RELS 220-01, Scripture and the Spiritual Journey, Fall 1998

Abstract

This course explores the spiritual richness of the Bible through a comparative study with modern spiritual writings of certain key topics. The intent is to discover how certain key issues of a spiritual journey persist from biblical to modern times. These issues include: the question of human existence, prayer, redemption, grace, Imago Dei, incarnation, kingdom of heaven, and the Imitation of Christ. The course is an exploration of what these terms could mean in human experience, rather than a study of official doctrine. Therefore, the student will be expected to draw on three areas of spiritual meaning: (1) the Bible; (2) the modern spiritual writings; and (3) life experience through participation in service learning and a series of films. This is an upper level Religious Studies course, so a willingness to work hard and keep up with class discussions is presumed. A prerequisite of two Bible classes is necessary and any student without that background should consult the professor.