Summer 2023 Semester

ST 8200: Theological INvestigations in Human Identity: Race

Dr. Fellipe Do Vale

Class Dates

• XSI conference July 2023 (Registration required here)
• Evening of the 12th through the morning of the 15th
• Exact daytime session slots in syllabus

Details

• 3 credit hours
• $1470 for credit, $240 to audit

Description: Race, it need not be said, is a fraught issue for evangelicals. These days, it serves to divide one “type” of church from another, one “type” of Christian from another, one “type” of theology from another. It has therefore taken the role of a theological proxy, providing a criterion for who is “in” and who is “out.” This state of affairs is as lamentable as it is insufficiently theological, and the aim of this course is to chart a path away from it to a more salutary way to frame matters. The ambition is neither to mute the extra-theological considerations nor to turn down the explicitly theological concerns; keeping both in hand, we will explore contemporary approaches to race, the history of the discussion, how Christians have looked to Scripture for help in both helpful and unhelpful ways, and the current state of the discussion. By the end, students will be equipped with tools and ways of thinking that will guide them in their ecclesial and ministerial callings.