University Foundations Program
The University Foundations Program includes three consecutive courses centered in the foundations of Christian faith: Christian Formation, which explores the lived experience of faith; Christian Scriptures, which provides a way of conceptualizing, reading, and practicing the truth of Scripture as the authority for Christian formation; and Christian Theology, which reflects upon the relationship between God and humankind as expressed in the Scriptures and experienced in a life of faith.
UFDN 1000: Christian Formation
UFDN 2000/3001: Christian
Scriptures
UFDN 3100: Christian Theology
UFDN Courses 2007-2008
UFDN 1000: Christian Formation
This course introduces the processes and practices of Christian Formation, as reflected throughout the history of the Christian church. Christian life is formed by distinctive beliefs, practices, attitudes, and virtues. Every student, regardless of religious background, will engage texts, written and non-written, ancient and modern, that foster these characteristics of the Christian life. This course is taken in either the freshman or sophomore year of study at Seattle Pacific.
Following are three examples of topics studied in UFDN 1000: Christian Formation:
Christian Behavior. One behavior carefully examined in UFDN 1000 is Christian worship. As stated in one course text: "It
is not necessary that Traditions and Ceremonies
be in all places one, or utterly alike; for
at all times they have been divers (sic), and
may be changed according to the diversity of
countries, times, and … manners…
("Articles of Religion", 1801). Students are required to visit and report on the
worship services of various Christian traditions.
Through this assignment students come to
understand how patterns of worship historically developed
and come to a fuller appreciation of the liturgies they observe. The
goal is to encourage students toward a more
thoughtful perspective on worship; one which
connects worship practices with scriptural guidance
and careful attention to the liturgy's purpose
and effect.
Christian Belief. The School of Theology faculty members utilize two creeds,
The Apostles' Creed and The Nicene Creed, as
touchstones for analysis of basic Christian beliefs.
These creeds enjoy wide acceptance within the
Christian Church, as they identify core convictions
of the Christian faith. The task of teaching
this material is three-fold. First, students are taught to think more deeply and carefully
about the claims made in these creeds. How is
belief in the "resurrection of the body"
different from belief in the "immortality
of the soul?" What are the implications
of a future bodily resurrection for our lives
today? Second, students come to understand
how and why the Church engages in theological
reflection. This invites historical understanding
of the development of Christian doctrine. Why
did the Church conjoin "Father" and
"almighty" in its description of God?
Why do both creeds devote so much attention
to claims about Jesus? Third, we want students
to understand that theology is both an object
of belief and a way of believing. The doctrine
of creation is not only about a past event;
it also speaks of a way of living.
Christian Affection. The common text, Spiritual Classics, an
anthology of reading edited by Richard Foster,
assists with addressing the inward dimensions of Christian
faith. Christian formation includes head, hand,
and heart - what one ancient writer called "ordo
amoris" or orderly affections. Different
strands of the Christian tradition highlight
various spiritual disciplines for the proper
ordering of the affections. UFDN 1000 examines
the value of varied practices in forming
a faithful life.
While beliefs, behaviors, and affections are
separated for analysis purposes, the final interest of the School of Theology at Seattle Pacific
rests in the interaction of belief, behavior, and affection within a person's
life. All students read The Chosen, by Chaim Potok, a coming-of-age novel
which chronicles the lives of Danny Saunders
and Reuven Malter, two young Jewish men. The
novel provides a fascinating mirror for students
to see concretely how the beliefs, behaviors,
and affections emphasized by a faith tradition
shape a character's identity. Examining this
dynamic in characters of a different faith tradition
helps students see more clearly the same dynamic
in their own lives.
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UFDN 2000/3001: Christian Scriptures
This course explores the formative role that Christian Scriptures perform within the community of believers. It seeks to introduce students to the literature and theology of both Old and New Testaments and to provide them with the necessary skills to make a responsible use of Scripture as the church's principal authority in nurturing a Christian's faith and witness. UFND 2000 is taken in either the sophomore or junior year of study at Seattle Pacific. UFDN 3001 is the same course taken by transfer students who begin their studies at Seattle Pacific as juniors or seniors.
The School of Theology intends that all students learn the
Christian Scriptures according to the ancient world behind the biblical
texts, the literary world within the biblical
texts, and the social world in front of the biblical
texts. T herefore, every SPU student who
completes UFDN
2000/3001: Christian Scripture will learn the most important aspects
of the religious, political, sociological
and geographical forces that helped shape
biblical literature. Students will learn the master plotline of the biblical story of God and the
order of collections which comprise the biblical
canon that narrates this story. Students will be introduced to literary genre and rhetorical conventions
of biblical compositions as well as the
transmission and translation of these ancient
writings in today's readership. Finally, every student will learn the core
Christian beliefs and essential religious practices
related to the Bible, and how their own particular
social, religious and cultural locations contribute
to the meanings they make of these sacred texts.
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UFDN 3100: Christian Theology
This course studies the basic doctrines and practices of historic Christianity, such as the being, attributes, and workings of the Triune God; the nature, fallenness, and redemption of human beings; the character and mission of the church; the disciplines and duties of personal faith; and the hope for last(eschatological) things. Attention will be given to major formative events and key persons in the history of the church that have helped to shape what Christians believe and how they live. This course is typically taken in the junior or senior year of study at Seattle Pacific.
Following are five major objectives of UFDN 3100: Christian Theology:
Development of Christian Thought. To sketch the basic development of Christian
thought and institutions from New Testament
times to the present. Both the rich diversity
and the overarching unity within the Christian
tradition are emphasized. The distinctive
characteristics of some of the major branches
of the Christian tradition, such as Eastern
Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and the Lutheran,
Reformed, and Wesleyan varieties of Protestantism,
are highlighted. Toward this end, most
sections use a brief introduction to Christian
history (e.g., Church History: An Essential
Guide by Justo Gonzalez) and key primary sources
by representative theologians from these various
Christian sub-traditions.
Historic Christian Doctrine. To delineate the central doctrines of the
historic Christian church, their interrelationships,
and their implications for the Christian life.
Doctrines are studied not only as truth
claims, ( i.e., ideas that Christians affirm)
but also as regulative principles ( i.e., means
by which Christian individuals and communities
analyze, shape, and amend their lives). This
objective is achieved by a comparative study
of two standard expositions of Christian thought,
Christian Doctrine by Shirley Guthrie and
The Orthodox Way by Kallistos Ware.
Theological Method. To demonstrate the rudiments of theological
method; how fruitful theological
reflection involves a dynamic and closely
reasoned dialogue between Christian scripture,
Christian tradition, and the full range of
human experience. Those familiar with the
Methodist tradition within which SPU stands
will recognize in the wording of this objective
the so-called "Wesleyan Quadrilateral" that deploys multiple sources in the quest
for theological knowledge. This objective
is achieved through the study of some of John
Wesley's sermons and through the modeling
offered by the instructors, all of whom are
committed to a Wesleyan approach to theological
inquiry.
Current Religious/Philosophical Worldviews. To map out some of the major religious and
philosophical worldviews current today and
analyze their congruence or incongruence
with the historic Christian faith. In-class
discussions and various reading and writing
assignments are used to accomplish this aim.
Reflective Faith Cultivation. To encourage and help students to cultivate
a more reflective Christian faith; one integrally woven into their lives and
thinking. This objective is met through various
reading and writing assignments that invite
students to apply the ideas discussed in class
to their own experience.
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Related Resourses
2006-2007 UFDN Courses
2005-2006 UFDN Courses
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