Courses

Spirituality is our response to God. It flows from a hunger to know God more. Christian spirituality is a distinct response to God that is rooted in the person of Jesus Christ and the work of his Spirit. This course will consider the many ways that Christians have embodied their response to God over the centuries of Church history. We will explore a variety of movements within Christianity that have shaped how Christians respond to God, we will engage in spiritual practices that have emerged throughout history to help Christians encounter God and we will think about how the historic development of Christian spirituality has implications on our lives as spiritual seekers today.

As a hybrid course we will be using a course shell provided by McMaster Universities, Avenue to Learn as well as other online technology. Information about accessing and using these sites will be provided prior to the beginning of the course and as needed. If you have questions about the technological aspects of the course, or have any problems with the technology please contact the instructor. I will do my best to help and if I am not able to answer your questions I will work with our IT support team to get an answer for you as soon as possible.

Knowing:

• Upon completion of this course students will be able to articulate a basic understanding of Spirituality as an aspect of human existence in general and Christian spirituality as distinct expression of spirituality.
• Upon completion of this course students will be able to explain many of the key movements in the development of Christian spirituality throughout the history of the church.
• Upon completion of this course students will be able to identify and describe many of the key figures in the development of Christian spirituality.

Being

• As a result of this course students will be able to identify and respond to new perspectives and practices for personal and corporate spiritual formation.

Doing

• Upon completion of this course students will develop their ability to practice at least one new spiritual discipline and be able to identify several other potential disciplines for future practice.
• Upon completion of this course students will be able to identify specific cultural and contextual issues that affect their practice of spirituality and how Christian spirituality is a key element in the church’s ministry in a post-Christian culture.