September 19 - October 25, 2004
(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

B101 • Hermeneutics: Some day . . . I’m going to read the Bible
Thomas K. Tewell
Wednesdays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
September 22 to October 20, 2004

I’ve had countless people tell me this over the years. But when will we start to read the Bible? And when we read it, how will we interpret it? This course is especially designed for those people who have always wanted to make a study of the Bible but never got around to doing it. This basic course in biblical interpretation which theologians call “hermeneutics” will open up principles for studying and interpreting the Bible and making it come to life. The course will cover such topics as: When and by whom was the Bible written? In what historical circumstances was the Bible written? Are there different kinds of literature in the Bible? How do we interpret the difficult texts in the Bible? How can we learn to apply the Bible to daily life in 2004? This course will guide our study of the Bible for a lifetime!

B263 • The Writings of Luke the Evangelist: The Story-teller and the Story Told
Beverly Roberts Gaventa
Sundays, 11:15 am -12:30 pm
September 26 to October 17, 2004

The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles contain some of the Bible’s most engaging stories. In this course we will explore the shape of the large Lukan story, some of its best known moments, as well as some of its overlooked gems. All along the way, we will see Luke’s determination to show that “nothing is impossible with God.”
Recommended Book: Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Acts, Abingdon Press, 2003. $28.

B336 • The Life, Letters, and Travels of the Apostle Paul
Gordon Franz
Tuesdays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
September 21 to October 19, 2004

History and geography play a very important role in the life, travels and writings of the apostle Paul. This slide-illustrated class will follow the footsteps of Paul from his hometown of Tarsus through his four missionary journeys until he is beheaded in Rome. Special attention will be given to the geography, archaeology, and chronology of Paul’s travels as recorded in the Book of Acts.

Class notes and articles will be handed out at the beginning of class.

Theology

T106 • What We Believe
Randolph L.C. Weber
Sundays, 9:30 am - 10:45 am
September 19 to October 17, 2004

Designed for persons interested in exploring the nature of Christian faith and/or membership in the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, the class will include a review of core Christian doctrine, key tenets of Reformed faith, an overview of worship and the sacraments, an in-depth look at Fifth Avenue’s mission and ministry, an examination of the meaning of faith and membership, and the history of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church and worship. The course also offers the opportunity to meet all four pastors who will each be teaching one of the class sessions. At the conclusion of the course those desiring to unite with the church will join together for a get-acquainted breakfast, a meeting with session members, and recognition by the congregation at the Sunday worship service.

T331 • Introduction of Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Robert G. Stephanopoulos
Wednesdays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
September 22 to October 20, 2004

This class will provide an introduction into the religious theory and practices of the Eastern (Greek) Orthodox Christian religion. We will touch upon the biblical and historic foundations and proceed through various aspects of its teachings, doctrinal, ethical and spiritual values and its liturgical and actistic forms. The contemporary relevance of Orthodoxy to the modern secular world and its relationship with other Christian churches and world religions will be discussed.

Practical Theology

PTCL111 • Study, Discussion and Community for Young Married Couples
Greg and Kirsten Aiello
Mike and Eleanor Peters
Sundays, 9:30 am - 10:45 am
September 19 to October 17, 2004

Are you striving for a great marriage? Are you trying to grow closer to God in your marriage? Are you looking for a community of other Christian married couples? If so, this course is for you! Through a sustained program of study and discussion using carefully selected texts as a guide, this class seeks to build a community of young married couples who desire to nurture their Christian faith and grow in their relationship with God and each other.

Book: Gary Chapman, The Five Love Languages: How to Express Commitment to Your Mate, Northfield Publishing, 1995. $13.

PTCL112 • Please Pray With Me . . .
Janice Smith Ammon
Sunday, September 26, 2004
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Many of us would love to pray with a friend or offer opening devotions at a meeting, but feel at a loss for words. This one-time class will explore why we are often uncomfortable praying with others. We will then learn some simple tools and techniques for prayer. This will include how to set a comfortable context for prayer and how to use language and images to breathe life into a prayer. Prayer is one of the greatest gifts and privileges we are given as a people of faith. Come and deepen your understanding and experience of prayer. A light lunch will be included at the beginning of the class for a fee of $7.00.

PTCL 113 • Disciplines of the Spirit
Nora Tubbs Tisdale
Tuesdays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
September 21 to October 19, 2004

Do you want to go deeper in your faith with God? Are you longing for new ways to connect with God through prayer, Bible study, and the observance of sabbath time in your hectic life? Are you spiritually hungry and eager to experience new ways in which you can listen to God and discern God’s will for your life? If so, this course is designed for you! In it we will study some of the classic spiritual disciplines of the Christian faith (prayer, the devotional reading of scriptures, worship, and service), and will also examine and practice a variety of models for undertaking them in our busy lives. Newcomers to the faith and old timers are all welcome.

Book: Marjorie Thompson, Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life, Westminster John Knox Press, 1995. $16.

PTCL213 • Conflict Management: Caring Conduct + Creative Resolution
Daryl A. Hall
Saturday, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
October 9, 2004

“Conflict” conjures up unpleasant feelings, the possibility of unhappy outcomes, and relationships that are permanently damaged. Like many other day-to-day living skills, conflict management skills can be learned so that the outcomes provide mutual advantages to all parties involved. This course will use case studies, discussions, interactive exercises, and skill practice. Outcomes from the course include identifying

• Common causes of conflict
• The pluses and minuses of conflict and fighting
• Your preferred conflict management style
• Eight steps to managing conflict
• Five conflict management responses; analysis of situations for applicability.

Please bring a brown bag lunch. Coffee and tea will be provided.

Class size: 20

PTCL261 • Being Christian in a Pluralistic World: Joining the Choir without Losing Your Voice
Katie Givens
Sundays, 11:15 am - 12:30 pm
September 19 to October 17, 2004

More than ever, our awareness of faith traditions outside our own religious community obligates us to engage in “interfaith dialogue.” This course will explore how Christians might balance total tolerance with fervent faith. Why do so many religions exist? What are ways of engaging our Reformed traditions and theology with the doctrines and traditions of other faiths? How might we theologically manage both the blessings and challenges of interfaith marriages and family relationships? How might our Trinitarian understanding of God open us to non-Christian religious traditions? While this course will not serve as a primer for the various world religions, we will touch upon some history in the relationships of Christianity to other major faith traditions. Video clips, additional brief readings, and a variety of other materials will be used.

Suggested Reading: Huston Smith, The World’s Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions, Harper SanFrancisco, 1991. $16. Paul F. Knitter, Introducing Theologies of Religions, Orbis Books, 2002. $25.

PTCL320 • Invoking the Spirit: Securing People, Planet, and Profits in the 21st Century
Lynn P. Schnarr
Sundays, 9:30 am - 10:45 am
September 19 to October 17, 2004

God made us fellow workers in Creation, offering us wisdom and reverence to use the resources of nature so that generations yet to come may continue to praise His bounty. However, many of us are feeling disconnected and hopeless about the future of our planet. In this interactive course we’ll consider the following questions: How can we, as people of faith, restore this connection to God, each other, and the planet? How do we continue to build natural, social, and economic capital while being good stewards of the earth? We’ll look at how our everyday behaviors can either enhance or undermine our ability to live in harmony with God’s web of life and our values. We’ll also examine the power of engaged religion, the environment as sacred ground, and the effect of ethical consumption. Through case studies of modern, religious initiatives and partnerships, scripture and prayer we’ll discover together how to act interdependently and in solidarity with creation.

Church History

CH214 • Praying and Worshipping with the Early Church
Hui Chen
Tuesdays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
September 21 to October 19, 2004

Travel through time to the earliest centuries of Christianity and experience the spirituality and worship of the early church: we will sing and pray with our ancestors in faith through early Christian hymns and prayers, and we will stand at the baptismal font and gather at the communion table with the saints of the ages through an exploration of early church sacraments. This is a journey through the timelessness of our faith that would enrich your faith life in ways beyond your imagination.

Literature and the Arts

LA101 • Creative Writing
Emily Dunlap
Section I: First and Third Tuesdays
September 21 and October 5, 19, 2004
Section II: Second and Fourth Tuesdays
September 28 and October 12, 26, 2004
4:00 pm - 5:15 pm

This creative writing class provides students with an opportunity to explore their creative gifts through writing. Assignments are given at each session and students are encouraged to share their work in class. Emphasis is on listening to your own creative voice. Aspects of creative writing such as description, use of metaphor, style, and voice are explored.

There are two sections of this class. Section 1 begins on September 21 and meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. Section 2 begins on September 28 and meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. Students are encouraged to enroll in the class and continue throughout the year. Space permitting, students may enter after the class has begun with permission of the instructor prior to registration but they should note that material already covered will not be repeated. Students must contact the instructor prior to registration to find out which section of the class is appropriate for them.

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

LA218 • The Bible in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Gordon Franz
Two separate tours:
Saturday, 9:30 am to 3:00 pm
October 16 and 23, 2004

Have you ever wanted to go back in time to see what life was like in biblical times? Here is your chance. This one-day tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art will emphasize the biblical material in the museum. The excellent Egyptian gallery shows the world of Joseph and Moses. Objects from other lands of the Bible including Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Judah, Greece, and Cyprus illustrate events and places from both the Old Testament and New Testament.

Class size: 25
Notes will be handed out at the beginning of the tour. In addition to the course fee there will be a $10 fee for museum entrance, even if you are a member or your corporation is a sponsor.

LA221 • Favored or Fallen: The Visual History of Mary Magdalene from the Catacombs to The DaVinci Code
Diane Apostolos-Cappadona
Saturday, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
October 2

This intensive one-day seminar is dedicated to the search for Mary Magdalene in the art and culture of the Christian traditions beginning with her earliest representations in Christian art through the controversial visual identifications of her in the best-selling novel, The DaVinci Code. The morning sessions will consist of a series of slide-illustrated analyses of the general iconography of Mary Magdalene in Christian art, the historical evolution of her image in western art, and a careful visual reading of her position or lack thereof in the art of Leonardo da Vinci. Attention will be paid to the variety of portrayals of her – from sinner to saint, preacher to writer, mourner to penitent, and contemplative to muse – in the history of Christian art in relation to the role of women in the church and the larger social order. The afternoon session will be devoted to a search for Mary Magdalene in the medieval and renaissance galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In addition to the course fee there will be a $10 fee for museum entrance, even if you are a member or your corporation is a sponsor.

LA227 • Painting as Bible Text
Pearl Ehrlich
Wednesdays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
September 22 to October 20, 2004

Painting has always been the handmaiden of Christianity. Beginning in the 3rd century in the catacombs art provided an aid to belief. In this course we focus on the Parables in Luke as illustrated in the l6th- and l7th-century paintings of Brueghel, Rembrandt, Domenico Feti, and Michael Sweerts. We will explore the relationship between image and text, looking at how each artist’s formal interpretation elucidates the meaning of the Parable.

Five meetings: four lectures and one trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

LA370 • Mary Magdalene and the DaVinci Code: Fact or Fiction?
Deirdre Good
Mondays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
September 20 to October 25, 2004

This five-week course will examine all ancient texts about Mary Magdalene including the New Testament Gospels and the noncanonical Gospels of Mary and Philip to enable participants to assess the portrait of Mary Magdalene in Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code. Please bring your Bibles; noncanonical texts will be provided. Participants are also encouraged to register for the one-day course on October 2nd with Prof. Apostolos-Cappadona, “Favored or Fallen: The Visual History of Mary Magdalene from the Catacombs to The DaVinci Code,” to which this course is complementary.

Books: Dan Brown, The DaVinci Code, Doubleday, 2003, $15. Dan Burstein, Secrets of the Code: The Unauthorized Guide to the Mysteries Behind The DaVinci Code , CDS Books, 2004, $16.

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