Text Listings

The courses listed may also include additional readings that will be provided to students on reserve, in print, or electronically. In addition, some professors may add additional textbooks to their syllabi after the registration period. As you select a textbook vendor, you should keep in mind that textbook lists are subject to change, courses are occasionally canceled, and that students sometimes need to drop courses in the first two weeks of the term. Therefore, it is advisable to purchase books from vendors that will allow you to return books if necessary.

Spring 2025

LM 332O Introduction to Pastoral Theology: Rochelle Johnson

Required Materials:

  • Carrie Doehring, The Practice of Pastoral Care: A Postmodern Approach. WJK (2015),
    ISBN: 978-0664226848

    1. Poteete, Amy R., Marco Janssen, and Elinor Ostrom. 2010. Working Together: Collective Action, the Commons, and Multiple Methods in Practice. Princeton University Press. Emanuel Lartey, Pastoral Theology in an Intercultural World. Wipf & Stock Publishing (2013),
      ISBN: 978-1620329733

LM 420S/620S Analyzing Oppression, Strategizing Action – José Morales *Updated

Portions from the following volumes will be made available through Canvas: 

Required Text (to be purchased or accessed by student):

  • Alinsky, Saul. 2010. Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals. Random House.
  • Cabral, Amílcar. 2016. Resistance and Decolonization. Reinventing Critical Theory. Rowman & Littlefield International.
  • Crick, Nathan. 2019. Dewey for a New Age of Fascism: Teaching Democratic Habits. The Pennsylvania State University Press.
  • Cudd, Ann E. 2006. Analyzing Oppression. Studies in Feminist Philosophy. Oxford University Press.
  • Freire, Paulo, et.al. 2018. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Translated by Myra Bergman Ramos. 50th Anniversary Edition. Bloomsbury Academic.
  • Jha, Sandhya R. 2017. Transforming Communities: How People like You Are Healing Their Neighborhoods. Chalice Press.
  • Poteete, Amy R., Marco Janssen, and Elinor Ostrom. 2010. Working Together: Collective Action, the Commons, and Multiple Methods in Practice. Princeton University Press.

Portions from the following volumes will be made available through Canvas:

  • Blanco, Hilda. 1994. How to Think About Social Problems: American Pragmatism and the Idea of Planning. Greenwood Press.
  • Carter, Jacoby Adeshei, and Darryl Scriven, editors. 2023. Insurrectionist Ethics: Radical Perspectives on Social Justice. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Crick, Nathan, editor. 2021. The Rhetoric of Social Movements: Networks, Power, and New Media. Routledge.
  • Hess, Charlotte, and Elinor Ostrom, editors. 2011. Understanding Knowledge as a Commons: From Theory to Practice. MIT Press.
  • Kautzer, Chad, and Eduardo Mendieta, editors. 2009. Pragmatism, Nation, and Race: Community in the Age of Empire. Indiana University Press.
  • Kirylo, James D., editor. 2020. Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed: Contemporary Critical Perspectives. Bloomsbury Academic.
  • Mettler, Suzanne, Jacob S. Hacker, and Joe Soss, editors. 2007. Remaking America: Democracy and Public Policy in an Age of Inequality. Russell Sage Foundation.
  • Wall, Derek. 2017. Elinor Ostrom’s Rules for Radicals: Cooperative Alternatives beyond Markets and States. Pluto Press.

LM 494O Spiritual Abuse and Boundary Violations in Ministry/Chaplaincy: Kameelah Mu’Min Oseguera

  • Jenkinson, G. (2023). Walking Free from the Trauma of Coercive, Cultic and Spiritual Abuse: A Workbook for Recovery and Growth. Taylor & Francis.
  • Johnson, D., VanVonderen, J. (2005). The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse: Recognizing and Escaping Spiritual Manipulation and False Spiritual Authority Within the Church. United States: Baker Publishing Group.
  • Anderson, L. E. (2023). When Religion Hurts You: Healing from Religious Trauma and the Impact of High-Control Religion. United States: Baker Publishing Group.
  • Wounded Faith: Understanding and Healing from Spiritual Abuse. (2021). United States: International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA).

RH 419O Creation Themes in the Hebrew Bible: Ken Stone

Required and on reserve:

Timothy Beal, When Time Is Short: Finding Our Way in the Anthropocene (Beacon Press, 2022)

William P. Brown, The Seven Pillars of Creation: The Bible, Science, and the Ecology of Wonder (Oxford University Press, 2010)

Kate Rigby, Meditations on Creation in an Era of Extinction (Orbis Books, 2023)

Ken Stone, Reading the Hebrew Bible with Animal Studies (Stanford University Press, 2018)

Patricia K. Tull, Inhabiting Eden: Christians, the Bible, and the Ecological Crisis (Westminster John Knox, 2013)

Recommended (and also on reserve):

Hilary Marlow and Mark Harris, eds., The Oxford Handbook of the Bible and Ecology (Oxford, 2022)

Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, The Jewish Study Bible: Second Edition

RH 420O Suffering, Lament & Human Existence in the Hebrew Bible: Ken Stone

Kathleen D. Billman and Daniel L. Migliore, Rachel’s Cry: Prayer of Lament and Rebirth of Hope (Wipf & Stock version, 2006)

David M. Carr, Holy Resilience: The Bible’s Traumatic Origins (Yale University Press, 2014)

Nancy C. Lee, Lyrics of Lament: From Tragedy to Transformation (Fortress Press, 2010)

Recommended Bible: Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, The Jewish Study Bible: Second Edition

RH 468S/668S Topics in Latin American and Caribbean Church History:  José Morales

Required Text (to be purchased or accessed by student):  

  • Chaves, João B. 2022. The Global Mission of the Jim Crow South: Southern Baptist Missionaries and the Shaping of Latin American Evangelicalism. Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press. ISBN-10: 0881468363 
  • Erskine, Noel Leo. 2014. Plantation Church: How African American Religion Was Born in Caribbean Slavery. Oxford University Press. ISBN-10: 0195369130  
  • Hernández, Marie Theresa. 2014. The Virgin of Guadalupe and the Conversos: Uncovering Hidden Influences from Spain to Mexico. Latinidad: Transnational Cultures in the United States. Rutgers University Press. ISBN-10: 0813565685  
  • Huner, Michael Kenneth. 2011. “Sacred Cause, Divine Republic: A History of Nationhood, Religion, and War in Nineteenth-Century Paraguay, 1850-1870.” Dissertation (John Charles Chasteen, advisor), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 
  • Kanter, Deborah E. 2020. Chicago Católico: Making Catholic Parishes Mexican. Latinos in Chicago and the Midwest. University of Illinois Press. ISBN-10: 0252084845 
  • Morello, Gustavo. 2015. The Catholic Church and Argentina’s Dirty War. Oxford University Press. ISBN-10: 0190947446  
  • Van Deusen, Nancy E. 2018. Embodying the Sacred: Women Mystics in Seventeenth-Century Lima. Duke University Press. ISBN-10: 0822369958 

Other readings will be made available through Canvas. 

Fall 2024

LM 365S Global Sensitivity in Ministry: José Morales

Required Texts

Note: The instructor works with the Director of Lapp Learning Commons [‘Lapp’] to make the course books available in e-book format through Lapp. Students are strongly advised to consult the Lapp Learning Commons collections online before making purchases.

  • Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Penguin Books, 2018. ISBN-13: 978-0141023380
  • Arjana, Sophia Rose. Muslims in the Western Imagination. Oxford University Press, 2015. ISBN-10: 0199324921
  • Butler, Judith. Frames of War: When Is Life Grievable? Verso, 2010. ISBN-10: 1784782475
  • De La Torre, Miguel A. Embracing Hopelessness. Fortress Press, 2017. ISBN-10: 1506433413
  • Gebara, Ivone. Out of the Depths: Women’s Experience of Evil and Salvation. Fortress Press, 2002. ISBN-10: 0800634756
  • Henderson-Espinoza, Robyn. Activist Theology. Fortress Press, 2019. ISBN-10: 1506424643
  • Jennings, Willie James. The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race. Yale University Press, 2010. ISBN-10: 0300171366
  • Jin, Ha. The Writer as Migrant. The Rice University Campbell Lectures. University of Chicago Press, 2008. ISBN-10: 0226399885
  • Thatamanil, John. Circling the Elephant: A Comparative Theology of Religious Diversity. Comparative Theology: Thinking Across Traditions. New York: Fordham University Press, 2020. ISBN-10: 0823287734

Additional readings will be made available through Canvas.

RH301O Interpreting the Hebrew Bible: Ken Stone

Although students are encouraged to purchase the following textbooks, copies will also be placed on reserve in the CTS Learning Commons and in most cases are available electronically through the Learning Commons.

  • Berlin, Adele, and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds. Jewish Study Bible. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. ISBN: 978-0199978465 (hardback) or 978- 0199393879 (ebook).
  • Collins, John J. A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 2nd or 3rd ed. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2014/2018. ISBN: 978-1451472943 (2nd ed. paperback), 978-Page 3 1451484359 (2nd ed. ebook), 978-1506445991 (3rd ed. paperback), or 978- 1506446066 (3rd ed. ebook).
  • Gafney, Wilda C. Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and the Throne. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2017. ISBN: 978-066423903 (paperback) or 978-1611648126 (ebook).
  • Knight, Douglas, and Amy-Jill Levine. The Meaning of the Bible: What the Jewish Scriptures and Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us. New York: HarperOne, 2011. ISBN: 978-0062067739 (paperback) or 978-0062098597 (ebook)
  • Matthews, Victor H., and Don C. Benjamin. Old Testament Parallels: Laws and Stories from the Ancient Near East. 4th ed. New York: Paulist, 2016. ISBN: 978-0809149896 (paperback), or 978-1587686160 (ebook). [Note: The ebook is available through the Learning Commons website, and it’s not necessary to purchase this text. The readings from it will be linked inside your online course modules. However, if you’d prefer a paper edition or your own copy of an ebook, you can buy it if you’d like.]

Some additional readings will be posted inside Canvas.

Recurring optional Zoom sessions will be scheduled monthly on Saturdays during the semester with dates announced via Canvas

RH321O- Interpreting the Gospels: Teresa Hornsby (articles marked with * are the ones for which I provide a pdf)

Books

  • Aslan, Resa. Zealot. New York: Random House, 2013. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=nlebk&AN=736647&site=eds-live&custid=s6054631
  • Sievers, Joseph and Levine, Amy-Jill. The Pharisees. Eerdmans, 2021. (may need to purchase) https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=nlebk&AN=3102887&site=eds-live&custid=s6054631
  • Carter, Warren and Amy-Jill Levine. The New Testament: Methods and Meanings.
  • Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2013. (may need to purchase) https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ctschicago/detail.action?docID=6123133
  • Levine, Amy-Jill. Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables by a Controversial Rabbi. HarperOne, 2014. (may need to purchase) – make sure it is NOT “Participants’ Guide” or the “Leader Guide.” https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=nlebk&AN=3086857&site=eds-live&custid=s6054631

Articles and Essays: (in Chronological order of the assignment):

  • Kwok Pui-lan, “Reading the Christian New Testament in the Contemporary World.”
  • Strassfeld, Max. Trans Talmud: Androgynes and Eunuchs in Rabbinic Literature. Oakland: University of California Press, 2022. (Chapter 1, “Transing Late Antiquity: The Politics of the Study of Eunuchs and Androgynes,” ).
  • Hornsby, Teresa. “The Woman is a Sinner; The Sinner is a Woman.” Amy-Jill Levine, ed. A Feminist Companion to Luke. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2002, 121-32. (pdf)
  • Wongi Park, The Politics of Race and Ethnicity in Matthew’s Passion Narrative. Read pp. 107-147 https://i-share-cts.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CARLI_CTS/1mebbqo/alma991001460228708227
  • Smith, Mitzi J. “Race, Gender, and the Politics of ‘Sass’: Reading Mark 7:24-30 Through a Womanist Lens of Intersectionality and Inter(con)textuality”
  • April 2016 issue (vol. 70, no. 2) of Interpretation: “The Gospel of Mark” (essays by Suzanne Watts Henderson, Jaime Clark-Soles, Raj Nadella).
  • David Rhoads, “Who Will Speak for the Sparrow? Eco-Justice Criticism and the New Testament.” First published in 2003; reprinted online at Lutherans Restoring Creation: https://lutheransrestoringcreation.org/eco-justice-criticism-of-the-new-testament/
  • Susan Miller, “‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly’: An Ecological Reading of John’s Gospel.”
  • October 2009 issue (vol. 63, no. 4) of Interpretation: “The Gospel of John” (essay by Mary Coloe).
  • Musa W. Dube’s “John 4:1-42—The Five Husbands at the Well of Living Waters: The Samaritan Woman and African Women.”
  • Karen King, “Canonization and marginalization: Mary of Magdala. Women’s sacred scriptures.” In Post-Colonial Biblical Reader, R.S.Sugirtharajah, ed. London, Maryknoll, NY: SCM Pr, 2006, pp. 284-290.

RH485O Religion in North America: José Morales

Required Texts (to be purchased or accessed by student):

  • Eck, Diana L. A New Religious America: How a “Christian Country” Has Now Become the World’s Most Religiously Diverse Nation. HarperSanFrancisco, 2001. (ISBN-10: 0060621591)
  • Jackson, Sherman A. Islam and the Blackamerican: Looking toward the Third Resurrection. Oxford University Press, 2005. (ISBN-10: 0199782385)
  • Lambert, Frank. Religion in American Politics: A Short History. Princeton University Press, 2008. (ISBN-10: 0691146136)
  • Raboteau, Albert J. Canaan Land: A Religious History of African Americans. Oxford University Press, 2001. (ISBN-10: 0195145852)
  • Raphael, Marc Lee. The Synagogue in America: A Short History. New York University Press, 2011. (ISBN-10: 0814775829)
  • Tinker, George E. Missionary Conquest: The Gospel and Native American Cultural Genocide. Fortress Press, 1993. (ISBN-10: 0800625765)

Additional readings will be made available through Canvas.

RH 344O: History of Christian Thought: Cynthia Stewart

  •  Margaret Miles’ The Word Made Flesh, with all other texts available in the classroom.

RH601S: Hermeneutics: Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder

  • Baldwin, James. The Fire Next Time. Vintage Books. Reissue Edition, 1992.  ISBN:978-0679744726.
  • Crowder, Stephanie Buckhanon and Mary F. Foskett, eds., Remapping Biblical Studies: CUREMP at Thirty. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2023. ISBN: 978-1628374810
  • Morrison, Toni. The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations. Vintage International, 2020. ISBN-13 : 978-0525562795.
  • Tat-siong, Benny Liew and Fernando Segovia. Colonialism and the Bible: Contemporary Reflections from the Global South (Postcolonial and Decolonial Studies in Religion and Theology). Lexington Books, 2020. ISBN-13 :978-1498572774.
  • Ricoeur, Paul. From Text to Action: Essays in Hermeneutics, II. Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 2007
  • Zimmerman, Jens. Hermeneutics: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions). Illustrated Edition. Oxford Press, 2015. ISBN-13 : 978-0199685356.

Various articles and videos available on Canvas course site

TEC 543OAdvanced Readings in Queer Studies and Religion Ken Stone

We will read these two books first:

  • Hannah McCann and Whitney Monaghan, Queer Theory Now: From Foundations to Futures (Red Globe Press/Macmillan, 2020)
  • Melissa Wilcox, Queer Religiosities: An Introduction to Queer and Transgender Studies in Religion (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021)

After that, but not necessarily in this order:

  • Judith Butler, Who’s Afraid of Gender? (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2024)
  • Katrina Daly Thompson, Muslims on the Margins: Creating Religious Community in North America (NYU Press, 2023)
  • Jack Halberstam, Wild Things: The Disorder of Desire (Duke University Press, 2020)
  • Jack Halberstam, Trans*: A Quick and Quirky Account of Gender Variability (University of California Press, 2018)
  • Heather Love, Underdogs: Social Deviance and Queer Theory (University of Chicago Press, 2021)
  • Marlon B. Ross, Sissy Insurgencies: A Racial Anatomy of Unfit Manliness (Duke University Press, 2022)
  • Damien W. Riggs, Shoshana Rosenberg, Heather Fraser, and Nik Taylor, Queer Entanglements: Intersections of Gender, Sexuality, and Animal Companionship (Cambridge University Press, 2021)

TEC 607O Leadership for Public Ministry: Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder

  • Abrams, Stacey.  Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future. Picador, 2019. ISBN: 978-1250214805
  • Brown, Brene. Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. New York: Random House, 2018. ISBN: 978-0399592522
  • Chand, Sam. Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2015. ISBN:  978-0718031596
  • Guidara, Will. Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect. Optimism Press, 2022. ISBN: 978-0593418574
  • Rosenberg, Marshall. Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships (Nonviolent Communication Guides). 3rd edition. ISBN: ‎ 978-1892005281
Additional readings and videos posted on Canvas

January Term 2024

LM 494O Spiritual Abuse and Boundary Violations in Ministry/Chaplaincy: Kameelah Mu’Min Oseguera

  • Jenkinson, G. (2023). Walking Free from the Trauma of Coercive, Cultic and Spiritual Abuse: A Workbook for Recovery and Growth. Taylor & Francis.
  • Johnson, D., VanVonderen, J. (2005). The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse: Recognizing and Escaping Spiritual Manipulation and False Spiritual Authority Within the Church. United States: Baker Publishing Group.
  • Anderson, L. E. (2023). When Religion Hurts You: Healing from Religious Trauma and the Impact of High-Control Religion. United States: Baker Publishing Group.
  • Wounded Faith: Understanding and Healing from Spiritual Abuse. (2021). United States: International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA).

RH 367 UCC History and Polity: Lillian Daniel *update

Texts:
• Yvonne Delk (Editor). Afro-Christian Convention: The Fifth Stream of the United Church of Christ. United Church Press, 2023.
• Local Church Ministries Worship and Education Ministry Team. Book of Worship. Cleveland, OH: United Church of Christ, 1986.
• Caldwell, Quinn, and Curtis Preston. The Unofficial Handbook of the United Church of Christ. Cleveland, OH: United Church Press, 2011.
MANUAL ON MINISTRY: A Guide to Authorizing Ministry in the United Church of Christ. Ministerial Excellence, Support and Authorization Local Church Ministries, A Covenanted Ministry of the United Church of Christ. Cleveland, OH: Local Church Ministries, 20.
Optional Texts:
• Walker, Randi Jones. The Evolution of a UCC Style: History, Ecclesiology, and Culture of the United Church of
Christ. Cleveland, OH: United Church Press, 2005

by Yvonne Delk (Editor)

TEC 529O Religion, Ethics and Human Rights: Christophe Ringer

There are no books to be purchased. All readings will be provided on Canvas.

RHB 452O – History of Islam: Munir Shaikh

  • Ansary, Tamim. Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes. PublicAffairs, 2010. Paperback. ISBN 978-1586488130.

  • Choueiri, Youssef, ed. A Companion to the History of the Middle East. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 2008. Paperback. ISBN: 978-1405183796. Kindle version available.

  • Goldschmidt Jr., Arthur. A Concise History of the Middle East, 9th ed. Westview Press, 2010. Paperback. ISBN: 978-0813343884.

RHB 467O – Logic and Dialectic in Islamic Theology and Philosophy: Asad Ahmed

  • All readings provided on Canvas. No assigned books.

RHB 466O – Islamic Rational Theology: Ilm al-Kalam: Omar Nasim

  • All readings provided on Canvas. No assigned books.

Spring Term 2024

CCS 301 Introduction to Chaplaincy: Zachary Moon

Required Course Materials:

  • Buhuro, Danielle, Is There a Heaven for a “G”?, Resource Publications, 2016. ISBN 978-1-5326-0851-3
  • Stephen Roberts (ed.) (2012) Professional Spiritual and Pastoral Care. ISBN-10:1683362446; ISBN-13:978- 1683362449
  • **All additional required materials are found linked on the Canvas course site.
RH 465O/665O: Womanist Biblical Interpretation (WBI): Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder
  • Byron, Gay and Hugh R. Page. Black Scholars Matters. SBL Press, 2022. ISBN: 978-1628373134
  • Byron, Gay and Vanessa Lovelace. Womanist Interpretations of the Bible: Expanding the Discourse. SBL Press (Semeia Studies), 2016. ISBN: 978-1628371529. 
  • Coleman, Monica. Ain’t I a Womanist, Too?: Third Wave Womanist Religious Thought  (Innovations). Fortress Press, 2013. ISBN: 978-0800698768. 
  • Crowder, Stephanie Buckhanon. When Momma Speaks: The Bible and Motherhood from a Womanist Perspective. Westminster John Knox Press, 2016.  ISBN: 978-0664239251.
  • ebonyjanice. All The Black Girls Are Activists: A Fourth Wave Womanist Pursuit of Dreams as Radical and Resistance. Row House Publishing, 2023. ISBN: 978-1955905466
  • Felder, Cain Hope. Stony the Road We Trod: African American Biblical InterpretationThirtieth Anniversary Expanded Edition. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2021.  ISBN: 978-1506472041 
  • Junior, Nyasha. An Introduction to Womanist Biblical Interpretation. Westminster John Knox Press, 2015. ISBN: 978-0664259877. 
  • St. Clair, Raquel. Call and Consequences: A Womanist Reading of Mark. Fortress Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0800639020 
TEC 467O/667O Christianity and Colonialism: Bo-Myung Seo
  • Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart (any edition)
  • George Tinker, Missionary Conquest: The Gospel and the Native American Cultural Genocide (Fortress Press)

(Other readings will be available in pdf format)

TEC 414O/614O Theology of Art: Bo Myung Seo

  • Alejandro Garcia-Rivera, A Wounded Innocence: Sketches for a Theology of Art (The Liturgical Press, 2003).
  • Daniel Siedell, Who’s Afraid of Modern Art: Essay on Modern Art and Theology in Conversation (Cascade Books)

(Other readings will be available in pdf format)

TEC 449O/649o: The Trinity: A Historical and Theological Survey: José Morales Torres

Required Texts : 

Note: It may not necessary for students to purchase all of the texts listed here since 1) many are available digitally through the Lapp Learning Commons, and 2) since only portions of these texts will be assigned. Students are advised to consult the Lapp Learning Commons collections online before making purchases.

  • Anatolios, Khaled. Retrieving Nicaea: The Development and Meaning of Trinitarian Doctrine. Baker Academic, 2011. ISBN-10: 1540960692
  • Baker-Fletcher, Karen. Dancing with God: The Trinity from a Womanist Perspective. Chalice Press, 2006. ISBN-10: 082720633X
  • Boff, Leonardo. Holy Trinity, Perfect Community. Orbis Books, 2000. ISBN-10: 9781570753329
  • LaCugna, Catherine Mowry. God for Us: The Trinity and Christian Life. HarperSanFrancisco, 1993. ISBN-10: 0060649135
  • Min Anselm Kyongsuk. The Solidarity of Others in a Divided World: A Postmodern Theology After Postmodernism. T & T Clark International, 2004. ISBN-10: 0567025705
  • Ogbonnaya, A. Okechukwu. On Communitarian Divinity: An African Interpretation of the Trinity. Paragon House, 1994. ISBN-10: 1557787700
  • Rahner, Karl. The Trinity. Continuum, 2001.
  • Zizioulas, John D. Communion and Otherness: Further Studies in Personhood and the Church. T&T Clark, 2006. ISBN-10: 0567031489

Students will also read seminal texts by the Church Mothers and Fathers on the Trinity (e.g. Augustine, the Cappadocian Fathers, Aquinas, Julian of Norwich).  Fortunately, many of these are available for free online.  The instructor will provide, via Canvas, the links to access these primary sources from the early and medieval Church.

TEC 321O: Christian Ethics: Christophe Ringer

  • Christiana Zenner, Just Water: Theology, Ethics and Fresh Water Crisis. ISBN 978-1626982970
  • Laura Stivers, Disrupting Homelessness: Alternative Christian Approaches ISBN-10: 0800697979
  • Emilie Townes, Breaking the Fine Rain of Death ISBN-13: 978-1597525374
  • Traci West, Disruptive Christian Ethics  ISBN-10: 066422959X

TEC 412O/612O: Latinx Studies and Religion: Questions, Methods, and Issues (Asynchronous Online, with 7 mandatory Zoom Sessions) José Morales Torres

Required Text (to be purchased or accessed by student): 

Note: It may not necessary for students to purchase all of the texts listed here since 1) many are available digitally through the Lapp Learning Commons, and 2) since only portions of these texts will be assigned. Students are advised to consult the Lapp Learning Commons collections online before making purchases.

  • Gonzalez. Michelle A. A Critical Introduction to Religion in the Americas: Bridging the Liberation Theology and Religious Studies Divide. New York University Press, 2014. ISBN-10: 147980097X
  • Hooker, Juliet. Theorizing Race in the Americas: Douglass, Sarmiento, Du Bois, and Vasconcelos. Oxford University Press, 2017. ISBN-10: 0190055863 
  • Limonic, Laura. Kugel and Frijoles: Latino Jews in the United States. Wayne State University Press, 2019. ISBN-10: 081434576X
  • Logroño Narbona, Maria del Mar, Paulo G. Pinto, and John Tofik Karam. Crescent Over Another Horizon: Islam in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latino USA. University of Texas Press, 2015. ISBN-10: 1477302298
  • Rocklin, Alexander. The Regulation of Religion and the Making of Hinduism in Colonial Trinidad. The University of North Carolina Press, 2019. ISBN-10: 1469648717 
  • Masiki, Trent. The Afro-Latino Memoir: Race, Ethnicity, and Literary Interculturalism. The University of North Carolina Press, 2023. ISBN-10: 1469675277
TEC 650O: Imposter Syndrome and the Public Square (ISPS): Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder
  • Abrams, Stacey. Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change. Picador Publishing, 2018. ISBN: 978-1250214805
  • Addison, Michelle, Maddie Breeze, and Yvette Taylor, eds. The Palgrave Handbook of Imposter Syndrome in Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, 2022. ISBN: 978-3030865696
  • Crowder, Stephanie Buckhanon. Are You for Real: Imposter Syndrome, the Bible, and Society. Cascade Books, 2023. ISBN: 978-1666718041
  • Smith, Zadie. The Fraud. Penguin Press, 2023. ISBN: 978-0525558965
  • Wang, Kathy. Impostor Syndrome: A Novel. Mariner Books, 2021. ISBN: 978-0062855299

TEB453H – Islamic Law and Legal Theory: Mariam Sheibani

  • All readings provided on Canvas. No assigned books.

LMB487H – Public Narrative for Faith Leaders: Tayyab Yunus

  • Kelleher, Tom. Public Relations. 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, 2020. Paperback. ISBN: 978-0190925093.

LMB477H – Facilitating Islamic Life Cycle Rituals: Fouad Elgohari

  • Tarsin, Asad. Being Muslim: A Practical Guide. Sandala, 2015. ISBN: 978-0985565923.

RHB453 – The Sufi Tradition – Literary and Cultural Dimensions: Ozgur Koca

  • Chourief, Tayeb. Spiritual Teachings of the Prophet. Fons Vitae, 2011. Paperback. ISBN: 978-1891785856. No Kindle version.

LMB435H – Muslim Adolescent Identity Development: Jihad Saafir

  • Burke, Peter J., and Jan E. Stets. Identity Theory. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.

RHB421H – Life, Times, Teachings of Prophet Muhammad: Jonathan Brown

LMB446H – Effective Youth Work in Muslim Communities: Mona Islam

  • All readings provided on Canvas. No assigned books.

LMB413H – Educational Leadership for School-wide Innovation: Seema Imam

  • All readings provided on Canvas. No assigned books.

TEB456O – Islamic Rational Theology (Ilm al-Kalam II): Jihad Brown

  • All readings provided on Canvas. No assigned books.

LMB475O – Sunni-Shia Relations and Intra-faith Issue: Hamid Mavani

LMB473O – Supporting the Spiritual Care Team: Metra Azar-Salem

  • Thomas M. Skovholt, The Resilient Practitioner: Burnout and Compassion Fatigue Prevention and Self-Care Strategies for the Helping Professions. 3rd edition. Routledge, 2016. Paperback. ISBN: 978-1138830073.
  • William Steele, Reducing Compassion Fatigue, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Burnout. Routledge, 2019. Paperback. ISBN: 978-0367144098.

RHB457O – Intermediate Arabic 2B: Mahbuba Hammad

Fall 2023 Online/In-Person/ Synchoronous

RH301O Interpreting the Hebrew Bible: Ken Stone

Although students are encouraged to purchase the following textbooks, copies will also be placed on reserve in the CTS Learning Commons and in most cases are available electronically through the Learning Commons.

  • Berlin, Adele, and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds. Jewish Study Bible. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. ISBN: 978-0199978465 (hardback) or 978- 0199393879 (ebook).
  • Collins, John J. A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 2nd or 3rd ed. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2014/2018. ISBN: 978-1451472943 (2nd ed. paperback), 978-Page 3 1451484359 (2nd ed. ebook), 978-1506445991 (3rd ed. paperback), or 978- 1506446066 (3rd ed. ebook).
  • Gafney, Wilda C. Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and the Throne. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2017. ISBN: 978-066423903 (paperback) or 978-1611648126 (ebook).
  • Knight, Douglas, and Amy-Jill Levine. The Meaning of the Bible: What the Jewish Scriptures and Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us. New York: HarperOne, 2011. ISBN: 978-0062067739 (paperback) or 978-0062098597 (ebook
  • Matthews, Victor H., and Don C. Benjamin. Old Testament Parallels: Laws and Stories from the Ancient Near East. 4th ed. New York: Paulist, 2016. ISBN: 978-0809149896 (paperback), or 978-1587686160 (ebook). [Note: The ebook is available through the Learning Commons website, and it’s not necessary to purchase this text. The readings from it will be linked inside your online course modules. However, if you’d prefer a paper edition or your own copy of an ebook, you can buy it if you’d like.]

Some additional readings will be posted inside Canvas.

Recurring optional Zoom sessions will be scheduled monthly on Saturdays during the semester with dates announced via Canvas

RH 321O Interpreting the Gospels: Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder

  • Blount, Brian, ed.True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament
  • Commentary.Minneapolis: Fortress, Press, 2007. [ISBN: 978-0800634216]
  • Burridge, Richard A.Four Gospels, One Jesus: A Symbolic Reading.Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 2014. [ISBN: 978-0802871015]
  • Crowder, Stephanie Buckhanon.When Momma Speaks: The Bible and Motherhood From A Womanist Perspective. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 2016. [ISBN: 978-0664239251]
  • Harrington, SJ, Daniel J.The Synoptic Gospels Set Free: Preaching Without Anti-Judaism.New York: Paulist Press, 2009. [ISBN: 970809145836]
  • Newsom, Carol A., Sharon H. Ringe, and Jacqueline E. Lapsley, eds.Women’s Bible Commentary: Revised and Updated.Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012. [ISBN: 978-0664237073]
  • Vena, Oswaldo, and Leticia Guardiola-Saenz. Latinx Perspectives on the New Testament.  Lanham: Lexington Books, 2022. [ISBN: 978-1978705104]
  • Wildman, Terry M. First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament. InterVarsity Press, 2021. [ISBN: 978-0830813599]
  • TheNew Interpreter’s Study Bible- New Revised Standard Version with Apocrypha.
  • Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003. [ISBN-13: 978-0687278329] (or any NRSV).
Additional course material will be uploaded to course Canvas site.

RH 344O: History of Christian Thought: Cynthia Stewart

  • Margaret Miles’ The Word Made Flesh
  • All other texts available in the classroom

LMB 412H – Foundations of Islamic Education:  Susan Douglass

  • Hussain, Amjad M. A Social History of Education in the Muslim World. Ta-Ha Publishers, Ltd., 2011. Paperback. ISBN: 978-1842001301.

  • Sahin, Abdullah. New Directions in Islamic Education: Pedagogy and Identity Formation. Kube Publishing, 2013. Paperback. ISBN: 978-1847740588.

LM455H – Self Care and Self Development: Kameelah Rashad

  • Jones, K. B. (2001). Rest in the storm: Self-care strategies for clergy and other caregivers. Valley Forge: Judson Press.
  • Melander, R., & Eppley, H. (2002). The spiritual leader’s guide to self-care. New York: Rowman & Littlefield.
  • van Dernoot Lipsky, L. (2010). Trauma stewardship: An everyday guide to caring for self while caring for others. Oakland: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

TEC 504S  Saint Augustine, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Malcolm X: Joanne Terrell

Required Reading:

  •  St. Augustine of Hippo. City of God. (All versions accepted).
  •  ___________________. Confessions. (All versions accepted).
  • Cone, James H. Martin and Malcolm and America: A Dream or a Nightmare (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1993). ISBN: 978-0-88-344824-3
  • DeCaro, Louis. On The Side of My People: A Religious Life of Malcolm X (New York: New York University Press, 1997). ISBN: 978-0-81-471864-3
  • Marable, Manning. Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention (New York: Viking, 2011). ISBN: 978-0-67-002220-5
  • Miles, Margaret. Augustine On the Body (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock,2009). ISBN: 13: 978-1-60899-195-2
  • Rasmussen, Larry. Reinhold Niebuhr: Theologian of Public Life (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1991). ISBN: 0-8006-3407-1
  • X, Malcolm (with Alex Haley). The Autobiography of Malcolm X (New York: Ballantine Books, 1966, 1987). ISBN: 978-0-34-535068-8
TEC 395O Interreligious Engagement: Rachel Mikva
  • Rachel S. Mikva, Interreligious Studies: An Introduction (Cambridge University Press, 2023 – forthcoming)
  • Anthony Pinn and Brad Braxton, A Master Class on Being Human: A Black Christian and a Black Secular Humanist on Religion, Race, and Justice (Beacon, 2023 – forthcoming)

TEC 595O: MA/STM Thesis Seminar – Fall 2021 & Spring 2022 (co-taught by Munir Shaikh and Aaron Higashi)

Required textbook:

  • Booth, Wayne C., et al. The Craft of Research (3rd Edition). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2008

TEB 321H – Islamic Ethics – Ozgur Koca

  •  Ibn Miskawahy. The Refinement of Character (Tadhib al-Akhlak). Kazi Publications, 2003. Paperback. ISBN-13: 978-1567447163. (https://amzn.to/3b8JKFt). No Kindle version.
  • Imam Nawawi. The Gardens of the Righteous (Riyadh as-Salihin). Tughra Books, 2014. Paperback. ASIN: B017MXCXQ6. (https://amzn.to/3fsrGJZ). Kindle version available.

  • Nasr, Seyyed H., et al. The Study Qur’an. HarperOne, 2015. Hardcover. ISBN: 978-0061125867 (https://amzn.com/0061125865). Kindle version available.

  • Martin Lings, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources. Inner Traditions, Revised Edition. Paperback. ISBN: 978-1594771538.

    May Term 2024

    LM 411O Futurist Theologies of Care: Constructing Spiritual Care at the End(s) of the Earth: Cody Sanders

    Required Materials

    REQUIRED BOOKS (must read prior to the start of the course on May 20)

    • LePage, Terry. Eye of the Storm: Facing Climate and Social Chaos with Calm and Courage. Irvine, CA: Open Door
      Communication, 2023. ISBN: 9788988225713; Price: $17.99
    • Hayes, Kelly, and Mariame Kaba. Let This Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care. Chicago:
      Haymarket, 2023. ISBN: 9781642598278; Price: $17.95
    • LaValle, Victor, and John Joseph Adams, eds.. A People’s Future of the United States. New York: One World, 2019.
      List Price: $18.00; ISBN: 978-0525508809 (Read at least 10 of these short stories of your own choosing
      before the first day of class)

    REQUIRED ARTICLES & SELECT CHAPTERS

    • ARTICLE: Ayres, Jennifer R., “Recovering Mystery: Ecological Encounters and Practical Theological Ways of
      Knowing,” International Journal of Practical Theology 25(1), 2021.
    • ARTICLE: Crawley, Ashon, “Otherwise, Ferguson,” Interfictions Online (October 2016).
    • ARTICLE: Haraway, Donna, “Tentacular Thinking: Anthropocene, Capitalocene, Chthulucene,” e-flux Journal (Sept.2016)
    • ARTICLE: Lofton, Kathryn, “The Profound Horror of the Mass Grave,” The Yale Review (May 19, 2020)
    • ARTICLE: Orsi, Robert, “The Angel Bruno bends close to the earth and asks…,” The Immanent Frame (Oct. 18, 2017)
    • ARTICLE: Sanders, Cody J. “Decentering the Human in Practical Theologies of Care: An EARTH Method,”
      International Journal of Practical Theology 27(1): 23-45.
    • VIDEOS AND AUDIO LECTURES ENGAGED DURING CLASS (no need to look at these before class)
    • AUDIO/VISUAL SERMONIC REFLECTIONS: “Origins | Edges” Part I & Part II (2021), Cody J. Sanders
    • AUDIO LECTURE: “Performing the Future: Furnishing a World through Obligation and Love” (March 7, 2020), M.
      Gail Hamner, Futurity Forum, Old Cambridge Baptist Church (PDF of lecture available on Canvas also)
    • VIDEO LECTURE: “Amitav Ghosh on ‘The Great Derangement’” (October 17, 2019), Indian Summer Arts Society.
    • VIDEO LECTURE: “The Intelligence Revolution and the New Attention Economy: An Ethical Singularity” (Feb. 19,
      2020), Peter D. Hershock, Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard Divinity School
      Page 6
    • VIDEO LECTURE: “Borders in the Age of Networks” (June 11, 2019), Achille Mbembe, The New School Institute for
      Critical Social Inquiry
    • VIDEO LECTURE: “Apocalyptic Emotions and the Practice of Care” (Oct. 2020), Cody J. Sanders, Doing Theology in
      Pandemics public lecture series
    • VIDEO LECTURE: “Keynote – Shoshana Zuboff,” (October 2021), The Future of Our Digital World
    • PHOTOGRAPHIC LECTURE: “Opening Lecture—Devour the Land: War and American Landscape Photography since
      1970” (Sept. 28, 2021), Makeda Best, Harvard Art Museums

    TEC 427S/627S Comparative Theology: Questions, Methods, and Issues: José Morales Torres *Update

    Required Texts

    Note: The instructor works with the Director of Lapp Learning Commons [‘Lapp’] to make the course books available in e-book format through Lapp. Students are strongly advised to consult the Lapp Learning Commons collections online before making purchases, especially 1) since we are not reading any of the books below in their entirety and 2) since some of the texts below are quite expensive.

    • Brecht, Mara, and Reid B. Locklin, eds. 2016. Comparative Theology in the Millennial Classroom: Hybrid Identities, Negotiated Boundaries. Routledge Research in Religion and Education: 5. Routledge.
    • Clooney, Francis X. 2010. Comparative Theology: Deep Learning across Religious Borders. Wiley-Blackwell.
    • Harris, Elizabeth, Paul Hedges, and Shanthikumar Hettiarachchi, eds. 2016. Twenty-First Century Theologies of Religions: Retrospection and Future Prospects. Currents of Encounter. Brill.
    • Hedges, Paul. 2017. Comparative Theology: A Critical and Methodological Perspective. Brill Research Perspectives: Theology. Brill.
    • Meir, Ephraim. 2015. Interreligious Theology: Its Value and Mooring in Modern Jewish Philosophy. De Gruyter Oldenbourg.
    • Stosch, Klaus von, and Francis X. Clooney, eds. 2018. How to Do Comparative Theology. Comparative Theology: Thinking across Traditions. Fordham University Press.     Students will do an in-depth review on one of the following monographs:
    • Clooney, Francis X. 1993. Theology after Vedānta: An Experiment in Comparative Theology. SUNY Series: Toward a Comparative Philosophy of Religions. State University of New York Press.
    • Hillgardner, Holly. 2017. Longing and Letting Go: Christian and Hindu Practices of Passionate Non-Attachment. AAR Academic Series. Oxford University Press.
    • Izutsu, Toshihiko. 1984. Sufism and Taoism: A Comparative Study of Key Philosophical Concepts. University of California Press.
    • Lee, Hyo-Dong. 2014. Spirit, Qi, and the Multitude: A Comparative Theology for the Democracy of Creation. Vol. 3. Fordham University Press, 2014.
    • Tatari, Muna, and Klaus vos Stosch. 2021. Mary in the Qur’an: Friend of God, Virgin, Mother. Trans. Peter Lewis. Interfaith Series. Gingko.
    • Thatamanil, John J. 2020. Circling the Elephant: A Comparative Theology of Religious Diversity. Comparative Theology: Thinking Across Traditions. New York: Fordham University Press.
    • Voss Roberts, Michelle. 2014. Tastes of the Divine: Hindu and Christian Theologies of Emotion. Comparative Theology: Thinking Across Traditions. Fordham University Press.
    • Additional readings will be made available through Canvas

    Summer 2024

    RH 416 Dangerous Religious Ideas: Rachel Mikva

    • Rachel S. Mikva, Dangerous Religious Ideas : The Deep Roots of Self-Critical Faith in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Beacon Press, 2020). (available as ebook in Learning Commons)

    RH 302 Interpreting the Hebrew Bible II: Rachel Mikva

    • The Jewish Study Bible, Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds. (Oxford, 2014).  BUY HARD COPY, not E-book. You need easy access to annotation.
    •  Each student will be engaging in comparative exegetical and theological reflection. If Christian, please acquire: Walter Brueggemann, An Introduction to the Old Testament: The Canon and Christian Imagination (Westminster John Knox Press, any edition). If not, please confer with Dr. Mikva, preferably before start of term

    Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Prophets. (Available in 1 or 2 volumes; be careful not to purchase a single volume of 2-volume set; you need access to all 28 chapters.)