DESCRIPTION: Spiritual practices emerge out of spiritual traditions which, in turn, often emerge from the life and experience of spiritual pioneers. In this course we will explore the lives of seven spiritual pioneers from various traditions (Antony of Egypt, Patrick of Ireland, Hildegard of Bingen, Francis of Assisi, Julian of Norwich, Ignatius of Loyola, and Teresa of Avila) and the spiritual traditions they founded (or influenced). Within each tradition a spiritual practice will be examined and employed with an eye to its use in the contemporary church. Additionally, we will allow these traditions to interact with their contemporary counterpart from the worldwide church. All this will be set in the context of the broad sweep of the history and theology of Christian spirituality.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Interest in spirituality is growing both in the church and outside the church. This course will not only explore the nature of spirituality, but will also seek to assist students to engage in various spiritual practices designed to foster the way of love.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The student will

1. understand the life, ministry, and spiritual practices of seven spiritual pioneers in the context of a broad understanding of the history and theology of Christian spirituality;

2. explore and experience various spiritual disciplines and practices from these traditions;

3. develop a broader understanding of one particular school of spirituality via a small group collaborative research process online;

4. develop skills that enable the student to lead others in the practices of spiritual formation.

Foster, Richard J., and James Bryan Smith. Devotional Classics: Selected Readings For Individual & Groups. Rev. ed. HarperSanFrancisco, 355 pages. ISBN: 0060669667. Pub. price: $16.99.

Holt, Bradley. Thirsty for God: A Brief History of Christian Spirituality. Fortress, 2005. 226 pages. ISBN: 0800637097. Pub. price: $ 21.00.

Maas, Robin, and Gabriel O'Donnell. Spiritual Traditions for the Contemporary Church. Abingdon, 1990. 459 pages. ISBN: 9780687392339. Pub. price: $ 33.00.

McGrath, Alister. Christian Spirituality. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999. 204 pages. ISBN: 0-631-21281-7. Pub. price:: $ 54.95.

Spiritual Exercises Reader (found on Moodle).

1. Reading/Audio-Video Listening/Viewing/Threaded Discussion/Interaction (40%) - Involves 1-2 discussion questions per week based on the spiritual tradition in focus (200-word response; 2-3 interactive posts (100-150 words each post).

2. Personal/Communal Formational Exercises and Blog Entries based on each of the seven spiritual traditions (25%) - Students do one assigned spiritual exercise per tradition and blog about it (250-300 words max each post).

3. Personal Journal Reflections corresponding to each spiritual tradition (15%) - Consists of 1 page per entry following a prescribed Lectio template (about 250-300 words max each post).

4. Small Group Collaborative Research Project (20%) - Involves each group gathering and assembling various resources focused on a particular tradition and presenting final product via Wiki on Moodle (about 5-6 pages worth of collected data ranging from 10-15 sources per category (e.g., bibliographic texts, audio-visual, web-links, etc.).