This unit explores a variety of approaches to and aspects of prayer, setting the discussion in historical and theological context; reflection on personal experience of prayer; practical exercises from a range of strategies for prayer; engagement intellectually with key writers from the Christian tradition. Particular attention will be paid to: the place of Scripture, the role of the community, meditative and contemplative traditions, ritual traditions, prayer in ordinary and extreme times, as a basis for action, and as a dimension of Australian experience.
Unit code: DS8222P
Unit status: Approved (Minor revision)
Points: 24.0
Unit level: Postgraduate Foundational
Unit discipline: Spirituality
Delivery Mode: Face to Face
Proposing College: Pilgrim Theological College
Show when this unit is running| 1. | Articulate the place of personal prayer within the Christian tradition; |
| 2. | Appreciate the significance of personal prayer for a life of public Christian Ministry; |
| 3. | Examine key features of Christian styles of prayer and spirituality, including both apophatic and kataphatic approaches; |
| 4. | Identify and assess effective strategies for their own practice of personal prayer; |
| 5. | Evaluate resources for fostering Christian prayer and spirituality against criteria of the Uniting Church’s Basis of Union; |
| 6. | Design a process to introduce at least one style of prayer and spirituality from the Christian tradition to other adults in a small group setting. |
Source-based seminars, small group reflection, guided personal reflection. While historically grounded and theologically exploratory, each contributing to traditioning, the unit foregrounds practice and a practical task.
Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practises that Transform Us, Rev ed. (Westmount, IL: IVP, 2015)
Mary Collins, Women at Prayer (New York: Crossroad, 1987) Robert Ellsberg, ed., Modern Spiritual Masters SERIES
Arthur Holder, ed., The Blackwell Companion to Christian Spirituality (Oxford: Blackwell, 2005)
Gordon Mursell, ed., The Story of Christian Spirituality (London: Lion, 2014)
Joyce Rupp, Prayer. Maryknoll (N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2007)
Philip Sheldrake, ed., Traditions of Christian Spirituality SERIES
Gordon Wakefield, Groundwork in Christian Spirituality (Peterborough: Epworth, 2000)
Diana Villegas, The Christian Path in a Pluralistic World and the Study of Spirituality (Lanham, Md: Lexington Books, 2012)
| Type | Description | Word count | Weight (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Journal - Journal | Weekly journal submitted for feedback in week 3, then final submission of the whole journal in week 9 |
3000 | 40.0 |
| Seminar or Tutorial - Spiritual resource presentation | Students will provide an oral presentation of a component of their Spiritual resource (learning resource) to the class |
400 | 10.0 |
| Learning Resource - Spiritual resource | Resource for small group of adults |
3500 | 50.0 |
Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 11 Sep, 2024
Unit record last updated: 2024-09-11 10:45:14 +1000