DESCRIPTION:

This course defines and explores various genres of Christian poetry of largely the twentieth century along the themes of Christian theology, including the person of Jesus Christ, suffering, death, the resurrection, salvation, discipleship, social justice, and service. Genres include the narrative poem, protest poem, reflection and meditation, object or imagist poem, and hymnody. Poets include Daniel Berrigan, Wendell Berry, Scott Cairns, David Citino, Annie Dillard, Fred Pratt Green, Edward Hirsch, Denise Levertov, Rainer Maria Rilke, Thomas Troeger, Richard Wilbur.

Poetry, much like narrative, is a prime vehicle in communicating and expressing religious faith and theological thought. In a postmodern world that questions or rejects the Christian faith, the clear and fresh communicating of the Gospel is of prime importance for the believer's personal growth and the revitalization of the church. Contemporary Christian poetry provides new images and relevant insights on theological concepts that are helpful in both private and corporate worship.

The class will meet daily for four hours for a two-week period. In the first week, we will define Christian poetry, give a historic overview of the church's use of poetry, and introduce students to the principles of reading and interpreting poetry; it will also provide an overview of various poetic genres. In the second week we will explore some themes of Christian poetry, such as the church's liturgical year, the life of Jesus, and the life of the Christian, along with theological key tenets of the Christian faith.

Impastato, David, ed. Upholding Mystery: An Anthology of Contemporary Christian Poetry. Oxford University Press, 1997.

Rilke, Rainer Maria. The Book of Hours: Prayers to a Lowly God. Trans. Annemarie S. Kidder. Northwestern University Press, 2001.

Rosenthal, P. The Poets' Jesus: Representations at the End of a Millennium. Oxford Univ. Press, 2000.

Troeger, T. H. Borrowed Light: Hymn Texts, Prayers, and Poems. Oxford University Press, 1994.

Course Reader.

Divine Inspiration: The Life of Jesus in World Poetry. Ed. Robert Atwan, George Dardess, Peggy Rosenthal. Oxford University Press, 1998.

The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry. Ed. S. Mitchell. HarperCollins, 1993.

Hirsch, Edward. How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love With Poetry. Harcourt, 1999.

Mitchell, Rosemary Catalano and Gail Anderson Ricciuti. Birthings and Blessings: Liberating Worship Services for the Inclusive Church. Crossroad, 1992.

Rosenthal, P. Praying the Gospels through Poetry: Lent through Easter. St. Anthony Messenger, 2002.

The course grade will depend on preparatory reading for each class and class participation (20%). Participants will also write two papers: (1) a 5-7 page essay on a poetic genre of choice, along with 2-3 representative examples of contemporary Christian poetry (30%); and (2) a 10-15 page analysis paper of a twentieth-century, contemporary poet that shows the relevance of the poet's work to particular aspects of the Christian faith (50%), due August 20.

Elective; meets M.A.C.L. in Integrative Studies interdisciplinary requirement (IDPL).