Spring Online Courses
Feb 16, 2009
Eclectic mix of spring online courses
If you are interested in a fuller understanding of Christian faith and practice, or if you are seeking continuing education to support your vocation, the spring term online courses offered by the Center for Christian Ministry and Vocation at Seminary of the Southwest may be your answer. Learn more about the spiritual insights of Thomas Merton, the primacy of the Great Commandment or the use of the Penitential Psalms as prayer.
Tuition for each course is $170 and the spring 2009 term begins on February 16 and concludes April 3. A certificate of completion of the course will be given for 20 hours of CEUs. Each diocese or institution decides how many CEUs to award.
Registration deadline is Feb. 9 and you can read detailed course descriptions and register online . Contact Madelyn Snodgrass for any questions - email or phone 512.472.4133 ext. 344. Snodgrass is the director of the Online School for Spirituality and Mission at Southwest.
The Rev. Mary Earle, prolific author and retreat leader who has taught at Southwest, will lead "We are One with You: Spiritual Insights from Thomas Merton." Students will read some of his writings on the contemplative life, compassion and social justice. The class will then reflect on how contemplative living can lead to non-violence and peace and attempt to incorporate silence, awareness and attention into each person's life.
Dr. Steven Bishop, assistant professor of Old Testament at Southwest, will offer "Feeling Bad in a Feel Good World: Using the Penitential Psalms as Prayer." Find out how these psalms - a centuries-old regular part of devotional life but now neglected - can express grief over sin, both individual and global, as well as a joy for God's grace.
Professor Bishop is a contributor and now editor of Understanding the Old Testament, widely acknowledged as a premier textbook for Old Testament studies.
Dr. Tony Carr, who holds a master's degree (in Christian Education) and a doctoral degree (in leadership) from Dallas Theological Seminary, explores "The Primacy of the Great Commandment in Biblical Spirituality." "Amaziah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a whole heart." The Lord measures spirituality by the engagement of one's heart, soul, mind and strength in loving and worshipful expressions. This class will reflect on the height, depth, width and breadth of both the Lord's great love for us and our love for Him.
The Online School for Spirituality and Mission is a part of and helps fulfill a goal of the seminary's Center for Christian Ministry and Vocation - The Center provides educational opportunities in which Christians of any denomination can extend and deepen their knowledge of theology, scripture and ethics.
