Sign up for this course to learn Catholic teaching on God’s desire to unite all of mankind to Himself and to each other through the Church. We will examine disunity in the Body of Christ as well as the tasks before us in healing that division.
How to get the most out of Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue: Didache Series with Mike Creavey:
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First, read the course materials below before the first class meeting.
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Then have a notebook ready and available for class notes each live session.
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Read assignments before class meetings
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Watch that week’s recording if you need to revisit information from our live session.
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Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for that week.
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Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.
Special Notes: This course includes a writing component.
Total classes: 12
Duration per class: 55 minutes
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 11th to 12th grade
Suggested credit: One full semester Theology or Interreligious Dialogue
Instructor: Mike Creavey
Instructor email: thegraciousguest@gmail.com
Course description:
As Catholics, we believe that the Catholic Church enjoys the “fullness of the truth”, but that does not mean our brothers and sisters around the world who hold differing beliefs and traditions have no exposure to or experience of Truth. How do we understand this? Jesus warns that there may even be people who preach and perform wonders in his name to whom He will have to say at the Final Judgment, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21-23). What then is the nature of the Catholic Church’s relationship with other Christian ecclesial communities, the Jewish people, Muslims, and the multitude of practitioners of various religions around the world? Come and see!
Course outline:
Week 1 – Course Introduction
Week 2 – Ch. 1: God Reveals His Plan of Salvation
Week 3 – Ch. 2: The Church as Sacrament of Salvation
Week 4 – Ch. 3: The Church as Sacrament of Communion
Week 5 – Ch. 4: Churches of the East
Week 6 – Ch. 5: Ecclesial Communities in Western Christianity
Week 7 – Ch. 6: Ecumenical Efforts
Week 8 – Ch. 7: Relations with the Jewish People
Week 9 – Ch. 8: Islam and Other Non-Christian Religions
Week 10 – Ch. 9: Proclamation and Dialogue: The New Evangelization
Week 11 – Discussion: Essays
Week 12 – Course Conclusion
Course materials:
– The Holy Bible, preferably the Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE) or the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE). NOTE: Both can be accessed online for free through bible.com/“YouVersion” phone app or by visiting biblegateway.com and selecting the desired translation from the drop box menu. Students may use their own bibles if they choose, but course material will always reference one of the above translations.
– Catechism of the Catholic Church: 2nd Edition (ISBN-13: 978-1601376497); also free online at http://ccc.usccb.org/flipbooks/catechism/index.html)
– Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue by Eric Sammons – Didache Series (ISBN-13: 978-1936045976)
– Various free online articles, PDFs, video and audio links may be shared by the instructor throughout the course
Homework: Students will be expected to read approximately 25-35 pages per week, primarily consisting of relevant chapters from the Didache textbook. Web-based readings and some video/audio material may be occasionally required as well. Assessments will consist of five bi/tri-weekly online quizzes (70% of grade) and one culminating essay (30% of grade). More details on homework and grading will be provided during the first class.
- Teacher: Mike Creavey