In the first place, there does seem to be a warm current of healing power that often flows from the minister of healing to the sick person. Precisely what happens when we feel this current we are not sure, but it seems like a transfer of life-giving power. . . . Often we experience this same transfer of power, occasionally like a gentle electric current, but more often like a flow of warmth. Whatever it is, it is often connected with healing. It almost always feels like a transfer of life. ~Francis MacNutt
Start Date: Monday March 28, 2022
End Date: Friday May 20, 2022
NOTE-WELL: In order to receive full-credit, this course requires attendance at Iliff on Friday April 22nd, 2022 from 9am-4:30pm and on Saturday April 23rd from 9am-4:30pm.
Guest-Speaker: Mona Moayedi, Doctoral Candidate; University of Denver & Iliff School of Theology Joint Doctoral Program in the Study of Religion. (Ms. Moayedi joins us Sat. 4/23 from 10am to Noon)
Course Description/Synopsis:
This course focuses on beliefs and ideas at the intersections of pneumatological practice and healing. What is the relationship of the Holy Spirit to historic and contemporary notions of biological, spiritual, psychological, and social approaches to the care of the sick? Themes of religion and spirituality will be examined alongside themes of wholeness, human flourishing, and holistic medicine. Representatives from the fields of nursing and medicine, and from non-Christian/non-Western religious traditions may be featured as guest-speakers.
Course Learning Objectives: 1. Student will acquire a pluralistic understanding of the relationship of the Divine Spirit to historic and contemporary notions of biological, spiritual, psychological, and social approaches to the care of the sick. 2. Students will acquire a basic understanding of the major themes and terms in Christian pneumatology, with a special focus on Christian conceptions of "healing" in relationship to the Biblical tradition and to the Holy Spirit. 3. Students will examine and discuss the changing professional definitions and epistemological discourses among traditional/historic notions of "healing" practices alongside contemporary/scientific notions of medical knowledge and "healing" as well as best-practices for clergy health and wellness. 4. Following Wolfhart Pannenberg's theological ideas about the presence of the Third Person of the Trinity, Holy Spirit, as a "force-field" in human life and in the world-at-large, students will examine and discuss emergent practices and scientific evidence from the domains of energy-medicine, Harmonics, and neuro-theology. 5. Students will listen to and interact with certified mental health and medical professionals on themes/topics ranging from the relationship of religion and medicine to promoting health and wholeness among professional clergy and health-care professionals. 6. Through small-group and larger-group discussions/interaction, students will apply their learnings in this course to the one or more of their respective professional and praxis areas such as (but not limited to) the following domains: preaching/teaching, spiritual direction, prayer/worship, pastoral care/counseling, professional nursing or professional medical practice, and community ministries in secular settings.
Required Course Textbooks & Readings:
Carl Jung, Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle . From The Collected Works of C. G. Jung , Bollingen Series. Translated by R.F.C. Hull. Princeton Univ. Press, 1960; Reprinted 2010. [ISBN: 978-0-691-15050-5]. Any edition is fine, and editions available in the public domain.
Francis MacNutt. Healing. Revised & Expanded Silver Anniversary Edition. Ave Maria Press, 1999. [ISBN-13: 978-0-87793-676-3; and ISBN-10: 0-877-93-676-5].
Additional Required Readings ---- All other readings from primary or from secondary sources will be provided to students and listed with Links in the "Course Summary" outline of the Syllabus (under the respective week of the class in which the reading is due) with full author, title, and page number information as well as any relevant external links for each secondary source or for each primary source. All additional required readings will also available to students under the "Files" tab of our Canvas course site.
Suggested Additional Reading: (Optional Texts; Purchase Not Required) - T.B.A.
Although this two-credit praxis course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis, the point allocations listed below will work best with Iliff's Canvas LMS platform and grading system. CANVAS: GROUP DISCUSSIONS/OPEN FORUM ASSIGNMENTS - 30 % of Course Grade Students will participate in and complete FOUR separate on-line class discussions/open forums on different topics/themes selected by the instructor during the course. ATTENDANCE & PARITICIPATION ON-CAMPUS: 40% of Course Grade "Healing & the Divine Spirit" (IST 2178) is a 2-credit Weekend-Praxis Course with an Online/Hybrid Component on Canvas. The Start Date on Canvas is Monday March 28, 2022, and the End Date on Canvas is Week Eight by Friday May 20, 2022. NOTE-WELL: In order to receive full-credit, this course requires attendance at Iliff on Friday April 22nd, 2022 from 9am-4:30pm and on Saturday April 23rd from 9am-4:30pm. Attendance and Participation in these two on-campus class sessions will count towards 40% of the final grade in this course. FINAL ASSIGNMENT - 30% of Course Grade: NOTE-WELL: All students enrolled in this course are required to submit a Final Reflection Paper or a Final Project. Option 1: Your final assignment for this class can take the form of a Final Reflection Essay or a Final Reflection Paper that incorporates any of the course content, terms, readings, Etc. within a framework or theme of your choosing. You must incorporate or apply course content somehow. Option 2: Students might also consider creative expressions of your learnings during our class, --such as poetry; artwork; a short-story or exploratory fiction; a sermon on the Holy Spirit and/or healing; or an adult education series about spirituality & healing; designing and delivering a podcast or a blog for your church or for a public-audience; Etc. Other final projects are possible, just let Prof. Hernandez know what you're thinking/imagining, or if you have any questions or concerns. All creative projects must include a brief, written summary of the work/creative-piece explaining your rationale, Etc. If you do not live in CO, then you will need to consider feasible options for sending your final project to Prof. Hernandez before the assignment deadlines listed here below. For students who decide to write a Final Reflection Essay/Paper, here are some simple guidelines to follow: Evaluation Procedures, Canvas Discussions, & Final Assignment
**DEADLINES - FINAL REFLECTION PAPERS or FINAL CREATIVE PROJECTS**
GRADUATING STUDENTS: The final assignment for students who are graduating from Iliff this June 2022, is earlier than the deadline for the rest of the class:----Thus, for Senior your deadline is Friday May 27th, 2022 by 11:59 PM (MST/Denver).
CONTINUING STUDENTS: The final assignment for students who are not graduating from Iliff at the end of this term is Tuesday May 31st, 2022 by 11:59 PM (MST/Denver).
Course Procedures & Expectations
Accessing and Regularly Checking our Canvas Course Site:
Guidelines for Online Group Discussions/Open Forums:
Writing Lab:
Grammar and organization are important for all written assignments. Additional help is available from the Iliff Writing Lab , which is available for students of any level who need help beginning an assignment, organizing thoughts, or reviewing a final draft.
Academic Integrity and Core Values:
All students are expected to abide by Iliff’s statement on Academic Integrity , as published in the Master's Student Handbook , or the Joint PhD Statement on Academic Honesty, as published in the Joint PhD Student Handbook , as appropriate. All participants in this class are expected to be familiar with Iliff’s Core Values .
Incomplete Grade Petitions:
Incomplete Grade Petitions will be granted only in the case of documented and verifiable medical circumstances or other personal or family related emergencies. In the event a student requires this option, the final grade for the course will be assigned as a "Pass" (P) or "Fail" (F) grade. See the Master's Student Handbook for the Policies and Procedures about Incomplete Grade Petitions.
Additional Policies & Services:
Accommodations: Iliff engages in a collaborative effort with students with disabilities to reasonably accommodate student needs. Students are encouraged to contact their assigned advisor to initiate the process of requesting accommodations. The Advising Center can be contacted at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303-765-1146. The Disability Services Officer at Iliff is Jeremy Garber, jgarber@iliff.edu . For more information, go to the Disability Services section in the Masters Student Handbook (Links to an external site.) .
Date | Day | Details | |
Apr 02, 2022 | Sat | WEEK ONE: Welcome Message; Overview of Course, Readings & Assignments, and "the Flow" of the Course | due by 05:59AM |
Apr 09, 2022 | Sat | WEEK TWO: Introduction to "Healing & the Divine Spirit" | due by 05:59AM |
Apr 11, 2022 | Mon | GROUP DISCUSSION/OPEN FORUM #1: Due Sunday April 10th, 2022 by 11:59 PM (MST) | due by 05:59AM |
Apr 18, 2022 | Mon | GROUP DISCUSSION/OPEN FORUM #2: ---CANCELLED in Observance of Iliff's Easter Recess | due by 05:59AM |
Apr 19, 2022 | Tue | WEEK THREE: Reflections on Pentecost, the Age of the Holy Spirit, Reading the Book of Nature & Electro-Healing | due by 05:59AM |
Apr 21, 2022 | Thu | WEEK FOUR: Preparing for On-Campus Praxis Class Sessions on Fri. April 22nd & Saturday April 23rd, 2022 | due by 05:59AM |
Apr 22, 2022 | Fri | OUTLINE: Weekend Praxis Class Session #1 - Friday April 22, 2022 - 9am to 4:30 PM | due by 03:00PM |
Apr 23, 2022 | Sat | OUTLINE: Weekend Praxis Class Session #2 - Saturday April 23, 2022 - 9am to 4:30 PM | due by 03:00PM |
Apr 26, 2022 | Tue | WEEK FIVE - Gathering Days Week @ Iliff School of Theology | due by 05:59AM |
May 07, 2022 | Sat | WEEK SIX: Re-Visiting Synchronicity & Personal Spiritual Experiences (PSEs) | due by 05:59AM |
May 10, 2022 | Tue | GROUP DISCUSSION/OPEN FORUM #3: Due Monday May 9th, 2022 by 11:59 PM (MST) | due by 05:59AM |
May 15, 2022 | Sun | WEEK SEVEN & EIGHT: "Ye are Gods...." - The Greek Orthodox Tradition of "Theosis" & Human Potential | due by 05:59AM |
May 18, 2022 | Wed | GROUP DISCUSSION/OPEN FORUM #4: Due Tuesday May 17th, 2022 by 11:59 PM (MST) | due by 05:59AM |
May 28, 2022 | Sat | WEEK EIGHT & BEYOND: No New Content or Readings - Focus on Final Reflection Essays/Papers or Final Creative Projects | due by 05:59AM |