This 3-credit hour course in theology will take as guide the foundational work of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity. This text examines the principal elements of the Christian Creed: belief in the triune God, in Jesus Christ, in the Spirit and the Church. It does this making explicit reference to post-Enlightenment skepticism in faith and the supernatural.   Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton will serve as an apologetic preparation for this: how one man, himself steeped in this post-Enlightenment mentality, was came to accept the Creed. ENROLL HERE.
Required Texts:
G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (Ignatius Press, San Francisco; 1995; ISBN 0-89870-552-5).
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity (Ignatius Press, San Francisco; 2004; ISBN 978-1-58617-029-5)
Course Objectives:
• To learn to read philosophical, and theological texts carefully and critically.
• To be introduced to two classic 20th century works of apologetics and fundamental theology.
• To understand the philosophical and experiential basis for belief.
• To understand the interconnectedness of philosophy, theology, and the articles of faith.
Once you enroll in the course, you will be emailed a link along with a user name and password to get into the online classroom. Once in the classroom, you will have access to your theology course, the syllabus, video lectures and Fr. Fessio’s extensive coursework study questions. Each student is expected to prepare for each online class session by: (a) carefully reading the chapter or chapters to be covered, attempting to answer the Study Questions for that material; (b) attempting to determine the overall ­structure and intent of each chapter. The questions for the midterm and final will be taken exclusively from the Study Questions.