Courses

This course will survey the origin and development of the Christian church through the examination of its political and cultural contexts and influences, with special consideration given to theological themes which surfaced at different times and places throughout the history of the Christian church, culminating with 21st century trends in fundamentalism, evangelicalism, and ecumenism.

An in-depth study of a single book of the Bible or several smaller books in their entirety which will vary from offering to offering and be selected by the instructor. Prerequisite: THL 201 or consent of instructor. This course may be repeated for credit if a different book is studied.

An in-depth study of a single book of the Bible or several smaller books in their entirety which will vary from offering to offering and be selected by the instructor. Prerequisites: THL 201 and 202 or consent of instructor. This course may be repeated for credit if a different book is studied.

A survey course of the world's major non-Christian religions including motifs, belief patterns, ritual and worship, ethics and social patterns, origin and development, and sacred writings.

An introductory course in systematic and confessional theology covering theological method, revelation and Scripture, Law and Gospel, the Triune God and His attributes, humanity and sin, and the person and work of Jesus Christ as the God/man, with an emphasis on key biblical material and its expression in the Lutheran Confessions.

An introductory course in systematic and confessional theology covering the work of Christ, the person and the work of the Holy Spirit, the church and eschatology, with an emphasis on key biblical materials and its expression in the Lutheran Confessions. Prerequisite: THL 371.

An introductory survey course of several major Western theological positions organized around the systems of Roman Catholicism, Luther, Calvin, and Wesley. Prerequisite: CTHL 101, 200, THL 101, or equivalent.

Through an intensive study of the major themes of the Old and New Testaments, this course will introduce and apply the tools and principles of exegesis and hermeneutics, with special emphasis on deriving Law and Gospel principles for use in congregational ministry. Prerequisites: THL 201 and 202 or concurrent enrollment.

The relationship of the Christian faith to the major philosophies and ideologies that conflict with Christianity will be evaluated by the epistemological and ontological argumentations developed by Christian apologists in support of Scripture from the second century to the present in this course. Prerequisite: junior or senior standing or consent of instructor.

Through an exploration of morality and ethics in light of what Scripture teaches, students will be oriented to the main approaches, both traditional and contemporary, of non-biblical philosophical ethics as they learn how the Christian faith interacts with these approaches as the significance of the Lutheran confessional distinction between God's left and right hand rule is explored. Student research and presentation on contemporary ethical issues is usually included. Prerequisite: junior or senior standing or consent of instructor.

This capstone course will guide students in gathering a portfolio of their theological proficiency, self-evaluation of that portfolio, and an assessment of their theological competency. Prerequisite: senior students in the Theology or Theological Studies major.

An introductory course to philosophy through the study of major traditions of ethical reflection in the history of philosophy by studying Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Mill. This course will be used as part of the preparation of teams for ethics competitions. Offered in alternate years.

An introductory course to the issues of the philosophy of religion, including epistemological method, the classical proofs for God's existence, determinism, free will, religious experience, faith and reason, and the problem of evil. Prerequisite: THL 101 or 371, CPHI 101 or 200 or PHI 211, or consent of instructor. Offered in alternate years.

An introductory course to contemporary western philosophy including 19th century background, the "early" and "later" Wittgenstein, G.E. Moore, B. Russell, and the "ordinary language" movement, including references to Christian respondents to the practitioners of this style of philosophy. Prerequisite: CPHI 101, 200, or PHI 211. Offered in alternate years.

An introductory course to the social, political, and intellectual context of the various 16th century reformations of the church in Europe as well as the events, ideas, and implications of these reform movements with attention given to both the "magisterial" and "radical" Protestant and Catholic reformations. Offered in alternate years.

Selected primary source readings in Western Christianity including Augustine (Confessions), Life of St. Antony, selected Western mystics, St. Anselm, St. Thomas Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, and Wesley will be studied in this course. Prerequisite: CTHL 101, 200, THL 101, junior standing, or consent of instructor.