Two Week Intensive Courses

Two week intensives meet four hours per day for two consecutive weeks.
Two week intensives are offered August, January, and May.

MAY 2013

Travel Seminar: Iona, Scotland, I 203-T, Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm

Course Description Coming Soon

Evangelism in a Post-Modern Context, M 222-T, Tara Hornbacker

This course will introduce students to the recent developments in Evangelism and Missiology due to the shifts in North American and global cultures. Topics for discussion will include local, contextual, and missional church evangelism, with attention to Anabaptist/Pietist understanding. Authors studied will include: Bosch, Newbigin, and writers from the Gospel and Our Culture Network. Successful completion of this course will necessitate student interpretation, integration, communication, and anticipation of the work of Evangelism and Missiology in their own ministries in light of emerging cultural structures. 3 semester hours

Work of the Pastor PM 250, Phil Baisley

This course emphasizes the day-to-day ministry of pastoring. Primary foci are: the candidating process, visitation ministry, weddings and premarital counseling, and funerals and grief care. Discussions of principles, as well as opportunities for practice, are integral to this course. 3 semester hours.

Quaker Beliefs, QS 340, Steve Angell

This course seeks to provide: working definitions of some of the particular terms used in Quaker discourse, such as “light,” “testimony,” “distinctives”; an understanding of the reasoning behind Quaker doctrines and practices; and an assessment of how Quakerism relates to Christian theology more generally. Underlying these elements are thewider questions of whether there is or could be a “normative” Quakerism, and what the authority of tradition is among Friends. It needs also to explore contemporary varieties of systematic examinations of Quakerbeliefs from both the evangelical and liberal parts of the spectrum. 3 semester hours.
Prerequisite: TS 101/101-O or T 101/101-O or HS 107

Finding the Writer's Voice, WR 290, Dwight Wilson

The study of, practice in, and critique of a particular genre that is especially suitable for ministry. Topics will vary. 3 semester hours.

AUGUST 2013

Friends Pastor PM 260-T, Phil Baisley

What makes pastoral Friends different from other Christian churches? This course will examine the way some Friends, while adopting the pastoral system, have attempted to maintain a distinctively Quaker style of worship, outreach, administration, leadership and pastoral care. The role of the Friends pastor will be considered in light of historical precedents and contemporary paradoxes. 3 semester hours

Constructive Theology TS 375-T, David Johns

This course builds upon Introduction to Theology and continues it by exploring the themes of humanity, Church, and eschatology. Additionally, students will examine the idea of narrative participation in the story of God, and will construct a living Credo in conversation with their own histories and the range of material they have studied in seminary and beyond. 3 semester hours.

Prerequisite: TS 101/101-O or T 101/101-O

Seminar in Biblical Studies (JAMES) BS 390-T, Tim Seid

Reading and research on selected topics from the Bible, including both book studies from different parts of the Old and New Testaments and topical studies, e.g., Images of God in the Old Testament; Women in the Old Testament; Apocalyptic Literature; Old Testament Theology; Psalms; Philippians; James. Different topics are considered in subsequent offerings; therefore this seminar may be taken for credit more than once. 3 semester hours.

Prerequisite: BS 101/101-O or B 102/102-O

Christian Reconciliation: Conflict Resolution in Church and World PJ 223, Lonnie Valentine

This course combines the theoretical and practical study of reconciliation. We will study a variety of models in conflict resolution and begin to construct our own models of reconciliation. Students will also be introduced to practical experience in seeking to resolve conflicts. In this way, we seek to address theoretical issues with practical concerns. 3 semester hours.

Interfaith Dialogue TS/PJ 360, Lonnie Valentine

This is an introduction to concepts and practices of world religions and to theological reflection upon the relationship of Christianity to other faith traditions. As such, the course will touch upon Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese traditions, Judaism, Islam, and primal traditions. There will be some introduction to how these faith traditions express them-selves in the United States. 3 semester hours.
Prerequisite: TS 101/101-O

Writing the Story WR 220-T, TBA

An introduction to, and practice in, the basic techniques used to write good stories, whether fiction or non-fiction. Such techniques include, but are not limited to, development of spiritual and religious content, character, narrative structure, plot, conflict, point of view, setting, and theme. 3 semester hours.

Women in Ministry M 280T, Julie Hostetter

This course examines current issues, experiences, and ecologies encountered by women in ministerial leadership. In addition to faculty lectures and readings, a variety of guest speakers will represent a variety of ministry areas, ecumenical affiliations, and generational perspectives. The scope of the course moves beyond current conditions to teach a variety of transformational leadership principles addressing the joys and possibilities of ministering as a woman. 3 semester hours.

Ritual Reflection in Life of Faith, M 211-T, Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm

Students will study the biblical, theological, and anthropological bases for various rituals and ordinances of the church. Focusing on such practices as child and parent dedication, baptism, Love Feast, communion, anointing, the laying on of hands, weddings, funerals/memorials, and ordination, students will reflect on the meaning of various rituals as they design creative ritual services. 3 semester hours.

JANUARY 2014

Quaker Public Ministry QS 377, Stephen Angell

What does it mean to be a Public Friend? This course will explore such topics as ministry and eldering; traveling ministry; recording and releasing of ministers; and the evolution of the Quaker pastorate. We will also examine the role of Quaker missions, education, and service, in spreading awareness of Quakers and their testimonies, and in some cases expanding the membership of the ReligiousSociety of Friends. Students will be required to do field work, visiting Friends meetings, churches, and schools, and/or interviewing Friends’ ministers. 3 semester hours.

Prerequisite: QS 107

Contextual Theology TS 290-T, David Johns

This course introduces students to the role of context and culture in theology and in the practice of ministry through a first hand cross-cultural experience and careful reflection upon it. Locations will vary each year and will range from international, to border site, to US rural, to US intercity. Selected readings and discussions will raise questions such as otherness, enculturation of faith, communication, theological diversity, and so on. Travel will reinforce this learning and place it in demonstrable context. 3 semester hours.

Christian Ethics TS 336-T, Adjunct

An examination of the Christian moral life and the theological convictions that animate it, including its understanding of the good, of conscience, the nature of humanity, and the faith community’s public witness. These proposals are considered in conversation with selected issues requiring careful and responsible Christian engagement, for example, war and peace, the environment, and genetic engineering. 3 semester hours.

Prerequisite: TS 101/101-O or T 101/101-O

Practical Theology of Baptism M 238-T, Russell Haitch

What does baptism mean in the church, and what are its implications for education and everyday life? We will examine contrasting theological positions, seeking to understand what is at stake in the great baptismal debates over questions such as “infants” versus “believers” and “water“ versus “Spirit.” Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anabaptist, Reformed, Pentecostal and other perspectives are welcomed and will be discussed. (Students pursuing an emphasis in Ministry with Youth and Young Adults can focus their written work in a way that makes this course count toward their requirements.) 3 semester hours.

MAY 2014

Ritual and Reflection in the Life of Faith M 211-T, Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm

Foundations for Church Growth M 245-T, Adjunct (Jonathon Shively)

The course will develop a missional understanding of church attentive to Brethren perspectives and practices and drawing on current evangelism and church planting strategies. The course will consider biblical foundations, spiritual formation, leadership roles, cultural dynamics, congregational vocation, and key evangelistic skills. 3 semester hours.

Quakers and the Bible BS 339-T, Stephen Angell/Nancy Bowen

This course examines the various uses and interpretations by Quakers of the Bible throughout their history. Specific areas of exploration could include, but are not limited to: Quaker use of the Bible in devotion, public

discourse, study, and scholarship, how the Bible has functioned in different parts of the Quaker spectrum and/or in different historical and/or geographical contexts, the use of the Bible in relation to the Quaker testimonies, or how Quakers have read in the past or how they read today particular books of the Bible. This course engages central issues that relate to these topics such as the history of interpretation, hermeneutics, and the authority of Scripture. The course also engages the questions of whether there is an historical Quaker core and what makes a reading of the Bible Quaker in today’s context. 3 semester hours.
Prerequisite: Any ESR Quakerism course AND either BS/B 101 or BS/B 102; pre-requisites may be waived by an instructor

Pastoral Spirituality PM 150-T, Phil Baisley

This course emphasizes the personal side of pastoring, including the importance of caring for one’s physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual health. Students will become familiar with the joys and pitfalls of being part of a pastoral family and begin to develop a personal philosophy of pastoral ministry. 3 semester hours.

Topics for Writing in Ministry WR 290-T, Adjunct

The study of, practice in, and critique of a particular genre that is especially suitable for ministry. Topics will vary. 3 semester hours.

Course listings are subject to change. Please be sure to check the Registrar's current course schedule
on the Seminary Academic Services website for possible additional courses or corrections.