| IF 540 - Contribución Teológica de la Iglesia Latina |
Descripción: una exploración de los orígenes, el desarrollo y las principales contribuciones de la teología desarrollada por teólogos y teólogas Latinxs. Se subrayará su importancia y su contribución a la teología en general y a la iglesia en Estados Unidos en particular.
Prerequisite: None
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Rev. Dr. Loida I. Martell |
| IF 541 – Theological Contributions of the Black Church in the US and the World |
This course is an examination of the theological innovations that people of African descent have
brought to the Christian faith. We will begin with the period of slavery in America and discuss
the theological evolution of the black church through the 20th century. Our analysis will include
discussion of specific theological symbols and concepts like the cross, sin, redemption,
Christology, theological anthropology, and the bible as a source for theology. We will discuss
these theological symbols and concepts while giving particular attention to race/ethnicity, class,
gender, and analysis of sexuality. We will also discuss Black and Womanist theologies.
Prerequisite: None
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Faculty |
| IF 550 – Theology and Theological Language |
This course is the prerequisite for all other theology courses. In this course students will be introduced to the basic vocabulary, concepts, paradigms and figures central to studying and practicing theology.
Prerequisite: None
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Esther Parajuli |
| IF 552 – Theology of Sermons |
Theology is essential for effective preaching. This is the case because the heart of every sermon is and should be a claim about the nature of God. This theological claim has implications for how we live in community, with ourselves, our congregations, society and Earth itself. In this course, students will learn how to identify theological claims in a sermon and make theological claims from a biblical text that can be used for the purposes of proclamation.
Prerequisite: IF 550 and LW 550
Credit: 0.5
Instructor: Dr. Leah Schade & Faculty |
| IF 553 – Made in the Image of God: Theological Anthropology |
Theological anthropology is the study of the human person as created by God. In this module, we will study the central questions with which theologians wrestle when working the theological nature of the human being. We will read and discuss historical and contemporary accounts of sin and what it means to be made in the image of God (Imago Dei). Along the way, we will consider the ethical consequences of particular answers to these questions.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Esther Parajuli |
| IF 554 – The Nature of God: Theology |
In this course we will be considering traditional and contemporary understandings of the nature and work of God. We will look at ideas about creation and providence, God’s dual nature as both immanent and transcendent, theodicy and the nature of God as Trinity.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Esther Parajuli |
| IF 555 – “One Bread, One Body”: Theology of the Church |
In this course we will pay attention to the curious institution that is the church. Most of the time we take church for granted, but when we think about its call, to be both relevant and prophetic, to be grounded in the world with eyes toward the Kingdom of God, it looks not only odd, but maybe impossible. Yet, this is the community Christ called, so we continue to do the best we can in faith that our work will be made right by God. To think about the church, we will study the ways theologians have dealt with difficult questions of how to “be” church and we will apply those theological glimmers to a focused study of our own congregations.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Christopher Rodkey |
| IF 556 – Who Do You Say That I Am: Christology |
This course combines two separate but closely related theological doctrines: the study of Christ (his two natures, his works, his death, his place in the Trinity) with a study of salvation, how Christ’s death brings atonement, who is saved and the nature of heaven and hell.
Prerequisite: IF 550 + two additional IF credits
Credit: 1.0 (Offered during On-Campus Intensives)
Instructor: Dr. Esther Parajuli |
| IF 557 – Theology and Pastoral Care: Discussing Suffering and Hope |
This course explores the theological areas of suffering and evil (theodicy) and visions and practices of hope (eschatology) through the traditions of pastoral theology. Rather than exploring abstract answers that pastors might appeal to for people who are in the midst of crisis, we will explore the ways that communities of faith can be shaped and empowered to understand suffering, to provide communal care, and to pursue visions of hope. We will explore three orders of suffering through an examination of three case studies—considering natural suffering through the challenges of dementia, interpersonal suffering through legacies of trauma, and systemic suffering caused by structures of Neoliberalism. Alongside these orders of suffering, we will consider pastoral practices and visions of hope, especially those of the kingdom of God and the beloved community.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Wilson Dickinson |
| IF 558 – God Save Us: Soteriology |
The doctrine of Soteriology (salvation) integrally depends on the doctrines of Christology, Creation, Theological Anthropology, Theology, Eschatology and Ecclesiology in order to have any meaning all. If you think about it, figuring out what it means to be saved means we have to ask these questions: “From what must we be saved?” By what mechanisms does salvation occur?” and “To what will we be saved?” The theological shortcut for these questions looks like this, “From what/through which/To what?” It is this formula that will guide our time together, as we work together on one of the most difficult questions professional theologians, and lay theologians alike wrestle with which is: “What happened on the cross?”
Prerequisite: IF 550 + two additional IF credits
Credit: 1.0 (Offered during On-Campus Intensives)
Instructor: Dr. Esther Parajuli |
| IF 559 – Living the Catholic Experience: Mystery of the Church |
This course examines the theological and ethical foundations of creation care within the Catholic tradition and broader Christian contexts. Students will explore eco-spiritual ethics and practices that integrate sustainability into worship, education, and ministry. Through readings, discussions, and practical applications, participants will develop skills to design rituals, programs, and curricula that embody reverence for creation and position the Church as a prophetic witness in addressing climate challenges.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Jean Soto |
| IF 560 – Living the Catholic Experience: Sacraments I |
The Sacraments sit at the center of Roman Catholic life and liturgical practice. Instituted by Jesus Christ and entrusted to the Church, the Sacraments constitute an array of visible signs of an invisible grace by which God draws the Church and its members into God’s life, and empowers God’s people to carry out the Church’s mission in the world. Catholics recognize the existence of seven Sacraments: the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist), the Sacraments of Healing (Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick), and the Sacraments of Service (Marriage and Holy Orders). This course treats Catholic sacramentology in general and the Sacraments of Initiation in particular.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Faculty |
| IF 561 – Living the Catholic Experience: Sacraments II |
The Sacraments sit at the center of Roman Catholic life and liturgical practice. Instituted by Jesus Christ
and entrusted to the Church, the Sacraments constitute an array of visible signs of an invisible grace by
which God draws the Church and its members into God’s life, and empowers God’s people to carry out
the Church’s mission in the world. Catholics recognize the existence of seven Sacraments: the Sacraments
of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist), the Sacraments of Healing (Reconciliation and
the Anointing of the Sick), and the Sacraments of Service (Marriage and Holy Orders). Building on
“Living the Catholic Experience: Sacraments I,” this course treats the Sacraments of Healing and the
Sacraments of Service.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Christopher McMahon
|
| IF 562 – Living the Catholic Experience: Our Sacred Story |
This course explores the theological and ethical foundations of creation care within Catholic and broader Christian traditions. Students will examine eco-spiritual ethics and practices that integrate sustainability into worship, education, and ministry. Through readings, discussions, and practical applications, participants will develop skills to design rituals, programs, and curricula that embody reverence for creation and position the Church as a prophetic witness in addressing climate challenges.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Theresa Yugar |
| IF 563 – Ecclesiologies: From Avatar to Zoom |
“Real Presence” is one of the classic questions of Christian theology—often described only as mystery. While this question is historically tied to the practice of the Eucharist, emerging technologies have raised questions about presence, community, and embodiment in digital settings. This course examines theoretical perspectives to this question before returning to practical questions of community and practice as expressed within the contemporary
situation. While wrestling with these matters, we will also develop new skills to apply to digital ministry.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Christopher Rodkey
|
| IF 564 – Food Justice and Food Insecurity |
This class is a contextual theological exploration of different Christian responses to issues connected with food, especially food insecurity, with the approach of food justice. Students will explore various local and trans-local responses that are informed by justice movements and liberation and decolonial theologies.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Wilson Dickinson |
| IF 565 – Christian Theology and Religious Diversity |
In this course we will study the major theological approaches to religious diversity and in doing so, engage with the questions mentioned above. This course will critically examine how the doctrines within Christian theology inform the different approaches to religious diversity. For example, we will consider how a theological understanding of God impact theological approaches to religious diversity, but also how the encounter of religious diversity informs and challenges the Christian understanding of God.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Esther Parajuli |
| IF 570 – The Church and Homosexuality |
This course equips church leaders to engage faithfully and knowledgeably in conversations about sexuality and homosexuality. Students will explore theological, ethical, and pastoral dimensions of these issues to foster dialogue and healing within congregations. Through readings, discussions, and practical resources, participants will gain the understanding necessary to lead communities through divisive topics with compassion, clarity, and integrity.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Faculty |
| IF 572 – Special Topics in Theological Anthropology: Disabilities |
In this course we will think about what it means to be made in the image of God through the lens of people with physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 0.5
Instructor: Faculty |
| IF 573 – Introduction to the Theology of Paul Tillich |
This course is an introduction to the ideas of the Christian philosopher and theologian Paul Tillich. Emphases for this introduction will be focused upon being comfortable with the theological language of Tillich’s writings and contextualizing his ideas into ministerial contexts.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Christopher Rodkey |
| IF 574 – Dietrich Bonhoeffer |
This course is an introduction to the ideas of the Christian theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Emphases for this introduction will be focused upon Bonhoeffer’s biography, Christology, Ecclesiology, Ethics, and controversial final writings. Students will contextualize these ideas in and for their own ministerial locations and identities.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Christopher Rodkey |
| IF 576 – Contemporary Atheisms |
This course is an introduction to the contemporary philosophical and theological issue of disbelief in God. Among subjects to be discussed are classical arguments for and against God; “God” and metaphysical models of the divine; the “New Atheism” movement; radical Christian responses to contemporary atheism; and practical application of these ideas for the purpose of missional leadership and evangelism in the local church.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Christopher Rodkey |
| IF 577 – Narrative Theology |
This course introduces students to narrative theology and its significance in Christian thought and practice. Students will explore the narrative quality of human life and Scripture, examine narrative Christology, and consider how narrative shapes identity and political engagement. Through readings and discussions, participants will learn how narrative functions as both a theological lens and a generative mode of expression for faith and ethics.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Faculty |
| IF 578 – Sallie McFague’s Environmental Theology |
In this course we will closely consider the origins of theologian Sallie McFague’s environmental work by reading from her groundbreaking work "The Body of God: An Ecological Theology."
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 0.5
Instructor: Faculty |
| IF 579 – Reinhold Niebuhr |
This course is an introduction to the ideas of the Christian pastor, theologian, and political theorist Reinhold Niebuhr. Students will directly and substantively engage primary texts and learn the political and religious contexts of Reinhold Niebuhr as a major figure of Christian thought whose influence is evident within and beyond the church today. Students in this course will employ Neibuhr’s ideas and style in practical ministerial applications, such as sermons or religious education programs. Finally, course participants will reflect upon the idea of “public theology” within our own contexts of the 21st century.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Christopher Rodkey |
| IF 584 – Food and Faith |
This class explores the interaction between contemporary food systems and Christian theology. Food will serve as a lens for seeing these theological traditions in an everyday, incarnational, and contemporary light. We will grapple with issues like hunger, agribusiness, community gardens, global and local economies from the perspective of Christian wisdom. This will allow us to reflect on the role of food in worship, church meals, and service, and as an avenue to help parishioners reflect on their moral lives.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Wilson Dickinson |
| IF 587 – Theology and Domestic Violence |
Think about this: if 1 out of every 3 women in your church and 1 out of every 4 men had cancer, what would the church’s response be? Now think about the fact that these statistics represent the number of women and men who live in relationships characterized by domestic violence, yet the church has been largely silent on this issue.
You will learn how Scripture and theology have been misused to keep people in abusive relationships and how it can be revisioned to help people make difficult decisions about how to deal with abuse. We will ask hard questions about the concepts of covenant, forgiveness, grace and love. You will learn the varieties of ways domestic violence is legally interpreted, beyond getting physically beaten. You will learn about the cycle of abuse that keeps men and women going back into abusive relationships. You will learn about the effects of the opioid epidemic on domestic violence cases and learn to help parents who are being abused by opioid addicted adult children. You will learn how you can help the perpetrators of domestic violence who are also your congregants.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 0.5
Instructor: Faculty |
| IF 588 – Jesus and Environmental Justice: Christology from Below |
This course explores the ways Jesus cultivated grassroots power through renewing convental life, teaching through parables, and transforming communities. We will consider how such efforts might be incarnated in contemporary church and social practice. While both Christology and environmental efforts often begin from above, focusing on cosmic perspectives and hierarchical power, this course will begin from below to consider how the life and ministry of Christ might shape the work of love and justice today.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Wilson Dickinson |
| IF 589 – Mystical Theology: The Mystery of God and Luminous Life |
Mystical Theology names a set of traditions, practices, and ways of life that integrate thinking about God, spiritual formation, and everyday discipleship. This course stages a series of conversations between mystics of the past and contemporary theologians. These dialogues across the centuries will help students think more deeply about the relationships between language, spirituality, and God, and the formative and imaginative poetry of theology and prayer. Along the way we will wrestle with the mystic traditions of darkness and theophany, divine names, love and divine union, the imitation of Christ, and letting go alongside practices of holy reading and contemplation. The mystic path leads us to a clearing where the mystery of God opens the possibility of luminous life.
Prerequisite: IF 550
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Wilson Dickinson |
| IF 590 – IF Competency Exercise |
*Please refer to section 7.1.6-7.1.8 of the Student Handbook*
Prerequisite: Completion of all other IF 500 level work
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Faculty |
| IF 591 - Theology of Wholeness |
This class is an exploration of theological visions of wholeness and social practices that seek to repair communities. This holistic pursuit integrates areas of life that are often compartmentalized from one another—especially the intellectual, the imaginative, the spiritual, the everyday, and the economic. At the heart of our considerations are biblical and theological visions of connection and love—communion, covenant, sabbath, and community. Over the course of this month, our learning community will begin to imagine and engage ways that the frayed threads of our shared world can be woven together into a just and joyful whole.
Prerequisite: None
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Dr. Wilson Dickinson |
| IF 592 - Faith and Science Amid Climate Changes |
The course will explore climate change through the lens of Christian theology with a special focus on the local experience of LTS students. The course will move along several integrated tracks: (1) an exploration of the theological understanding of Creation and Anthropology from the perspective of Scripture and doctrine; (2) an overview of the challenges presented by climate change science, especially as it affects the context of Appalachia; (3) an assessment of how Christians, their pastors, and congregations can respond in light of tracks 1 and 2 of the course.
Prerequisite: None
Credit: 1.0
Instructor: Drs. Lisa Graumlich and Christopher McMahon |
| IF 629 – Understanding Latinx Religion and Spirituality |
This course will explore the multiple expressions and varieties of Latino/a/x religion and spirituality, focusing on lived religion. We will explore various understandings of santo and sagrado including rites of passage, worship, and other rituals. These will provide resources for engaging issues of biblical justice, contextual and intersectional identity construction, confronting the evils of racism in the U.S.A, and working toward biblical justice.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of one Competency Exercise and a minimum of 60% of IF 500 level work
Credit: 2.0
Instructor: Faculty |
IF 630 - Beyond Borders: Theology and Religious Pluralism
|
What should Christians make of religious diversity? This course takes that question seriously, engaging it primarily through the lens of religious pluralism as a theological position. The course will take the theological debate seriously, engaging voices that challenge and voices that embrace religious pluralism, culminating in the contested and lived question of multiple religious belonging.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of one Competency Exercise and a minimum of 60% of IF 500 level work
Credit: 2.0
Instructor: Dr. Esther S. Parajuli |
| IF 671 – Gods and Monsters |
Religion and horror are inextricable bound. Monsters populate the sacred texts of Judaism and Christianity as well as run rampant in popular culture. In this course we will first consider WHY religion needs monsters. What role do monsters play in religious texts? To help answer this question we will look at Leviathan, Behemoth, Tiamat along with the Whore of Babylon and the beast with the seven heads. Then we will turn our attention to monsters in popular culture. What are the religious aspects of characters like Dracula and Frankenstein? Finally we will consider the complicated history of vampires and Christianity, the rise and fall of the power of the Cross in defeating evil and death.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of one Competency Exercise and a minimum of 60% of IF 500 level work
Credit: 2.0
Instructor: Faculty |
| IF 672 – Theology of the Border: US and Mexico |
Please join me as we explore what immigration means first hand when we spend seven days on the US/Mexico border at Tucson/Nogales. On this intensive trip you will hear the stories of migration from those who are in the process of crossing or have been deported back, listen to faithful leaders discuss their work with migrants on both sides of the border, walk dirt migrant trails winding through dangerous desert vegetation , experience mass deportation hearings in Federal Court, interview public defenders, dance with migrant children, experience the bitter cold of the desert in winter, sleep on cement floors in migrant shelters, and push yourself emotionally, physically and spiritually in ways you never thought possible. In short you will experience for yourself the complex and painful story of what some refer to as our national wound, the US/Mexico border.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of one Competency Exercise and a minimum of 60% of IF 500 level work
Credit: 2.0
Instructor: Faculty |
| IF 673 – Theology and Disabilities |
In this course we will work together to think theologically and to read the Bible through the lenses of people with physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities. To do this, we will read first person accounts, contemporary theology, US history and the Bible all with an eye toward becoming a more inclusive and accessible ecclesial community. It is my hope that through your work in this course you are moved to greater activism beyond the church environs and into the community and perhaps the world.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of one Competency Exercise and a minimum of 60% of IF 500 level work
Credit: 2.0
Instructor: Faculty |
| IF 674 – Queer Theology |
This course explores queer theology as a countercultural, hopeful expression of Christian faith. Students will examine the history and meaning of “queer,” its role in LGBTQIA experiences, and its use in constructive theology to reclaim the disruptive witness of Jesus. Through readings, discussions, and reflection, participants will challenge cultural norms, deepen understanding of identity, and discover how queer insights can inspire fearless, inclusive Christian living.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of one Competency Exercise and a minimum of 60% of IF 500 level work
Credit: 2.0
Instructor: Faculty |
| IF 675 – Holy Spirit: Beyond Santa and Star Wars |
This course seeks to give the student an opportunity to reflect upon the Person of the Spirit as the Third Person of the Trinity. Who is the Spirit? What is the relation of the Spirit to the Parent and to the Christ? What is the role of the Spirit in soteriology and eschatology? Is the role of the Spirit only confined to the ecclesiology or does God the Spirit have a greater global presence than the Western Church has heretofore granted the Spirit? Emphasis will be made on the role of the Spirit as Life-giver and its implications for contemporary contexts.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of one Competency Exercise and a minimum of 60% of IF 500 level work
Credit: 2.0
Instructor: Dr. Loida Martell |
| IF 677 – Postcolonial Theology |
The impact of European colonialism, which began in the 15th century, on our understanding of difference across political, economic, social, cultural, and religious dimensions is indisputable. This course aims to subject this colonial construction of difference and sameness to theological inquiry by delving into postcolonial theory and theology.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of one Competency Exercise and a minimum of 60% of IF 500 level work
Credit: 2.0
Instructor: Dr. Esther Parajuli |
| IF 681 – Theology and Emerging Science |
In an increasingly technocratic world, one which faces the dangers of emergent viral diseases such as COVID-19, avian flu virus, and the perplexity of artificial intelligence encroaching in our everyday lives, how do pastors respond to the ethical, moral, biblical, and theological questions that arise among their congregations? This course is designed to explore some of the scientific challenges that face people of faith that include climate change, artificial intelligence, science denialism, popular pseudosciences, post-pandemic vaccinations (and their denial on various grounds), and other related issues, all within the context of how these issues impact culture, politics, and engaged communities of belief.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of one Competency Exercise and a minimum of 60% of IF 500 level work
Credit: 2.0
Instructor: Dr. Chris Rodkey |
| IF 682 - Nation and Belonging: Feminist Political Theologies in a Fractured World |
This course engages feminist political theology to examine the contested constructions of nation, citizenship, and belonging. Attending to the ways religious language, symbols, and practices sacralize and secure national identities, we will explore how feminist theologians interrogate and disrupt these formations. The course centers theological traditions that reimagine the body politic and the divine as generative spaces of kinship, refusal, and radical belonging. Through these engagements, students will consider the pastoral, ethical, and liturgical possibilities for nurturing communities that exist beyond the logics of the nation-state.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of one Competency Exercise and a minimum of 60% of IF 500 level work
Credit: 2.0
Instructor: Dr. Esther Parajuli |
| ♦ Updated 03/30/26 |
