Practicing Our Faith Through a Ministry with the Earth
Seminar in Practical Theology
Phillips Theological Seminary
Dr. Elizabeth Box Price, Professor

There is a yearning of contemporary people for deeper understanding of and involvement in the redemptive practice of God in the world. This course will focus particularly on the practice of ministering with the earth in which such ministry will be considered as having a potential fullness that is of great importance in building up the body of Christ, equipping people for ministry, and restoring the relationship between human beings and the rest of creation. The course is designed in workshop form with an experiential methodology.
Course Objectives: This course will enable participants to:

1. see themselves as a part of the natural world
2. include natural processes and animals and plants as part of their moral and religious community
3. discover a theological framework of sacrality
4. challenge many long held theological assumptions and biblical interpretations in Christianity
5. analyze the actions of individuals and communities and reflect on acts of ministry
6. imagine eco-justice and a new story that augments stories of tradition
 
Strategies for Completing the Course Objectives
Required Reading
Moore, Mary Elizabeth. Ministering with the Earth. St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 1998.
Johnson, Elizabeth A. Women, Earth, and Creator Spirit. New York: Paulist Press, 1993
McFague, Sallie. Super, Natural Christians. Fortress Press, 1997.
Southard, Mary. Love Notes to Earth, 2000 Calendar. LaGrange Park, Ill. Sisters of St.
Joseph of LaGrange, 1999.
Swimme, Brian. Hidden Heart of the Cosmos. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1996.
(video: SEM VT 113 H632)
Berry, Thomas and Brian Swimme. The Universe Story. HarperSanFrancisco, 1994.
Optional Resources
Ruether, Rosemary Radford. Women Healing Earth. Mary Knoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1996
Humma, Robert M. Landscapes of the Soul: A Spirituality of Place. Ave Maria, 1999.
Lane, Belden. The Solace of Fierce Landscapes: Exploring Desert and Mountain
Spirituality.
Rasmussen, Larry. Earth Community, Earth Ethics.
Berry, Thomas. The Great Work. New York: Bell Tower,1999.
(Also, see Bibliography in Southard’s Calendar)
 
 
Class Format
The first part of the semester will be spent doing Required Reading and Writing projects.
The class will meet on four weekends ( 3/31-4/1, 4/7-8, 4/28-29, 5/5-6 )
on Friday (6:30 to 8:30 p.m) and Saturday (9:30 to 3:30). Most sessions for the class will be held at a Retreat Center in south Tulsa. The first part of these sessions will be devoted to discussion related to required and optional reading; the last part will be participation in the Retreat Design Exercises by Mary Elizabeth Moore. On Saturday,
April 29, the class will travel to the Tall Grass Prairie near Pawhuska for field observation and discovery.
Written Assignments
1. Keep a Journal. Select a plant from an area near your home. Journal about its surroundings throughout the course. Due on last day of class. 10%
2. Select a Place that has special significance to you. Take/find a photograph of it and/or draw/paint a picture of it. Write or tape a short story or narrative about your relationship to this place. Due at first class session. 10%
3. Follow the guidelines for at least one day a week in the calendar. Keep notes (a diary) on how these activities affected your consciousness of and relationship to the natural world. Honor System. Turn in grade last day of class. 10%
4. Read the Assigned Text for each week and write a two page description of (1) the main thesis and supporting points, (2) and a brief statement on insights you gained for ministry. (This is NOT a book report.) Due on the assigned date. 20%
5. Generate a self-directed Learning Project. Choose an issue related to ministry with the earth that you especially want to know about but have not been able to explore in depth. Decide what you want to learn and how you will go about learning it. A Self-Directed Project form will be provided by the Professor. This completed form is due on March 2. Project portfolio (along with an oral report) is due on the last day of class. Peer Review. 20%
Class Attendance and Participation
Confluent education combines cognitive and affective objectives. In a seminar using confluent processes, class participation is extremely important. Participation means well-informed participation that includes preparation and knowledge of assigned articles, essays, books and issues directly under focus for the class session. It also means a willingness to explore and share related reflection and experience. It means completing class assignments by the designated due date. Attendance at all class sessions is required.
Absences will be very detrimental to receiving credit for this course. Because class participation is such a vital part of the course it will count 30% of the course grade.
There will be no "incompletes" given except for medical emergencies, documented by physician. The professor reserves the right to evaluate any request for an incomplete.
See PTS Catalogue and PTS Student Handbook regarding Academic Misconduct. See Turabian for style and form of written work.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Assigned Reading SCHEDULE

Feb. 3, Thursday Johnson, Women, Earth, and Creator Spirit
Feb. 10, Thursday Swimme and Berry, The Universe Story
Feb. 17, Thursday McFague, Super, Natural Christians(especially, Chap. 2)
Feb. 24, Thursday Ruether, Women Healing Earth (Introduction plus
at least one Essay from each Part)
March 2, Thursday Swimme, The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos
March 23, Thursday Humma, Landscapes of the Soul and/or Lane, The Solace…
March 31, Friday Moore, Ministering with the Earth, Chapters 1 & 2.
April 7, Friday Moore, Ministering with the Earth, Chapters 3 & 4
April 13, Thur. Berry, The Great Work and/or Rasmussen, Earth
Community, Earth Ethics
April 28, Friday Moore, Ministering with the Earth, Chapters 5 & 6
Field Trip to the Tall Grass Prairie
May 5, Friday Moore, Ministering with the Earth, Chapters 7 & 8 Self-directed project due