2015-16 Course Offerings Booklet

Course Offeringsat LTS 2015-16

2 LTS Course Offerings 2015–16

On-site IntensivesOn-site intensives are taught at the seminary in Saskatoon (or, occasionally, in another location outside Saskatoon) and require students to be present in the same room as the professor for the duration of the course. Intensive classes are one or two weeks in length, with the expectation that final assignments will be completed in the weeks immediately following the class. SL 210 Systematic Theology I 14 – 18 Sept Rev. Dr. Cam Harder

This is the first of two courses which introduce students to current and historic perspectives on traditional themes in Christian Theol-

ogy and explore their significance for the modern world. In this course we will explore Christ, Trinity, Creation, Sin and Suffering. Students will critically examine their own “pre-understandings” of these themes. They will discern how the themes “function” differently in various contexts. They will be introduced to a “theology of the cross” herme-

neutic (interpretive lens) to help them develop their own capacity for grounded theological reflection and thoughtful conversation.

PL 155 Globalization/Ethics 2 – 13 NovRev. Dr. Kristine Ruffatto

This course explores the field of Christian Ethics as well as the theological, social, political, economic and ecological issues

surrounding globalization, from a Lutheran perspective. It is the precursor to the Cross-Cultural Trip. This required course provides an introduction to Christian Ethics, explores the use of the Bible in ethical decision-making, and examines the dynamics of globalization (includ-ing the impact of the deregulation of foreign trade and

investment, especially on the production and distribution of food and access to water). Special attention will be given to reflecting theologi-cally on the issues and challenges surrounding globalization, implica-tions for people of faith, and the development of Christian responses to this complex issue.

MDiv

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LTS Course Offerings 2015–16 3

BL 278 Gospel of Luke 4 – 8 Jan Rev. Dr. William Richards & Ched Myers“Invitation to Adventure: Luke Retells the Jesus-Story”

By the time Luke took up pen to write the story of Jesus, he knew other accounts were already in circulation. But Luke’s attention

was caught by the spirit of adventure to which the hero had invited his hearers. The same breath Jesus had breathed was inspir-ing a new community of healing and wonder, among women and men, slave and free, rich and poor alike. To help prepare participants for

preaching, study & reflection from the gospel for year C, this course works through Luke’s 24 chapters, attentive to the challenge to adven-ture its Jesus presents. The course may be taken for audit or for credit.

SL 120 The Lutheran Confessions 1 – 12 Feb Rev. Dr. Gordon Jensen

This course explores the Lutheran Confessions and what it means to be a “confessional” church. This course will begin with a

discussion on the place and authority of confessions for a church, and then include a survey of the documents of the Book of Concord, looking at them in their historical context. The last part of the class will focus on the histor-ical development and theology of the Augsburg Confes-sion (Confessio Augustana). By the end of this course,

students will be able to competently discuss the relevance of Confes-sions for the church today, and will have had opportunity to practice integrating the confessions in their pastoral ministry.

Tuition: $780 for credit; $500 for clergy continuing ed; $250 interest/observationAdditional fees: textbooksEducational prerequisite: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

MDiv-level courses can also be taken for credit in the Diaconal Ministry Certificate program.

MDiv

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SL 365 Contemporary Ethics 4 – 15 AprRev. Dr Vern RatzlaffLived Confessions in the World

An examination of ethical theories, with attention to Lutheran ethicists and perspectives on contemporary

ethical issues confronting the Christian community, such as bioethics, the role of the bible, ecclesial perspectives, pluralism, the Palestinian issues.

blended intensivesBlended intensives offer two options: students may take it in the classroom with the professor (normally, at the Seminary in Saskatoon) or they may join the group via live streaming from another location (e.g., their home) using a webcam and telephone. SL 211 Systematic Theology II 28 Sept – 9 OctRev. Dr. Kayko Driedger Hesslein

Pneumatology, ecclesiology, the sacraments, missi-ology, vocation, and eschatology will be covered in

this course. These loci will be explored through historical and contemporary perspectives, in order to provide a deep theological foundation for pastoral application.

SL 334 Contemporary Theologians 23 Nov – 4 Dec Rev. Dr. Cam Harder

This course will examine two theological developments that over the last seventy-five years have had a revolutionary effect on

the way we view and do theology. The first is the awareness that theologies are contextual—that they grow out of specific political, economic and social contexts and interact (often unexpectedly) with the cultures in which they are taught. In this regard we will examine

two theologians from different eras and regions who found liberating theologies for oppressive social/politi-cal contexts: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, well-known German theologian and martyr from the Second World War; and Choan-Seng Song, a widely published theologian whose Christian theology clearly reflects Asian culture.

MDiv

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Tuition: $780 for credit; $500 for clergy continuing ed; $250 interest/observationAdditional fees: textbooks, $125 distance education feeEducational prerequisite: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent


The second key development is the awareness that theology must be done not only with God and humanity in mind, but must fully take into account the deep interconnection that human destiny has with the non-human world. We will look at the writing of Canadian theologian Sally McFague and American Larry Rasmussen as they tackle the difficult questions of faith in an era when humans have put the earth’s biosphere in crisis.

HL 248 Confessional Lutheranism in a Cdn Context 14 – 24 MarRev. Dr. Gordon Jensen

This course explores how the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) and its predecessor bodies have tried to be both

confessionally Lutheran and ecumenical. The first part of the course will cover the historical background of the ELCIC and the strength of its commitment to be confes-sionally grounded in the Lutheran tradition. This part of this course situates the development and commitment to the ecumenical involvements of the ELICC in its historical

and confessional perspective, and in relationship to their ecumenical partners. In the second half of the course, the class will look at the ecumenical agreements and cooperative ventures that the ELCIC is, or has been, involved in. Students will discover how our history has shaped and affected our confessional self-understanding as a church, and it will help us to identify the gifts and the baggage which our church brings to the ecumenical scene within Canada and interna-tionally. M

Div

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semester-long onlineThese classes take place online, with little or no requirement that students be on the internet at the same time as the professor. Students can complete all or most of the work on their own schedule each week at their convenience. HL 111 Church History I 14 Sept – 4 Dec Rev. Dr. Sandra Beardsall & Rev. Dr. Gordon Jensen

The earliest centuries of Christianity were times of trial and courage, intrigue and insight, failure and promise for those who chose to

join, or found themselves within, the religious movement that gathered around followers of the Palestinian Jewish teacher, Jesus. As Christianity matured into the medieval period, new challenges, both within and without the church, continued to shape the faith story and

the lives of believers. This course will introduce students to the world of the early and medieval Christians: their changing social, political and economic climate, their developing theologies, their worship and faith practices, and the ways they shaped their ecclesial structures. At the conclusion of the course, students will have gained an overview of events and persons, and an encounter with the voices of early and medieval Christians as they are found in the documents of the time.

HL 112 Church History II 11 Jan – 22 Apr Drs. G. Jensen & S. Beardsall

The first part of the course will seek to address the questions that swirl around the sixteenth century. It will look at backgrounds

and try to put the Reformation movements into the context of their time and place. These movements will be seen ultimately in religious terms, but religion itself will be understood as very much a part of the social, economic and political realities of the day. By examining the

major developments, personalities and writings of various kinds, we will attempt to shed some light on this period and to lay down some of the basic foundational stones for Christianity in the modern world,

MDiv

/BTh/M

TS


Tuition: $780 for credit; $500 for clergy continuing ed; $250 interest/observationAdditional fees: textbooks, $125 distance education feeWeekly Workload: w Join video conference (60 minutes) in PL241 only

w Read passages of scripture & other readings w Post and participate in discussion forum w Work on final paper(s)

Educational prerequisite: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent


which is covered in the scond part of this course. We will look at how the church has developed, expanded and changed from the reforma-tion era to the present.

PL 241 Pilgrimage 14 Sept – 4 DecRev. Dr. Matthew Anderson

In this course, we will study the theology, history, politics, and culture of pilgrimage. In our postmodern world, where so many

pilgrims consider themselves non-religious, and so many voyages are called ‘pilgrimages,’ we will attempt to define both pilgrimage itself, and to discover what makes a pilgrimage spiritual. Through biblical, classic, schol-arly, and popular texts, and a wide range of audio-visual material, we’ll examine spiritual mobility from prehistoric

times, through Biblical times, the medieval church and reformation periods, to postmodernity. Finally, arising from Dr. Anderson’s North West Mounted Police Trail walk in July 2015, we will also focus on contemporary aboriginal practices of journey, and especially on ‘settler’ pilgrimage, as meaningful, restorative and sacred journeys. In addition to class work and exams, students will engage in a practical component to the course consisting of a self-designed pilgrimage of 10 km or more, and a written critical reflection on that pilgrimage, both to be undertaken after consultation with the professor.

MDiv

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Tuition: $780 for credit; $500 for clergy continuing edAdditional fees: textbooksEducational prerequisite: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

On-site IntensivesPL 320 Liturgical Practices in Praxis 14 – 15 Sept; 7 – 10 NovRev. Dr. Larry Kochendorfer

“The weekly Christian gathering, when we gather to share the Word and the Meal of Life, is a primary place of faith forma-

tion. All that we do or say – every action, every silence, the environment, our symbols – everything speaks of our understanding of God, how we interact with God and with one another, and how we believe God transforms our lives through the Gospel. Because all of our words and actions carry such weight, we cannot approach this

experience casually or carelessly. In our planning and preparations, in our leadership and presentation, we must be wholly present to the community and its prayer, and to God’s presence within that prayer.”1

This course is designed to assist students in thinking critically about effective and creative crafting of the weekly liturgy in order that they might assist congregations to be vital, faithful, and missional worship-ping communities. In light of the basic pattern of Christian worship – of gathering, word, meal, and sending – revealed in the New Testa-ment, the writings of the early Church, the Lutheran Confessions, and ecumenical documents students will be introduced to fresh and imaginative ways to enhance the faith community’s worship includ-ing through music, the arts, the liturgical year, movement, posture, space, and symbol. The course includes the development of weekly liturgies for the season of Easter Year C.

1Marty Haugen, To Serve as Jesus Did: A Ministerial Model for Worship Teams and Leaders,

GIA Publications, Chicago, 2005, 21.

Internship

/Cont. ed.


PL 261 Christian Education 17 – 18 Sept; 4 – 6 NovRev. Dr. James HendricksenTeaching the Bible

This course explores the nature, purpose and practice of faith formation and Christian education within congregational minis-

tries, will engage students in exploring the educational relations between vision and practice, content and context, methods and learners, faith and life. This course focusses specifically on using the Bible and its rich stories for faith formation. Requirements and assignments for this course require that the student be involved in congrega-

tional teaching ministries within their respective contextual education placement.

PL 384 Outreach Ministry 14 – 18 Mar Rev. Dr. Cameron Harder

The Christian church in Canada and the US has a very different social location today than it had fifty years ago. We are called

by God to re-contextualize our ministry for new gener-ations. In this course we will examine the “unraveling” of the euro-tribal Christian faith traditions in North America, looking for ways to take the best of those traditions into the future in a way that connects to the movement of the Spirit in our contemporary culture. Students will develop

tools for understanding the dynamics of their local community and for identifying God’s work in it. They will practice listening to the Spirit’s influence among people outside of their congregations. And they will develop skills in leading congregations to imagine and implement creative forms of ministry that deeply engage the people of their community.

Internship

/Cont. ed.


Tuition: $125Additional fees: possibly one textbookWeekly Workload: w Join video conference (60-90 minutes)

w Read passages of scripture & one article w Participate in discussion forum

Educational prerequisite: None. Basic biblical literacy is helpful.

non-credit onlineDiscovery courses are non-credit, just-for-interest courses offered for lay people (though clergy are welcome to join if they wish!) who are interested in deepening and learning more about theology, spirituality, ecumenism, ethics, the Bible, and other aspects of their faith. These courses are shorter/fewer hours than credit courses (usually about 15 hours) and have no formal graded assignments. DBL 159 Women in the Bible 4 Oct – 29 Nov Dr. Jan Peterson & Dr. Pamela Giles

Ever wished you knew more about the women in the Bible? In this course we’ll examine the stories of some of the most important

female figures in Scripture. We will delve into biblical texts from different perspectives, setting the women in context and questioning what we think we know about Eve, Mary Magda-lene, and the women of the early church. We will look at mothers (Sarah, Rachel, Rebekah,

Mary), Warrior Women (heroines like Deborah and Jael, wielder of the trusty tentpeg), as well as the Bad Girls (Jezebel and Delilah). Besides reading the texts, we will look at artistic representations (paintings, film clips, literature) featuring these biblical women to see how later Western culture has understood and reshaped them. After this course, you won’t see biblical women in the same way again!

Another Course Winter Semester (Topic, instructor TBA)

Dis

covery


On-site IntensivesThe DMin program is for clergy who are interested in engaging their communities more effectively, bringing their gifts into stronger partnership with community groups and institutions. Clergy are invited to take these classes even when not formally enrolled in the program.IU 7871 Qualitative Research Methods 28 Sept – 2 OctDr. Lynn Caldwell

This course will focus on critical issues, questions, and decisions involved in designing and carrying out qualitative research projects

in rural contexts. The focus will be on engaging students with information about qualitative research in a broad sense, as well as with questions and resources particular to their own identified research interests and contexts.Specific methods for community-based research will be presented and a researcher’s roles and responsibilities in

selecting appropriate methods will be discussed. Attention will be given to critical questions about data generation,collaboration with and reporting to community members and research participants, and interpretation of research materials and experiences.

HA 756 Preparing for Ecumenical Ministries 11 – 15 JanRev. Dr. Sandra Beardsall

Increasing numbers of Christian communities are working ecumen-ically to facilitate mission and ministry, especially in areas of depop-

ulation or other financial struggle. Many of these choose to link formally as “ecumenical shared ministry” congre-gations or clusters. This course will explore the dynam-ics particular to developing and sustaining ecumenical ministry initiatives in congregational settings, introducing participants to the structures of such ministries, and consid-

ering issues that are unique to ecumenical congregational relation-ships. It will include the study of pertinent theological documents and denominational agreements, practical issues like the production of covenants and constitutions, and the pastoral challenges that affect all congregations, but with attention to the nuances for ecumeni-cal ministries, attending to sources of support for clergy and other

DM

in


Tuition: $1000Educational prerequisite: MDiv or equivalent

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incongregational leaders. Finally, the course will engage questions of our personal struggles and delights in confronting Christian identity and otherness.

IU 605 Assessment Tools for Rural Communities 15 – 19 FebRev. Dr. Cam Harder

This course will examine community demographics, economics and culture in stressed communities, particularly rural. It will

explore theological and theoretical models for ministry that work to build health and resilience in the surrounding community. It will introduce the theology and use of inter-disciplinary “asset-based” tools to assist in understanding the culture of ministry sites and the Spirit’s activity in them. These tools may include Photo (or Video) Voice,

Appreciative Inquiry, Asset-mapping, World Cafe and other means of building energy, creativity and commitment. Students will be asked to choose the tools most appropriate for their site and develop an initial plan for their use.

You can register for any of these courses through the LTS Populi. If you don’t yet have an

account, use the APPLY NOW button on http://luther.usask.ca and wait for the

Registrar to set you up.

Lutheran Theological Seminary Saskatoon114 Seminary CresSaskatoon, SK S7N 0X3

Contact the Registrar [email protected]

version dated 6 July 2015

Documents

2015-16 Course Offerings Booklet