Keith Dyer, New Testament professor at Whitley College talks about a creative and popular course:
“The ‘Theologies and Practices of Love’ unit is running again this year for the second time! Mark Brett (Hebrew Bible) and I (New Testament) have resolved that every week we will incorporate some kind of hermeneutically based reflection at the beginning, on the Love theme, such as a Biblical text, a video clip, newspaper cutting, a popular song or piece of music, or — as we had this morning — a student presenting a summary of Henri Nouwen’s reflections on Rembrandt’s Prodigal Son painting (using a big print placed in front of the class). It was a very moving beginning, and led to some of the most helpful discussions we’ve had with the group. Our resolve as a group is to engage the Biblical text in the context of some cultural icons of contemporary culture in every session. The results are varied and unpredictable at times, but we are convinced it is worth persevering.”
Do tell us about a creative course that you are proud of that is helping your students to integrate biblical insights with their culture.
Dr. Geoff Pound
geoffpound@yahoo.com.au
Image: Rembrandt’s Prodigal Son, circa 1668/69.