This course focuses on the theological, liturgical, and spiritual traditions that undergird the Catholic Church and which continue to form her self-understanding. Historically, this course explains and evaluates the development of the Catholic doctrine of the Church in terms of its roots in Scripture and Tradition, and with a particular emphasis on the Pauline understanding of the Church as the Body of Christ, and selected readings from the Church Fathers, as well as developments in Catholic understanding of the Church in different historical periods and social contexts.

Students are invited to investigate some of the most significant theologians and theologies of the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries with a view toward how they influence Christianity today. The approach is both inter-confessional and international in scope and seeks to allow students to grapple with important theological issues in local, national, and global contexts.

A supervised short-term missions/cross-cultural internship/practicum.

A doctrinal study of the person and work of Jesus Christ, engaging the biblical material in forming a doctrine of Christology and soteriology.

A doctrinal study of the Trinity and the Church, engaging the biblical material in forming a doctrine of God and the Church.

This course traces the theme of the merciful love of God in Scripture and Catholic Tradition, especially in the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Faustina Kowalska, and Pope John Paul II, as well as in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Mercy of God is presented as a central vantage point from which to view more clearly many important elements of Catholic doctrine and spirituality, ethics, and a common springboard for Catholic-Evangelical ecumenism—in other words, the contemporary Catholic world view.

An introduction to the theories and concepts utilized by sociologists to interpret religious behaviour and the organization of religion.

A study of the history of Christian theology from the post-apostolic age to the present. Focus is on perennial issues in Christian theology and areas of convergence and divergence between the three Christian traditions: Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism. Students will consider the role of the Bible, culture, and experience in order to understand the complexities involved in studying historical theology.

An examination of European life during the sixteenth century reformations. This course includes discussions of sin and wholeness, of religion and secular power, of toleration and social order, and of efforts to reform the church and society, and an examination of the place of ritual in social life, life in the family, and attitudes to gender.

Examines key events in the history of the Catholic Church to posit how Catholic theology might shape one’s view of history, to consider how an understanding of history might be relevant to faith, and to investigate how the Catholic Church has developed and adapted as a protagonist in history. Topics. include the ecumenical councils, monasticism, Holy Roman empire, Crusades, East-West schism, inquisition, Reformation, Council of Trent, the effects of the French Revolution, rise of nationalism, Vatican II, and globalism.