Spring 2027 Course Offerings
Mid-October Fall Courses
Preachers on Screen
Instructor: Dr. Pearce Durst
Day/Time: Tuesday 6:00-9:00 pm (CT)
Location: Zoom online and in-person
Start Date: Oct 27 (8-week course)
Credits: 2
EMAIL Dr. Green to register for this course: mgreen@urbanatheologicalseminary.org
This course examines the depiction of preachers in film, utilizing cinematic narratives as a foundation for theological reflection and cultural critique. By analyzing a diverse selection of films across various genres and historical periods, we will investigate how preaching is represented, embodied, challenged, and understood in popular media.
George MacDonald’s Phantastes: The book that Baptized C. S. Lewis’s Imagination
Instructor: Dr. Melody Green
Day/Time: Friday, November 6 (6:00-9:00) and Saturday, November 7th (9:00-4:00 CT)
Location: Zoom online and in-person
Credits: 1
EMAIL Dr. Green to register for this course: mgreen@urbanatheologicalseminary.org
In his autobiography, C. S. Lewis explained that while he was still an atheist, he read George MacDonald’s Phantastes, and it played an important role in his journey to faith. This one weekend class will explore the genre, context, and text of the book in order to better understand this book, as well as the role that story can play in spiritual development.
Christian Living in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Instructor: Dr. Todd Daly
Day/Time: Mondays 6:00-9:00 pm (CT)
Location: Zoom online
Start Date: Oct 26-Nov 30
Credits: 2
EMAIL Dr. Green to register for this course: mgreen@urbanatheologicalseminary.org
This course helps Christians make sense of Artificial Intelligence by examining the history, technology, ethics, and aims of Artificial Intelligence (AI), sorting out the hope from the hype, and providing a theological framework for evaluating AI. How should Christians think about technology? Is AI technology neutral, or does it come with its own set of values? How will AI impact humanity and our human future? How does AI shape our understanding of ourselves and others? What should we use AI for?
Spring 2027 Courses
New Testament Survey
Instructor: Ken Cuffey
Time: Tuesday 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Start Date: January 19, 2027
Credits: 3
Format: Online and In-person
An introduction to New Testament literature within the context of the Hellenistic-Roman world of the first century A.D. The course will consider the interpretation of various genres of material and will provide a survey of the individual books, their backgrounds and messages, and the culmination of redemption in the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth. Emphasis placed on the fulfillment of God’s mission by Christ and his church.
Biblical Book Study: James
Instructor: Peter Spychalla
Time: Monday 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Start Date: January 25, 2027
Credits: 2
Format: Online
This course offers an in-depth exegetical and thematic study of the Epistle of James.
God’s Call to Justice, Equity, and Hope:
The Message & World of the 8th Century Prophets
Instructor: Ken Cuffey
Time: Wednesday 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Start Date: January 20, 2027
Credits: 3
Format: Online and in-person
Are you concerned with injustice and inequities in our world today? Did you know that the 8th century prophets of the Old Testament had a lot to say about inequality and divisions in society? Join us to delve into the world and message of Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah. Examination of their setting in a turbulent history and a deeply divided dysfunctional society as a backdrop to the powerful messages God gave to each of them. Consideration of how this parallels our day and age, and how a follower of Jesus should respond now to live prophetically and for justice.
New Testament Greek II
Instructor: Peter Spychalla
Time: Monday and Wednesday 5:30 – 6:45 pm
Start Date: January 20, 2027
Credits: 3
Format: Online
A continuation of the introduction to the Koine Greek language with emphasis on vocabulary, syntax, the verbal system, and reading in the Greek text. Prerequisite: BL 501 or its equivalent. This course offers graduate credit for students in programs other than the M.Div. degree.
History of Christianity
Instructor: Joe Thomas
Time: Tuesday 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Start Date: January 19, 2027
Credits: 3
Format: Online
A general historical survey of the Christian movement from the Protestant Reformation to the present. Attention is given to movements, significant ideas, individuals, crises, institutions, and turning points in the development of Christianity during the Reformation and modern periods.
C.S. Lewis The Pilgrim’s Regress
Instructor: Melody Green
Time: Friday 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm & Saturday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Dates: January 29 and 30
Credits: 1
Format: Online
The Pilgrim’s Regress is the first book C. S. Lewis wrote after his conversion to Christianity. Following a similar pattern to John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, this book uses symbol and metaphor to retell Lewis’s own conversion experience as allegory. This one weekend class explores the context and genre of the novel, the ways it retells Lewis’s own conversion experience, while also exploring the various ideas that are presented throughout the text.
Dorothy L. Sayers: An Introduction
Instructor: Melody Green
Time: Thursday 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Dates: Mar 25 – May 14, 2027
Credits: 2
Format: Online and in-person
Dorothy L. Sayers, a friend of C. S. Lewis’s, is well-known today for her Lord Peter Wimsey mystery series, as well as essays about theology, art, and education. During her life, however, she was also known for a groundbreaking radio series about the life of Christ. This eight-week class is an overview of the different genres in which she wrote, including mysteries, plays, radio plays, theology, poetry, and essays.
Christianity and the Detective Novel
Instructor: Melody Green
Time: Thursday 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Date: Jan 21 – Mar 11, 2027
Credits: 2
Format: Online and in-person
While the contemporary genre of the mystery novel was first developed in the late 1800’s, its roots are much older, going all the way back to the apocryphal story of Bel and the Dragon, a story about Daniel written during the Maccabean era. The writers of the Golden Age, including G. K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Agatha Christie, infused the genre with various aspects of their own Christian faith. This eight-week class will explore the relationship between Christianity and detective novels, from its beginnings through the Golden Age, and beyond.
Language and the Life of the Church
Instructor: Pearce Durst
Time: Monday 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Start Date: January 25, 2027
Credits: 3Format: Online and in-person
How do we frame difficult conversations between believers, share convictions, listen across disagreements, and articulate the church’s presence in the wider world? By examining how rhetoric and communication have shaped the life of the ancient and contemporary church, this course explores why miscommunication occurs, what strategies inform practical, transformative conversations, and ultimately how to communicate with greater intention, clarity, and grace in our everyday speech.