December 2020 Course Descriptions
December Overview
- Classes meet December 12-13 from Saturday at 12:30 pm (lunch at noon) to Sunday at 12:00 noon
- OR - attend online via Zoom - Classes begin on Monday, Nov. 16.
- Classes end on Friday, January 8 (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.
Diakonia I
This course is intended for those on the path toward ordination to the diaconate in order to help you to develop an understanding of the diaconate in the Church in general, and the Episcopal Church in particular. Specifically, this course examines the history, evolution and theology of the diaconate from the time of the first-century church to the present. The class also emphasizes the roles of the deacon in the Sacraments of the Church, especially the deacon’s role in the Eucharist, as well as the call of the deacon to ministry in the world, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely.
Book List
Foundations of Ethics
Christian Ethics is a field of study in which theological reflection is employed to develop a normative account of the moral life of Christians. This course acquaints students with Christian Ethics as a theological discipline and field of study, provides tools to articulate an account of the Christian moral life, and considers the relationship between theology and the practice of ethics in the life of the Church.
Book List
This course will explore biblical, historical and contemporary interpretations of the person and work of Christ.
Book List
New Testament
This course is a study of the Gospels, Epistles, and other writings of the New Testament that gives consideration to the their historical, literary, and theological dimensions. After taking this course, students will have gained a general understanding of the major stories and theological ideas of the New Testament, a basic familiarity with the variety of methods scholars use to interpret the New Testament, a basic sense of the origins and historical development of the New Testament, and an appreciation for variation and similarity within interpretations of the New Testament.
Book List
This course is intended for those on the path toward ordination to the diaconate in order to help you to develop an understanding of the diaconate in the Church in general, and the Episcopal Church in particular. Specifically, this course examines the history, evolution and theology of the diaconate from the time of the first-century church to the present. The class also emphasizes the roles of the deacon in the Sacraments of the Church, especially the deacon’s role in the Eucharist, as well as the call of the deacon to ministry in the world, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely.
Book List
- Plater, Ormonde. Many Servants: an Introduction to Deacons, Rev. Ed. Cambridge: Cowley, 2004.
- Plater, Ormonde. Deacons in the Liturgy, 2nd Ed. New York: Church Publishing, 2009.
- Watson-Epting. Unexpected Consequences: The Diaconate Renewed. New York: Morehouse Publishing, 2015.
- The Venerable Dr. Charles Pearce was ordained to the diaconate in 2000 and was appointed Archdeacon for the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas by Bishop Dean Wolfe in 2007. He retired in 2020 as Archdeacon of the western half of the diocese, as Archdeacon for Diaconal Formation and Education, and as deacon assigned to St. Paul’s, Manhattan, Kansas. He served as an on-call, part-time hospital chaplain for twelve years, and is trained in grief and bereavement ministry. He holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and is an emeritus professor of mass communication at Kansas State University, retiring in 2012. He is a 1999 graduate of the Kansas School of Ministry.
Foundations of Ethics
Christian Ethics is a field of study in which theological reflection is employed to develop a normative account of the moral life of Christians. This course acquaints students with Christian Ethics as a theological discipline and field of study, provides tools to articulate an account of the Christian moral life, and considers the relationship between theology and the practice of ethics in the life of the Church.
Book List
- Bader-Sate, Scott. Formed by Love (Church’s Teaching Series for a Changing World). Church Publishing, 2017.
- Bingham, Sally G. Love God, Heal Earth. St. Lynn’s Press, 2009.
- Blackburn, Simon. Being Good: A Short Introduction to Ethics. (Second Edition) Oxford University Press, 2003.
- The Venerable Betsy Bennett taught philosophy at Hastings College for sixteen years, and has been an Episcopal deacon since 2004. She currently serves as Archdeacon for the Diocese of Nebraska. The focus of her diaconal ministry is religious environmental work, which includes writing the Green Sprouts blog. A 2008 GreenFaith Fellow, she has been active in several religious environmental organizations as well as the Association for Episcopal Deacons and Spiritual Directors International. Her M.A. in philosophy is from The Ohio State University.
This course will explore biblical, historical and contemporary interpretations of the person and work of Christ.
Book List
- McGrath, Alister. Christian Theology: An Introduction, 6th edition. Wiley Blackwell, 2016
- 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.
New Testament
This course is a study of the Gospels, Epistles, and other writings of the New Testament that gives consideration to the their historical, literary, and theological dimensions. After taking this course, students will have gained a general understanding of the major stories and theological ideas of the New Testament, a basic familiarity with the variety of methods scholars use to interpret the New Testament, a basic sense of the origins and historical development of the New Testament, and an appreciation for variation and similarity within interpretations of the New Testament.
Book List
- David L. Barr, New Testament Story: An Introduction. 4th ed. Cengage Learning Press, 2008.
- Dr. Arminta Fox is Assistant Professor of Religion and Director of Peer Ministry at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. She earned her PhD in Biblical Studies from Drew University Theological School in Madison, New Jersey in 2015. A New Testament scholar, Dr. Fox’s primary areas of research include the complex development of identity in biblical texts and early Christian history, feminist biblical scholarship, contextual hermeneutics, and material culture.
Her first book, Paul Decentered: Reading 2 Corinthians with the Corinthian Women, was published by Lexington/Fortress Academic in December 2019. This work analyzes how Paul’s letters, particularly 2 Corinthians, witness to complex debates between Paul and the communities in which he worked. It argues that women played an important role in the development of the Christian community in Corinth.