February 2020 Course Descriptions
February Overview
- Classes meet February 15-16 from Saturday at 12:30 pm (lunch at noon) to Sunday at 12:00 noon.
- Classes begin on Monday, January 16.
- Classes end on Friday, March 13 (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 Theology I (D)
This course provides a biblical, historical, and systematic overview of the following Christian concepts: Revelation, the Bible, God, Creation, Humanity and Sin. The goal of this course is to provide students enrolled on the diaconal track (as well as lay students interested in personal enrichment) with a theological foundation for effective ministry in the world today.
Book List
Throughout Christian history, Christian ethics has come in many forms, rooted in different historical circumstances, cultural milieus, and theological traditions. With the goal of appreciating and applying this diversity, this course will explore the forms of Christian ethics through two different lenses: 1) goals, duties, and virtues as developed by Robin Lovin; 2) universal, subversive, and ecclesial ethics as developed by Samuel Wells.
With these two categorical lenses, the class will discuss and analyze the perspectives of several different thinkers within the history of Christian ethics, including Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Wesley, William Temple, Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Reinhold Niebuhr, H. Richard Niebuhr, Stanley Hauerwas, and James Gustafson. The ultimate goal is for these various thinkers and the various forms that Christian ethics can take to become tools which can be used in our 21st century context.
Book List
Social Ministry I
This course will explore the Biblical, theological, and historical foundations of social ministry in an Episcopal/Anglican context. Participants will also gain a basic understanding of contemporary issues related to poverty in our communities such as, but not limited to, hunger, education, senior citizens, housing, mental health, refugee resettlement, and other issues which push persons to the margins of society.
Book List
This course provides a biblical, historical, and systematic overview of the following Christian concepts: Revelation, the Bible, God, Creation, Humanity and Sin. The goal of this course is to provide students enrolled on the diaconal track (as well as lay students interested in personal enrichment) with a theological foundation for effective ministry in the world today.
Book List
- McGrath, Alister. Theology: The Basics, 4th ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2018.
- McGrath, Alister. Theology: The Basic Readings, 3rd ed. Wiley Blackwell, 2018.
- Dr. Wilburn (Bill) T. Stancil is Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Rockhurst University, Kansas City. Since 1980, he has 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 civic groups and churches of many denominations in the Kansas City area.
Throughout Christian history, Christian ethics has come in many forms, rooted in different historical circumstances, cultural milieus, and theological traditions. With the goal of appreciating and applying this diversity, this course will explore the forms of Christian ethics through two different lenses: 1) goals, duties, and virtues as developed by Robin Lovin; 2) universal, subversive, and ecclesial ethics as developed by Samuel Wells.
With these two categorical lenses, the class will discuss and analyze the perspectives of several different thinkers within the history of Christian ethics, including Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Wesley, William Temple, Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Reinhold Niebuhr, H. Richard Niebuhr, Stanley Hauerwas, and James Gustafson. The ultimate goal is for these various thinkers and the various forms that Christian ethics can take to become tools which can be used in our 21st century context.
Book List
- Robin W. Lovin. An Introduction to Christian Ethics. Nashville: Abingdon, 2011.
- Wayne G. Boulton, et. al. (editors). From Christ to the World: Introductory Readings in Christian Ethics. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994.
- Readings to be distributed by instructor
- The Rev. Dr. David Cox has been the Associate Rector at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Mission, Kansas, since June of 2013. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 1, 2012, in the Diocese of West Missouri. Prior to his current position, Cox taught sociology, religion, and ethics at the junior college level for five years. Cox earned his Ph.D. in Religion and Ethics from Vanderbilt University in 2007. Cox’s research and teaching interests include both theological and social ethics, with a special interest in the work of H. Richard Niebuhr and ethicists influenced by him.
Social Ministry I
This course will explore the Biblical, theological, and historical foundations of social ministry in an Episcopal/Anglican context. Participants will also gain a basic understanding of contemporary issues related to poverty in our communities such as, but not limited to, hunger, education, senior citizens, housing, mental health, refugee resettlement, and other issues which push persons to the margins of society.
Book List
- Christian Social Witness. Harold T. Lewis, 2001.
- Students will also be invited to read another text on issues related to poverty in the United States and lead a discussion in class about the particular text. A list of potential books for this project will be included with the syllabus.
- The Very Rev. Charles A. (Chas) Marks is Rector of St. Augustine's Church in Kansas City, MO and also serves as a Senior Advisor for Community & Church Relations for the Saint Francis Foundation. Fr. Chas is the Dean of the Northwest-Metro Deanery of the Diocese of West Missouri. He is a graduate of Wichita State University, Saint Meinrad School of Theology, and The Bishop Kemper School for Ministry. Prior to his ordination to the priesthood in 2015, Fr. Chas worked in social services in Kansas City, MO and Memphis, TN. He spent 10 years managing programs that assist homeless and runaway youth in the Kansas City metropolitan area and also served on the Advisory Board of the National Safe Place Network. Fr. Chas has presented at several national conferences on issues around homeless youth and advocacy. He is a certified facilitator of Called to Transformation: An Asset-Based Approach to Engaging Church & Community.