Classes
Friday Class
Start the weekend early and join us for a class on Friday afternoon.
- Hope in the Midst of Despair: Isaiah 40-55
with James “Mickey” Efird, Professor of Biblical Interpretation
During the exile of the Hebrew people in Babylonia (about 586-538 BCE) a great prophet arose to encourage the people and to speak to their needs during this difficult period. His poetry is magnificent and his theology is even more so. It was this prophet who actually made monotheism the standard for the Jewish faith and whose teachings set the stage for the interpretation of Jesus and his ministry by the New Testament church.
Saturday Classes
Each participant will have the opportunity to take two classes on Saturday, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. When registering you may choose from the classes listed below.
Morning Classes
- Forming Disciples in a Wesleyan Way
with W. Stephen Gunter, Research Professor of Evangelism & Wesleyan Studies - Exploring the Relation between Creative Word and Womb
with Anathea Portier-Young, Assistant Professor of Old Testament - Paul’s Challenge to the Church: Romans
with J. “Mickey” Efird, professor of biblical interpretation - The Only Way of Evangelism
with Edgardo Colón-Emeric, Assistant Professor of Theology and Hispanic Studies
Methodists of all varieties are deeply indebted to John Wesley for a distinctive theological heritage centered in grace and love. The Wesleyan Way also includes distinctive Christian practices that help Christians grow in grace and love – often referred to as deeds of mercy and acts of piety. In this seminar, we will explore the definitions of these acts and deeds, and discover ways to actually put them into practice so that the Holy Spirit can lead us into greater grace and love for God and neighbor.
This session will delve into the stories of four biblical mothers. As we tell Eve’s story, we will see that this “mother of all the living” is every human mother: weak and strong, bold and fearful, suffering and triumphant. Deborah, who calls herself “a mother in Israel,” is also a mother of Israel. Through her storytelling this prophet, judge, and military leader sings a nation into being. Hannah returns to God the child of her longing, while the Mother of Seven sees her sons martyred for the faith she has taught them. As we retell the stories of these mothers, we will also tell our own stories, and consider what it means to pray with our biblical mothers.
Paul's great letter to the church at Rome has been a most influential book throughout all the history of the Christian Church. Some of his basic beliefs are set forth very clearly in this letter: the depravity of humanity, the marvelous act of God to remove humanity from that condition through the sending of Jesus into the world, the responsibility of the community of faith to relate this message to the world. In this course, we shall explore many of the beliefs that Paul expressed so powerfully in Romans.
Is there a way to bring all peoples into communion with the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? Is such a way an abstract ideal or are there concrete marks and practices that shape and distinguish the one way from dead ends? How are the message and the messenger related in the proclamation of the gospel? These are some of the questions that we will consider in this workshop on evangelism. By listening to the voices of evangelists like John Wesley and Bartolomé de las Casas, we will learn lessons for living evangelistically today and always.
Afternoon Classes
- The Way of Forgiveness: Conversations for Healing and Hope
with Susan Pendleton Jones, Director of Clergy Formation - The Body of Christ in Love with God’s World
with Jeremy Troxler, Director of the Thriving Rural Communities Initiative - Sabbath: Rediscovering God’s Holy Time
with Sally G. Bates, Chaplain of Duke Divinity School - Heaven’s Hospitality: Truth, Forgiveness, and Eternal Life
with Reinhard Hütter, Professor of Christian Theology
In this seminar we will engage in a discussion based on the plenary lecture by Dr. J. Warren Smith. We will also explore questions such as “Why is forgiveness so difficult?” and “Why is forgiveness so important in Christian faith and life?” We will learn the “dance of forgiveness,” examine important Scripture passages on the theme of forgiveness, and share in a time of intercessory prayer.
Explore together the beautiful truth that God has called the local church to be God’s primary agent of mission for the redemption of the world through Christ. Through teaching, discussion, and the interactive study of Scripture, literature, and the writings of the saints, we will behold the joyous calling of Christ’s body to give itself away in ministries of worship, fellowship, nurture, service, and witness. Join us to renew your excitement at being the church.
In this workshop, participants will step back from their busy, confused lives and consider God’s commandment to stop and observe Sabbath. The divine commandment to say no to our work and productivity one day out of seven is also an invitation to us to say yes to the healing of our souls which only God’s time can provide. We will explore practical dimensions of Sabbath keeping and wrestle with the impediments and guilt we so often experience in trying to faithfully practice this life giving spiritual discipline Bring a bible.
In a simple but striking literary form in his profound theological classic The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis unfurls a provocative allegorical tapestry of heaven and hell, of the very beginning of eternal life with God and also of the very beginning of eternal separation from God. Lewis’ novel offers a fresh and original entry into some of the most central convictions of the Christian faith about the “end times” and their very beginning in this life here and now. We will use the lens of The Great Divorce to contemplate what is at stake eternally for every human being and why truth, humility, and forgiveness on the one hand, and on the other hand, self-deception, pride, and hardness of heart carry “the great divorce” in them as well as in all the acts that flow from them. While not required, you are encouraged to (re-)read Lewis’ wonderful book beforehand.