April 2018 Course Descriptions
BKSM welcomes anyone to take courses with us for personal enrichment or continuing education!
We encourage you to experience the remarkable community of learning, worship and fellowship that makes BKSM such a remarkable place for formation.
Did you know that scholarships are available for students taking classes for personal enrichment?
April courses begin officially on March 12, the focus weekend takes place April 14-15, and final assignments are due May 11.
While the weekend begins with breakfast at 7:30 for students on ordination, lay certificate and PMA tracks, course instruction does not begin until 1:00 p.m., which gives you the flexibility of driving to Topeka on Saturday morning
That being said, you are welcome to spend the night at Upton Hall on Friday night, and join us for breakfast and morning prayer on Saturday morning. While the 8:45 colloquium session is a closed group for students on ordination, PMA, and lay certificate tracks, you are encouraged to join us at 10:15 for our praxis session, which addresses some practical area of ministry.
If you would like to audit a course, the tuition is $100. If you would like to take the class for credit, the tuition is $180. The cost includes meals and overnight accommodations at Upton Hall on Friday and Saturday night (on a space-available basis). If you wish to take the class for credit, we encourage you to enroll by January 14. If you wish to audit the class, you may register at any time prior to the focus weekend. However, your learning experience will be better if you have time to complete the assigned readings for the class.
Get started by completing the online course registration form. If you have any questions, please contact the Very Rev. Dr. Don Compier, BKSM dean, at [email protected] or (816) 217-4053.
We encourage you to experience the remarkable community of learning, worship and fellowship that makes BKSM such a remarkable place for formation.
Did you know that scholarships are available for students taking classes for personal enrichment?
April courses begin officially on March 12, the focus weekend takes place April 14-15, and final assignments are due May 11.
While the weekend begins with breakfast at 7:30 for students on ordination, lay certificate and PMA tracks, course instruction does not begin until 1:00 p.m., which gives you the flexibility of driving to Topeka on Saturday morning
That being said, you are welcome to spend the night at Upton Hall on Friday night, and join us for breakfast and morning prayer on Saturday morning. While the 8:45 colloquium session is a closed group for students on ordination, PMA, and lay certificate tracks, you are encouraged to join us at 10:15 for our praxis session, which addresses some practical area of ministry.
If you would like to audit a course, the tuition is $100. If you would like to take the class for credit, the tuition is $180. The cost includes meals and overnight accommodations at Upton Hall on Friday and Saturday night (on a space-available basis). If you wish to take the class for credit, we encourage you to enroll by January 14. If you wish to audit the class, you may register at any time prior to the focus weekend. However, your learning experience will be better if you have time to complete the assigned readings for the class.
Get started by completing the online course registration form. If you have any questions, please contact the Very Rev. Dr. Don Compier, BKSM dean, at [email protected] or (816) 217-4053.
Christian History Survey (D)
Christian History is an overview of the 2000 years of the faith. Topics include Jesus and early Christianity, transition from Jewish sect to separate religion, encounters with the pagan Greco-Roman world, the end of persecution, status as a state church, definitions of belief about Jesus Christ and the Trinity, expansion into Northern Europe, the Reformation and Catholic-Protestant struggles, expansion of Christianity around the world, faith wrestling with the Enlightenment, what “Christendom” was and how it is disappearing, and the meaning of modernity and post-modernity. We will pay attention to Christians’ engagement with the world and service to the world.
Reading List
This course will introduce you to the ministry of Homiletics (preaching), to deepen your knowledge of the history of preaching, to familiarize yourself with various types of sermons, to understand the influence of the church year on preaching, and to provide you with the necessary skills, knowledge and abilities to develop, prepare, and deliver both a meditation and a homily.
Reading List
Pauline Epistles
This class is an introduction to Paul’s letters for those who have had little or no exposure to the academic study of Paul. It will attempt to help students understand Paul’s letters vis-à-vis the socio-historical and political contexts of the first century. In addition, it will demonstrate how these letters function as missional documents endeavoring to form their addresses into an embodiment of the gospel in their particular culture. To do this, the face-to-face classroom time will focus on one or two of Paul’s letters with a side glance at a few passages from other letters to illustrate certain points. The goal of the course is to provide the student with a rudimentary understanding of, and tools with which to engage in a responsible theological interpretation of Paul’s letters.
Reading List
Tasks of Theology
Theology is, according to the famous definition of St. Anselm of Canterbury, “faith seeking understanding.” All those in spiritual relationship with God will seek to understand the Holy One better, both as a way of deepening one’s own discipleship and as preparation for effectively sharing the good news of the Divine Love with others. Lay and ordained ministers must be prepared to ably teach the faith of the Church (doctrine comes from a Latin word meaning teaching). The canons of the Episcopal Church require potential ordinands to be examined in the area of theology. Standards also apply to offices such as lay preachers and catechists. As part of the theological curriculum of Bishop Kemper School for Ministry, this course has been carefully designed to assure that persons will be well prepared to demonstrate their proficiency in Christian theology.
Reading List
Christian History is an overview of the 2000 years of the faith. Topics include Jesus and early Christianity, transition from Jewish sect to separate religion, encounters with the pagan Greco-Roman world, the end of persecution, status as a state church, definitions of belief about Jesus Christ and the Trinity, expansion into Northern Europe, the Reformation and Catholic-Protestant struggles, expansion of Christianity around the world, faith wrestling with the Enlightenment, what “Christendom” was and how it is disappearing, and the meaning of modernity and post-modernity. We will pay attention to Christians’ engagement with the world and service to the world.
Reading List
- Mullin, Robert Bruce. A Short World History of Christianity. Revised Edition. Louisville: Westminister John Knox Press, 2014.
- The Rev. Canon Dr. George Wiley taught religion at Baker University for 35 years and has been serving the Diocese of Kansas as canon pastor since 2014. He holds a Ph.D. in historical theology from Emory University. As a teacher, he is known for engaging with students and creating an inviting classroom atmosphere.
This course will introduce you to the ministry of Homiletics (preaching), to deepen your knowledge of the history of preaching, to familiarize yourself with various types of sermons, to understand the influence of the church year on preaching, and to provide you with the necessary skills, knowledge and abilities to develop, prepare, and deliver both a meditation and a homily.
Reading List
- Craddock, Fred B. Preaching. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1985.
- Taylor, Barbara Brown. The Preaching Life. Boston, MA: Cowley, 1993
- Troeger, Thomas H. Imagining a Sermon. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1990.
- The Rev. George Pejakovich graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1967. He served ten years as an Infantry Officer, commanding two companies in Viet Nam. He resigned in 1977 to attend Lutheran Theological Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, but returned to the Army as a Chaplain in 1979, serving in numerous postings, and became the Commandant of the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School in 1994. After retiring from the Army in 1999, he became pastor of a Lutheran congregation in Columbia, SC. He moved to Topeka in 2001, and since 2004 he has served as Assistant to the Dean of Grace Episcopal Cathedral. He resides happily with wife, Joyce, and a large standard poodle named Jaeger.
Pauline Epistles
This class is an introduction to Paul’s letters for those who have had little or no exposure to the academic study of Paul. It will attempt to help students understand Paul’s letters vis-à-vis the socio-historical and political contexts of the first century. In addition, it will demonstrate how these letters function as missional documents endeavoring to form their addresses into an embodiment of the gospel in their particular culture. To do this, the face-to-face classroom time will focus on one or two of Paul’s letters with a side glance at a few passages from other letters to illustrate certain points. The goal of the course is to provide the student with a rudimentary understanding of, and tools with which to engage in a responsible theological interpretation of Paul’s letters.
Reading List
- Gorman, Michael J. Reading Paul. Cascade, 2008 (usually cheaper at the Wipf & Stock website than anywhere else).
- Longenecker, Bruce. The Lost Letters of Pergamum. Baker, 2003.
- Dr. Andy Johnson graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University in 1982 with a B.S. in Accounting and Business Administration. He subsequently received an M.Div. from Nazarene Theological Seminary (1989) in Kansas City and a Ph.D. from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota (1994), focusing in New Testament Studies with a specialty in the Pauline epistles. He has taught at Nazarene Theological Seminary since Fall 2002. Johnson is the author of 1 & 2 Thessalonians in the Between Two Horizons commentary series (Eerdmans, 2016), Holiness and the Missio Dei (Cascade, 2016) and numerous scholarly and popular articles. He is also co-editor of Holiness and Ecclesiology in the New Testament (Eerdmans, 2007), an associate editor of the Wesley Study Bible (Abingdon), and part of the translation team of the Common English Bible (2011).
Tasks of Theology
Theology is, according to the famous definition of St. Anselm of Canterbury, “faith seeking understanding.” All those in spiritual relationship with God will seek to understand the Holy One better, both as a way of deepening one’s own discipleship and as preparation for effectively sharing the good news of the Divine Love with others. Lay and ordained ministers must be prepared to ably teach the faith of the Church (doctrine comes from a Latin word meaning teaching). The canons of the Episcopal Church require potential ordinands to be examined in the area of theology. Standards also apply to offices such as lay preachers and catechists. As part of the theological curriculum of Bishop Kemper School for Ministry, this course has been carefully designed to assure that persons will be well prepared to demonstrate their proficiency in Christian theology.
Reading List
- Daniel Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology, 3rd edition (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014, ISBN 978-0-8028-7185-5)
- Gordon Kaufman, An Essay on Theological Method, 3rd edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995, ISBN 978-0788501357)
- Catherine, Keller, On the Mystery (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0800662769).
- As one who loves working with students from all sorts of backgrounds, Dr. Adam Pryor is Assistant Professor of Religion and Director of Core Education at Bethany College in Lindsborg, KS. A constructive theologian, his primary areas of research interest include the intersection of theology and science, phenomenologies of the body, interfaith dialogue, and feminist theology. Specifically he pursues various forms of correlational theology that considers how a given contemporary issue or field effect reflection of classic loci of Christian systematic theology. He is the author of two books--The God Who Lives (Pickwick Publishing, 2014) and Body of Christ Incarnate for You (Lexington, 2016)--that follow this structure. His current research is exploring the implications of astrobiology for accounts of the imago Dei.