Philosophy for Theology
What has Athens to do with Jerusalem? Quite a lot, it turns out. This course will introduce students to the philosophical grammar that God’s people have found useful throughout the ages in grasping the content of their faith. The road between philosophy and theology has been a two-way street from the earliest days of the…
Celtic Christianity: Fact and Fiction
Far off on the edge of the world and the shores of civilization, the Irish came to faith in Jesus later than their neighbors in Roman Britain and the Mediterranean world. Yet when they caught fire for the Christian faith, they would not only launch the evangelisation of the Picts in what is now Scotland,…
Political Theology and the English Reformation
This class will focus on the political theology of English Protestants in the 16th century. We will look at the writings of Peter Martyr Vermigli, Heinrich Bullinger, John Jewel, and other influential Reformed theologians on the English Reformed Church. Special attention will be given to the role and duty of the civil magistrate regarding religion…
Jane Austen’s Philosophy of Virtue
Jane Austen should not be known primarily as a Regency period romance author but rather as a profound social critic and commentator. While set within romantic plotlines, her themes are those of virtue. C.S. Lewis says that her heroines learn “good sense, courage, contentment, fortitude.” Lewis is taken in by Austen’s humor and humility and…
Matthew’s Gospel: Matthew as Jewish Theologian
In this course we will aim at a synthetic picture of Matthew’s achievement as “one of humanity’s three great religious teachers alongside Paul and John.” To do so, we will exegete as much of the text as possible, while reading selections from Josephus, the Talmud, and Midrash. Matthew’s Gospel was written for war and for…
Protestant Moral Theology
Protestant moral theology is memorably summed up by Martin Luther’s dictum, “The Christian is the most free lord of all, subject to none. The Christian is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to everyone.” In this course, we will unpack this profound dialectic, explaining the true shape of Christian liberty that flows from…
Reformation and the Modern World
Once upon a time, Protestants liked to take credit for the glories of the modern world: freedom, prosperity, civilization. As attitudes on modernity have soured, many have been quick to turn the narrative around and blame Protestantism for the licentiousness, greed, and exploitation that we see around us. Influential books by Catholic scholars have told…
C.S. Lewis’s Ransom Trilogy and Modern Civilization
In this course, students will read through the entirety of C.S. Lewis’s Ransom Trilogy (otherwise known as the Cosmic of Space Trilogy): Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. Lewis is known to many as a profound philosophical Christian thinker via his non-fiction writings, and as a great author of fiction via…
Bible Reading Skills for Narrative Texts
The world of biblical narrative often feels strange and forbidding. Many texts exhibit strange literary features, present unsettling ethical questions, or have an unclear purpose. This course is designed to open up the rich world of biblical narrative to students, in its vast scope, diversity, and complexity. It will equip students with an array of…
The Emotions of God
How are we to make sense of how Scripture speaks of the apparent emotions of God, such as “repenting” that he had ever made man, being “jealous” of Israel, “angered” by sin, or “sympathising” with our pain? In this course, students will grapple with these divine emotions (more traditionally called “divine passions”) under the guidance of Church…