Adult Education Offerings Spring 2012

 Sunday Classes — 9:30 to 10:30 in the Church Library

January 8 - ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN'S PROJECT IN AFRICA
Jack and Nancy Bryant will present an update of their OVC Project in Kenya. Since 2006, they have been working in three slum communities outside of Nairobi, focusing on the health and well-being of children under 5 years of age by initiating Primary Health Care and Early Child Development in 2400 households. They will report on several projects that the Mission and Outreach Committee of WPC has helped support.


January 15 and 22 - WHAT LANGUAGE SHALL WE USE: A SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH
To be faithful Christians we need to engage in worship, pastoral care, fellowship, evangelism, and promote charity and justice in the broader world. These are not enough. Faithfulness also requires that we articulate what it is we believe as a means of shaping our religious life; that is, we need a theology. The language of the Bible uses the relationships and ideas of an agrarian feudal society as metaphors for religious relationships: king, lord, master, father, son, servant, slave, handmaiden, shepherd, etc. Traditional theology often draws on the language of philosophy. Much of both Biblical and philosophical language is increasingly remote from the experience of most people and is often rooted in patriarchal assumptions. We will explore using some of the concepts and ideas of sociology as an alternative way of translating, understanding, and articulating the nature of our faith and religious life. Our exploration will be aided by a conversation between and among generations, so younger members of our congregation are especially welcome and encouraged to participate. Murray Milner will guide our discussion.


January 29 - MISSION TRIP
Westminster’s 2012 mission trip returns to New Orleans. During this class we will hear about the group’s experience soon after their return. Sponsored by the Mission Trip Planning Committee, Anne Hedelt, Chair.

---

February 5 - LECTIO DIVINA, Latin for “divine reading,” represents a traditional Christian practice of scriptural reading and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase a believer’s knowledge and understanding of God’s Word. It is a way of praying meditatively with the Bible that involves stages of reading, reflection, response, and contemplation. As a contemplative tradition, Lectio Divina enables the practitioner to engage with scripture in what is often a calming, yet personally challenging fashion.

Using passages for Lent from Scripture, session participants will engage in this simple and natural method of prayer and meditation practiced by the early monastics. Lectio Divina is an easy-to-learn, simple and natural way of approaching the Word of God through prayer.


February 12 - WORLD PEACE GAME
John Hunter puts all the problems of the world on a 4'x5' plywood board -- and lets his 4th-graders solve them. Fresh off his appearance at the TED2011(Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference, this local educator explains how his World Peace Game engages schoolkids, and why the complex lessons it teaches -- spontaneous, and always surprising -- go further than classroom lectures.


February 19 - A MODERN DAY ILLUMINATED BIBLE
The Saint John’s Bible is a work of art and a work of theology. A team of artists coordinated by Donald Jackson in Wales and a team of scholars in Central Minnesota have brought together the ancient techniques of calligraphy and illumination with an ecumenical approach to the Bible rooted in Benedictine spirituality. The result is a living document and a monumental achievement.

Back in the 1990s, Donald Jackson observed the monks of Saint John’s Abbey as they processed down the aisle with their Book of the Gospels at Sunday Mass, and he recognized the importance of “their book.” To create a Bible that would capture the beauty and tradition of centuries of liturgy and carry it into the future—that is the vision that united a calligrapher in Wales with a group of Benedictine monks in Minnesota. See this and more at http://www.saintjohnsbible.org/process.


February 26 and March 4 - BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE BIBLE
Of all modern technologies, biotechnology seems to produce more controversy, concern and ethical quandaries than any other. Why? Some of this is rooted in biblical interpretation and Christian history. First, we will examine the technologies, how they work and their uses and potential abuses. Then we’ll look at the Bible, Christian history and ethics and some of our cultural heritage and see how those have affected our often contradictory responses to biotechnology. Mimi Riley will lead the discussion.

March 11, 18, 25 - SCOTTISH REFORMATION AND THE COVENANTERS
Prior to the Scottish Reformation, Scotland followed Roman Catholicism. The process of “reformation” in Scotland was driven by several factors, including perceived corruption in the Roman Catholic Church, rejection of the power and authority of Rome, and adoption of a form of worship where believers felt they had a more direct communication with God. Zealots on both sides considered that they followed the only “true” religion, and conflicts continued between Catholics and the adherents to the "reformed" church. This three-week series will present an overview of key events in and individuals who influenced the development of Presbyterianism in Scotland.

March 11 - PRECURSORS OF THE SCOTTISH REFORMATION
To fully comprehend the reformation in Scotland, it is essential to understand what came before. The Scottish Reformation was an outgrowth of earlier activity on the European mainland. This presentation will review the changing theological and political context that influenced subsequent events in Scotland. These include Gutenburg’s invention of the printing press, Wycliffe’s and Tyndale’s translations of the Bible, Henry VIII’s disputes with the Roman Catholic Church, and Luther and Calvin’s influences. Key reformation figures and an historic timeline will provide a foundation for understanding the evolution of Scottish Presbyterianism.

March 18 - THE SCOTTISH REFORMATION: KEY PERSONS AND EVENTS
From the mid-16th Century, Presbyterianism developed in Scotland as a distinct branch of the Reformed Church, where the Kirk was reformed through Calvinism as interpreted in the work of John Knox. Patrick Hamilton preceded Knox, laid the foundation for the Scottish Reformation, and became its first martyr, having been tried and burnt at the stake in February 1528. After Knox’s death, his work was continued by Andrew Melville, who established the Presbyterian form of church governance. This presentation will cover the timeline and key events that became known as the Scottish Reformation.

March 25 - THE COVENANTERS AND THE “KILLING TIME”
King Charles I’s attempt in 1637 to re-introduce “episcopacy” and a new Book of Common Prayer within Scotland was viewed as an attempt to anglicize Scotland, and met with outrage and massive resistance. A new “National Covenant” was signed by thousands in Greyfriars’ Churchyard in Edinburgh in February 1638. Within months, over 300,000 people had “covenanted” and immediately became outlaws subject to persecution and punishment. Armed rebellion led to civil war. James VII / II became King in 1685. A Roman Catholic, he oversaw a reign of terror that from 1685 to 1688 became known as “The Killing Times.” Many Presbyterians became martyrs to the cause, leading to lingering bitterness. This presentation will summarize key events in this debate and conflict as well as introducing individuals who led the protest movement.

 The three presentations will make extensive use of visuals. The presenter for all three sessions will be Arthur Kroll.

 April 1 - PALM SUNDAY - No Classes

 April 8 – EASTER - No Classes

April 15, 22 and 29 - POST-VATICAN II CATHOLICISM
Kevin Hart, Edwin B. Kyle Professor of Christian Studies & Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia, will lead three sessions exploring modern Catholic theology.

These three talks will focus on three major Catholic theologians whose work marks different emphases in Post-Vatican II Catholicism. The three theologians are Henri de Lubac, Karl Rahner, and Hans Urs von Balthasar. After a brief recapitulation of what has happened in Catholic thought since the Reformation, our attention will be on these thinkers who have shaped modern thinking on all aspects of Catholic teaching.