Adult Education Offerings Spring 2010

 January Classes | February | March | April & May

January 10 & 17 — When the Bible Comes Alive!

Which Bible passages have touched you the most deeply?  You are invited to share the ways in which particular passages from scripture have spoken to you.  The guide for this journey will be Dick Haines, Director of Chaplaincy Services at UVa.  Dick will introduce the subject utilizing the concepts of Logos and Mythos as described by Karen Armstrong in her book, The Case for God.  Dick will share some of the passages that have come alive for him as he has served in ministry and will invite others in attendance to share their similar experiences.

January 24 & 31, February 7 -- Testing our National Identity

We will start with a background session: “Containing Runaway Fear in American Foreign Policy and Curbing Runaway Appetites in American Domestic Policy.” We will follow with two sessions that will compare a contractualist and a covenantal account of our identity as a nation. The more conventional, purely contractualist, account yields too much to the marketplace in ordering our appetites and narrows the role of the government too much. A covenantal account of our founding and flourishing as a nation has something to be said for it in dealing with our fears and appetites. George F. Kennan, St. Augustine, Calvin, James Madison, the Preamble to the Constitution, and others may help us along the way. The leader for this class will be Bill May.

February 14 - The Amish Study:  How a Closed Religious Community Has Been a "Natural Laboratory" for Genetic Studies

For thirty-four years, Dr. Abram M. Hostetter, a psychiatrist, has been one of the chief investigators in a study of the Genetics of Bipolar Disorder, using the Old Order Amish of Lancaster County, PA, as the study population.Already in 1979, before DNA technology existed, this study proved mathematically that Bipolar Illness is an inherited condition. Now various DNA laboratories around the world are involved in identifying the genes which either convey the illness or protect one from developing it. For the past seventeen years, the focus has been on 120 children with an affected parent, thereby placing at least twenty percent of them at risk. This session will focus on the cultural, religious, ethical, and social factors which make this group ideal for cutting edge DNA studies.

February 21 & 29 – Understanding Islam

The word “Islam” simply means submission to Allah, and a Muslim is one who follows the laws of Islam. The revelation of Islam was given to Muhammad, who is revered by Muslims as the final and greatest prophet. This two-part introduction to Islam and Muslims will present essential background for additional sessions planned for coming years. The first session, “A Brief History of Islam and Its Spread,” will present a descriptive, non-judgmental overview of the origins of Islam and its progressive dissemination throughout the Middle East and beyond. Primary emphasis will be on the Medieval Period. The second week, “Beliefs of Islam,” will introduce the “five pillars of Islam” and will explore how basic Islamic beliefs impact Muslim life. Accompanying visuals will be drawn from Islamic art and culture. The presenter will be Arthur Kroll.

  March 7 - Is there "New Hope for Peace" in the Middle East?

Ambassador Philip C. Wilcox, a retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer, is President of the Washington-based Foundation for Middle East Peace. His talk, "The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Obama Administration: Policy Change or Business as Usual?" will include a DVD presentation, "New Hope for Peace." The film presents the views of four American statesmen: former President Jimmy Carter; former Secretary of State James Baker, former National Security Advisers Brent Scowcroft and Zbigniew Brzezinski, interviewed by Dr. Landrum Bolling, a trustee of the Foundation.

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March 14 & 21 – The Crucifixion and the Resurrection in Art and Word

In early Christian art Jesus did not appear on the cross until the 5th century. Since that time artists have rendered both the Crucifixion and the Resurrection as representative of their time, in many different media. In these two sessions we will view selected artists’ representations of both the Cross and the Resurrection. For some we will hear a meditation contemporary to the artist’s time.

Theologically the Cross and the Resurrection go together—the Cross is the reality of evil and death; the Resurrection is our sure and certain hope that death and evil have been and will be overcome. It is important to see and hear both of these sessions.
Leaders for these sessions are Vicky Bethel, Beverly May, Stephen Pfleiderer, and Eleanore Sturgill.

Presented by the Westminster Church Library Committee, this program will focus on Marilynne Robinson, Pulitzer Prize winning author and speaker for our spring 2010 Westminster Lectures. Brief presentations will be given on her life, on her religious writings, and on her three novels, Housekeeping, Gilead, and its recently published companion work, Home. Copies of her books will be available in the Church Library.

April 25, May 2 & 9 – The Greek New Testament

In reading and interpreting the New Testament, we sometimes forget that what is before us is a translation from an ancient language very different from our own. Participants in this course will get a taste of the original language of the New Testament, ancient Greek, and we will look at some of the challenges and problems confronting translators whose job it is to make these ancient texts speak to us. The class will be led by Jim McGinnis and Earle Hilgert.