Full Schedule

Studies of Stone-Campbell spirituality are virtually absent from the movement's literature, perhaps because its emphasis on rational faith led people to assume that we had no spirituality! This is a profound misunderstanding. Beginning with Sandra Schneiders' definition, "the lived experience of Christian faith," the presentation examines the life and thought of two spiritual leaders in twentieth-century Churches of Christ: Foy E. Wallace, Jr. and Leroy Garrett. After briefly setting the historical and cultural contexts, the study assesses a key text by each to discern theological and hermeneutical commitments and describe their respective spiritualities as paradigmatic of the movement.

Most within the Stone-Campbell heritage would agree: the Holy Spirit attends God’s Word in Scripture. Notably, however, foregrounding spiritual formation in interpretive acts has been largely unfamiliar territory for us. This class will consider what it might take for us to step into such hermeneutic territory with confidence. Our exploration will be focused by the following crucial truths: that God’s Spirit generated, sanctified, and preserved the biblical texts for the Triune God’s purposes; that the Holy Spirit continues to work in and through Scripture, not only to inform us about Christ but also to form Christ in us; and that the Spirit does all of this through incarnational means.

Amidst movements associated with human rights and social justice in the United States and abroad, some faith communities, organizers, and publics have severed spirituality and justice into private spheres.  This presentation draws on theological ethics, scripture, and social movements to articulate a pneumatology of justice.  As spirituality studies the lived Christian life in relationship with God, I argue that justice is essential in having union with God.

Understandably, one might ask, “What does Hollywood have to do with Jerusalem?” Yet, like other art forms, film is a vast resource for theological reflection; film explores the full range of the human experience, from love and loss to identity and community to tragedies and triumphs—the list is endless. Together we’ll reflect on the ways that theological engagement with film can deepen our understanding of our world, ourselves, and our faith. Bonus: you’ll leave equipped to start your own movie night!

What has spirituality to do with sexuality? This session will move beyond cliches and overly simplistic answers and instead will explore how the church’s rich tradition of hospitality can shape Christian approaches to sexuality. Drawing on over a decade of experience teaching on the intersection of theology and sexuality, Dr. Gorman will reflect on how hospitality can inform both our beliefs about sexuality and how to navigate difficult conversations around such beliefs.

Nature is like a good book. A good book sits on a shelf or nightstand waiting to be read. In the same way, nature sits outside our doors and windows and waits to speak to us.

This class considers the ways we experience God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in nature. We will explore topics like meditation and nature, the healing quality of nature, nature and mysticism, and the Spirit and the wind.

We will reflect on spirituality and nature alongside writers and naturalists like St. Francis, Thomas Merton, Annie Dillard, Mary Oliver, John Muir, and Howard Thurman. I will share lessons I learned from nature over the summer. Weather permitting, we may even go on a short walk and put what we learn into practice.

A person’s view of Christian formation is dependent upon the understanding of theology and spirituality that undergirds it. Certain assumptions about soteriology and pneumatology lead to particular approaches to the Spiritual life, and this session will explore the distinctive forms this has taken in the Stone Campbell movement.

For the first few centuries of Christianity, records containing the words of Christian women are rare. With only a few exceptions, what we know about these women comes to us in the words of men. How can we listen for the voices of women when we have little or no record of what those voices said? This presentation explores how we might develop skills of attentive listening when the voices themselves are mediated or absent.

Discover the growing emphasis on spirituality and the contemplative life within the Stone-Campbell heritage, guided by its foundational principles of unity, biblical authority, and commitment to Christian community—principles illuminated in the first six chapters of the book of Acts. This class will explore contemporary challenges and opportunities facing Stone-Campbell churches, particularly the residual effects of a historically limited emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit. We will discuss how an increased focus on the Spirit’s work can foster spiritual activism, deepen spiritual intimacy, and bridge divides across lines of race and politics within the church. Together, we’ll envision how the movement’s core values can adapt and flourish, inviting new generations into a spiritually rich, inclusive, and mission-focused faith community. Whether you’re a long-time member or new to this heritage, join us in imagining a vibrant, Holy Spirit-led future for the Stone-Campbell Heritage.