Teaching

In early 2020 I began teaching one to two sections a semester of “Introduction to Theology” (THE105) at the University of Portland, later rebranded as “Engaging Ultimate Questions.”

In what do I have faith and how I do know that? How do you practice hope, individually and collectively? What is Love and how do you do it? These are the questions we ask, together.

THE105: Engaging Ultimate Questions: Religion, Faith, and Ethics (University of Portland)

The course examines faith, religion and ethics, and considers their roles in the human search for meaning. It engages students in critical and creative studies of diverse global theologies. In this course, students will: 1) Develop the knowledge and skills for acting ethically in everyday life; 2) Examine faith and religion and their place in one’s life and in the lives of others; 3) Confront the ultimate questions with knowledge from a range of intellectual and religious traditions; 4) Discuss how faith and traditions resemble and differ from one another in how they confront the questions about the transcendent and immanent. 

“Engaging Ultimate Questions”: Guiding Questions

This course is ultimately a self-discovery course. We “do” theology together, not to find the “right” answers but to find our answers. These are some questions we regularly return to as guides for thinking about different facets of our faith (Christian or otherwise)…

  • Who is God? What is God like? Is there a more fitting name for “God” than “God”?

  • How is God experienced? What practices express one’s relationship with this God?

  • To what extent is this God “transcendent” (far/other) and “immanent” (near/present)?

  • Who is Jesus? What is his significance or role in this faith? If not a Christian faith, who or what symbolizes or embodies the heart of this faith tradition?

  • Who/what/where is the Holy Spirit? What does the Holy Spirit do?

  • What is the Bible? What does it mean to take the Bible seriously and use it responsibly? If not a Christian faith, what are the sacred texts of this faith and what is their importance?

  • What does it mean to be human? For what goals should humans strive? What does it look like to realize the full possibilities of being human?

  • What is Sin? What are examples of sin? Are humans fundamentally good or bad?

  • What is Salvation? What are we saved from? What is the experience of being saved like? Who is saved? Who does the saving?

  • What does it mean to live a morally good life? What does a morally good person do?

  • What is the significance of the afterlife in this faith? What’s the role of the future in this faith? What’s the relationship between “the end” and the present?

  • What is the role of the community or gathered body in this tradition? What should its priorities be? What is its purpose?

  • Who or what does this faith identify as oppressed or marginalized? What does liberation entail for them?

  • What does spiritual growth look like? How does one know if one is experiencing it?

  • How has historical, social, or cultural context shaped this theology? How has context shaped my own theology?