Theology of Wonder
The program will culminate with this module, which will take place in Oxford. It will look at the central place of the imagination in how we know and experience God, and will provide tools for communicating who God is with those around us. Part of the preparation for Oxford will be completing a video course on a figure who embodies a lot of this module’s content: C.S. Lewis.
Why Wonder?
Often the study of theology has not been approached with wonder. Rather, it has been approached with a rational/scientific framework which wants theology to “make sense” in post-Enlightenment terms.
Leslie Newbigin identified that “Those who sought to defend the Christian faith did so on the basis that it was ‘reasonable,’ that is to say, that it did not contradict the fundamental humanist assumption” (p2, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society). Instead, Newbigin saw Christianity as providing a “set of lenses, not something for us to look at, but for us to look through” (p38). This module is the culmination of the program and seeks to embed a habitus - something to look through, not at.
Assessment
Assessment is chosen for this module, we again suggest the paper writing option if interested in pursuing further studies:
- Social assessment: an event in the integration groups where an aspect of the program is put into practice. This event could be a dinner party, brunch, hike, Bible study, songwriting session, sporting event, baking class, etc. The goal will be integrating theology into the event. This can draw on learning from the module, the liturgical calendar, or one of My Local’s rhythms.
- Write a 2,000 word paper on one of the themes from this module. It could be on a particular session, the C.S. Lewis course, or theology & the arts. It will be expected to draw upon sources mentioned in the module and some that a student sources themselves. The goal will be to continue developing academic writing by referencing more sources than might have been used in previous assessments. It will need to provide a bibliography and use quotations with footnotes or endnotes throughout.
Module textbooks
Walking on Water - Madeleine L'Engle
Art + Faith - Makoto Fujimura