Winter 2020/FAZ

FT563

Burnidge

FT563: GRIEF, LOSS, DEATH AND DYING (2 units). Michael Burnidge, ThM

DESCRIPTION:

This course will explore the nature of human suffering, the problem of theodicy, the meaning of pain, the mystery of healing, the discovery and impartation of hope. These and related topics will be addressed from both a theological and experiential perspective. Grief, pain, loss, separation, death and dying (the major crises of life) will be explored experientially, psychologically, systemically and culturally. The focus will be on personal growth as the preparation for care-giving and counseling.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY:

The major opportunities for counseling emerge from loss, pain, grief, death and the encounter with dying. The abilities to provide support in crisis and loss, offer a constructive theology of suffering that faces the problem of theodicy, and facilitate recovery, reconciliation and reintegration are foundational for all who would seek to have a purposeful and effective life and ministry.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Upon completion of this course, the participants will have (1) encountered the existential and theological reality of their own mortality; (2) reflected deeply on the need and tools for thoughtful completion of life pilgrimage; (3) articulated the multiple processes of grieving loss, encountering death, and supporting the bereaved; and (4) deepened counseling skills in the area of grief and loss ministry including empathy and the embodiment of incarnational presence.

COURSE FORMAT:

The course offers both content and process: understanding the nature of loss experiences, of grieving, of encountering the reality of dying, of ministry in each of these crises and owning, facing, exploring and embracing our own losses. Lecture, discussions, presentations, projects and experiential process will be parts of the whole experience of correlating theology with pastoral care and/or therapy. The class will meet once a week for a three-hour session.

REQUIRED READING:

Long, Thomas G. What Shall We Say?: Evil, Suffering, and the Crisis of Faith. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. ISBN-13: 978-0802865144 (pp.158)

Walsh, Froma. Living Beyond Loss: Death in the Family. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN-13: 978-0393704389 (pp.350)

RECOMMENDED READING:

Corr, Charles A. Death and Dying: Life and Living. Wadsworth Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-1111840617 (pp.816)

Kessler, David. The Needs of the Dying: A Guide for Bringing Hope, Comfort, and Love to Life's Final Chapter. New York: Harper Perennial. ISBN-13: 978-0061137594 (pp. 256)

Lewis, C. S. A Grief Observed. San Francisco: Zondervan/Harper, 1989. ISBN-13: 9780060652739

Nouwen, Henri. Turn My Mourning into Dancing. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004. ISBN-13: 978-0849945090 (pp.128)

Rando, Therese A. Grief, Dying, and Death: Clinical Interventions for Caregivers. Research Pr Pub; 1st edition, 1984. ISBN-13: 978-0878222322 (pp.494)

Swinton, John. Living Well and Dying Faithfully: Christian Practices for End-of-Life Care. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. ISBN-13. 978-0802863393 (pp. 320)

Toole, Mary M. Handbook for Chaplains: Comfort My People. Paulist Press; 1 edition, 2006. ISBN-13: 978-0809143863 (pp. 96)

Wiersbe, Warren. Ministering to the Mourning: A Practical Guide for Pastors, Church Leaders, and Other Caregivers. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2006. ISBN-13: 978-0802412416 (pp.240)

Wolfelt, Alan D. Death and Grief: A Guide for Clergy. London: Routledge, 1988. ISBN-13: 978-0915202768 (pp. 216)

Worden, J. William. Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy: A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner, Third Edition. New York: Springer Publishing Company, 2001. ISBN-13: 978-0826141620. (pp.232)

Wright, H. Norman. The Complete Guide to Crisis & Trauma Counseling: What to Do and Say When It Matters Most! Regal, 2011. ISBN-13: 978-0830758401 (pp. 512)

PREREQUISITES:

None.