Religions are intimately entwined in our contracting and interconnected world. For Christians to engage this world with confidence and graciousness, we need to be deeply formed by Christian sources and broadly informed by interreligious resources. This course invites you to cultivate a missional presence that is passionately Christian as well as compassionately interreligious. It enables participants to graciously encounter and understand the various religious beliefs and practices of our neighbors. And then, it explores how you can think about Christian mission in such an interreligious world.
 
The overall goal of this course is to facilitate Christian encounters and engagement with other religions by harnessing the passion to be Christian even while practicing interreligious compassion. Therefore, as pilgrims of Christ, we will:
Compassionately encounter our neighbors
Graciously understand and expectantly learn from their religions
Respectfully think about Christian witness in our interfaith world
 
Course objectives
Learn about the core beliefs and practices of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Judaism (Expand religious literacy)
Enrich spiritual habits by observing our religious neighbors’ faith and witness (Enhance spiritual practice)
Explore the challenge of embracing the particularity of Christ and celebrating the universality of God (Reimagine interreligious Christian mission)
 
About the course
This course is entirely online and takes place from February 12 to March 25. It involves seven independent learning modules, where participants will watch videos and complete short assignments within a specific time frame, and three synchronous Zoom sessions, where participants will join the instructor and others in the course for a live discussion of the material. These synchronous Zoom sessions will take place from 6-7:30pm EST on February 16, March 8, and March 22.
 
Everything a participant needs to complete this course is provided in the learning modules, and for those who require them, completing this course will earn them .75 CEUs. An outline of the learning modules is as follows:
 
Course outline
Learning Module One: In Introduction and Method for the Study of Religions
Learning Module Two: Islam
Learning Module Three: Hinduism
Learning Module Four: Buddhism
Learning Module Five: Sikhism
Learning Module Six: Judaism
Learning Module Seven: A Christian Theology of Religions and Mission in an Interreligious World