February 13 - March 16, 2005
(Please consult individual course descriptions for times and starting dates.)

Theme Courses marked with this symbol are directly related to the theme for the 2004 - 2005 year "Turning an Upside Down World Rightside Up," which focuses on the Gospel of Luke.

Bible

B103 • Surveying the New Testament - Part II
Margaret L. Shafer
Sundays, 9:30 am - 10:45 am
February 13 to March 13, 2005

The letters and writings of the early church will be studied in chronological order with emphasis on their historical and religious context. The great ideas of the early church will be explored theologically. Students will keep a notebook of information and journal of their questions, reactions, and spiritual insights.
Class size: 12
Recommended Books: HarperCollins Study Bible (NRSV), $34. Betty Harold,
A Bird’s Eye View of the Bible, Bridge, 1997, $15.

B264 • Isaiah: Chapters 1-39
Margaret L. Shafer
Wednesdays, 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Rutgers Presbyterian Church
236 West 73rd Street
February 23 to March 16, 2005 (4 weeks)

Isaiah of Jerusalem was an 8th-century BC prophet who celebrated God as the great king of heaven and earth. Jerusalem was God’s holy city. In the context of wars and people who forgot their loyalty to the holy king, Isaiah challenges us today with building a city and society that are a suitable dwelling place for the holy one. Taught in a seminar format with guided discussion by participants.

Book: Any study Bible

Theology

T106 • What We Believe
Randolph L.C. Weber
Sundays, 9:30 am - 10:45 am
February 13 to March 6, 2005 (4 weeks)

Same description as Term 1(see above).

T111 • Reformed Theology
Robert A. Beringer
Sundays, 11:15 am - 12:30 pm
February 13 to March 13, 2005

This study will use the Book of Confessions of the Presbyterian Church (U. S. A.) to examine the distinctive beliefs of Christians in the Reformed Tradition. Every confessional statement in this book was written in response to a crisis or controversy faced by Christians. We will examine those creeds and confessions as we try to formulate our own understanding of God, Jesus Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, the mission of the Church, God’s Providence, and the nature of sin and salvation. This is a class for anyone who wants to grow in their knowledge of the essential beliefs of the Reformed Faith.

Recommended Book: Book of Confessions, $8.00.

Practical Theology

PTCL247 • New Couples Retreat Day for Building a Relationship for a Lifetime
James Walkup
Saturday, 10:00 am - 3:30 pm
March 5, 2005

Launching a new relationship requires more work than planning the wedding.
As you begin your lifetime together, acquire the tools and skills to make your partnership a vibrant reassuring home for each of you to grow. Love is not enough. Understanding the fine art of making a relationship work can make the difference between living a life of “quiet desperation” or experiencing a mutuality of support and love.

In this workshop you will learn to
• Listen so your partner will feel heard
• Head off the escalation of anger that destroys relationships
• Use tools for resolving conflict
• Share a vision of what matters with your partner
• Love and get along with your partner’s
differences
• Establish protection against affairs, and
• Use your relationship to deepen your soulwork.

Suggested Reading: John Gottman, Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, Crown Publishing, 2000. $10.

Many couples will enjoy taking this course along with the course, “Loving and Getting Along with Your Partner’s Differences.”

PTCL266 • Understanding the Crisis in Housing and Homelessness
Joe Weisbord
Mondays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
February 14 to March 14, 2005

New York City and much of the country is facing a worsening housing crisis. The basic need for shelter is a focus for social action for many people of faith. This course will provide an introduction to the nature and dimension of the housing problem and the causes of homelessness. It will also offer a historical perspective on how our society has responded to these problems, with a particular emphasis on government policies. Participants will have an opportunity to investigate the moral mandate to shelter the needy from the perspective of various faith traditions. The course is specifically designed for those interested in educational and advocacy activities on housing and homelessness.

PTCL324 • Keeping Compassion in Care-Giving for Care-Givers and Care-Receivers
Joy Carol
Tuesdays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
February 15 to March 15, 2005

At one or more times in our life, every one of us will be care-givers or care-receivers. Being a care-giver or a care-receiver is almost a natural instinct of the heart. When help is needed, something has to be done.

This class explores the realities of care-giving for givers and receivers. We examine what is involved in a more restorative and enriching manner of care-giving and receiving and how that can take place. Participants will learn techniques and approaches that others have found useful as care-givers and receivers: how to recognize our own limits, how to be gentle with ourselves, how to deal with suffering, how to forgive our bouts of impatience or guilt, how to strengthen our listening skills, how to acknowledge our own needs and how to avoid burnout. Special themes include compassion versus pity, dealing with suffering (our own and that of others), the importance of listening (to ourselves and others), and feeling trapped in the prison of care-giving and receiving. Resources and handouts with exercises will be available for the participants.

Book: Beth Witrogen McLeod, Caregiving: The Spiritual Journey of Love, Loss, and Renewal, John Wiley & Sons, 1999. $16.

PTCL326 • Globalization: What Hope for Economic Justice and Sustainable Development?
Robert F. Smylie
Sundays, 11:15 am - 12:30 pm
February 13 to March 13, 2005

Luke’s Gospel is referred to as the “Gospel for the Poor.” Statistics indicate that a third of the world’s population (two billion people) live in abject poverty. The course will seek to understand the causes, costs, and consequences of this poverty; its dimensions, scope, and impact on people and the communities in which they live; and the ramifications for the natural and social environments. The course will seek to understand the importance of and impact of globalization, its contribution to the growing gap between rich and poor within and between societies, and its prospects as a force in alleviating the consequences of poverty. The course will explore the political and ethical challenges that exist in addressing poverty and globalization. In their own ways, both the church and the United Nations have been addressing questions of common security, economic justice, and sustainable development. Consideration will be given to United Nations studies and a major report of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) prepared for guidance within the church.

Church History

CH101 • From the Apostolic Fathers to the Middle Ages
Charles P. Dougherty
Sundays, 9:30 am - 10:45 am
February 13 to March 13, 2005

This course surveys the developments of Christianity from the Apostolic Fathers (post-New Testament) to the dawn of the Middle Ages (about 600 AD). Included is a review of the relationship of church and state; major theological controversies and the orthodox creeds; monasticism; gnosticism; docetism; the differences between the Western and Eastern churches; and the rise of the papacy. Meet Augustine, Jerome, and Ireneus, and learn about Arianism, Monophysite, and Pelagianism. Follow the course of Christianity from a Jewish sect to a state religion. An exciting, bewildering, and sometimes disquieting study of the “holy catholic church” (Apostle’s Creed).

Literature and the Arts

LA101 • CREATIVE Writing
Emily Dunlap
Section I: First and Third Tuesdays
March 1 and 15, 2005
Section II: Second and Fourth Tuesdays
March 8, 2005
4:00 pm - 5:15 pm

Continuation of the course begun in Term 1. See above.

One fee for the year: One materials fee is charged whether entry is in September or April.

LA220 • Journeying through the Passion Story
Cathy M. Kolwey
Mondays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
February 14 to March 14, 2005 (4 weeks)

During the Lenten season, explore Jesus’ journey to the cross through hands-on, creative-based art workshops. From the triumphant processional into Jerusalem through the day of Ascension, this class will chronicle the events of Passion Week through visual art, creative writing, music and other artistic forms of expression. In this series of art-based workshops, students will utilize a variety of sensory experiences and be asked to use their own creativity to gain a broader understanding of the last week of Jesus’ life.

Journey through the Passion Week with hands-on exploration, and experience the old familiar story in new, creative ways.

LA226 • Religious Symbols in Art: a Guided Tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Gretchen Grant
Saturday, 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
March 12, 2005

Please join us for this tour given by a Metropolitan Museum guide and organized by Gretchen Grant. It focuses on symbols of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam in art. We will look at a range of different kinds of art from paintings to sculpture. Meet at the Group Registration sign on the left side of the main lobby behind the coat check at 1:30. Tours regularly sell out — sign up early!

There will be a $16 fee for museum entrance, even if you are a member or your corporation is a sponsor.

Class size: 25

LA373 • Dante: The Rest of the Story, Part II
Catherine Siemann
Tuesdays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
February 15 to March 15, 2005

Dante’s Inferno is a widely-read literary classic, but the rest of his Divine Comedy, the Purgatorio and the Paradiso, are too often neglected in favor of the drama of damnation. In this course, we will read sections of both the Purgatorio and the Paradiso, examining the rest of Dante’s universe and tracing the path of salvation.

Book: Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy: The Inferno/The Purgatorio/The Paradiso, New American Library. $16.

Copyright © 2004 - 2005, Center for Christian Studies. 212.247.0490