Unit Code C-M

This unit provides for an understanding of the physical, social, psychological and spiritual dimensions of the human life cycle through all the stages from infancy to older age. As such, it provides knowledge of life experiences that can be addressed in pastoral care and counselling. It studies life cycle theorists like Freud, Erikson, Jung, and Bronfenbrenner; moral and faith development: Piaget, Kohlberg, Fowler; developmental tasks like early attachments, identity, sexuality, career, marriage & family, mid-life changes, and ageing. It addresses issues pertaining to gender studies, and the life cycle and pastoral counselling.

This unit introduces the ethical issues involved in contemporary medicine and health care, with a view to moral decision making in keeping with Christian principles. It investigates philosophical and theological principles in bioethics; spirituality and the health care professional; theological understandings of life and death, the human person, human well-being and care; the proper goals of medicine and health care; beginning of life issues: reproductive technologies, abortion, disabled newborn; end of life issues: withholding and withdrawing treatment; euthanasia; terminal sedation; and special issues, including genetics, justice and resource allocation, organ transplantation, research, institutional ethics, and mental health.

This postgraduate unit  provides an advanced study of the ethical issues arising in the contemporary experience of marriage and personal relationships. Historical, sociological and theological insights will provide a context for examining Christian responses to family life today. It includes an historical overview of Catholic teachings on human sexuality, marriage and procreation, theological perspectives for human sexuality: Trinity, creation and covenant, theology of the body, sacramentality, theological aspects of family planning and responsible parenthood, ethical issues at the beginning of human life, contemporary issues in sexual ethics, including homosexuality and ethical aspects of human development and sexual maturation.

This unit provides an overview and general understanding of the early centuries of Christian history. It investigates the early Church in context: methodology and historiography; religious, cultural and social backgrounds of the early Church; the relationship between the early Church and the Roman state; Jewish, pagan and Christian perceptions; persecution and the phenomenon of martyrdom; internal tensions within the early Church: orthodoxy and heresy; aspects of an emerging Christian worldview; the ‘triumph of the Church’: Constantine, the Fathers, the Councils, and the Church in a declining Empire.

This unit considers the European Reformations of the sixteenth century as a development in history of universal importance. It also introduces the leading figures, theological concerns and key events of the period, and highlights the complexity of interpreting events shaped by differing religious, economic, social and political contexts. After defining the Reformations and their medieval background it moves on to consider the key roles played by Luther, Zwingli and Calvin and the theologies derived from them. The Radical Reformation, he Reformation in Scotland and England, the Catholic Counter-Reformation, and he Legacy of the European Reformation are also considered.

This unit studies the history of the Korean Protestant church. It provides a context for other theological studies relating to the Korean Protestant church. It addresses the beginning of the Korean Protestant churches, the missionaries and the leaders of early Korean churches, the 1907 Great Revival, Church and State under Japanese colonial rule, the imposition of Shinto shrine worship, emancipation and conflict in the Korean churches, the theological controversy over Liberalism, confrontation over the World Council of Churches, reunion and fracturing/division, Church and State after 1945, growth and schism, and the Future of the Korean Church.

This unit seeks to establish a theology of preaching that provides an adequate theoretical foundation to preaching practice and introduces students to the foundational skills needed for the preparation and delivery of homilies/sermons. It includes the definition of preaching/homiletics, a brief history of preaching/homiletics, the language of preaching/homiletics including story and technology, text selection and exegesis of texts, Sermon construction, preaching style and delivery taking account of context, listeners, and medium, and practical evaluation of a sermon.

This unit shows how the understanding and practice of mission has evolved throughout the centuries in response to the changing needs of the world. It introduces the contemporary theological understandings and entry points for mission. It includes the biblical foundations for mission, a history of mission, contemporary church teaching on mission, the Trinitarian basis of mission and missio dei, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, the reign of God and the church, proclamation/witness and evangelism in mission, and other aspects of mission: prayer, justice, ecology, inculturation, dialogue and reconciliation. It examines contemporary entry points and strategies for mission in Australia.

This unit presents information on the major world religions and explores Christian perspectives on these religions. It addresses topics such as definitions and characteristics of religion; functions of religion in society; religion and multiculturalism in Australia or New Zealand; fundamentalisms, religion and terrorism; Christian Perspectives on other religions; the uniqueness of Christianity in a pluralistic world; primal religion: traditional aboriginal or Maori religion; the history, cultural contexts, beliefs and practices of a selection from Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucian philosophy, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Jainism, Shinto and an introduction to inter-religious dialogue.