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Instructor: Dr. Stacey Floyd-Thomas, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Ethics and Society

Dr. Juan Floyd-Thomas, Associate Professor of African American Religious History 

$55.00

Online (asynchronous)

This transformative course is an invitation to journey into vocational discovery and personal growth for lifelong learners who seek to embark on a profound exploration of theology, self, and society. Through collaborative teaching-learning communities and shared experiences, participants delve into the interconnected realms of texts, history, ethics, and opportunities for which faith critically engages the deeds of the past, present and our role in shaping posterity. Within eight modules, students cultivate deeper self-awareness, critical thinking, and empathy, fostering personal and communal growth. This course combines learning communities and plenaries to promote theological exploration and self-discovery for moral leadership in a rapidly changing world. 

T - Texts: Engage with sacred writings, philosophical works, and contemporary literature to deepen understanding of faith, culture, and human experience. 

H - History: Explore the rich tapestry of religious traditions, societal developments, and cultural movements that shape our world today. 

E - Ethics: Reflect on moral principles and values, fostering a commitment to justice, compassion, and responsible decision-making. 

O - Opportunities: Discover pathways for personal growth, community engagement, and leadership, empowering individuals to make a positive impact in their communities and beyond.Students will reflect on texts, contexts, and personal growth, while developing leadership skills and embracing the divinity found in difference. 

This interdisciplinary and intercultural framework supports theological education’s mission to nurture thoughtful, compassionate leaders for such a time as this. 

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Instructor: Dr. Bruce Morrill, S.J., Edward A. Malloy Chair in Roman Catholic Studies, Distinguished Professor of Theology

$55.00

Online (asynchronous)

Salvation figures among the most distinctive, defining characteristics of Christianity as a religion. Closely identified with the mission of Christ Jesus, this word rolls off the tongues of believers, telegraphs the gospel message on bumper stickers and the like (“Jesus Saves”), and sparks meditation, devotions, and sermons to inspire the faithful. And yet, this “given” about Christian faith is anything but simple in its biblical content, its development in church teaching and history, or its significance for Christianity in our time. Scratch the surface of “salvation,” and you discover a symbolically loaded notion that has not only united but also divided Christians, has proven not only consoling but also condemning, has both drawn from wider culture and challenged it.

After surveying the wealth of symbols and images the New Testament offers to convey what God has done for humanity (and all creation) in Christ through the Spirit, the course will review a few key turning points in how Christians came to proclaim and practice salvation in history. The second half of the course will explore contemporary approaches to salvation from multiple angles and contexts: What are we saved from, and what are we saved for? Who make up the “we” of salvation? Is it a matter of individuals or necessarily communal? How are we to understand the message of salvation as good news amidst a pluralistic society and global religious diversity? What has and does it mean to declare, “No salvation outside the church”? How is the Spirit of Christ saving a world wounded ecologically, wounded in the lives of people suffering political oppression, systemic poverty, and more?

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Instructor: Dr. Graham Reside, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Ethics, Executive Director of the Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership in the Professions

$55.00

Online (asynchronous)

This course will draw on my experience teaching in prisons and working with the incarcerated, as well as on my current research on accountability. Part of being human is harming others and being harmed by them. As a consequence, every society develops rituals and practices for managing harm. It is also true that religions have developed their own strategies for dealing with this human reality. In this course we will examine social and religious responses to harm by exploring key issues that are both theological and sociological.

The course will begin with a discussion of the meaning(s) of justice, then turn to issues of accountability, amends and forgiveness. Each of these concepts entail a set of practices and rituals, which we will both explore and cultivate. At the end of this course of study, participants will have a deeper understanding of the meaning of these key terms covered – Justice, Punishment, Accountability and Forgiveness – both as social objectives and theologically relevant concepts and pastoral practices. And perhaps we will also have a better set of skills for dealing with the harms we ourselves inevitably experience, as
participants in this endeavor we call “being human."

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Instructor: Dr. Phillis Isabella Sheppard,  E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Chair, Religion, Psychology, and Culture
Professor of Religion, Psychology, and Culture and Womanist Thought

$55.00

Online (asynchronous)

In this generative 4-week course, participants will be introduced to the spiritual teaching, sayings, lives, stories, and spiritual practices of women who lived in the early desert and monastic communities.

These desert mothers have often been forgotten in discussions about the early church and their role as teachers and spiritual guides lost. Some were considered “rebels virgins” unwilling to comply with society’s expectations for women of the time, but others were viewed as profoundly spiritual.  In this course, using recent research, art, music, their writings, and spiritual practices, we bring them forward, not only to remember them, but also to recognize their potential to deepen our faith and our spiritual practices. 

After setting the historical background for the spirituality of desert teachers, we will learn to use their sayings and teachings to broaden our sources spirituality for the current contemporary contexts.

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Instructor: Dr. Forest Harris, Professor of the Practice of Ministry and Leadership, Director of the Kelly Miller Smith Institute for Black Church Studies

$55.00

Online (asynchronous)

This asynchronous four-session course invites faith leaders, laypersons, and community builders to explore the soul of religious leadership as a liberating practice rooted in moral courage, hope, and justice. Drawing from the tradition of social justice and global liberation movements, the course reclaims religious leadership as a spiritual vocation rather than a managerial function. It asks: What does it mean to lead with a liberated spirit in a fearful and divided world?

Participants will journey through scripture, history, and lived experience to cultivate the inner stillness, critical consciousness, and prophetic imagination necessary for practicing transformative leadership in their communities. 

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Instructor: Dr. Joerg Rieger, Distinguished Professor of Theology, Cal Turner Chancellor's Chair in Wesleyan Studies, Director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice

$55.00

Online (asynchronous)

A fundamental tension exists at the heart of Christianity. Contrary to widespread belief, this tension is not between religion and atheism or between religion and secularism. Nor is it between organized religion and personal spirituality or between Christianity and other religions. The tension is located within Christianity itself because it embodies a radical conflict between Christian faith that is life-giving for all and Christian faith that is damaging and destructive of people and the earth. Jesus vs. Caesar presents an indictment of the pieties of empire and their push for political, economic, cultural, and religious domination. Some forms of Christian faith (following Jesus)versus other forms of Christian faith (following Caesar). Whom and what will we trust and serve? Jesus embodies and exposes this tension in ways that transform destructive images of God, engender political and economic resilience, and model community solidarity with others who are different, including solidarity with other religions.

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Instructor: Victor Judge, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Lecturer in Divinity, Lecturer in Literature and Religion

 $35.00

In-person

Saturday, March 7

The Lifelong Learning Program at Vanderbilt University Divinity School is offering a Lenten workshop where participants will have opportunities to deepen their spiritual practices through poetry, the visual arts, and writing. We will adapt the discipline of Lectio Divina to poetry with Lenten themes while studying works of art in the tradition of Visio Divina. Participants also will engage in the practice of Scriptio Divina, or contemplative writing, by composing and sharing their reflections based upon prompts relevant to this liturgical season. The workshop also will include Lenten meals in the morning and afternoon. 

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Instructor: Dr. Jaco J. Hamman, Professor of Religion, Psychology, and Culture

 $55.00

Online (asynchronous)

This 4-week course explores the genius of beloved Nashville singer-songwriter, John Prine (1946-2020). Prine becomes our guide to the good life. Questions we’ll explore, introduced through selected Prine songs, include: How can we live creatively? How best to respond to the growing climate crisis? How does one grieve loss effectively? And, how does one age with integrity? The world needs Prine’s transformational observations and sage-like wisdom.

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Instructor: Victor Judge, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Lecturer in Divinity, Lecturer in Literature and Religion

$55.00

In-person

Saturdays, October 4 – 25, 1:00-4:00pm

This 4-week course explores four films by the contemporary American filmmaker Terrence Malick (1943- ).  Viewing Malick’s films may be compared to a spiritual exercise in which one is invited to experience cinematic art as a medium for contemplating the Divine Mystery. Each class session will include a matinee viewing of one of the four films covered in this course, followed by discussion with instructor and Assistant Dean, Victor Judge. The discussions will address artistic merit and religious questions each film invites one to ponder: 

Days of Heaven

The Tree of Life

The Knight of Cups

A Hidden Life

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Instructor: Dr. James P. Byrd, Chancellor’s Chair of Wesleyan Studies, Professor of American Religious History, Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research in the Grad Dept. of Religion

$55.00

Online (asynchronous)

This 6-week course explores the life and writings of Frederick Douglass, focusing on his deepest-held convictions. This course offers a multifaceted assessment of Douglass’ engagements with religious groups, Biblical and theological views, and how religion informed his views of politics and society.  Throughout his life, Douglass had a contentious relationship with organized religion, but his nuanced and prophetic vision of Christianity profoundly influenced his life and thought. Ultimately, this course takes a chronological approach through Douglass’ primary sources – including his writings, famous speeches, and lesser-known works – to understand his significance in his own context and continuing relevance to some of today’s most challenging questions.

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Instructor: Dr. Ellen T. Armour, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Feminist Theology, Director of the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender and Sexuality

$55.00

Online (synchronous)

Christians are deeply divided these days over what we should think about gender and sexuality. This 4-week course will shed light on this controversy by engaging its theological roots alongside resources from historical and contemporary Christian theology. How does today’s understanding of gender and sexuality compare with earlier times – biblical and beyond? How does it align with our understanding of God? Of sin? Of salvation? Bring your questions and an open mind!

Registration coming soon

Instructor: Dr. Nathan A. Cost, Associate Director of Lifelong Learning

$55.00

Online (synchronous)

Mondays, Oct. 20 – Nov. 17, 6:00-7:15pm

This 5-week course explores the way that our own communities and systems form our callings throughout our lives.  Learners will be introduced to foundational readings, case studies, and discussion in four areas of our lives: family roles, grief and loss, congregational stories, and mentoring relationships.  The way that we experience these four areas within our communities can have a powerful impact on our sense of God and purpose, oftentimes without ever realizing it.  Ultimately, this course will provide learners with tools to reflect on their own vocational journeys and how they might support others as they discern their callings in all seasons of life.