We have added three new courses for Spring 2015! Please read below for more information.
Psalms
The Old Testament Book of Psalms is perhaps the most important book of the Bible for ministry. The New Testament quotes the Psalms more than any Old Testament book. Jesus shapes his Kingdom work from the Psalms. The church’s worship and spiritual formation takes root in the Psalms. In this seminar we will learn together: (1) the content, literary features, and theological message of the Psalms, (2) the historical and cultural setting of the Book of Psalms (3) how to interpret various psalms moving from a psalm text to whole Bible context and then to our context (4) to pray and sing the Psalms for worship and spiritual growth.
3 units
Required Course for M.Div. and M.A.
Offered as a 1 unit course for those who are seeking enrollment to any ntswest degree program
When/Beginning: Tuesday Evenings Starting February 10, 2015
Location: Little Brown Mission (First United Presbyterian Church), 600 E 5th St., Long Beach, CA 50658
Professor: Jeff McCrory, Jr.
Jeff McCrory is Pastor and Team Leader of Little Brown Mission, an urban mission in Long Beach. A Presbyterian minister, he has served churches in Colorado, Washington, D.C., and Southern California. With a Ph.D. in Old Testament, and an outstanding teacher, he has taught for Fuller, Denver, Eastern Baptist, and Wesley seminaries. A native of Tennessee, he also strums a mean guitar while leading groups in his collection of Civil War songs.
Women Christian Mystics
Women Christian Mystics offers a deep and rewarding study of women who until recently were forgotten or neglected. Catholic mystics Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, and Teresa of Avila, as well as lesser known Protestant women Anna Maria van Schurman and Lillian Stavely, write out of their feminine experience their sense of God’s presence and the practices they develop from these encounters. In each session we will engage in a spiritual practice derived from these women mystics as we seek to enrich our own understanding of and connection to God.
2 Credits/1 Credit
Required Course for M.A., Christian Formation and Practice
When/Beginning: Monday Evenings 7-9 p.m. Beginning February 9, 2015
Location: San Marino Community Church, 1750 Virginia Road, San Marino, CA 91108
Professor: Dr. Janna Gosselin
Dr. Janna Gosselin seamlessly navigates the academic world of medieval studies while offering lectures and popular courses in congregations across Southern California on Christian mystics. She has taught in Fuller Theological Seminary, USC School of Religion, as well as the Whittier Law School. Dr. Gosselin has a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in the School of Religion, and an M.A. in Theology from Fuller Seminary. Dr. Gosselin also serves her community as a lawyer.
Faith-Rooted Organizing (English & Spanish, Ingles y Español)
Faith-Rooted Organizing (FRO) offers an alternative to standard community organizing approaches in that it is shaped and guided from the ground up by the deepest beliefs and values of the Christian faith. FRO is designed to enable Christians to contribute our unique gifts to the broader movement for justice. Since the 1930’s, organizing movements for social justice have largely been built on assumptions that are secular in origin – such as reliance on self-interest and having a common enemy as the primary motivation for change. But what if we as Christians were to shape our organizing around all the implications of the truth that God is real and Jesus is risen? This model of organizing emerges directly from our Christian conviction and helps faith leaders to lead their congregations into “whole gospel discipleship” integrating evangelism, direct services, community development and community organizing as expressions of God’s love for the world. Students gain practices and tools that help inspire the church to work for a just, equitable and sustainable world.
Foundation; Required Course for M.Div.; 3 Units
Location (English): TBD
Location (Español): Iglesia Cristiana del Este de Whittier (Discipulos de Cristo), 9951 Mills Ave, Whittier, CA 90604
Professor: Alexia Salvatierra
Rev. Alexia Salvatierra is currently the Special Assistant to the Bishop for Welcoming Congregations for the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She also serves as a consultant (training, facilitating, organizing and leading strategic planning) for a variety of national/international organizations, including World Vision USA/World Vision International/Women of Vision, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, the Christian Community Development Association the Womens’ Donor Network, Auburn Theological Seminary, Interfaith Worker Justice, PICO and Sojourner’s. She is adjunct faculty at the New York Theological Seminary and Biola University, and has lectured at Fuller Seminary, University of Southern California and UCLA. Rev. Salvatierra has co-written a book with Rev. Dr. Peter Heltzel titled Faith-Rooted Organizing: Mobilizing the Church in Service to the World.