Three-week session begins Jan. 24

A three-week session of our class will begin on Sunday, Jan.24, and continue until Feb. 7.

All the classes will be from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in St. Andrew's Fellowship Hall. Childcare will be provided.

Syllabus and Class Notes for Sept. 13 - Nov. 1 session of "Human Sexuality and the Faith of Presbyterian Christians"

Syllabus

Week 1: Sept. 13 (class notes)

• Readings:
• “Guidelines for People of Faith During Times of Disagreement”
• Dawn Mikkelson, “Seeking a God who loves us for who we are”

Week 2: Sept. 20 (class notes)

• Readings: Biblical passages usually cited when discussing homosexuality: Creation (Genesis 1-2); Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18-19); Holiness Code (Leviticus 18 and 20); Sin of Onan (Genesis 38:1-10); Jesus on Divorce (Matthew 19:1-12); Against Nature (Romans 1-2); and Excluded from the Kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) (Click here for additional traditional readings of the biblical passages about homosexuality.)
• In class: Watch first 30 minutes of the documentary, “For the Bible Tells Me So.”
• Discussion questions

Week 3: Sept. 27 (class notes)

• Readings:
• Letter from Ann Reppun
• In Class: Watch second 30 minutes of the documentary, “For the Bible Tells Me So.”
• Discussion questions

Week 4: Oct. 4 (class notes)

• Readings (from the Presbyterian Coalition and others)
  
• Jim Tony, “Is There a Legitimate Way Around the ‘Fidelity-Chastity’ Requirement?”
• N.T. Wright, “Communion and Koinonia: Pauline Reflections on Tolerance and Boundaries”
• Alan Wisdom, “The Myth of Inevitability”
• The legal brief prepared for the Session (May 29)
• Update on the legal brief prepared for the Session (Sept. 29)
• Discussion questions

Week 5: Oct 11. (class notes)

• Readings
  
• Kenneth Bailey, "The New Testament and Homosexual Practice."
• Robert Gagnon, "Scriptural Perspectives on Homosexuality and Sexual Identity."
• http://bible.org/seriespage/all-heaven-allows-homosexuality-and-meaning-love.
• Discussion questions

Week 6:Oct. 18 (class notes)

• Readings
• “The First of Institutions,” by Gilbert Meilaender.
• In class: Watch and discuss the final 30 minutes of “For the Bible Tells Me So.”
• Discussion questions

Week 7: Oct. 25 (class notes)

• Readings
• Blog post on the Norman-Wikner wedding ceremony.
  
• Discussion questions.
  

Week 8: Nov. 1 (class notes)

• In-class
• Discuss the options of what St. Andrew should do next.
  
• Discussion questions