Featured Courses & Presentations

Immigration Reform & the New Sanctuary Movement

• Informs and stimulates dialogue on the pressing issue of immigration reform and ministry to immigrants.
• Introduces participants to the New Sanctuary Movement and those organizations such as the Church Council of Greater Seattle that are supporting it locally.
• Shares the stories of congregations that have taken steps to provide hospitality, security and support to immigrants thereby counteracting prejudical social and governmental attitudes and actions against immigrants.

Contact Patrick Higgins

 

Homelessness: America's Continuing Legacy of Neglect

• Reviews the combination of public policy decisions and private market forces in King County that have resulted in the growth of homelessness.
• Examines who is homeless and why.
• Explores strategies that are ending homelessness.
• Surveys how congregations are actually working to effectively overcome homelessness.

Contact David Bloom

 

Military Service & Christian Discipleship

• Brings a presentation by an Iraq War veteran on his/her personal experience during and following deployment.
• Shows a video currently used by the Department of Defense to examine the question of conscientious objection.
• Offers a Bible study that examines how waging war is understood in both the Old and the New Testaments.

Contact John-Otto Liljenstolpe

 

The Social Gospel Today

• Examines the history of the Social Gospel movement, its impact on the American Church and society and its role in inspiring such prophetic leaders as Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Articulates the theology of Walter Rauschenbusch showing how this early 20th Century pastor and teacher recovered the prophetic aspect of the ministry of Jesus thereby enabling the Church of his day to begin to see the implications of the Gospel for the social, political and economic issues of the times.
• Initiates an ongoing dialogue about what it means to proclaim and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our day.

Contact David Bloom

 

Earthcare

• Examines the theological shift during the past century from "salvation from the earth" to "salvation for the earth."
• Reviews the ecological challenges facing us as individuals, congregations and society.
• introduces participants to the work of Earth Ministry and the newly fromed Church Council of Greater Seattle's Care of Creation Taskforce.

Contact John-Otto Liljenstolpe

 

Middle East Perspectives - The Quest for Zion

• Presents a Jewish perspective on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
• Presents a Palestinian perspective on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
• introduces participants to the peacemaking efforts of various groups such as: the Middle East Fellowship, the Church Council of Greater Seattle's Palestinian Concerns Taskforce, Investing for Peace in the Holy Land and the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center among others.

Contact John-Otto Liljenstolpe

 

Detention & Torture - America's Dark Side

• Offered in collaboration with the National Religious Coalition against Torture (NRCAT). See www.nrcat.org for more information.
• Reviews lay and congressional efforts to legislate restrictions on methods of interrogation to prohibit torture.
• Discusses how communities of faith can stand against torture.

contact Patrick Higgins

 

Click here for a list of available courses by topic.