School:

Boston College School of Theology & Ministry

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Fundamental Theology

The resources and methods of theology provide the framework for this course. A primary focus will be on the relationship between revelation, faith, and theology, which includes the role of the Bible and the church's doctrine. The course will also survey past and present methods in 'doing theology,' and consider the connection between theology and spirituality.

School:

Boston College School of Theology & Ministry

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

The Church

The ecclesial dimension of Christian faith is the focal point of this course. The course will locate the church within both a Trinitarian theology and a theological anthropology. Specific topics for exploration include the place of the church in the Creed, the sacramentality of the church, a theology of mission, and of structure and authority. The course will also explore current issues shaping the church's life and its place in the wider culture.

School:

Boston College School of Theology & Ministry

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Christology

This course seeks to clarify what it means to confess that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, and why this is a significant claim. The course examines the New Testament, the early councils of the Church, the writings of early and medieval Christian theologians, the dogmatic teachings of the Church and the contributions of contemporary theologians. Two main questions will be addressed: Who is Jesus? How does Jesus save us?

School:

Boston College School of Theology & Ministry

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Contemplative Theology

This seminar explores major figures, texts, and trends in contemplative approaches to theology. By "contemplative" it is meant a disposition of deep openness and receptivity, a working familiarity with silence, hiddenness, and the implicit dimensions of thought, feeling, and awareness. More than a study of figures and texts that exhibit a broadly contemplative sensibility, the seminar inquires into the practice of contemplation (e.g., ways of attending, the cultivation of skills, the formation of habits, etc.) and the way such practice bears upon (or might bear upon) theology itself. Classic figures and texts will be treated alongside contemporary trends of contemplative renewal.

School:

Boston College School of Theology & Ministry

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Theological Virtues

The Church is often described as a community of faith, hope, and love. This course explores how some Christian thinkers have understood these central theological virtues. After considering New Testament sources, we will examine the following periods and thinkers: patristic (e.g. Augustine), medieval (Aquinas), reformation (Calvin), early modern (John of the Cross), and modern (Rahner, Lonergan, liberation theology). While special attention will be paid to the systematic thought of Aquinas, the goal of this course is to present a broad range of thinkers so that students can articulate their own account of these characteristic marks of Christian life.

School:

Boston College School of Theology & Ministry

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Theology of Culture

This course explores the relationship between theology and culture through the following questions: How do particular cultures shape Christian faith? How has the Church, for better or worse, changed (or failed to change) the various cultures into which it has been received? How are rapid advances in technology shaping culture and how should the Church respond? How do theologians navigate between their local context and global economic realities that influence all locales? How does the study of culture, which integrates the various branches of inquiry into human meaning, challenge and invigorate theological reflection?

School:

Boston College School of Theology & Ministry

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Faith & Justice: Liberation Theologies in the U.S.

Liberation theologies are modes of theological discourse that rethink the purpose of religious thought and practice by placing attention on distinctive experiences of injustice and inequality encountered by different individuals and social groups. Although the liberation theology movement is now a global one, the United States has been the birthplace of a good number of liberation theologies. This course examines the emergence, development, emphases, and methodologies of four of these, including African American/Black theology of liberation, feminist theology of liberation, Latino/a theology of liberation, and LGBTQ theology of liberation. Besides offering a solid introduction to liberation theology, the course analyzes basic concepts underlying theories of injustice, domination, and oppression.

School:

Boston College School of Theology & Ministry

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Creation and Eschatology

How does Christian faith invite us to imagine the relationship between "this world" and "the world to come"? How does that affect the way we live and work in the world? This course explores key biblical texts, Christian doctrine, and contemporary theologies. Special attention is given to the relationship between religion and science, especially biblical hermeneutics; evolution and theology; death, judgment, heaven, and hell; the significance of Christian faith in bodily resurrection; and the biblical and theological basis for concern for the environment and a creation-centered spirituality.

School:

Boston College School of Theology & Ministry

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Global Catholicism: Challenges/New Evangelization

This seminar traces the evolution of global Catholicism in the light of demographic shifts within the Roman Catholic Church from 1910-2010. Drawing upon insights and perspectives from church history, ecclesiology, theology, world mission studies, and post-colonial theory, the seminar examines the interactive dynamics of faith and culture as it explores the transformation of Roman Catholic ecclesial consciousness in the twenty-first century. Additional resources for research and analysis include the working documents, proceedings, and outcomes of recent Special Synods as well as international, regional, and national General Conferences of Episcopal Conferences, Assemblies of Conferences of Religious, and World Youth Days.

School:

Boston College School of Theology & Ministry

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Discipleship

What is the relationship between what theologians have said about discipleship and the ways in which these articulations have shaped the living out of their vocations as theologians in the church and in the world? What can we learn from their lives? What do they teach us about following Jesus amidst the forces of secularization and desecularization? What does it mean to follow Jesus particularly in times of war, genocide, natural disaster, catastrophe, socio-economic collapse, scientific discovery, globalization and pluralism? What currently informs our own theological imaginations with regard to the challenges of Christian discipleship in today's church and world?

School:

Boston College School of Theology & Ministry

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

The Trinity in the Early Church

An introduction to early Christian Trinitarian theology and its enduring pertinence to the Church's worship of God as one and three, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Treating authors from Justin Martyr to John of Damascus, we explore the scriptural and philosophical features of, among other issues, the "Cappadocian solution," the "psychological analogies" of Augustine, the roots of the filioque, and the challenge of Islam. We will consider the retrieval of patristic Trinitarian theology by recent authors, especially in light of debates on ontotheology, the immanent and the economic Trinity, and social analogies for divine perichoresis.

School:

Boston College School of Theology & Ministry

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

The Mystery of the Trinity

The course will offer the Scriptural sources, the dogmatic development and the works of contemporary theologians that have contributed to the Church?s reflection on God, One and Triune, as revealed through the life and praxis of Jesus of Nazareth. This fundamental path will permit us to offer a systematic Trinitarian theology of God as Mystery of salvation and liberation of all.

School:

Boston College School of Theology & Ministry

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Latin American Theology of Liberation

Latin American liberation theology traces its origins to the grassroots Christian communities that struggled for social justice in the 1960s. This course explores the distinctive way in which Latin American liberation theologians correlate their interpretation of their social context with the Christian tradition and praxis in a mutually-critical manner. We will critically examine their fundamental presuppositions, their contribution to theology, and their efforts to articulate the Christian message as an effective response against oppression and on behalf of a full human liberation. We will also incorporate some of the liberationist voices that emerge from other social and cultural situations.

School:

Boston College School of Theology & Ministry

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Synodality and Reforms in the Church Today

This Course explores the theological and pastoral roots of Synodality as a consequence of the process of reception and deepening of the Ecclesiology of the People of God in the Second Vatican Council. In this context, Pastoral conversion and Synodal conversion are key to understand today`s ecclesial proposal of an inverted pyramid that overcomes clericalism and leads to a new way of proceeding in the Church that starts from below, from the sensus fidei fidelium, and then upwards. From this perspective, we are entering in a new phase in the reception of the Council and a renewed ecclesiology, an event that involves the reform of structures and processes. This demands a conversion in the ecclesial mentality, a revision of lifestyles, practices of communal discernment, and structural reform. Therefore, the course will present synodality as a constitutive and constituent note of the Church that embraces a major reform.

School:

Boston College School of Theology & Ministry

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Reconciliation in a World of Conflict

The twentieth century's legacy is marked by social conflict and war: more than 200 million people killed because of political repression, ethnic or religious wars. Enlisting a theological lens, this seminar examines the Christian resources and contribution to the problem of reconciliation. After examining the most important secular approaches to the problem of personal and social conflict, we will focus on the main Christian theologies of reconciliation, including the works of Robert Schreiter, Miroslav Volf, John de Gruchy, and Jon Sobrino. Their theologies will be examined through individual case studies of the Balkan region, South Africa, and El Salvador.

School:

Boston College Department of Theology

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Classic Texts in American Theology

This course examines texts that defined both the "Great Tradition" in American theology (Reinhold Niebuhr, William James, Walter Rauschenbusch) as well as texts that have profoundly shaped American Catholic theology (David Tracy, Elizabeth Johnson, etc.)

School:

Boston College Department of Theology

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Theology of Edward Schillebeeckx

This doctoral seminar will be devoted to the reading of primary texts from three periods in the work of Edward Schillebeeckx (1914-2009): (1) the early existential-phenomenological retrieval of Thomas Aquinas's theology of sacraments; (2) the shift to historical consciousness and hermeneutics during and after Vatican II, particularly exemplified in his Christology; (3) the shift to critical theory and its critique of modernity, leading to an historical praxis of mysticism and politics in the light of a suffering world.

School:

Boston College Department of Theology

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Feminist Theologies and Theory

This doctoral seminar examines the contributions that feminist/womanist/Latina/Asian/ Queer theologians have made to Christian theology, with special attention given to the theoretical perspectives and methodological frameworks they employ. We will examine some of the major social/political/hermeneutical theories that feminist scholars of religion use in addressing the challenges of identity, difference, embodiment and Western hegemony/imperialism. Students will have the opportunity to analyze a classic feminist theology text of their choosing, utilizing insights from these theoretical frameworks.

School:

Boston College Department of Theology

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Methods in Theology

In the late 1960s, Karl Rahner asserted that theology's new partners in dialogue were the human and social sciences. Increasingly in answering new and perennial questions, contemporary theology has partnered with archaeology, sociology, cultural studies, psychology, world religions, and forms of critical theory. This course considers various methods in doing theology as well as some of theology's significant dialogue partners.

School:

Boston College Department of Theology

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

A Theology of Food: Eating, Drinking and the Eucharist

Eating and drinking are primordial human experiences that nourish individuals, sustain communities and are at the heart of rituals in many religions. In the Judeo-Christian tradition meals play an important part in the unfolding dialog between God and humanity. Christians believe in a privileged encounter with the Lord Jesus in the Eucharistic meal of bread and wine. Eternal life is portrayed as a great banquet in God's presence. This course articulates a theology of the Eucharist that takes meal as its point of departure. It examines how this central Christian action both shapes the divine-human relationship and informs our response to contemporary issues such as creation and ecology, hunger and suffering, solidarity and exclusion, hope and eternity.

School:

Boston University School of Theology

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Constructive Theology [LECTURE]

This course introduces students to the major themes of Christian theology with the aim of providing them with a framework for effective and faithful theological reflection. Beginning with revelation and ending with eschatology, we follow a familiar progression in the study of systematic theology, examining modern and postmodern theological perspectives on God, creation, human nature, sin, Christology, ecclesiology and other doctrinal loci. The methodological approach is constructive, in that emphasis is placed on helping students integrate central issues of faith in response to contemporary issues.

School:

Boston University School of Theology

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Constructive Theology [DISCUSSION]

[This discussion section is full. Please contact sthregfa@bu.edu to be added to the waitlist or choose a different disucssion section for this course.] Discussion

School:

Boston University School of Theology

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Constructive Theology [DISCUSSION]

Discussion

School:

Boston University School of Theology

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Spirit

[This course is full. Please contact sthregfa@bu.edu to be added to the waitlist.] The course shifts focus from studies of the Holy Spirit in Christian teachings to examine what it means to tend to the human spirit, especially under conditions of threat, struggle, and oppression. It features the writings and teachings of three figures -- Howard Thurman, Julian of Norwich, and Gloria Anzald?a -- and positions them as spiritual guides for exploring our capacities: 1) for connection and care; 2) for living with intention and purpose; and 3) for reimagining collective life. With primary focus on the works of Thurman, this course is an invitation to think with him about what makes religious/spiritual teachings about the human spirit distinctive and compelling. It also invites students, through readings and assignments, to engage with their own spiritual lineages and the spiritual traditions of the communities whom you serve.

School:

Boston University School of Theology

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Political Theology

Recent developments across a variety of disciplines have led to deep and widespread interest in "political theology" -- a diverse range of approaches to interrogating, (re)imagining, and (de)constructing the intersection of politics, religion, and theology, present and past. Scholars have argued that dominant paradigms of sovereignty, the secular, modernity, and liberalism are themselves secularized, corrupted, or otherwise transformed versions of Jewish and Christian theology. Others contend that modern political practices and paradigms represent not the legacy of early modern secularization but the trail of an early modern reinjection of theology in political and social theory. Others still find in the practices of contemporary communities lived political theologies that subvert existing power structures and cast doubt on common conceptions of contemporary political life and possibilities. This course examines these competing developments, readings, and proposals; their interactions; and the contested histories, theories, and values that underwrite them. Considering political theology as both a historical and contemporary phenomenon and engaging a range of perspectives and figures, the course also considers relations and interactions between political theology and other approaches to questions of "religion and politics."

School:

Boston University School of Theology

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Queer Theology

This course examines the emergence of queer theology as it has been derived from queer theory and LGBTQ social justice activists. It will acquaint students with the history of the term "queer", its challenges, its reappropriation and the impact queer theology is having on the Christian faith and practices. We will especially investigate how "queering" may contribute to theology as academic discipline, church practice and as an instrument of social justice. This course will privilege an intersectional analysis.

School:

Hartford International University

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Introduction to Christian Theology

This course aims to survey all of the major dogmatic elements in the Christian confessions and theological discourses: the doctrine of revelation, the doctrine of God/Trinity, Christology, Sotereology, Christian anthropology, Pneumatology, Ecclesiology, Eschatology, etc. We will study how each element interrelates with the contemporary Christian community's life in the world.

School:

Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology

BTI Category:

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

Introduction to the New Testament

A required survey of the New Testament books in their historical and religious background with attention to hermeneutics, the patristic exegetical heritage, and modern biblical studies.