April 2020 Course Descriptions
April Overview
- Classes meet April 18-19 from Saturday at 12:45 pm (lunch at noon) to Sunday at 12:15 pm. (This a week later than usual due to Easter!
- Classes begin on Monday, March 16.
- Classes end on Friday, May 15 (if taken for credit).
- Tuition is $100 to audit, $195 for credit, which includes your overnight stay at Upton Hall & all meals.
- If you prefer a hotel, we have a special rate of $75.50 (including tax) at nearby Senate Luxury Suites.
- Complete a short application for the $100 Jim Upton lay scholarship.
- Register online for classes.
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
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.
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, 2014) and Body of Christ Incarnate for You (Lexington, 2016)--that follow this structure. His current research entitled Living with Tiny Aliens (Fordham, forthcoming 2020) explores the implications of astrobiology for accounts of the imago Dei.