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  PR 700 Creative Preaching on the Sacraments

  Lester Ruth

  --O’Keefe, John J. and R. R. Reno, Sanctified Vision: An Introduction to Early Christian Interpretation of the Bible --Satterlee, Craig and Lester Ruth, Creative Preaching on the Sacraments, Discipleship Resources. --Yarnold, Edward, The Awe-Inspiring Rites of Initiation, The Liturgical Press.

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  PR 700 WO 700 Creative Preaching on the Sacraments

  Lester Ruth

  --O’Keefe, John J. and R. R. Reno, Sanctified Vision: An Introduction to Early Christian Interpretation of the Bible --Satterlee, Craig and Lester Ruth, Creative Preaching on the Sacraments, Discipleship Resources. --Yarnold, Edward, The Awe-Inspiring Rites of Initiation, The Liturgical Press.

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  WO 520 The History of Christian Worship

  Lester Ruth

  Describing WO520 Do the nature and activity of the Trinity have anything to say about how we worship today? In light of the Trinity, does the history of Christian worship have anything to say about how we worship today? These are the questions that will organize WO520, The History of Christian Worship. The class is designed to be an environment in which a student can explore answers to these questions. We’ll explore these questions by imagining ourselves as leadership in a church named First Methodist Church (we will call it the Touchstone Church in this course), responsible for the church’s “contemporary” service called the New Covenant Service. The premise is that we have felt like we have “hit the wall” in terms of this service. We wonder if there is anything more. What else could we do to renew our worship? What must we leave in place? (For more information on this church, please see the links on the course website.) In this course each student will imagine that she or he is either the associate pastor, who has primary ordained responsibility for this course, or the church musician. The worship design committee has commissioned you to do a study of worship and write a series of five newsletter articles on what we ought to do and think about the worship of this church. Enriching this service in our Touchstone Church will be the goal of this course. With this premise, what specifically will this course be about? WO520 will be about…. � …forming students for leading worship in Christian communities (the focus is on corporate worship, not individual experience of worship) in certain key facets; � …having a key theological conviction of the Christian faith guide our exploration (the class will be spent in extended reflection on the implications of that compelling theological conviction for Christian worship); and � …pursuing a recurring, imaginative placement of the student as a leader within a hypothetical Christian community, giving her/him a chance to see the theological implications in a realistic pastoral situation. The course will have this flow: becoming familiar with the Touchstone Church and its desire for renewed worship, then cultivating Trinitarian perspective and expectations about Christian worship, and finally, the use of this perspective and expectations to explore the worship of 5 historic Christian communities (Rome, Jerusalem, Salisbury, Geneva, and Baltimore) for possible answers to the Touchstone Church’s desire for renewed worship. In this manner we will accomplish the catalog description for the course that speaks of it as a survey of Christian worship over the last 2,000 years. We will grapple with basic issues in worship as well as recurring themes and understandings about worship as represented by different historical traditions. We will explore whether past ways of worshiping, explored under the spotlight of Trinitarian doctrine, might offer options for approaching worship renewal today. Are there “basics,” “essentials,” or “nonnegotiables” for Christian worship today and in the past?

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  WO 525 Time and Remembrance in Christian Worship

  Lester Ruth

  --Webber, Robert. Ancient-Future Worship: Proclaiming and Enacting God’s Narrative. Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8010-6624-5. --Rienstra, Ron. Ten Service Plans for Contemporary Worship. Grand Rapids: Faith Alive Resources, 2002. ISBN 156212868X. --Hickman, Hoyt, et al. The New Handbook of the Christian Year. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992. ISBN 0-687-22760-4 --Blain, Susan A. et al., editors. Imaging the Word: An Arts and Lectionary Resource, volume 2. Cleveland: United Church Press, 1995. ISBN 0-8298-1033-1 --Stancliffe, David. Celebrating Common Prayer. Mowbray or Continuum. ISBN 0-264-67351- 4 or 0826465293 --course packet

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  WO 700 PR 700 Creative Preaching on the Sacraments

  Lester Ruth

  Prerequisites: a course in the range of PR610-49 and a course in the range of WO510-549.

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  MS 655 CL 655 MB 730 The Change Agent in Mission

  Michael A. Rynkiewich

  This is a course in applied anthropology and cultural dynamics with special attention to how culture change occurs, the dynamics and variables that effect change, and appropriate strategies for the church. The course also deals with contemporary areas of social responsibility for those in mission. In this postmodern, postcolonial age, everyone has a mission. Wherever one positions oneself, one has a perspective and a strategy for change. Anthropologists, missionaries, indigenous church leaders, development agencies, drug dealers: all have spiritual, political and economic interests to pursue. All are different from each other, all act out of a different view of society, and all hope to be able to direct change.

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  MS 671 Anthropology

  Michael A. Rynkiewich

  COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is “An introduction to cultural anthropology, with application to Christian evangelization and mission.” From before the beginning (Genesis 1), our Triune God has been in mission, reaching out in self-giving, other-embracing love (John 1 & I John 1). We now call this the missio Dei, “the mission of God” to remind us that it is not our mission, nor does mission belong to the church. How God does mission is best understood in the sending of Jesus the Christ (Ephesians 2:11-15). As the Father has sent Jesus, so Jesus sends us (John 20:21). It is in the life of Jesus here on earth that we most clearly see our example for mission: Jesus emptied himself, came down to the people, developed relationships and learned the local language and culture for 30 years; and then he began to preach about the Kingdom of God (Matthew 4:17; Luke 4:43) and perform acts of mercy and justice (Luke 4:18-21) that the people saw as signs and wonders of the presence of God among them (Luke 4:22,32,36). The acts of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit (the proper title of Acts) continued in the apostles, deacons and those who were called later, like Paul. The apostles began in mission with the Jews (Acts 2-7). The deacons reached out a little further to the half- Jews (Acts 8) and then to the proselytes (Acts 8). Finally, Peter reluctantly reached out to those who were not Jewish, half-Jewish or even wanna-be Jews but were full fledged Gentiles (Acts 10). Still, it was the multi-cultural church at Antioch (not the monocultural church at Jerusalem) that commissioned and sent out the first missionaries: Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13). What they did changed not just the composition of the church but the life of the church. Jesus the Messiah (Christos) became Jesus the Lord (Kyrios) (Acts 28), because that is what the Greeks and Romans were looking for. New understandings of Jesus brought fuller meaning to the cosmic event of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus was interpreted anew as the Logos (John 1), the Pleroma (Colossians 1:19, 2:9-10), the Mystery and Wisdom of God (Ephesians). Every generation deserves a fresh reading of the gospel. Who will speak now to the migrant generation of this globalized world? A critical view of anthropology as it relates to theology will lead us to our main concern, and that is missiology. There will be a conscious effort in our course to maintain a trialogue between anthropology, theology and missiology. Our goal is to gain insights about missiological issues and concerns.

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  DO 501 Basic Christian Theology

  Stephen A. Seamands

  The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the study of Christian Theology. Over the course of the semester students will be introduced to all the major areas in the system of Christian doctrine. The relevance of theology for the Christian life and the practice of ministry will be stressed.

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  DO 501 Basic Christian Theology

  Stephen A. Seamands

  The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the study of Christian Theology. Over the course of the semester students will be introduced to all the major areas in the system of Christian doctrine. The relevance of theology for the Christian life and the practice of ministry will be stressed.

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  DO 501 Basic Christian Theology

  Stephen A. Seamands

  Thomas Oden, The Living God The Word of Life Life in the Spirit Stephen Seamands, Ministry in the Image of God: The Trinitarian Shape of Christiane Service Gregory Boyd and Paul Eddy, Across the Spectrum

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  DO 630 Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

  Stephen A. Seamands

  The purpose of this course is to provide an intensive treatment of a major Christian doctrine, namely, the person and work of Holy Spirit (Pneumatology). In our study we will draw primarily from scripture, along with insights from the Christian tradition and Christian experience, in constructing a doctrine of the Holy Spirit for Christian life and ministry in the church and the world today.

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  DO 670 United Methodist Theology

  Stephen A. Seamands

  William Abraham, Waking from Doctrinal Amnesia Ted Campbell, Methodist Doctrine: The Essentials Thomas Langford, Practical Divinity, vol 1. Thomas Schmidt, Straight and Narrow: Compassion and Clarity in the Homosexuality Debate Stephen Seamands, Holiness of Heart and Life William Willimon, United Methodist Beliefs: A Brief Introduction By Water and the Spirit (download at http://www.gbod.org/worship/articles/water_spirit/)

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  DO 670 United Methodist Theology

  Stephen A. Seamands

  Purpose: The course seeks to introduce students to the content and development of Methodist Theology from the time of Wesley to the present. Following an assessment of the current state of Methodist Theology as it is reflected in the 1972 and 1988 Doctrinal Statements and current theological issues such as God-language, baptism, and homosexuality which United Methodists are wrestling with, we will move back to Wesley to determine the character of Methodist theology, and then forward through Methodist history to show how its character is reflected in its major movements and principal figures. We will also consider the possibility of theological and spiritual renewal within Methodism.

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  ME 780 Spiritual Warfare in Mission and Ministry

  Stephen A. Seamands

  The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the place of spiritual warfare in mission and ministry. During the course topics such as the warfare perspective in scripture; the role of spiritual warfare in Christian history; warfare, worldview, and world religions; spiritual warfare in contemporary world mission; and the practice of ground level and strategic level spiritual warfare will be discussed. A wide variety of teaching methods (lectures, group discussion, videos, guest speakers, etc) will be used during class sessions.

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  CO 601 Counseling Theories and Techniques

  Javier Sierra

  Course Objectives: In this course, we will be surveying classical and contemporary theories of counseling. We will review the major traditions within the psychodynamic, humanistic and behavioral fields because these three broad bases provide the fundamental frameworks from which most theories derive. We will also begin the process of appraising these traditions from a Christian perspective, with special emphasis on understanding how theology influences and determines our use of these secular theories of counseling. We will consider several topics -- the integration of theology and psychology, assumptions about human nature and theories of personality, the development of dysfunction and other problems, the nature of change, techniques and application of each theory, and ethical issues related to the practice of counseling.

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  CO 605 Treating the Serious Mentally Ill: Treatment Modalities and Referral Coordination

  Javier Sierra

  In order to function as a competent counselor, one must develop skills in diagnosing, treating and referring a variety of problems with which one may be confronted. In order to do this one must be thoroughly familiar with a variety of treatment modalities. This particular course is focused on working with those individuals with serious mental illness. This course will also consider the impact of serious mental illness on the family as well as the role of the family in care and support. A concern for Christian spirituality as it influences treatment for the serious mentally ill will be considered throughout the course.

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  CO 610 Ethical and Legal Issues in Counseling

  Javier Sierra

  Course Description: This course is designed to help students in the MA/MAP Counseling programs to identify and examine ethical and legal issues encountered in the counseling process and to explore ways to effectively deal with them. As an intensive course, students are expected to read the two main texts (Sanders’ and Wheeler’s) before the first day of class, submit one assignment during the week of class and another ten days after the last day of class. Students completing the course will develop a sensitivity to the ethical and legal aspects of the counseling process, better appreciate ethical constrains under which a counselor works, and develop skills to critically examine how they conduct themselves as counselors.

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  CO 621 Psychology of Religion

  Javier Sierra

  This course is designed to explore topics in the psychology of religion with the goal of relating the findings the helping professions. The course is also designed to encourage thought about the psyche as it works in religious thought, feeling and behavior. One tool we will use to facilitate this kind of reflection is reading of some of the major approaches to the psychology of religion. Another is observation of religious practice. Another is a habit of asking questions--and following them up with questions. Questions are important because psychology, like most fields of study, is a process of inquiry. A seminar format allows for sharing results of student research on selected topics. A key goal is to consider the significance of the research findings for Christian ministry. • Everyone should come to class prepared to say what he or she sees as the main point of the reading. • Everyone should attempt to understand the structure of the author's argument, and have two questions about the readings.

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  CO 625 Recognizing and Treating Addictive Disorders

  Javier Sierra

  This course has been designed to facilitate prospective professional counselors, and church leaders, the tools to understand the addictive process associated with chemical dependency and other addictions. As an intensive course, students should expect to have a significant amount of readings each day of class, and two more weeks after the last class to finish two main assigments. Topics to be covered include, prevention, assessment, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment planning and strategies, interventions, relapse, family issues and the process of recovery. Current approaches for treating chemical dependency, eating disorders, compulsive gambling and sexual addictions will be examined. This course will also help students to develop an understanding of how faith in Jesus Christ provides the grace, hope and compassion needed to integrate effective treatments as part of the redemptive process of addictive individuals.

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  CO 670 Marriage and Family Therapy

  Javier Sierra

  Course Description: Family systems theory provides a course framework for exploring marital and familial issues. Special emphasis is given to the role of the counselor. Procedures and techniques for both preventative and remedial interventions are investigated. In this course, students will be exposed to basic concepts in marriage and family therapy, as well as, basic systemic counseling skills and techniques. A theological and biblical foundation for marriage and family processes will provide the lenses through which the relational realities of marriages and families will be approached. Students will have frequent opportunities for in-class role play of various interventions and techniques.

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  CO 675 Group Counseling

  Javier Sierra

  Course Description: This course offers an overview of the more common approaches to working with groups, especially groups that are formed for the practice of counseling. The key goal is to help course members develop a personal theory, framework, synthesis and some "tools" suitable to support their professional practice. The class will incorporate lecture, video demonstrations of various aspects of group work, and interactive experiences.

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  CO 705-706 Practicum in Counseling

  Javier Sierra

  These foundational practica are designed to provide students the opportunity to experience the role of counselor in actual situations. Each student will be expected to locate a placement where their responsibilities will include a number of counseling contacts. The Area of Counseling and Pastoral Care is building a list of sites that you may wish to consult for idea for placements sites. This information can be requested to José Hernández. Students are free to arrange for their own placement sites as long as it meets the practicum requirements. Choose sites that are in keeping with your career interests or that involve populations in which you have an interest.

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  CO 720 Psychopathology: Theory and Assessment

  Javier Sierra

  Course Description: This course offers a thorough, hands-on examination of the categorization, diagnosis, etiology and maintenance of psychopathology as it is presented in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV-TR). Special emphases will be placed on the knowledge needed to facilitate assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and prevention of psychopathology as would be expected in the practice of counseling.

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  CO 730 Advanced Issues in Cross-Cultural Counseling

  Javier Sierra

  Pedersen, P. B., Draguns, J. G., Lonner, W. J., & Trimble, J. E. (2007). Counseling Across Cultures, (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Sue, D. W., and Sue, D. (2007). Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and practice, (5th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons

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  CO 730 Advanced Issues in Cross-Cultural Counseling

  Javier Sierra

  The purpose of this course is to help students to develop a counseling ministry, which will be sensitive and helpful to various cultural groups. Counseling, whether it be in this country or overseas, requires a basic understanding not only of how various ethnic groups live and relate but also of one’s own possible stereotypes, which may hinder effectiveness in the counseling process. This course is an attempt to integrate material scripturally, experientially, psychologically and theologically. In addition, the course will examine issues of racism, differences in religio-cultural values and world-views, verbal and non-verbal communication and other factors that effect the processes of counseling. Lectures, videos, role-plays, group discussions and a cross-cultural inventory (books and articles) will be used to present techniques and approaches in working in a cross-cultural context.