Distance Education

Simply put, life transitions are changes that, unexpectedly or not, alter the course of life and lay significant claims on our hearts. This course will examine life transitions such as birth, death, marriage, divorce, chronic illness, and so on - but also comparatively more subtle (but often no less important) adjustments brought on by things like retirement, children leaving home, moving, relationship endings, and more - in the context of spiritual care and counseling, looking carefully at the ways in which religion and spirituality can help (and possibly hinder) the negotiation of life transitions. Whereas much work on multifaith approaches to spiritual care and counseling often puts more emphasis on the Abrahamic traditions (consciously or not), this course will turn that trend on its head a bit. Thus, while beliefs and practices from the five major world religions, as well as those from Native American spirituality and indigenous faith traditions, will be considered, this course will anchor itself deliberately in the Dharma-based religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism). By doing so, we hope to both increase students' awareness of religious others and help the class develop a more robust set of tools for spiritual care and counseling.

This course will survey views of death and the afterlife in ancient near eastern traditions, biblical and early Rabbinic Judaism, the New Testament, and early Christianity.  We will follow the evolution of religious ideas on death and the afterlife through these distinct historical periods, looking carefully at the exchange between socio-historical realities and evolving theologies.  Topics that will be addressed include heaven and hell, eschatology and apocalypticism, the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the body.

"Why are there so few youth and young adults now in this congregation?  What can we do?”  This is a familiar plaint in many congregations and echoed in their denominations’ national offices. Recently there have been many articles and books on the spiritual culture(s) of young people, what they seek, where they look, and what might keep them within their church’s folds. Denominational offices are continually trying various programs and ways of reaching and keeping their young people. Students will be asked to discuss course reading on line, and write a final paper applicable to their individual experiences or their congregational programs for those under thirty.