April 2021 Course Descriptions

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April Overview
  • The Zoom Focus Weekend meets  April 10-11, on Saturday from 8:30-6:00 and on Sunday from 8:30-12:15. The detailed weekend schedule is here.
  • If Covid conditions improve enough so that we are able to meet safely face-to-face, we will notify all enrolled students about that option as soon as the decision is made.
  • Classes begin on Monday,  March 15.
  • Classes end on Friday, May 7 (if taken for credit)
  • Tuition (on Zoom) is $100 to audit, $130 for credit. Tuition (in person) is $100 to audit, $210 for credit (includes overnight accommodations and meals)
  • Complete a short application for the $100 Jim Upton lay scholarship.
  • Register online for classes.

Anglican Ethics
In this class, students explore distinctive Anglican approaches to moral questions by studying the traditions of Anglican ethics and their contemporary relevance in the practical life of today’s church.
Book List  
  • Anglican Theological Review 94:2 (articles by Greenman and Sedgwick) and 94:4 (articles by Smith, Dackson, and Gibson, and responses by Sedgwick, Davis, and Wondra). Available for free download at www.anglicantheologicalreview.org. Use the “read” button and then go to “browse previous issues.”
  • Sedgwick, Timothy. The Christian Moral Life: Practices of Piety. Eerdmans, 1999.
Your Instructor
  • The Very Rev. Dr. Don H. Compier (Ph.D. in theology, Emory University) is Dean of the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry. He also serves as Canon Theologian of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. Previously, Compier taught Master’s and Ph.D. courses in theology, philosophy, mission, cultural studies (including Latino/a/x history and thought) and church history at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA.  He is the author of several award-winning books. He is currently researching the history of Eucharistic thought in Anglicanism. Dean Compier serves on the board of the Ignatian Spirituality Center of Kansas City.

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. 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.
Your Instructor 
  • 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

Preaching I
In this course, students will explore the constitutive elements of preaching and various types of sermons, establish a trustworthy hermeneutical and exegetical process for sermon design, and elicit their own homiletical voice and style.  As part of the course requirements, students will prepare and preach a sermon on an assigned text.
Reading List
  • Cressman, Lisa Kraske. Backstory Preaching: Integrating Life, Spirituality, and Craft. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2018,
  • Taylor, Barbara Brown. The Preaching Life. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., 1993.
Your Instructor
  • The Very Rev. Torey Lightcap is Dean of Grace Cathedral in Topeka, Kansas. Prior this recent appointment he served as Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas for five years. He is an alumnus of the Seminary of the Southwest (M.Div, ’04), Oklahoma State University (M.S., ’96), and Oklahoma Baptist University (B.A., 1994). He recently became a Certified Leadership Coach through the Kansas Leadership Center.

Tasks of Theology
Most Christians are not content to simply experience their faith.  They seek to understand it. One classic definition of theology is “faith seeking understanding.” This course will provide a foundation for thinking about one’s faith. As such, the course will explore basic questions such as; What is theology? What is its relationship to other disciplines (philosophy, Scripture studies, history, preaching, etc.)?; What approaches to theological thinking are available?; and others. At the end of this course, students should be prepared to think theologically about the Christian faith.  
Book List     
  • McGrath, Alister.  Christian Theology: An Introduction, 6th edition. Wiley Blackwell, 2016.
  • Barth, Karl.  Evangelical Theology: An Introduction. Eerdmans, 1992 (Reprint edition).
Your Instructor
  • Dr. Wilburn (Bill) T. Stancil is Professor Emeritus of Theology and Religious Studies at Rockhurst University, Kansas City.  In his 40-year teaching career, he taught theology at four different universities and theological seminaries.  Dr. Stancil is a licensed lay preacher in the Episcopal Church and a frequent speaker to churches of many denominations in the Kansas City area.
Register for April Courses