Courses

• STH TT 828: Liberal Evangelical Christianity
  The general aim of this course is to learn about the history, sociology, theology, and ethics of the tension between liberals and evangelicals that has persisted among Protestant Christians within the United States, under various names, since early in the nineteenth century. The specific aim is to situate a variety of moderate possibilities within this tension. These range from mid- twentieth-century movements such Neo-Evangelicalism (represented by Billy Graham and Carl Henry, among others) and the hearty reception of famous preacher Harry Emerson Fosdick, who defined himself as 'liberal evangelical'; through the revolutionary social visions of evangelicals such as Ron Sider and Tony Campolo, the cultural critique of Jim Wallis and the Sojourners Community, and the Christian pacificism of Anabaptists such as John Howard Yoder; to the green evangelicals, liberal evangelicals, evangelical liberals, progressive evangelicals, and radical moderates of today. The class is intended for master's students interested in the liberal-evangelical tension and especially in the prospects for transcending that tension both in individual faith identities and in congregational contexts. The class should help participants become more articulate communicators and more effective leaders around issues bearing on this tension.
• STH TT 832: Paul Tillich
  Centered on one of the major theological works of the twentieth century, the Systematic Theology, this course is designed to assist students to contextualize, interpret, and analyze the thought of Paul Tillich and to assess its significance for contemporary theology.
• STH TT 833: Religion and Science
  Explores recent developments in the theoretical and cultural relations between religion and science, paying particular attention to strategies for moving beyond the limitations of the pervasive ?conflict? view. No specific background in science required. Focuses primarily, though not exclusively, on the interaction between Christian thought and the natural sciences.
• STH TT 838: Religious Thought: Happiness East and West
  What is happiness? How can we achieve a balanced, healthy, flourishing life? Classical thinkers such as Aristotle, Plato, Chuang Tzu; Stoic, Epicurean, Confucian, Buddhist paths; comparison with contemporary happiness studies.
• STH TT 840: Images of Christ in World Christianity
  This is a course in Christology, approached from a world Christianity perspective. I introduce students to a variety of images of Christ from all over the world - mostly in the form of paintings, sculptures, and other pieces of art and some writings - and help them to reflect on the content and method of christological reflection. This is done without neglecting the African-American and Feminist/Womanist concerns. Students are given the option of turning in a piece of art portraying their own image of Christ in lieu of a final paper.
• STH TT 841: Christian Encounters with Hinduism
  This course begins with a survey of Hinduism - its history, beliefs, and practices - and moves on to trace the history of Hindu-Christian encounter both in India and the US. Three pieces of writing are studied as samples of encounter - my book on The Crucified Guru, John Thatamanil's book The Imminent Divine, and Francis Clooney's Christian God, Hindu God. The course ends with examining the various theologies of religions and constructing a appropriate theological stance for a healthy encounter with Hindus today. The course will involve both visit to Hindu temple, and meeting Hindus as guest speakers in the class.
• STH TT 842: Lab Placement
  This is a course for students in a variety of Boston University School of Theology and Division of Religious and Theological Studies degree programs who are registered for laboratory placements. It is not available to students at other schools in the Boston Theological Institute.
• STH TT 845: Spirituality, Medicine & Health
  The general aim of this science-religion course is to learn about the complex entanglements among religious traditions and spirituality, medical traditions and healing modalities, and norms for physical and mental health. This will involve (i) in Part 1 of the course, gaining a basic grasp on the history of the medical traditions of China, India, the Middle East, and the West, including the metaphysical frameworks that inform those traditions; (ii) in Part 2 of the course, studying the complex controversy over spirituality and health research and attempting to decide whether and how the efficacy of healing modalities is to be evaluated; (iii) in Part 3 of the course, understanding how western biomedicine interacts with the array of medical traditions and spiritually inspired healing modalities that thrive in the West; and (iv) throughout the course, addressing philosophical, theological, and ethical questions about norms for mental and physical health and comparing metaphysical frameworks for health and healing. The class is intended for advanced masters students and doctoral candidates interested in the science-religion dialogue, and particularly in spirituality and health.
• STH TT 852: Theological Thinking for Everyday Life and Ministry
  This course aims to teach theological thinking by doing a lot of it. The class is designed to place the specific experiences of participants in conversation with each other and with the wisdom of the authors of the readings. The aim is to become more effective theological thinkers.
• STH TT 854: Classic Jewish Thought
  This course investigates basic human and religious issues as they have been understood in the classical Jewish tradition: creation and revelation, good and evil, the nature of suffering, the relationship between God and human beings, and the relationships of human beings to one another. We will explore these issues through investigation of sources from the Bible, midrashic literature, Talmud, and Jewish philosophy. Special attention to the role of Torah and its interpretation in Jewish life and thought
• STH TT 855: Theology of Christian Mysticism
  A concentrated venture in philosophical theology. This lecture, reading and discussion course centers on the thought, not the praxis, of selected major mystics in the Christian tradition. Overviews Greek philosophical backgrounds then moves to a close examination of Eckhart, Nicolas of Cusa, Boehme, and William Blake.
• STH TT 856: Preaching for the Modern World: Preaching Theological Challenges
  Consideration of the ways in which the contexts of preaching today differ from those in which the familiar formulations of theology came into being as well as the theological implications of the differences.
• STH TT 857: Postmodern Theology and Spirituality
  This course examines the impact of philosophers like Nietzsche, Foucault, Levinas, Irigaray, and Derrida on the study of theology. Rather than shutting down a religious conversation, theologians within this tradition argue that postmodern thought opens up religious questions in new ways. What does postmodernism reveal about religious confessions and practices? How does this conversation help us to understand some of the shifts in spirituality and religious practice in our contemporary world? (John Caputo, Mark C. Taylor, Catherine Keller, and Mark D. Jordan)
• STH TT 858: Theologies of Dialogue
  An examination of the major contemporary theological options proposed for the theory and practice of dialogue by the churches and theological communities.
• STH TT 862: Theologies of Liberation
  Theologies of liberation originated in the mid-twentieth century and have continued in various forms and contexts on into the twenty-first century. This course examines some of the classic texts in Latin American, Asian, Hispanic, Black, Womanist, Queer, and Feminist liberation theology and aims at an understanding of their sources, methods, hermeneutic, and primary themes.
• STH TT 865: Religious Dimensions of Whitehead's Philosophy
  A detailed study of Whitehead's physical and metaphysical thought provides a framework for a formal consideration of his religious ideas. Hartshorne's transformation of Whitehead's metaphysical and religious ideas into pantheism. Philosophical ideas in process theology.
• STH TT 866: Feminist and Womanist Theologies
  Feminist and womanist theologians provide some of the sharpest theological analyses of the ways in which power functions both within and outside of religious institutions. This course explores these contributions to an understanding of power, both divine and human, and the ways in which practices and professions of religious traditions can be both death-dealing and life- giving. How does power operate on bodies, in institutions, in global markets? What is the fuel "the power" necessary for social change and transformation? Examining critical moments in 20th century movements of liberation, this course draws on theory, theology, literature, and media to give theological depth and understanding to religious claims about love, power, and justice.
• STH TT 871: Science Literacy and Scientific Boundary Questions
  This course introduces contemporary science to students with research and writing interests in the area of science, philosophy, and religion. It also treats scientific boundary questions, which are philosophical, ethical, and theological questions raised by science yet not answerable within science itself. This is more than a popular science course; it is the course to take when you are ready to go beyond popular science, and you are ready for integrative thinking that connects science, philosophy, history, ethics, and theology. The Fall semester lectures are on the biological sciences. That semester can be taken independently of the Spring semester on physics. The mathematics required for the Spring lectures on physics is taught through the whole year in a separate meeting. You should consult the instructor about your background and readiness to take this course prior to registering.
• STH TT 874: Contemporary Theological Systems
  An exploration of contemporary systematic perspectives on the Christian faith aimed at facilitating the development of the student's own ability to think theologically and to construct his or her own theological perspective in light of his or her own theological tradition and the contemporary situation.
• STH TT 889: Theologies of Sexual Identity
  A study of the conceptual, biblical, historical, scientific, and critical roots of the current issues about sexual identity, focusing on women's ordination and gay marriage as prisms to understand the feminist and gay cultural revolutions. These movements have called attention to sexual identities more generally, and the theology of sexually identity for all human beings will be developed.

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