TMTM7175

The Church and Interreligious Dialogue

Dialogue between religions has become one of the urgent yet intractable challenges of our time. In this course, we will focus on the engagement of the Catholic Church and Catholic theologians in interreligious dialogue. The first part of the course will deal with topical issues, such as the history of, and the theological foundations for dialogue, intermonastic dialogue, scriptural reasoning, etc. The second part will focus on the particular dialogues between Christianity and Islam, Christianity and Judaism, Christianity and Hinduism, and Christianity and Buddhism

AM-604-3

Theologies of Chaplaincy: Bringing God into the Multifaith Encounter on the Edge of Religion

This course aids in the chaplain's role definition as a person representing religion and God on the edges of religious institutions. It privileges the complex experience of representing faith in multifaith and//or secular contexts and/or blended contexts. The course will explore the role of a chaplain in a variety of settings, including medical facilities, universities, prisons, and as advocates in institutions and places as yet unconsidered. This course provides an introductory experience for people considering and training for chaplaincy as a vocation.

AM-667-2

Times of Crisis in Interreligious Perspective

The havoc wrought by COVID-19 has foregrounded the need for robust resources and strategies for interreligious understanding and collaboration in situations where loss is multireligious, or the response to it should be. At the same time, evidence of the insidiousness of systemic racism and White immunity has mounted, such that some have said we have been dealing with two pandemics at once! In times of great stress, to what spiritual resources do we and our neighbors of other lifeways turn? What are we to do when access to those resources is disrupted? How can any of us provide comfort, hope, and cautious wisdom with integrity when anxiety, grief, fear, or demands for physical distancing threaten to overwhelm or isolate? When great loss exacerbates bigotry and blaming, what actions can we take? What sorts of collaborative efforts have proven effective? Drawing upon case studies, scripture, devotional/theological writings, and interreligious scholarship, this asynchronous online course takes on these (and related) questions as it strives to develop or deepen awareness of effective forms and methods of religion-specific and interreligious spiritual guidance in religiously plural contexts.

HDS 2936

Clinical Chaplaincy: Interfaith Caregiving Skills and Practice

Healthcare chaplaincy is a specialized, unique field of ministry continuing to increase in demand in clinical settings like hospitals and hospice centers. This introductory course will explore the theory and practice of clinical chaplaincy in hospitals and focus on developing the foundation and skills necessary for providing effective interfaith care and spiritual counseling interventions in the medical setting. Course content will include readings, group discussions, and counseling practice, and will emphasize six main areas of clinical chaplaincy: 1) basic counseling intervention skills, 2) interfaith spiritual care, 3) ethics in the medical context, 4) end-of-life support, 5) clinical standards and due diligence in the institution, and 6) self care. A prior course in introduction to pastoral counseling or the equivalent is a prerequisite. Instructor permission required.

INT510

J-TERM From Diversity to Pluralism: "Religious Leadership in an Interreligious Age"

We live in one of the most religiously diverse societies in the history of humankind. How can we cultivate an ethos of dignified engagement both within our particular communities of practice and across religious traditions?_What are the ethical underpinnings- values and dispositions- that support such an effort? What theological resources might we draw on for this sacred work? What are some historical and contemporary models of individual and communal engagement that we can learn from as we develop our intra/interreligious leadership capacities?