DESCRIPTION: This doctoral seminar is open to a limited number of master's
level students by special permission. Mysticism is a term that conjures images
of ecstatic experiences arising from a unique and powerful immediacy with God.
It has been a phenomenon that has been present within Christianity from the
apostolic age to today. What is one to make of mystical experiences and the
insights given of those who have them? How does one determine the authenticity
and relevance of these experiences? This seminar will survey the history of
Christian mysticism, and examine models of evaluation of mystical experience
and its interpretation. Students will be exposed to theological, philosophical
and biogenetic models of interpretation of mystical experiences, as well as
examine classic Christian mystical texts.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: The primary goal of this course is to provide the students
with resources to evaluate exception Christian experiences, in this particular
case, mystical experiences. To do this the students will (1) acquire a general
knowledge of the history of Christian mysticism, East and West; (2) become
directly acquainted with the two touchstones of mystical thought--Augustine in
the West and Pseudo-Dionysius in the East; (3) become familiar with theological
models of evaluating mystical experience; (4) explore methodologies of
interpreting mysticism from the humanities, in particular philosophy and
psychology; and (5) apply these methodologies to a particular mystical text
within its cultural and historical context.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: "Pastor, I just had a vision from God and I believe we
should..." How does one respond to such a statement? What criterion does one
use to evaluate such a claim? How does one respond to experiences that have
often been eccentric and on the fringe, but are becoming increasingly more
common, as in Pentecostal and Charismatic expressions of the Christian faith?
The exploration of the phenomenon of mysticism and its theological
interpretation will provide entrée into these larger questions regarding
the relationship of experience to theology.
COURSE FORMAT: The seminar will meet weekly for three-hour sessions. It will
have some lectures by the professor, but will be mostly seminar presentations
and discussions. Students will be expected--along with assigned class
readings--to do the necessary primary and secondary research for their
presentations. Beyond the contemporary interdisciplinary research in this area,
students will study some of the classic texts of the Christian mystical
tradition and present them in class in seminar fashion.
REQUIRED READING: