Theology

The tremendous human capacity to “love” one another is, in my opinion, the strongest evidence both for the existence of God and for the relationship that God intends for human beings to have with God and with each other. At the same time, the human capacity for envy, hate, aggression, and violating the dignity of “other” humans is similarly great evidence that something is horribly wrong − human beings fail to maintain the intended relationship with God and each other. God’s intention does not change, but we forgetful human beings lose sight of it from time to time. This problem is at the root of human alienation from God and others that leaves us isolated, oblivious, suspicious and fearful.This paper intends to provide a framework that allows us to see the source of the problem, to explore some of the causes for human alienation from each other and creation, and to find ways to heal the gap between ourselves and the rest of God’s creation. I believe that all struggles, oppressions ...

Kelly James Clark considers in Big Bang and Darvinism as two critical and challenging issues in the 20th century; while explaining the relationship between religion and science.He believes that although the first issue can be a boost to the belief in being a creator, the second, often due to the wrong ways of addressing it, has led to a conflict between science and religion.  In this regard, the study of the matters created in the face of evolution theory and their positions in redefinition of the relationship between science and religion is one of the axes of this article.  Among other things, the way Muslim intellectuals are exposed and the factors influencing their position are considered.  The confrontation that seems to have not been based on "belief in the conflict of science and religion" or "scientism", especially in Iran, but has had considerable reasonable.Reasons for doubling clarity with the advent of blind and random interpretations of evolution and ...

As an introduction to ecclesiology, this course seeks to provide a fundamental understanding the Church's origin, nature, structure, and mission. An overview of the New Testament and historical sources for the theology of the Church will develop into two primary tracks: 1) an introduction to the major ecclesiological models, images, themes and issues; 2) a special consideration of the Church of Rome and its relationship to the universal Church, particularly the question of primacy and collegiality.

The course will lead students in examining the art and architecture of Christian churches. Salient primary texts regarding worship, sacred spaces, and the arts will be studied in conjunction with the various monuments. Students will come to an understanding of the various theologies expressed in matrix of Christian liturgical art, architecture, music, and worship spaces. Using a historical approach, the diverse forms, contexts, and worldviews that shaped Christian liturgical ritual, visual objects, music and places of worship will be investigated from the early Church to the present, each with the purpose of understanding the underlying theology of the worshiping community's understanding of the sacred, their relationship to God and their relationship to each other. The course will incorporate churches throughout Rome in its study of the ways that human beings construct meaning in their places of worship and how images, sculpture, architecture and music are a theological reflection upon faith.

Why is the Christian life essentially one of community, and what kind of institutional organization is appropriate for this particular community? These were central questions addressed by Vatican II in its constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, and they remain central questions in ecumenical dialogue seeking the unity of the Church today. This course will consider the life and shape of the Church at various points in its history, from biblical times onward, and the flourishing of study of the Church – " ecclesiology "-in the 20th century. It will closely examine the teaching of the Council itself on the Church and consider issues that have arisen in the life of the Church and in ecumenical discussion more recently. It will also study ecclesiological aspects of the teaching of Pope Francis.

This course introduces students to the intellectual challenge posed by the academic study of Catholic Christian theology. Through the study of selected classic and contemporary texts, the course familiarizes students with the nature, foundations, history, methods, and ends of Catholic theology. Students will become familiar with some of the distinctive movements and thinkers of the Catholic theological tradition, as well as the dialogue between Catholicism and other theological traditions. Each section of this course examines a book from the Old and a book from the New Testament, St. Augustine's Confessions, the thought of a medieval and the thought of a modern Catholic theologian, and the thought of a non-Catholic theologian.

Using class visits to sites as diverse as catacombs, Roman ruins, and Christian churches this class examines how the entire fabric of the western, if not the global world, is intertwined with the 2000 year old history of the Catholic Church and the papacy. In doing so it examines the major events, ideas, persons, and places that have influenced the evolution of the Church, beginning with the origins of the Church as a religious sect and political movement and ending with the establishment of the Vatican City State in the twentieth century. It concludes by discussing the future of the faith as Christians numbers decline in the wake of a rising secularism and a resurgent Islam.

This course explores the monotheistic religions of the Near East (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), those of India and the Far East (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism) and the " new-age " faiths. The history and practice of each is studied. Special emphasis is laid on the philosophical and psychological basis of each religion and common themes such as " the self " , suffering, free will and ethics. Primary and secondary sources are studied along with an examination of methodology in comparative religion.

This course explores the monotheistic religions of the Near East (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), those of India and the Far East (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism) and the " new-age " faiths. The history and practice of each is studied. Special emphasis is laid on the philosophical and psychological basis of each religion and common themes such as " the self " , suffering, free will and ethics. Primary and secondary sources are studied along with an examination of methodology in comparative religion.

This course explores the monotheistic religions of the Near East (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), those of India and the Far East (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism) and the " new-age " faiths. The history and practice of each is studied. Special emphasis is laid on the philosophical and psychological basis of each religion and common themes such as " the self " , suffering, free will and ethics. Primary and secondary sources are studied along with an examination of methodology in comparative religion.

This course explores the monotheistic religions of the Near East (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), those of India and the Far East (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism) and the " new-age " faiths. The history and practice of each is studied. Special emphasis is laid on the philosophical and psychological basis of each religion and common themes such as " the self " , suffering, free will and ethics. Primary and secondary sources are studied along with an examination of methodology in comparative religion.