One rarely knows what is good for us and what is bad. Therefore if we knowingly put ourselves in the hands of Almighty, whatever happens must be deemed good. And I try literally to follow that precept.
Gandhi, "Letter to Francesca Standenath", April 1947
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Fall Semester Classes

Here are the classes that are beginning for the Fall semester:

  • Exodus in the Jewish and Christian Tradition — This course looks deeply into the story of the Exodus and considers it in light of the many ways Jews and Christians have appropriated it. In particular, we’ll be spending time on its role as an identity text and as a way of understanding God’s deliverance from suffering. The course is taught by Ellen Davis, who had a wonderful interview on Speaking of Faith.
  • Greek 101 — Don’t know the professor yet. This is the second class I’m very much focusing on. Languages are hard for me, but I need to blow Greek 101 out of the water in the hopes of taking Hebrews (the New Testament exegesis course) with David Moffitt next Spring. David, although a recent graduate from Duke, is already changing the face of scholarship on the New Testament, especially around Hebrews (cite). Since Hebrews confuses me and doesn’t get the kind of love it deserves, I’m excited for the chance to study under Dr. Moffitt.
  • American Christianity — I’m a bit wary about this one: don’t know what to make of it. We’re reading some novels as a way of exploring the American Christian tradition. I’m glad to be taking it with Grant Wacker, who is a specialist in Pentecostalism. So I’ve got high hopes that it will be interesting, even if I’m wary.
  • Christian Theology — People are telling me to expect this to be “Christian Orthodoxy 101″. Since I’m not a big fan of orthodoxy, that makes me nervous. However, the professor (Geoffrey Wainwright) is engaged in ecumenical conversation, so I hope that all works out. In any case, it will be good to spend more time discussing issues—I’m hoping that, like Cappadocians last semester, this will help clear up some of the confusing issues of Christian theology that I’ve been struggling with. One of the biggest issues that I’ve been struggling with recently is “What is the imago Dei? How can we confirm/identify it? What is the ambit of the imago Dei? What can I point to in humans and say, ‘See? That’s the image of God.’”

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Like this? Then check out these posts:

  1. Spring 2011 Classes
    (as of Registration)
  2. Next Semester and the Rest of My Life:
    Out of Social Sciences
    (for the moment)
  3. Moving through 2011:
    Ending the Spring, Looking to the Fall