this course seeks to connect reflection on ethics with moral action. We examine the "ethics of Jesus", the variety of Christian ethical approaches, and engage with one another in practical analysis of moral | Valentine | F | 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. |
| 35 | SP | 342 | History of Christian Spirituality | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Earlham | This course explores the spiritual traditions of Christianity in its historical and global context. Students will be introduced to the origins, development and diversity of traditions of the Christian faith and the great variety of spiritual practices the | Birkel | W | 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. |
| 36 | WR | 350 | Writing Seminar | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Earlham | Practice in all facets necessary for preparing a major writing project for the reading public (writing, revising, editing, market research, queries). Students will develop a “contract” of what they intend to accomplish by the end of the semester: goals, c | Brazil | W | 6:10 - 9 p.m. |
| 37 | T | 356 | Theopoetics, Mythopoetics, Aesthetics | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Bethany | This course is an advanced extension and expansion of the introductory Theopoetics course. As such, there are three intersectional movements in our study of theopoetics, mythopoetics and aesthetics. First, understanding that theopoetics is not a mere vers | Holland | W | 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. |
| 38 | SC | 370 | Supervised - Ministry | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Earlham | The Supervised Ministry Seminar helps students prepare for ministry through an internship in a setting appropriate for their calling and gifts, and through theological reflection on their experiences. Each week, supervision by an experienced practitioner | Johnson | M | 6:10 - 9 p.m. |
| 39 | SC | 380 | Comp Seminar | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Earlham | This is designed as a capstone course for the M.Div./M.Min. degree. As such it assumes that students have completed the required coursework in Biblical Studies, Theological Studies, and Historical Studies, and for their Area Emphasis or Applied Theologica | Angell/Baisley | T | 6:10 - 9 p.m. |
| 40 | BS, SP | 390 | Scripture among Mystics | Spring 2022 | Residential | 2.022 | Earlham | Jewish, Christian, and Islamic mysticism is grounded in reading scripture. This course will explore how sacred texts came alive for mystical readers in these communities. Among other possibilities, we will read Sufi commentary on the Qur’an, enter the gat | Birkel | R | 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. |
| 41 | T | 207 | Brethren Beliefs and Practices | Spring Weekend Intensive | Blended, Weekend Intensive | 2.022 | Bethany | This course examines major beliefs and doctrinal interpretations along with practices that shape the Church of the Brethren. The course will study Brethren beliefs and practices across the span of time, with reflection on historical theology and in ecumen | Kettering-Lane | Feb 4-5, Mar 4-5, Apr 8-9 | Fri 2 - 9 p.m.; Sa 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. |
| 42 | M, T | 238 | Practical Theology of Baptism | Spring Weekend Intensive | Blended, Weekend Intensive | 2.022 | Bethany | What does baptism mean in the church, and what are its implications for education and everyday life? We will examine contrasting theological positions, seeking to understand what is at stake in the great baptismal debates over questions such as infants vs | Haitch | Jan 28-29, Feb 18-19, Apr 1-2 | |
| 43 | F | 502 | M Div Review | Spring 2022 | Blended, Residential | 2.022 | Bethany | As the capstone course of the MDiv program, F 502 challenges students to interpret, integrate, and communicate what they have learned in previous course work and ministerial experiences. Students will also anticipate future ministry settings as they apply | Poole | W | 1:20 - 4 p.m. |
| 44 | PJ | 450 | MAPST Summative Seminar | Summer 2022 | Residential | 2.022 | Earlham | This final course and internship for MAPST program requires students to reflect comprehensively their courses, practicums, and summer internship. It culminates in a 20 page summative paper. Course work touches on all the theological disciplines and delves | Valentine | TBA | |
| 45 | M | 241 | Ministry Across Generations | Spring Weekend Intensive | Blended, Residential, Weekend Intensive | 2.022 | Bethany | Grounded in the discipline of practical theology, this course examines Christian ministry from the standpoint of intergenerational concerns, including three large questions: 1) What does it mean to do ministry in a world where half the population is under | Haitch | Feb 11-12, Mar 11-12, Apr 22-23 |